THE POPLAR AND WILLOW BORER 463 



Saskatchewan, but nothing is known as to its spread in this province. 

 It has not been found west of the Great Plains. 



The preceding statement as to the general distribution of the beetle 

 is based on letters received from various officials regarding the situation 

 in their respective States. P. A. Glenn informs the writer that in Illinois 

 the beetle is abundant about Chicago and occurs generally in the northern 

 fourth of the State, while in the central and southern parts it has not 

 been found. Dr. Fracker reports it as widespread in the nurseries of 

 Wisconsin, where it has been found as far north as the shores of Lake 

 Superior. Blatchley and Leng (1916) state that it has not yet been found 

 in Indiana. Professor R. H. Pettit says that it is common in Michigan 

 and probably occurs wherever the Carolina poplar grows. In Ohio it seems 

 not to have spread to any considerable extent since its first appearance 

 there in 1901. It has not yet been found in Nebraska, South Dakota, 

 Iowa, or Indiana. 



In Canada, according to Caesar (1916), it is well distributed throughout 

 Ontario and is also recorded from a few localities in the .province of 

 Quebec. 



LIFE HISTORY 



Although this beetle has been a serious pest in Europe for hundreds 

 of years, its life history has never been fully investigated by European 

 workers. Even at present there is the widest divergence between the 

 accounts given by American and by European writers. This is brought 

 out in detail in the discussion of the various activities of the different 

 stages. 



The adult 



The poplar and willow borer (Plate xxn) belongs to the great group of 

 snout beetles, Rhynchophora, and to the family Curculionidae. This family 

 contains an immense number of species, many of them very serious pests, in- 

 cluding the common plum and quince curculios. The beetle measures from 

 | to 5 inch in length, is robust, and is elongate-oval in shape. It is densely 

 clothed with black and pale-colored scales, intermixed with erect, large, 

 black bristles. The pale scales cover the apical third of the elytra and form 

 an irregular band on the basal third; the underside of the prothorax and 

 part of the legs are also densely clothed with them, and the remainder 

 of the body bears a few scattering ones. The beak is curved, is as long 

 as the head and the thorax, and lies when at rest almost completely con- 

 cealed in a groove on the ventral surface of the thorax. The antennae are 

 elbowed and reddish browTi, with an unsegmented club. 



The beetles begin to appear during the latter half of July, becoming 

 abundant in August. The writer found them present on poplar trees 



