THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



warranted ; for while our knowledge of 

 the food-habits of the Carabidae is yet very 

 incomplete, it is sufficient to show that 

 they are decidedly carnivorous and bene- 

 ficial to the cultivator of the soil. 



IMPORTED ELM TREE BEETLE IN NEW- 

 BURGH, N. Y. 



During the past summer the elm trees of 

 Newburgh, N. Y., were almost entirely 

 stripped of their leaves by some kind of in- 

 sect pest which was said by the " oldest 

 inhabitant " to be an entirely new thing in 

 that part of the country. Through the 

 kindness of Mr. Charles Downing and Prof. 

 Alney, we procured specimens of the un- 

 known pest in its various stages, which 

 proved to be the Galerucella xanthomelina 

 Schr., a small brownish beetle with one 

 broad black stripe on each wing-case, and 

 three black spots on top of thorax. It 

 belongs to the Chrysomelidas, a very ex- 

 tensive family of leaf-eating beetles, and 

 although for some time known to be a pest 

 of the Elm, its sudden appearance in such 

 immense numbers in Newburgh, was an un- 

 welcome surprise to the residents of that 

 city, so long celebrated for its fine gardens 

 and avenues bordered with noble elms and 

 other choice ornamental trees. The resi- 

 dents of Newburgh, however, are probably 

 more interested in knowing how to get rid 

 of this pest, than in learning its natural 

 history, and while we would be pleased to 

 help them in this matter, it is quite difficult 

 to reach the insects when feeding on very 

 large trees. On small specimens it would 

 be easy to dust the larva with lime, Paris 

 green or other poison^, but it cannot be 

 readily done on old trees ; perhaps another 

 season some parasite will come along and 

 destroy them, or the birds, if permitted to 

 work undisturbed, will clean out these 

 pests.— A. S. F. 



THE GRAPE PHYLLOXERA IN CALIFORNIA. 



In 187 1, before any trace of the Grape 

 Phylloxera had been found in California, 

 we pointed out the danger that threatened 

 that State from the introduction of the 

 insect, and urged the Pacific Coast grape- 



growers to take warning from Europe and 

 guard against such introduction, as there 

 was every reason to believe that the rav- 

 ages of the insect would prove as destruc- 

 tive to the vinifera vines there, as it had 

 proved in Europe. How fully experience 

 has justified this warning will appear from 

 the experience of a correspondent else- 

 where. 



It is fortunate for the California grape- 

 grower that the insect has, to all appear- 

 ance, there undergone a considerable mod- 

 ification in habit which very much limits 

 its destructiveness. It is steadily spreading 

 from infected centres, but very slowly 

 indeed compared to its spread in France. 

 Prof. E. W. Hilgard writes us that he be- 

 lieves this is due to the non-appearance of 

 the winged female, as he has not been able 

 to obtain it. If such is the fact it is one 

 of the most curious modifications in habit, 

 as a result of climate, that is on record, 

 and will go far to explain the immunity in 

 the Sonoma Valley while the Napa Valley 

 is being ravaged, and the fact that the in- 

 sect has not appeared in other parts of 

 California. It also offers an additional 

 incentive to grape-growers in other sections 

 of the State to exercise the utmost vigi- 

 lance to prevent the introduction into their 

 own localities of infested vines or cuttings. 



That the species may exist for an indefi- 

 nite time without the winged female seems 

 highly probable from the fact that the sex- 

 ual individuals may be produced from 

 hypogean females as well as from aerial ones. 

 Yet so singular a change in the insect's na- 

 ture can only be accepted upon most 

 thorough and satisfactory evidence. This 

 is easily obtained by half filling large glass 

 jars with badly infested roots, interspersed 

 with a little soil, about the time, or some 

 time before, the grapes begin to ripen. If 

 there are pupae upon such roots, the winged 

 females will soon begin to appear on the 



side of the jar toward the light. 



-4 — ♦ 



THE ASPARAGUS BEETLE IN EUROPE. 



We might naturally conclude that the 

 farmers and gardeners of Europe would 

 be as likely to know as well as anybody 



