186 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



with the peculiar sprouts at tlieirlii' 

 tlic same fungus which we spok.' < 

 uiul 91 of the present vohuiir 

 [Fig. 12S).] 



Colors— gi-eeu and ou on 

 whitish. quite 



quite dry when it arrives, 

 when out ot tlie earth. ( 

 stroyed corn, potatoes, in 



made to 



specimiii 



earth, sn 



T. J. 1 



the :ll)o\ 



viirw tlieiu lialf 



■nie persons 

 kain of the 

 ell are being 

 111 to receive 

 1 with moist 

 :ciiil green. 

 i\ Icani ft'om 

 •lU-d uTubs" 



>, liayand .laclison 



Jhon, Hh.—Yon 

 moth, whicli you 

 Lis vicinitv. and Is 

 I5iuk Fly'.'- You 

 to lav tlieir eggs in 

 ■<■ they crawl, after 

 1 cannot speak 



of 



Worms in Osagre Orange SeeA—A!/red Plant, St . 

 Lmis. i/o.— We have never succeeded in breeding the 

 dark l.r.«Mi objects which you find among your Osage 

 (»i;iiii.'i' Mill, and which look not unUke small speci- 

 nii n- 11/ till- seed, though they are more pointed at one 

 (lid, and are found to be divided transversely into 

 thiiti. II -cmiient^. wlicn carofuUy examined. They 

 ■in- r\ii|.iitlv llic larva- of some two-win^'od flv, and 



Ur l„lirvr tllCV dn IIO iKinil tO tllC SCcd ItSClf. WC 



lia\r :ilu:i\- no'ticed tliat tliey wen- most iiuinerous in 

 l.adh rl(-ali(-d si-.-d. and piei-.'-s- of the dried ]>ulp of the 

 i.i-iir-T ar.- -ji-iic-ralh- miwdrd willi tle-iii There are 

 mam- l\\.i-wiii-j.-d nir- iM-loii-iii- lo rrrlaiu genera, 

 whi.-li l-rrrd in drr, .1111, ..Mil- \ ' get al iL - matt, -r. and we 

 .sn-lieet that while lhe(l>ase Uraiiges are lieing piled 

 into licaps, in order that tlioy may rot and tlie seeds be 

 more readily separated from the glutinous pulp, some 

 species of "fly that is perhaps peculiar to Texas, 

 delights to deposit its eggs on this rotting mass. The 

 larva- hatehiiiu- IVi.m the.^e e-L'- revel in the pulp, and 

 wlii-ii tie- ^r^d- arr wa-lied i.iil. niaiiv Mieli larvie will 

 iii.-\ilaMv pa- tlir"Ui;h lie- -i.-ve with tlieiii. These 

 are ..r eoui-se di-pii\ i d ot tie ir m-ee^sary food and 

 nioisiiire, and reai-h you in tin- dried-up condition of 

 those vouseud. It i> I.e. aii-r tlu-\ arc thus dried up 

 that we have ahv.ivs faili-d to l.ii-i-d the perfect fly from 

 them. Thev have pn.l. al.lv 1" . ii railed the "Screw- 

 worm" because in their fresh ^tate they must greatly 

 resemble the true "Screw-worm' ' which attacks cattle 

 in Texas, and which Is likewise the larva of some two- 

 winged flv. We shall be glad if any of our Texas sub- 

 scribers will send us, during the coming summer, living 

 specimens of ritlier the Osage Orange larvite or of the 

 true rattle ■ • .'^i iiw-worm. " We may thus be enabled 

 to rear tle-iii to the perfect state, and dispel the dark- 

 ness in whi.-h the natural history of these curious in- 

 sects is now eiu eloped. 



Insects to be named — X. Q. Z., hiAlanapolu, 



Jnd. — We cannot undertake to return specimens of in- 

 sects that iire sent us to be named, and you are the 

 first person that ever asked us to do so. Least of all, 

 can we return them prepaying the postage thereon 

 out of our own pockets. It adds at least nine hundred 

 per cent to the cash value of a collection of insects to 

 get it eorreetlv named. Now, tnname insects correctly 

 and eoiisei,-iit'ioii-lv. involves .-onMdi-ral.le labor. It is 

 only lair, ihi-r.-l'or.-, thai tlio-,- who p,-rlorin this labor 

 sbo'nld ha\etie- ehaiirr of l.oin- ri-c-oinpi-n.-L-d lor their 

 time and Iroul.l.-. I.y o,-,-a>ioiially lindiiij;- a rare species 

 amom; the hiiii.lri-d'> ofroinnion >pi-.-ies that .are sent on 

 to l.e iianiril If w ,- \M're lo r.-tnni all specimens, after 

 namiiiu' Ih.ni, aiel in a.Miiioii i.iejiay the postage 

 tli.-n-on. H.- -hoiiM not oiil\- 1..- « orking for nothing, 



company . 

 variegate- 

 body, am 



iM-om th.-.,- 

 Tliclar\a-a 

 their priekl 

 never stiiiiL 

 head of a d 

 fly ((E.tn.. 

 known to ii 



the larva- of no sraly-win,i;ed insect lorTler LkI'IDOP- 



Sivarnis of minute Flies in Itoonis — S". S. 



BatAmn.—T\\e minute dipterous insects which yon 

 send belong to the genus Sciara, as kindly refened foi 

 us by Baron Osten Sacken. Their larva; coinmonh 

 occur ill flower-pots, and hence the occurrence of tin- 

 flies in your friend's room. The species is doubtless 

 undcscribed . 



lames ; olheru i>e we cannot even do this. 



The Spotted Jyadybird— 7i'(»kr^ &-fiw«, OshiloosU, 

 'oii'i. —Thv beetles uhi.-h you send, of which you find 

 [FiB- I «.] Iiii,-e iininl.er- a'hout the roots of your Apple 

 -^, and wliieli were "lying in piles 

 I. r till l.iMs and grass, and always on 

 M.iitli -nil- of the tree," are specimens 

 lh(- S|i(.Iii-il l.advbird {Ifippoilamiamacu- 

 ., ]>.(;. -I 1.1 whii-h is n-iiresentedatFig- 



i:;ii .-^pan rMi\ 1' th(-iii. for they 



your l.r-t Irh nd-l "lour ol.servations 

 nt tli.-ir il.-\onriii- tin- i-i;i;s of the potato 



■adv 



Wh.—Tha mass ol eggs which 

 egray cocoon, the latter being 



whi'.le attached to the twig of 

 .. loim, to the White-marked 



e ol the lar\a whirh tiny imiduce, and a fuller 

 .Hit ul it , w c refer \ ou to « hat was said, under the 

 head, on page 7U of the present volume. 



