THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



173 



We further quote from our chronology 

 of this insect as follows : 



Brood XVI.— 7Vffl^,f<rm— 1867, 1880. 



In the j^ear 1880, being the same as the preced- 

 ing, they will, in all probability, appear in the 

 north part of Cherokee County, Georgia, having 

 appeared there, according to Dr. Smith, in 1828, 

 '4T, '54, and, according to Dr. Morris, in 1S67. 

 This brood occurred in 1867 simultaneously with 

 the northern "septcnuiccini Brood XXI. 



We have not yet observed any notice of 

 the reappearance of this brood in the part 

 of Georgia mentioned, and shall be glad to 

 get corroboration of the accuracy of Dr. 

 Smith's and Dr. Morris's observations. 



BORER PREVENTIVE. 



"One pint of crude carbolic acid, costing 25 

 cents, is sufficient for twenty gallons of soft soap, 

 with as much hot water to thin it ; then stir in the 

 pint of carbolic acid and let stand over night or 

 longer to combine. Now add twelve gallons 

 rain water and stir well ; then apply to the base 

 of the tree with a short broom or old paint brush, 

 taking pains to wet the inside of all crevices. 

 This will prevent both peach and apple borers. 

 It should be applied in the latter end of June in 

 this climate, when the moth and beetles usually 

 appear. " — Fariiie?-s' Advocate. 



The above described composition might 

 prevent the female beetle of the Round- 

 headed Apple-tree borer {Saperda Candida 

 Fabr.) or the moth of the Peach-tree borer 

 {^geria exitiosd) from depositing her eggs 

 on the bark while coated with it ; but to 

 be at all effective the application would 

 have to be frequently renewed, especially 

 if used to keep out the Peach-tree borer, 

 as the moths of this pest are about nearly 

 the entire summer. 



To prevent the attacks of the Flat- 

 headed Apple-tree borer {Chrysobathris 

 femorata) the larger branches as well as 

 entire stems of the trees must be coated 

 and kept in that condition throughout the 

 growing season, as this insect works princi- 

 pally among the branches of the trees, and 

 is usually more abundant late in summer 

 than early in spring. We have no doubt 

 of the value of the above composition for 

 the purpose, but a single application in a 

 season would scarcely be sufficient to keep 

 out any of the species of borers named. — 

 A. S. F. 



FOOD-HABITS OF GROUND-BEETLES. 



BV F. M. WEBSTER, WATERTOWN, ILL. 



My researches with respect to the food- 

 habits of some of our common species of 

 Coleoptera, are proving more interesting 

 than I had reason to expect, thanks to 

 Prof. Forbes of the State Lab. of Nat. Hist. 



For years I have been a close observer 

 of the ways of insects, and have often no- 

 ticed them eating substances not at all in 

 accordance with the ritual which entomolo- 

 gists have prepared ; but having little rep- 

 utation as a naturalist, felt somewhat timid 

 about publishing these observations with- 

 out more proof than my own investigations. 

 The discovery by Prof. Forbes that he 

 could detect vegetable food in the stomach 

 of insects, has given me the long-sought 

 opportunity. 



So far this season we have found two of 

 our so-called strictly carnivorous beetles 

 to use a mixed diet, viz., Harpahis hcr- 

 bivagus Say — the third of this genus which 

 I find to be partially phytophagous — and 

 Megilla 7naculata DeG., found devouring 

 the pollen of the Dandelion {T. dens-leonis 

 Lers). The Professor finds the stomach of 

 this species " literally packed with pollen." 



It seems to me it would be a good plan 

 to call the attention of entomologists to the 

 food of our common insects, as we seem to 

 be reaching a stage where we must know 

 for a certainty whether or not they might 

 become injurious in case of an over-pro- 

 duction caused, perhaps, by an over desire 

 on the part of men to protect them. 



In short, I can not see how we are to 

 estimate the value of our insectivorous 

 birds and animals without knowing pre- 

 cisely the value of the insects which they 

 destroy. Which is far from being the case. 



Use of Guano for Grape Phyllox- 

 era. — At a recent meeting of the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences Dr. Hamm advised 

 the application of sulphide of carbon with 

 infusorial earth or guano as an absorbent, 

 believing that more of the sulphide can 

 thus be applied without injury to the roots, 

 and that evaporation will thereby be less- 

 ened. 



