]^2 ' [November, 



the larva}. They were of the usual sawfly character, gregarious, and when disturbed, 

 ejecting a drop of watery-looking fluid ; colour dark dirty green, with a yellowish 

 dorsal and spiracular line, the latter edged with lighter; length, 1 to li inch. What 

 is very strange about the appearance of this pest is that Mr. Barron, who is 

 apparently a man of about sixty years of age, and who has been about the woods in 

 the district all his life, had never seen the larva? before, and the question is how has 

 it been introduced ? It seems highly probable that eggs must have been upon the 

 trees when planted. Should the pest spread to the many plantations round about, 

 it will be a serious matter, and if any of your readers can suggest a means of 

 destroying them, I feel sure the information will be appreciated. Mr. Barron 

 suggested introducing a few colonies of the black ant, which seems a good idea, 

 provided they would eat the larvae and reconcile themselves to settling in the wood, 

 which latter I somewhat doubt as it is clay land, whereas I have not seen this ant 

 in any places but where the soil was loose and friable. — J. Q-abdnee, 8, Friar Terrace, 

 Hartlepool : July ISth, 1888. 



[On submitting Mr. Gardner's letter to the consideration of Mr. P. Cameron, 

 that investigator of the habits of our sawflies has replied as follows : — " The species 

 is Lophyrus pini. It is often destructive, but never, so far as I have noticed, 

 continuously so in the same wood. I have seen it abundantly in a locality one year, 

 while in the next hardly a specimen could be found. I hardly know which will be 

 the best way to destroy the larva?. Beating them into an umbrella or sheet and 

 burning the larva? thus obtained would be a good plan if the people would only take 

 the trouble, or the Pyrethrum extract, as used by the Americans, might be applied 

 by means of a syringe. The larva? pupate in moss, &c, at the foot of the trees. I 

 have never seen ants eat the larva?." — Eds.] 



Sirex gigas at Armagh. — On August 25th, a $ specimen of the above was 

 brought to me, which had been caught in the timber yard of Messrs. E». Turner & Co., 

 by Mr. J. Walker, and on August 31st another specimen, also $ , was brought to 

 me, which had flown into a grocer's shop. I suppose that both had emerged from 

 timber in Messrs. Turner's yard. — W. ¥. Johnson, Armagh : October, 1888. 



Chrysopa tenella, Sfc, in West Yorkshire. — On June 23rd last I secured two 

 specimens of Chrysopa tenella in Wharncliffe Woods, near Sheffield, and am pretty 

 sure I saw and let go other specimens, as although I noticed they looked very small, 

 I had no suspicion that even the two I boxed were anything more than a very 

 common species, until setting them out a day or two afterwards.' The only, other 

 specimen of C. tenella I have I took in August, 1886, at Saltburn, on our east coast, 

 so that the species is evidently widely distributed in this county. At the end of 

 June I found Microptema sequax common on a narrow shallow stream running 

 through Pennyspring Wood, Huddersfield, and Wormaldia occipitalis was still more 

 plentiful at the same time. On August 5th, Bercea pullata was abundant 'in the 

 same wood on herbage growing under wet rocks at the top of the stream. — Geo. T. 

 Poeeitt, Huddersfield : October 8th, 1888. 



