Notes and Gleanings. 233 



margin, and band near the middle ; and the abdomen black, with three yellow 

 bands situated one upon each alternate segment ; width 0.65 to 0.85." 



Dr. Harris says of the latter insect, " In Europe, there is a species of ^Egeria, 

 named by Linnaeus tipiilifonnis, which has long been known to inhabit the 

 stems of the currant-bush. This, or an insect closely resembling it, is far too 

 common in America in the cultivated currant, with which it may have been in- 

 troduced from Europe. The caterpillars are produced from eggs laid singly, 

 near the buds : when hatched, they penetrate the stem to the pith, which they 

 devour, and thus form a burrow of several inches in length in the interior of the 

 stem. As the borer increases in size, it enlarges the hole communicating with 

 its burrow, to admit of the more ready passage of its castings, and to afford it 

 the means of escape when it is transformed to a moth. The inferior size of the 

 fruit affords an indication of the operations of the borers ; and the perforated 

 stems frequently break off at the part affected, or, if of sufficient size still to 

 support the weight of the foliage and fruit, they soon become sickly, and 

 finally die. In some gardens, nearly every currant-bush has been attacked by 

 these borers ; and instances are known to me wherein all attempts to raise cur- 

 rant-bushes from cuttings have been baffled during the second or third year of 

 the growth of the plants by the ravages of these insects. They complete their 

 transformations, and appear in the moth state, about the middle of June. 



" The moth is of blue-black color ; its wings are transparent, but veined and 

 fringed with black, and across the tips of the anterior pair there is a broad 

 band, which is more or less tinged with copper-color ; the under side of the feel- 

 ers, the collar, the edges of the shoulder-covers, and three very narrow rings on 

 the abdomen, are golden yellow. The wings expand three-quarters of an inch, 

 or a little more." 



The TrochiluiJii caiidatiini of Harris is another species infesting the native 

 wild currant, and resembling somewhat the European species. 



The only sure way of getting rid of these insects is to find the shoots con- 

 taining them, cut them out, and destroy the worm or chrysalis. This must be 

 done when the shoots are bare of leaves. The chrysalis is from three-eighths to 

 half an inch long, of a light-brown color. The shoots containing them, or the 

 larvae, will be of a brown color, or have a slightly wilted appearance, and some- 

 times the bark and wood will be left so thin that they will collapse when pinched 

 in the fingers. If the shoots are very vigorous, no difference in the color can be 

 observed ; but, by close examination, the hole where the worm entered will be 

 seen. The moths, which appear about the middle of June, get somewhat torpid 

 in the cool of the day, when they may be taken on the under side of the leaves. 

 By setting pans filled with sweet, sticky paste, or wide-mouthed bottles partly 

 filled with sweetened water, great numbers may be captured ; but this course 

 destroys friends as well as enemies. In making cuttings, they should be care- 

 fully examined for borers ; and, where the pest prevails, we recommend a con- 

 certed effort to destroy it by digging up and burning the old bushes, and plant- 

 ing new bushes or cuttings.] 



