ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



177 



to form au opinion as to the conectiiess of his 

 theory, and because if tliere be any probability 

 of its con-eotness, it may be worth while to 

 investigate farther. Shonltl be pleased to hear 

 from veil in regard to it. 



11. 11. Baucock. 



[We have ourselves never observed this pecu- 

 liarity in the New York Weevil, but do not 

 doubt the correctness of the foregoin^u' observa- 

 tions. We have serious donbts, however, as to 

 this beetle being the cause of the real Pear 

 Blight, wliich is considered, by the most emi- 

 nent horticulturists of tlie land (and we agree 

 with them), to be of fungoid rather than insect 

 origin. The work described by our correspond- 

 ent very probably produces a sort of blight, 

 and several bark-boring and wood-boring bee- 

 tles arc known to produce a similar effect. But 

 this insect-blight must not be confounded witli 

 the far more subtle and destructive Pear-Blight 

 so called; and the singular assertion of Dr. 

 Packard, that " the various species of Scoli/tus, 

 Tomi'cus, and Xt/Ioten/.s give rise to the disease 

 called fire-blight,"* is, to say the least, very 

 loose and indefliiite, and calculated to mislead. 

 We hope to find time before long, to illustrate 

 the dift'eronces between these difierent kinds of 

 blight, but meanwhile, sliall gladly publish more 

 detailed statements from the gentleman from 

 Lake Forest.— Eo. J 



Thk Ursula Buttkuly .mouk uo.m.mon than 

 Disii-i>us IN SOME Sections ok the Country — 

 Newport. R. T.—l was showing Mr. Scudder a 

 suite of Newport butterflies, and was asking 

 him what the Darwinian theory could make of 

 the close resemblance between the butterflies D. 

 archippus and j\\i/)iip/ia/is dixippus, while the 

 larvie are so utterly unlike, when he gave me 

 your paper on " Imitative Butterflies." Let me 

 express to you the pleasure with which I have 

 read it. It is so very ingenious and suggestive, 

 whether true or not; and every one who, like 

 myself, is inclined to the Darwinian theory, must 

 be quite disposed to believe it. The only state- 

 ment from which I shall dissent is that the 

 Ursula Butterfly "is everywhere quite rare," 

 at least, as compared with the other species. I 

 have uo doubt that this is generally true, but 

 since removing here from Massachusetts, I have 

 been struck with the fact that it is (juite other- 

 wise here. I am very sure that in Newport it is 

 one of the commonest of the larger butterflies, 

 and decidedly more so thau the Disippus. I will 

 observe specially next summer, but am sure of 

 the fact. Mr. Scudder also spoke of its abun- 

 dance on Cape Cod. This may, however, be 



due to special causes, which, if known, would 

 only further illustrate your theory— e. f/., the 

 absence of certain birds which attack the Ursulu 

 and spare the others. I do not know which 

 birds do this; but our common fauna difters in 

 some respects from that of Massachusetts. 



Thomas Wentworth Hioginson. 

 Bladder Plums — Alton, Ills. — I see in No. 4 

 of the Entomologist, an article on " Bladder 

 Plums, ■■ and a statement of Dr. Hull's, saying 

 that they are unknown in this localit)-. I found 

 them here on the wild Plum (a blue variety) 

 two years ago. The tree on which these abnor- 

 mal plums grow had probably two or three hun- 

 dred of them on it, all aflected about alike. I was 

 particularly struck with this appearance of the 

 frnit, as it was new to me. I broke open several 

 of them, and found them, as you say, hollow, 

 and much larger than they would have been if 

 healthy and natural; but these of mine had 

 insectsin them. which much resembled in appear- 

 ance woolly lice, being of a downy appearance, 

 and of a bluish-white color. These lice adhered 

 to the interior wall of the phantom plum, and 

 the plums and insects resembled galls more than 

 anything else. I noticed them very particularly, 

 because they were something new. I have never 

 seen their like since, and mayhap never shall. 

 Geo. W. Copley. 

 Corn Kernels in Cocoons of Cecuopia Moth 

 —Geneva, Ills., Feb. 22d, 1870.— In looking over 

 the American Entomolochst, I see the curious 

 fact stated (page lOO) of a kernel of corn being 

 found in the cocoon of a Cecroi^ia Moth. I have 

 seen the same thing in two instances in cocoons 

 brought to me for examination by a young gen- 

 tleman of this place. These repeated instances 

 show that the corn could not have been dropped 

 there by some bird accidentally, as you conjec- 

 ture The only plausible explanation I can give, 

 is that the corn is deposited there for safe keep- 

 ing during the formation of the cocoon (or pos- 

 sibly forced into the loose end of it after com- 

 pletion) by some bird. And this bird, I have a 

 strong suspicion, is the Blue Jay, which is well 

 known to have the habit (like other ( 'orvida) 

 of pilfering and hiding in holes and crevices, 

 any small objects which attract its notice. 



W.VI. LeBakon. 

 The Harlequin Caiii;a(;e Bvc— Austin, Tex., 

 Feb. 2Sth, 1870.— AVithin the past few days we 

 have gathered by hand over 47,ooo (forty-seven 

 thousand) of these bugs. This is a great bug 

 country, and I have my share of them in grow- 

 ing vegetables for market, and find your journal 

 very useful in enabling me to tell my friends 

 from my enemies. Bf.n.i. II. Townsend. 



