Slimy Grub of the Pear Tree. 48 5 



giving the erroneous idea of its being restricted to the cherry, 

 has been rejected. It is now systematically known under the 

 following names : — 



i 



Order, Hymendptera. 



Section, Serrifera. J- See Vol. XIII. p. 195. 



Famil3% Tfenthredlnidae. J 



Genus, Selandria Leach. (Synonyme of the genus AUantus Bouche.') 



Subgenus, Blennocampa Hartig. 



Species, Selandria (Blennocampa) jE^thiops Fabrlcius, Ent. Syst., ii. p. 121.; 



Klug, Mag. Berlin Nat. Fr., viii. p. 279. ; Stephens, Illust. Brit. Ins. Mand., 



vol. vii. p. 31. Fig. 124.: ?, natural size; Jc, magnified. 

 Synonyme of the species Tfenthredo cerasi Linnceus, Syst. Nat., ii. p. 923. ; 



Reaumur, Memoires, torn. v. tab. 12. f. 1 — 6. ; De Geer, Memoires, torn. ii. 



part 2. tab. 38. f. 16—25. 



Smooth shining black. Four anterior legs with the femora 

 black, yellowish at the tip. The tibiae testaceous. Posterior 

 legs dusky black, with the knees, or tips of the femora, and base 

 of the tibiae, yellowish. Wings obscurely hyaline, with the 

 nervures, costa, and stigma black ; and a dot on the second 

 submarginal areolet. Length of the body, 2^ to 2^ lines. Ex- 

 panse of the wings, 5 to 5^ lines. (Step/ietis, loc. cit.) 



There are many species of this group very closely allied to- 

 gether ; which, in all probability, are similar in their habits 

 during the larva state : indeed, it is, perhaps, not improbable 

 that the larvae found on so many different trees as are mentioned 

 above may belong to various species, hitherto confounded with 

 the Zenthredo cerasi of Linnaeus. One species, indeed, has 

 been separated by Schrank, under the name of Tenthi'edo 

 fuliginosa. 



The genus Selandria, here illustrated, is very closely allied to 

 Athalia, described in Vol. XIII. p. 195.; differing chiefly in 

 having only nine, instead often, joints in the antennae. 



For the destruction of these insects, Mr.Glendinoing recom- 

 mends hand-picking ; and Bouche, in his work on garden in- 

 sects, gives the same advice. 



Mr, Major recommends dusting the trees, when dry, with 

 quick lime ; the exuded matter produced by the insect retaining 

 a sufficiency for its destruction. It will be seen, however, that 

 Mr. J. Fox mentions the inefficiency of this mode of proceeding; 

 it is nevertheless evident that the specimens upon which he 

 operated were, at the time, ready to throw off their skin. Had 

 the lime, on the contrary, been applied to those which had re- 

 cently undergone their transformations, a different result might 

 have been effected. This insect, however, affords a good op- 

 portunity for a few chemical experiments, which would doubtless 

 insure a certain means for their destrution. The secreted viscid 

 matter is so powerful, that any person acquainted with the prin^ 



I I 3 



