THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



121 



IVuit. The teachings of liistinut are so exact 

 and unvarying that one punctured plum over 

 water explodes the theory; and if tlic theory is 

 correct, a tub of water under a tree must pro- 

 tect a column of pinms of tlic tub's circumfer- 

 ence from the bottom to the top of that tree, 

 and that certainly would be a curiosity with 

 some of the light-colored, full-bearing varieties. 



It is not at all likely that many will plant 

 trees in (his way; but as some have done so, I 

 have been thus explicit on this point, to guard 

 others against such an expensive and awkward 

 way of trying to outgeneral the Curculio, since 

 reason and observation teach us that it is of 

 very little value. 



In order to add weight to my own Icstimony, 

 1 (■<n>y the two following letters, which bear on 

 Ihis subject: 



Dn. I. P. T II iMm.E— Dear Si,-.- I very \vcll niiic-m- 

 bor our visit at Crotou J'oint, bv request of Dr. Uu- 

 dcrbill, uiiKle to "The Fmit-<iro\vers' Club" lor a 

 " uoinniittec " to examine Iiis vineyards. Dr. U. 

 especially called our attention to bis success ofgrowiug 

 plums over water, and of their not being attackeil by 

 the Curculio. 



The account vou publislietl ^oon after was true in 

 every particular. I rcnicmlier vour picUiiiL;- citl plums 

 and showing the crescent inark-'t<i all (.f the rciuiinittee 

 as well as to Dr. Undcrlull himtrlf. T ifiiicinlicr abo 

 distinctly the Do.-tor-s iviiKiik. that althuii-b thev 

 were stiini;- ■' the nit nevkh iiAirnED. "' 



liave MTii til, |iliiin~ just as iniuh punctured Ijy'thc 

 Uurculin as ill main other places where tlie trees did 

 not lean oM-r the water. 



UlKI 



ral others who planted trees to lean over 

 the water, hut the " Little Turk " did not favor them, 

 that I could discover. 



Truly, yours, .• R.W. Uoi.tdn. 



HAVKUSTRAfl-, Dec. 22, '6!l. 



Di!. I. 1*. TuiMBLK— i>«ffc ,S7/.- I have at last seen 

 the person 1 spoke to you about; his name is .lohn 

 llowlctt, a Borist of this city. Suihl' lew y.ais since, 

 on the phice where be then rrsi.lcl, wa- a pond of 

 water, and in the centre of the pinul a -i 

 large enough to grow a tree . ( )n i his isl 

 a plum tree, and a row of plum liccs ail around the 

 pond on its edge. Persons then, as now, asserted that 

 in such positions they would be free Iroui the depre- 

 dations of the Curculio; but, as Jlr. Howlett has just 



antl just 



remarked 



was stuii',' an 

 else. In fact, 

 failure, thonul 

 gardener, ami 



ii^t cttV 



The varieties were the leading kinds, such as Colum- 

 bia, Smitb'.s Orleans, Imperial Gage, Washington, etc 

 Uespectlully, Jso. Saul. 



Washi.ncto.v, D, C, Dec, 14, 'W 



i:^ There is yet a vast and unexplored field 

 for the Entomologist in the South. Our South- 

 ern brethren suffer from some of the most 

 grievous insect foes, and their insect ftiuna is 

 rich and diversified. We consequently take 

 pleasure in announcing, that Mr. J. Parish 

 Stelle, of Savannah, Tenn., is at work in the 

 lield, and will continue to send us the " South- 

 ern Notes " which were commenced in the last 

 number. 



THE t;oAT-M EKi) i!um;i!i'hv. 



{P.ip/,;a gli/ccriuM, Doubleday.) 

 I Kin. SI. 



There is an intcresling and rare bntlerlly 

 know 11 (o entomologists by the name of J'ap/iia 

 (//i/ceriiim, which occurs in Missouii, Texa.s, 

 and Illinois, and perhaps in other soulhweslern 

 Stales. It is ail interesting species on account 

 of the dissimilarity of (he sexes, and of the posi- 

 tion it holds among (he butlcrtlies; iind as lis 

 natural history has never hitherto been recorded, 

 we will briefly transcribe it from notes and 

 specimens which were kindly sent (o us last 

 Seplcmber by Mr. J. IJ. Muhlcinan, of AVood- 

 biirn. Ills., and from further facls communi- 

 cated by Mr. L. K. Ilayhurst, of Scdalia, Mo. 



Dr. Morris, in his " Synopsis of the Lephlop- 

 tera of North America," places this biiKerfly 

 wilh the Nijniphalis family, of which the IJis- 

 ippus Butlertly {NymphaUs iUsippiis, Oodt., 

 A. E., I, Fig. 13.3) is representative. 'J"he 

 larva, however, has more the form and habils 

 of that of the Titj-rus Skipper (genus Gonilnhu), 

 while singularly enough, (he chrysalis resem- 

 bles that of (he Archippns Bnttertiy (genus 

 Danais), which we liguicd on pr.ge 28 of our 

 first voUime. 



The larva feeds on an annual {Crolon capi- 

 talum) which is tolerably common in Illinois, 

 Missouri, Kentucky, and westward, where it 

 is known by the name of Goat-Weed. Tlie 

 plant has a peculiar wooly or hairy whitish- 

 green appearance, and in (he month of Septem- 

 ber its leaves may frequently be found rolied 



