REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 139 



sends down a single large root, which grows laterally, forming a bend 

 at right angles to the trunk, so that it is used for u knees " in building 

 vessels, the smaller trees being used for the same purpose in boat- 

 building. 



The larch grows in wet swamps, or standing water, where the spruce 

 or hemlock as well as pines would not flourish, hence its growth en- 

 hances the value of extensive swampy tracts in Maine, where the water 

 often stands all summer, even through the severest droughts. 



Its devastation* in Maine. Our attention was first called to this insect 

 late in August, 1882, and we iirst saw the effects of its ravages at Bruns- 

 wick, Me., where it had partly or entirely stripped the hackmatacks in 

 a very wet swamp on the banks of the Audroscpggin Kiver, on the farm 

 of Hon. C. J. Oilman, who called our attention to the ravages which 

 had been committed earlier in the season. On examining the growth 

 in company with him, we found that most of the trees, both large ones, 

 G to 10 inches in diameter, and small saplings, 6 to 15 feet in height, 

 had been attacked ; some of the trees were stripped, others partially 

 so, while others had wholly escaped. The trees in the middle of the 

 swamp appeared to have suffered most, while the smaller ones on the 

 edge or on higher land were less injured. 



By jarring the trees a few young, half-grown worms of the second 

 brood which had not yet undergone their last molt, and a single fully- 

 grown larva were collected, while the cocoons from which the saw-flies 

 had escaped earlier in the season were found lying upon the ground or 

 in the moss under the trees. No cocoons with the pupa within, or any 

 other fully-grown worms, were to be found, 



On the same day (August 30) we examined a noble larch on Mr. Gil- 

 man's ground, which had been nearly killed, as he informs us, by these 

 or similar worms. 



On September 6 we found that the hackmatacks in cold, boggy, wet 

 land on the crown of Eocky Hill, near Brunswick, had suffered more 

 than elsewhere. Many of the trees were wholly or partially defoliated. 

 According to Mr. Simpson, the injury was here done "about haying 

 time," July, 1881, but the worms had been at work in June and July of 

 the present year. The trees at the time of my visit (September 6) were 

 putting out a new set of leaves on the terminal shoots, the needles or 

 leaflets being from one-third to one-half an inch in length. We also 

 noticed from the railroad train in going from Brunswick to Boston, 

 about the middle of September, that the hackmatacks had been stripped 

 near Portland and Sacoj no trees being observed west of Saco, along 

 the line of the Eastern Eailroad. 



Our attention, however, had previously been called to this insect by 

 its ravages near Augusta, Me., where it first, perhaps, attracted general 

 attention. 



The following notice appeared in the Daily Kennebec Journal for Julv 

 25, 1882: 



A white worm about three-fourths of an inch long is destroying the foliage of tlie 

 hackmatack and fir trees in certain sections in this vicinity. The trees appear all 

 bare and brown, as though scorched by fire. 



On applying for specimens and further information to the editors, we 

 received the following note from Mr. W. A. Neweomb, of the Journal, 

 under date of July 31 : 



I send you to-day some of those worms that are eating the hackmatack trees. I 

 could not find any of the large, full-grown worms, and I think they have gone into 

 the chrysalis state. These that I send are just hatched out, and were all the speci- 

 nu'iis I could I'md. 



