THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The Bedeguar of the Rose. — Can insects cre- 

 ate? Here is a bit of common briar bearing 

 some kind of parasite, but observe that each tuft 

 of the parasite springs out of the surface of bark 

 within which is globuled a grub of the insect. 

 Nowhere else on the plant does the parasite grow, 

 nor will this parasite be found under other cir- 

 cumstances. — L. C. Bryan, Thomasville, Ga. 



[Fig. 154.] The curled, fibrous, 



moss-like growth re- 

 ferred to by our corre- 

 spondent is produced 

 by a Gall-fly known as 

 Rhodites rosa: Linn., 

 which occurs both in 

 this country and in 

 Europe, where the gall 

 is known as the "Bed- 

 eguar" of the rose. 

 The larval cells are 

 generally more num- 

 erous than in the spe- 

 Bedeguar of the Rose. cimen received, and 

 the size of the mass of fibrous material varies 

 greatly, but usually presents the appearance of 

 jhe accompanying figure. 



Minute Borers in Cherry, Peach and Plum 

 Trees. — I send you by mail to-day, a small bot- 

 tle of beetles, that for several years have de- 

 stroyed all cherry, peach or plum trees set out 

 on a particular lot at Fair Haven, on the south 

 side of the North Shrewsbury river, two miles 

 east from Red Bank. They do not appear to in- 

 jure seed fruit as yet, and are confined to a small 

 section. They bore little holes in the trees, 

 which holes fill with gum, and the tree soon dies. 

 —John L. Bennett, Red Bank, N. J. 



With this find enclosed specimens of a small 

 beetle, which has so profusely stung a young 

 cherry tree, trunk and branches, that I expect it 

 will not recover. If convenient I would like to 

 know the systematic name of it. — M. H. Boy6, 

 Coopersburg, Pa. 



The beetle referred to in both the above in- 

 quiries is known to science as Scolytus riignlostis 

 Ratzeburg and belongs to the family of Scolytida 

 or Bark-borers, which are among the worst ene- 

 mies to our forest and orchard trees and which 

 are most difficult to deal with. The species in 

 question is a native of Europe where it is found 

 on Plum and Apple. Its introduction ap- 

 pears to be of recent date but, as in many simi- 

 lar cases, it has spread rapidly and does more 

 damage here than in Europe. Dr. Leconte (Proc. 

 Am. Phil. Soc, XIII., p. 626), who first identified 

 this species, received it from Elmira, N. Y., 

 where it attacked the Peach. We received it 

 some )'ears ago from Hillsboro', Mo., and Wil- 

 liamsport, Md., also attacking Peach, and it oc- 

 curs in the District of Columbia. Most of the 

 other species of the genus Scolytus, as far as 

 their habits are known, attack forest trees : thus 

 ^-spinosus Say {S. carya: Riley) infests Hickory ; 

 S. fagi Walsh, Beech, especially in the South. 



Smilax injured by Cut-worms,— I send you 

 to-day a box containing four specimens of a 

 Noctuid, the larva of which did much damage to 

 our smilax plants {Myrsiphyllum asparagoides) by 

 eating off all the softer parts, and especially the 

 top of the plant. The larvae occurred in great 

 numbers; and to-day, or better, since the first of 

 last week, the perfect insect appears in great 

 number in our green-house. — GustaveThommen, 

 Lowell, Mass., Oct. i6th. 



The moth is the Unarmed Rustic {Agrotis 

 saucia Treit.), long known in this country as 

 A. inermis Harr., it having lately been decided 

 that the American and European insects are 

 specifically identical. The larva is one of our 

 commonest cut-worms, feeding upon and injur- 

 ing a great variety of tender plants, and also climb- 

 ing on to vines as in your case. We have desig- 

 nated the larva as the Variegated Cut-worm, on 

 account of its markings, and it will be found 

 figured on PI. i. Figs, i and 2 of our ist Rept. 

 on the Insects of Missouri. The eggs are laid in 

 compact masses upon the twigs or leaves of trees. 

 The young worms which, upon hatching, drop to 

 the ground, have the first pair of prolegs reduced 

 in size, and move by looping of the body, as in 

 the case of the ordinary Canker-worm. The 

 characteristic cut-worm habit of hiding near or 

 beneath the ground during the day is not ac- 

 quired until after the first moult. The eggs were 

 first figured and described by us on page 18S of 

 the 1st volume of this magazine. 



Honey producing Oak-Gall. — I forward you 

 by mail specimens of the oak galls from which 

 the honey ant of Colorado {Myrmecocystus hortus- 

 deorum, var.) obtains supplies of grape-sugar. 

 Will you please let me know if the insect making 

 the gall is known to 3'ou. Also, will you favor 

 me with the substance of your remarks in Boston 

 confirming my statement that the galls exude a 

 sweet sap?— H. C. McCook, Phila., Pa. 



A very brief statement of our remarks anent 

 the exuding sachcarine matter from galls will be 

 found on p. 284 of the present number. In ref- 

 erence to the gall sent by our correspondent, it 

 is one that is found quite commonly in the Rocky 

 Mountain region on Qucrcus tindulata, as determ- 

 ined by Dr. Engelmann, who sent us the same 

 gall in 1874, though we had previously collected 

 it ourselves. It is, undoubtedly, an undescribed 

 gall , and a very similar one occurs on the Quercus 

 macrocarpa in the Missisippi valley. It has the 

 ordinary woody texture that belongs to so many 

 Cynipidous oak-stem galls, and the architect de- 

 velops in a paler cell that occupies a large part 

 of the interior of the gall. When fresh, the gall 

 is quite bright-colored, inclining to crimson or 

 scarlet. It seldom attains a larger size than an 

 ordinary pea, and differs from similar galls in 

 our cabinet by having frequently a rather broad, 

 flattened crown, though this character is by 

 no means constant. We would suggest for it the 

 name of Cynips quercus-mellaria. 



