﻿740 
  REPOKT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  which 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  fork 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  cast 
  skin, 
  covered 
  with 
  excrement, 
  over 
  j 
  » 
  

   its 
  body, 
  probably 
  as 
  a 
  protection 
  from 
  its 
  enemies, 
  the 
  birds. 
  The 
  eggs 
  j 
  i 
  

   are 
  irregular, 
  flattened, 
  with 
  three 
  spines 
  behind, 
  sometimes, 
  however, 
  j 
  fi 
  

   wanting, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  leaves. 
  The 
  larva 
  matures 
  in 
  three 
  

   weeks 
  after 
  hatching, 
  molting 
  three 
  times. 
  The 
  larva, 
  when 
  about 
  to 
  

   change 
  to 
  a 
  pupa, 
  adheres 
  by 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  silk 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  with 
  

   its 
  cast-skin 
  about 
  it. 
  The" 
  pupa 
  is 
  smooth, 
  its 
  tail 
  movable, 
  and 
  the 
  

   limbs, 
  according 
  to 
  Eiley, 
  are 
  soldered 
  to 
  the 
  body, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  chrysalids 
  

   of 
  moths 
  and 
  butterflies. 
  The 
  pupa 
  state 
  lasts 
  a 
  week. 
  In 
  Massachu- 
  

   setts, 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  July, 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  larvae 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  

   of 
  growth 
  very 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  morning-glory 
  {Convolvulus), 
  eating 
  

   holes 
  in 
  the 
  leaves. 
  They 
  pupated 
  late 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  August 
  ; 
  

   the 
  beetles 
  appear 
  from 
  the 
  7th 
  to 
  the 
  12th. 
  Hand-picking 
  is 
  obviously 
  : 
  

   amply 
  sufficient 
  to 
  destroy 
  them 
  if 
  too 
  numerous. 
  . 
  ^ 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  leetle.—Oi 
  n 
  rich 
  amber-yellow, 
  with 
  a 
  reddish 
  tinge 
  over 
  the 
  body, 
  s 
  

   Two 
  black 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  two 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  disappearing 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  after 
  cast- 
  J 
  

   ing 
  off 
  the 
  pupa-skin. 
  The 
  wing-covers 
  are 
  ornamented 
  with 
  finely-impressed 
  punc- 
  

   tured 
  lines. 
  Body 
  beneath 
  shining 
  black 
  ; 
  antennse 
  pale 
  on 
  the 
  basal 
  half, 
  dark 
  beyond. 
  ; 
  

   Legs 
  pale 
  amber. 
  Length 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  quarter 
  (0.22) 
  of 
  an 
  inch. 
  

  

  The 
  Two-Striped 
  Sweet-Potato 
  Beetle, 
  Cassida 
  Uvittata\\ 
  

   Say. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  Western 
  States 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  helmet-beetle 
  found 
  on 
  ' 
  

   the 
  sweet-potato, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Riley, 
  feeding 
  exclusively 
  upon 
  ♦ 
  

   it, 
  is 
  the 
  above-named 
  beetle. 
  The 
  grub 
  or 
  larva 
  is 
  dirty-white 
  or 
  yel- 
  ' 
  

   lowish-white, 
  with 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  intense 
  neutral-colored 
  longitudinal 
  'i 
  

   line 
  along 
  the 
  back, 
  usually 
  relieved 
  by 
  an 
  extra 
  light 
  band 
  on 
  each 
  side. 
  

   It 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  all 
  other 
  known 
  species 
  in 
  not 
  using 
  its 
  Ibrk 
  I 
  

   for 
  merdigerous 
  purposes. 
  Indeed, 
  this 
  fork 
  is 
  rendered 
  useless 
  as 
  a 
  ' 
  

   shield 
  to 
  the 
  body, 
  by 
  being 
  ever 
  enveloped, 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  month, 
  in 
  - 
  

   the 
  cast-off 
  prickly 
  skins, 
  which 
  are 
  kept 
  free 
  from 
  excrement. 
  The 
  , 
  

   beetleis 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  yellow, 
  striped 
  with 
  black. 
  (Eiley.) 
  , 
  Besides 
  these 
  two 
  

   helmet-beetles, 
  two 
  other 
  species 
  {Cassida 
  nigripes 
  and 
  Coptocycla 
  gut- 
  

   tata) 
  prey 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  upon 
  the 
  sweet-potato. 
  The 
  cucumber 
  

   flea-beetle, 
  Epitrix 
  cucumeris 
  (Harris), 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  caterpillars 
  are 
  said 
  

   by 
  Eiley 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  this 
  plant. 
  Besides 
  these, 
  Harris 
  states 
  that 
  plant- 
  

   lice 
  sometimes 
  infest 
  the 
  leaves, 
  and 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  oft' 
  he 
  recommends 
  

   dusting 
  the 
  leaves 
  with 
  lime. 
  

  

  INJURING 
  THE 
  ONION. 
  \ 
  

  

  The 
  Onion-Fly, 
  Anthomyia 
  ceparum 
  Meigen. 
  (Plate 
  LXVII, 
  Fig. 
  1.)— 
  Killing 
  the 
  tops, 
  

   causing 
  them 
  to 
  turn 
  yellow 
  and 
  wilt; 
  asmooth, 
  conical, 
  white 
  maggot, 
  attacking 
  the 
  

   bulb 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  leaves 
  appear 
  early 
  in 
  June, 
  and 
  afterward 
  through 
  the 
  summer, 
  

   and 
  changing 
  to 
  an 
  ash-gray 
  fly, 
  a 
  little 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  house-fly, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  

   black 
  spots 
  along 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  body, 
  which 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  leaves, 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  The 
  onion-fly 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  inhabitant 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  for 
  about 
  forty 
  

   years, 
  having 
  been 
  imported 
  from 
  Europe. 
  Fitch 
  remarks 
  that 
  "in 
  

   many 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  was 
  extremely 
  numerous 
  

   and 
  destructive 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1854, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  1863." 
  In 
  Essex 
  

   County, 
  Massachusetts, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  and 
  still 
  is, 
  

   very 
  annoying 
  and 
  destructive. 
  Having 
  had 
  little 
  opportunity 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   serving 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  fly, 
  I 
  avail 
  myself 
  of 
  the 
  quite 
  full 
  account 
  

   given 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  in 
  his 
  Eleventh 
  Eeport 
  on 
  the 
  Noxious 
  Insects 
  of 
  New 
  

   York, 
  otten 
  using 
  his 
  own 
  words: 
  "In 
  June, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  seed- 
  

   ling-onions 
  are 
  only 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  two 
  in 
  height, 
  these 
  insects 
  commence 
  

   their 
  depredations'and 
  continue 
  them 
  through 
  the 
  wliole 
  season, 
  getting 
  

   their 
  growth 
  and 
  coming 
  out 
  in 
  their 
  perfect 
  state 
  one 
  after 
  another, 
  

  

  