136 Forty-third Report on the State Museum. [40] 



in August, on the common annual garden pink, Dianthus Ueddewigii. 

 I have found it abundantly at Wilmington, in the Adirondack 

 mountains, N. Y., on the flowers of a wild mustard, Brasstca nigra. 



According to Professor Forbes, in August of 1885, it was very com- 

 mon in corn-fields in Illinois, associated with K cinerea and E. viUata, 

 all of which were feeding freely upon the fresh silk of corn, doing a 

 very considerable mischief by preventing the fertilization of the 

 kernel and partially blighting the ear. Occasionally E. Pennsylvanica 

 was seen eating the kernels at the top of the ear. Professor Gofif has 

 also reported it as eating off the tip end of the young ears, in Wisconsin. 



This is the first time that I have heard of its attacking either the 

 cabbage or the carrot, and upon referring to all the notices of this 

 species at my command, I do not find either included among its food- 

 plants. 



Remedies. 



The remedy usually employed against its ravages is to beat them 

 from the plants into a hand-basin containing some kerosene and 

 water. As in attempting to beat them from the plants many may 

 fall within the leaves and be held there, I would suggest dusting the 

 plants with pyrethrum powder. Some quite successful exiDeriments 

 have been made with this powder uj)on the beetle, at Ithaca, N. Y., 

 as narrated in the American Entomologist, iii, 1880, p. 193. 



Numbers of them were rapidly defoliating a passion-flower vine, 

 when upon applying the powder they were immediately affected, as 

 was shown by vigorous efforts to remove the substance fi-om their 

 legs. In three minutes they were unable to walk. The vine was 

 completely freed from the attack for a week, until after a rain, when a 

 few of the beetles again appeared. The pyrethrum does not kill at 

 once, but paralyzes the beetles and renders them helpless, until they 

 finally die. 



Pomphopoea Sayi LeConte. 



Lijtta Sayi LeConte: in Proc. Acad. Nat. ScL, Phila., June, 1853, vi, 

 p. 336. 



This blister-beetle is much less common than the preceding ones, 

 but in June, 1885, it occurred in great numbers at Frankfort, Herki- 

 mer county, N. Y., where it was observed by Mr. A. Casler feeding on 

 wheat, the leaves of the butternut and on locust' blossoms, continuing 

 for about a week, during the latter part of the month. Although 

 a collector of insects, the species had never come under his observa- 

 tion before. It had been taken by me, in single examples, at Scho- 

 harie, N. Y., during the month of June, in preceding years. 



