ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



181 



Raspberry Root-gall — Katherine Pai-svns, Cam- 

 hridge, Masn . — The galls found on the roots of a rasp- 

 berry bush, and of one 

 of which we here pro- 

 duce the outline (Fig. 

 110) were long ago men- 

 tioned by Harris (/»/. 

 //;*.. p. r)4;)). They are 

 produced by a little gall- 

 fly described by Osten 

 Sacken as Ehodites radi- 

 eum, and they occur on 

 the roots of other plants 

 belonging to the Rosi' 

 family, and especially on 

 those of the Rose itself. 

 The little white larva; 

 which arc snugly en- 

 closed in the cells, scat- 

 tered throughout the 

 pithy yellowish sub- uraor— crown, 



stance of the gaH, will soon transform to puiise, and 

 in time produce the flies; but the gall itscU is so apt 

 to be sponged upon by otlier guest-flies, and the gall- 

 makers are so subject to the attacks of parasites, that 

 flies belonging to the different genera Etiryfoma, Calli- 

 iiwne, Onnynit, and Eapelmus, have been bred from this 

 gall, according to Baron Osten Sacken. Indeed, so 

 unsafe is it to conclude that because we Ijreed a certain 

 Hy from this gall, therefore said fly must be the gall- 

 maker, that even Dr. Harris fell into the too common 

 error of describing as the gall-maker, another fly 

 {Cynips [.'] semipicea) which was in all probability a 

 parasite. It becomes a curious question, how so many 

 guest-flies manage to discover this underground swell- 

 ing of the root, or how so many parasites succeed in 

 reaching the hidden gall-inaker; and there is plenty of 

 room for original observation and discovery in this, as 

 in every other field of Nature. 



Spined Slug-worm— Zov' G. Safer, EUzaltth, 

 /«(/.— The green oval flattened object with lateral tooth- 

 like appendages fringed with hairs, the two at the tail 

 being larger than the others, is the larva of an \mdc- 

 scribed species o( Limm-oihs or Slug-worm. It belongs 

 to the very same lamily as tlie • ■ Saddle-back ' ' [Fig. 

 .Ki of this volume] . When living, it is ornamented with 

 a lateral row of minute ocellated spots, each with a 

 black dot, and a dorsal row of darker spots with two of 

 a rich scarlet color. You will tind a colored tigurc ol it 

 in Harris's Correspondence [PI. II, Fig. 7], and also a 

 magnified view [I"l. UI, Fig. 6] We regret that you 

 cannot tell upon what it fed. 



A. a. Bodhi/, Sturgis, Mich. — The green sprangUng 

 worm which you erroneously suppose was ejected by 

 the larva of the Polypliemus moth, is the same species 

 spoken of above. 



Fern Insects— Beulak S. Murris, Philadelphia, Pa. 

 —The minute fern insects were dead and unrecogniz- 

 able when they arrived. Please send us more in a tight 

 vessel, according to the directions at the end of this 

 Department. 



Ants do not Breed Plant-lice-//. C. Raymond, 

 Council Bluffs, loiva. — We have not seen the copy of 

 the Iowa Homestead which you refer to. Of course you 

 are right about the ants, and the correspondent of the 

 Ifnnif stead shows great ignorance on the subject. 



Apple-tree Insects— Z. Camjield, Benton Harbor, 

 Mich. — The insects you send are as follows: No. 1, 

 cocoon of the White Marked Tussock Moth {Orgijia 

 leucostigiha, Sm. & Abb.), containing the empty (^ 

 chi-ysalis shell. No. 2, the same No. 3, the cocoon of 

 thesamespecies with the eggs of the § attached. These 

 eggs would soon hatch out into beautifully tulted cater- 

 pillars, which prove very destructi\e to the foliage; but 

 by destroying the eggs at the present time you of course 

 efiectually prevent tlie hatching of the worms. You 

 should, however, only destroy those cocoons which 

 have eggs on the outside, as all the others either con- 

 taiuthe harmless g chrysalis shell, or else some parasite. 

 At Figure liT of our first volume, you will find an illus- 

 tration of this worm. No. 4, arc tlic -ilky .m-cs ..f the 

 Leaf Crumpler (Phycita nebula.) TIm v mm oiitain 

 worms, and should be carefully plurk.M ami .1. -troyed 

 before the leaves expand. These worms, wliiih attack 

 both quince, crab and plum trees, produce little gray 

 moths in June . 



Native Apple-tree Bark-lice — A. U. Hammond, 

 Warsaw, Ills.— The apple twigs you send, which are 

 speckled over with small white paper-like scales, are in - 

 CKiR. 111.] fested with the Native .Vpple-tree 



Bark -louse [Aspidiotus Harrisii), 

 as you will at once perceive by the 

 accompanying Figure 111, which 

 represents such an infested twig. 

 ■^'ou will find a full account of this 

 insect, with the proper remedies 

 suggested, in ^\v. \Vnlsli's First 

 Report, as acting ■~l:ih' Ijilnmolo- 

 gist, or in oiu- lir-i Mi—i.ini l!e- 

 port. The speriis .h-,ui- i.ii the 

 Pear and Mountain Ash, as well 

 as on the Apple, and though it has 

 in a few instances multiplied suf- 

 cientlv to do serious harm, yet 

 these are the exceptions, and not 

 the rule, for it is so efiectually 

 preyed upon by parasites and can- 

 nibals that it is little to be feared. 

 Colors— wiiitc, with blood- aud vou iiecd uot fccI as much 

 rtd csKs uiiiic-riieatii. aj^rm j,s though you had the im- 

 portcil Oyster-.shell species on your trees. Encourage 

 the lady-birds, especially the Twice-stabbed Lady- 

 bird, which has several times been figured in back 

 numbers. 



Entomological Works—/,'. W. Bryan, Pomoniey, 

 J/d . — See what we have said in answer to Dr. <i. S. 

 Franklin in this number. There is no work extant that 

 meets your demands; nor do we believe one could be 

 made. We shall soon publish a table such as you sug- 

 gest. Yes, we hare published articles on the Peach 

 Borer, and refer you especially to the practical one on 

 page 180 of the first volume. Shall be glad to receive 

 notes from your locality. 



".Xbrice," Amffhiry. .l/./».--.— We refer you to the above 

 answers. 



" Sow-bugs"— .£■. P. Allis, Jr.— Sow-bugs (Por- 

 cellio) are harmless, as they feed upon rotten wood and 

 decomposing vegetable matter. They delight in damj) 

 places, and this is the reason you find them in your 

 fernery. They are not true insects, Imt belong to the 

 same Class (Cru.stace.\) as the lob.ster. 



