48 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



NOTES ON A NEW VICTORIAN INJURIOUS INSECT. 



(With Description by G. B. Buckton, F.R.S., &c.) 



By C. French, F.L.S., &c., Government Entomologist. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, Sth May, 1893.^ 



About twelve months since my attention was directed to some 

 apples and other trees which were being rapidly destroyed, owing 

 to some obscure insect having perforated both upper part of stem 

 and branches. The locality from which I received the informa- 

 tion was the Goulburn Valley, situated about fifteen miles from 

 Numurkah. Upon receiving the information I at once started 

 for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible, some particulars 

 of the insect doing the mischief, also to recommend some pre- 

 ventive and remedial measures for treatment of same. On 

 arrival at Numurkah I was met by Mr. Williams, President of the 

 Shire, who kindly drove Mr. Knight (Government fruit expert) 

 and myself out to see the orchard. I found the tree — a fairly 

 large one — to have been perforated in all directions. Amongst 

 the branches certain small insects were found and captured ; but, 

 as it afterwards turned out, these were not the real culprits- 

 Having tendered some advice as to how to proceed to save the 

 life of the tree, we returned late at night to Numurkah. 



In the month of January a well-known orchardist of Balwyn,. 

 about seven miles east of Melbourne, called upon me with speci- 

 mens of some of his trees which were very badly affected with 

 what afterwards proved to be caused by the same insect as at 

 Numurkah. Upon going to the orchard in question, Mr. Fank- 

 hauser showed me an insect which he suspected to have caused 

 the destruction of so many of his fine trees, and upon examina- 

 tion I found this to be a homopterous insect, and with the aid 

 of Mr. Buckton's fine work on the Tettigiid^, just published,. 

 I was able to place it in, or very near, to the group to which 

 Mr. Buckton has since determined it belongs. In this somewhat. 

 of a dilemma I resolved to accept the kind offer of assistance 

 from this distinguished specialist, and sent the insects in spirit 

 to England, with a few notes as to its habits, &c. By the last- 

 mail I have received from Mr. Buckton the description, which 

 he has kindly sent for Australian publication. I have, there- 

 fore, made up my mind to use the description so kindly granted 

 to me by the above-named gentleman, and have prepared these 

 notes, together with Mr. Buckton's scientific description, for our 

 Club, feeling assured that the more useful the matter contained 

 in our journal the more appreciated it will be by the general 

 pubUc. This insect deposits its eggs, from 6 to 8 in number^, 

 in punctures which it has made for the purpose, the same, with 

 other interesting matters in connection with this strange insect^ 



