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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



This species was noticed in 1866 by Dr Walsh who states that till 20 

 years before it was unknown in Illinois ; shortly after it commenced its 

 depredations in Chicago, spread to the south, southwest or west through 

 the state, sweeping the locust before it. In i860 it had destroyed most 

 of these trees in central Illinois, and in 1863 it was present in immense 

 numbers in Rock Island, and in the two following years nearly destroyed the 

 locust in that section. He states that it had crossed the river into Iowa in 

 1865, and in a note the following year records it from Lawrence Kan., 

 where it had been observed by a correspondent in 1865. 



Dr Walsh clearly distinguished between this species and the hickory 

 borer, Clytus p ictus Drury. Dr Fitch in 1858, states in reference to 

 the report that the insect had not yet made its appearance west of the 

 Mississippi, that he had received specimens year after year from Indian 

 Territory west of Arkansas, and that in all probability the species occurs all 

 over that portion of the country in which the locust grows. 



This statement of Dr Fitch's is confirmed by Messrs Walsh and Riley 

 receiving this borer from Omaha Neb., in 1868. Rev. C. J. S. Bethune 

 writing of this insect in 1877, states that it was first recorded in Canada in 

 1855, when some locust trees at Montreal were attacked and in 1862 it 

 began to be very destructive to these trees in Toronto, and was for several 

 years excessively abundant. He adds that it appeared in enormous num- 

 bers at London Can. in 1873, and at the time of writing it appeared to be 

 generally distributed throughout the province. Dr A. D. Hopkins states 

 that many trees in and about Morgantown were in* 1891 nearly killed or 

 dead as a result of this insect's work. The bettles were brought to Prof. 

 M. F. Webster in 1888 by a florist who stated that they were in a green- 

 house eating rose leaves and that in no case were they observed to molest 

 other plants. This observation has been questioned by Messrs Riley and 

 Howard. 



Mr Philip Laurent has recorded injurious work by this borer in and 

 about Philadelphia in 1893. He states that in a grove of young trees 

 varying from i to 6 inches in diameter, there was not one of them that did 



