I 



American species of Hispa. 



143 



up in a box. Soon afterwards the insects passed througli 

 their transformation, and, leaving the cast-off pupa-skin 

 nearly entire, within the cavities which they had occu- 

 pied, they made irregular perforations through the dried 

 cuticle, and came out upon the surface of the leaves. The 

 insects, thus disclosed in the perfect or winged state, 

 proved to be little beetles belonging to the genus Hispa ; 

 but as they were subsequently lost, it is not in my power 

 positively to identify them with any of the species now 

 in my collection. 



In June, 1827, I discovered a leaf of the poplar-tree 

 which contained a small dead larva, very closely resem- 

 bling that of the Hispa of the apple-tree ; but it was not 

 till the 17th of July, 1829, that an opportunity of ob- 



detail the habits of these insects again pre- 

 sented itself* Upon this day I found larvae, like those of 



L 



the apple-tree, feeding, In the same manner, upon the 

 parenchyma of the leaves of the white oak. Each one 

 of these insects, when fully grown, measured from 20 to 



serving in 



27 hundredths of an inch in length. [Fig.l.] 

 The head was horny and of a brownish 



of 11 



[Fig- 1.] 



consisting 



black color; the body, 



segments, flattened and broad near the 



head, gradually narrower behind, was yel- — 



lowish white, except the greater part of the J 



upper side of the first segment, a spot in 



the middle of the under side of the same, 



and the upper part of the tip of the last 



segment, w^hich were dark brown or nearly 



black. The head was small in proportion to the size of 



the first segment, and partially drawn within it- Minute 



antennae were perceptible, and the jaws were short, 



strong, somewhat triangular, and simple, or scarcely in- 



Vf 



