76 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, 



the mice, traps were introduced, and a great haul was made two or three 

 days in succession. I noticed one morning on examining the traps that 

 one of the dead mice had been eaten into and a considerable portion of 

 it devoured. I attributed this to cannibalism, and thought it probable 

 that the mice were hard up for food. This occurred on two or three oc- 

 casions, and in one instance I noticed that several roaches ran away from 

 the trap when I opened the closet door. 1 his induced me to look a little 

 more carefully into the matter of the eating, and I suspected that the mice 

 could not well have done that kind of chewing which was present. I 

 concluded to experiment a little further, and when I captured another 

 mouse, left it in the trap for two or three days to see what the outcome 

 would be. Then early one morning I carefully opened the closet door 

 scaring off several roaches that were evidently engaged in making a meal 

 on the dead mouse. I found that they had not only eaten hide and hair, 

 but had eaten a considerable portion of the intestines and the flesh. 

 Around several of the vertebrae the muscular tissue had been cleaned off 

 as completely as if ants had done it, and every bone and every process, 

 and every spicule, as well as the ribs were perfect and entirely cleaned, 

 making, so far as it went, a perfect skeleton. I had known, of course, 

 that roaches were almost omnivorous, and that nothing was sacred to 

 them; but this is the first time that I ever noted such a habit as that above 

 described, nor do I recollect ever having read of any similar occurrence. 

 Perhaps some of the readers of the News have seen or heard of some 

 like instance, and if so I would be pleased to have a note of it. 



The Pear-leaf Bllster-mite.— In Bulletin No. 6i, of the Cornell Station, 

 Mr. M. V. Slingerland has an account of the above insect, Phytopttis pyri 

 Scheut., in which he finds that Winter spraying with the kerosene emul- 

 sion diluted not more than eight times is an almost perfect remedy. The 

 life-history of the mite is stated, and it is found that the adults hibernate 

 inider the bud-scales, where they are easily reached by the kerosene, 

 which penetrates every crevice readily. The emulsion diluted only three 

 times produced no injurious effects upon the trees. 



This result is an important one, in that it forces the grower into his 

 orchard in Winter, and the application made as against the mite will be 

 of use also against the Pear psylla, and will destroy many another insect 

 which seeks shelter in crevices and like situations. . 



In New Jersey this species is abundant, seasonally and locally; but usu- 

 ally noted only early in the year, nearly all trace of the insect's work dis- 

 appearing by mid-Summer. No permanently injurious effects have been 

 noticed in this State. 



Timber Beetles. — Mr. A. D. Hopkins has sent out from the West Vir- 

 ginia Experiment Station a circular to lumber manufacturers asking in- 

 formation concerning injury done to timber by a number of species of 

 wood-borers, mainly Scolytids and LymexyUids. The object is to gather 

 statistics, so far as possible, concerning the percentage of defective timber 

 and the actual money loss. It is impossible to repeat the questions asked. 



