32 



Zjpi^XMfillCAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Apple-tree Trorms— ^. K. Vichroij, Champaiijn, 



III.— The small green 16-legged larvse, nearly half an 

 inch long and with a broad dark brown stripe on each 

 side extending the whole length of their backs, which 

 you find doing considerable damage to the Apple-tree, 

 belong to a new and hitherto undescribed species. 

 These larsie were first communicated to us by A. C. 

 Hammond of Warsaw, III., early in Sept. 1868; and 

 subsequently at the Illinois State Fair specimens were 

 shown to us by W. T. Nelson, of Wilmington, III. 

 At the latter end of Jlay, 1869, we bred the moth from 

 them; and u full account of the species, illustrated by 

 figures, will be published iu the Second Annual Report 

 of the Senior Editor. The mode in which this laiTa 

 operates on the apple-tree is by tying together the 

 leaves with silken cords, forming a mass of considerable 

 size inside which it lives gregariously, skeletonizing 

 the leaves that it has thus appropriated and filling them 

 w ith its gunpowder-like excrement. It was so abun- 

 dant in 1868 near Warsaw and Quincy as nearly to 

 strip many trees, especially in young orchards that were 

 in an unthrifty contatiou. It is quite different from the 

 Rascal Leaf-Crumpler (Phycita ntltilo, Walsh), which 

 lives all the time in a little black horn-like case, whereas 

 this larva carries no house on its back. And moreover 

 the Leaf-Crumpler is solitary in its habits, whereas this 

 species lives in communities of several dozen during 

 its entire larval life. As to the moths produced from 

 these two larva;, they are as different from each other 

 as a goat is from a sheep, To distinguish our species 

 from the Rascal Lcaf-crumpler, we may call it in Eng- 

 lish "Hammond's Leaf-tyer " (Aerolasis Hammondi, 

 u. sp.) 



Stinging larvse— J. C. Falls, Ktw Alhatiy, Ind — 

 The lepidopterous larva> which you send arc those of the 

 iaAii\(ibacV.-molh (Emprttia tthnvUa, Clemens), a spe- 

 cies which has derived its Englii-h name from the sad- 

 dle-like dark spot on the middle of its back. The two 

 scientific names are derived respectively from a Greek 

 word which means "to burn," and a Latin word which 

 signifies ' ' a goad." We shall shortly publish an arti- 

 cle on " Slinging Larvre," giving figures and descrip- 

 tions of the \ei-y few that possess this peculiar power, 

 so that our readers— and especially our fair readers, 

 whose hands may be presumed to be more delicate and 

 susceptible than those of us rough bearish men-fello wi— 

 may take due warning and govern themselves accord- 

 ingly . Our own experience is that these larvae produce 

 no efl'ect whatever on the palm of the hand, but if any 

 of their sprangling prickles touch the back of the hand, 

 or any other part of the body where the skin is not 

 hardened and horny, then the result is about the same 

 as if the same part had been stung by nettles. 



Lappet Caterpillar on Avp\e-tree— William 

 Stall-. LotiiMana, J/o.— We regret to say that the first 

 caterpillar you sent was so rotten and stank so badly, 

 that we were glad to fling it away the moment the box 

 containing it was opened. The second ' ' ugly wooly 

 worm ' ' found high up on a Rome Beauty Apple-tree , 

 and which was broad and perfectly flat below, with 

 fleshy, lappet-like appendages at its sides, was the larva 

 of the American Lappet 'Hloth {Gastropacha Americana. 

 Sm. & Abb.) which you may find figured on page 377 

 of Harris's Injurious Insects. The species is rather 

 rare, and there is but little risk of its undue muUipli- 



Spined Spider— (?. W. Kiuncy, Snow Bill, Mo.— 

 The odd-looking angular spider, of a shiny mahogany 

 brown, with the upper part of the abdomen yellow, 

 and with two immense spines or thorns projecting from 

 behind, and other smaller ones from above, is Epeira 

 spinea, Hentz. It was subsequently described as found 

 sparingly near Murphysboro, in South Illinois, by 

 Vefpa (Cyrus Thomas?) in the Prairie Farmer for 18(il 

 (A'ol. m, page 169) , inidcr the name of Epdra ( Gastera- 

 caytha) fpiiiicanla. Near Rock Island, in North Illinois, 

 it is by no means uncommon. 



T. W. Gortlon, Georgetown, OAio.— The spider sent by 

 you is the same species .spoken of above in answer to 

 Mr. Kinney. 



Dangerous looking — Dr. M. M. Kenzie, Centie- 

 lillc, J/o.— The "dangerous looking" hairy ant-like 

 insect of a Ijlack color with the forehead, upper pju-t 

 of thorax and two broad bands on the abdomen of a 

 deep rufous, is § M-utilla cocciiiea, Linn. The ^ is 

 somewhat smaller and has wings. This insect belongs 

 to the Digger Wasps, and the sting of § is said to be 

 exceedingly severe. 



Bag-worms again — T. V. Tipton, WilliamnpoH, 

 Ohiv.—'ihe worms wiiich are literally eating up your 

 Cedar trees are the common Bag-worm, which we have 

 already frequently referred to under this head. We 

 shall publi&h an article on this insect in our next num- 

 ber. Tlie Tvmato-toorm cannot sting! The common 

 House-fly breeds in stable manure. We shall give its 

 natural history whenever we can spare the space. 



Large water beetle — S. E. Munfm-d, Princeton, 

 jriJ.—\n our answer to you last month, we should have 

 mentioned that the water-beetle you sent was § , and 

 that in the i^ the w inii-covcrs, instead of having longi- 

 tudinal inipii--'.! linr-. aiv i.iTfectly smooth, with the 

 exception ul ihr uiiriual i"«s of fine punctures. Thos. 

 Say, who w:i^ tin- lir>t t.i .Irscribe this species, was not 

 acquainted with the (^ . 



Beetles under dead Fisli— T. Ferrell, Frankfort, 

 Ohio.— The large beetles with round, tieep brown wing- 

 cases and yellow thorax with a central dark spot, 

 which you found under a dead lish, are Silpha (A'ecro- 

 philu) pdtttta. Catesby. They feed on all kinds of 

 carrion. 



Err.\t.\ is Vol. 1, No. 12.— Page III, coluiun 

 2, line 36, for " Brachyrynchus" read "Brachy- 

 rhyncus." Page VII, column 2, line 1, i'oi- 

 "Stinging "read "Stinking." Page 235, col- 

 umn I, line 3 from bottom, for " IG9, =" read 

 " 174, -." Page 242, column 1, line 18, for 

 "i»/wsea" read " Musca." Page 250, column 

 1, line 12 from bottom, for " Therydopleryx" 

 read •' Thyridopteryx." Same page, column 2, 

 line 7 from bottom, for "CartweU" read 

 " Hartwell." Page 251, column 1, line 18, for 

 " Welsh " read " Melsli." 



ly Several answers that should have apiK ...cd 

 in the present number, must unavoidably lie 

 over till our next issue. 



S^" Our acknowledgements and notices of 

 new works have also been crowded out of this 

 number. 



