ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



181 



no.] 



Raspberry Root-gall — Katherine Parsons, Cam- 

 hridgf, Mass. — The galls founil on tlie roots of a rasp- 

 liorry biisb, and of one 

 (if whii^h wo here pro- 

 duce the outline (Fig. 

 110) were long ago men- 

 tioned by Harris (/»/. 

 Ins. , p. 5-H») . They are 

 produced by a liule gall- 

 fly described by Osten 

 ^Sacken as likodites i-aJi- 

 cum, and they occur on 

 the roots of other plants 

 belonging to the Rose 

 family, and especially on 

 those of the Rose itself. 

 The little white larva; 

 which are snugfy en- 

 closed in the cells, scat- 

 tered throughout the 

 pithy yellowish sub- c..ior-Br.,« „. 



stance of the gall, will soon transform to pupae, and 

 in time produce the flies; but the gall itsell is so apt 

 to be sponged upon by other guest-flies, and the gall- 

 makers are so subject to the attacks of parasites, that 

 flies belonging to the diflereut genera Eurytoma, Call!- 

 mane, Urntyrus, and Eupelmus, have been bred from this 

 gall, according to Haron Osten Sacken. Indeed, so 

 unsafe is it to conclude that because we breed a certain 

 fly from this gall, therefore said fly must be the gall- 

 maker, that even Dr. Harris fell into the too common 

 error of describing as the gall-maker, another fly 

 [Cynips [.'] semipicra) which was in all ])robability a 

 parasite. It becomes a curious (luestion , how so many 

 guest-flies manage to disco\ er this undei'ground swell- 

 ing of the root, or how so many parasites succeed in 

 reaching the hidden gall-maker; and there is plenty of 

 room for original observation and discovery in this, as 

 in every other field of Nature. 



Spined Slug'-ivorru — /.fri G. Hajf'er, EUzaheth, 

 y«./— The green oval flattened object with lateral tooth- 

 like appendages fringed with hairs, the two at the tail 

 being larger than the others, is the larva of an imde- 

 scribed species of I.imai-wlts or Slug-worm. It belongs 

 to the very same family as the ■•Saddle-back" [FMg. 

 :i(i of this volume] . When living, it is ornamented with 

 a lateral row of minute ocellated spots, each with a 

 black dot, and a dorsal row of darker spots with two of 

 a rich scarlet color. You will And a colored flgure ol it 

 in Harris's Correspondence [I'l. U, Fig. 7], and also a 

 magnified view [I'l, HI, Fig. 6] We regret that you 

 cannot toll upon what it fed. 



.(. It. ISodleii, Stunjis, Mic/i.—'fhe green sprangling 

 worm which you erroneously suppose was ejected by 

 the larva of the Polyphenuis moth, is the same siiecies 

 spoken (if above. 



Fern Insects — Beula/i S. Morris, Philadelphia, Pa. 

 —The minute fern insects were dead and unrecogniz- 

 able when they arrived. Please send us more in a tight 

 ve.ssel, according to the directions at the end of this 

 Department. 



Ants do not Breed Plant-lice — //. C. Kaymond, 

 Council Bluffs, Iowa. — We have not seen the copy of 

 the Iowa Homestead which you refer to. Of course you 

 are right about the ants, and the correspondent of the 

 Ifomesfead shows great ignorance on the .subjei't. 



[Fia. HI.] 



Apple-tree Insects— Z. Camjield, Benton ffarlor, 

 Mich. — The insects you send are as follows: No. 1, 

 cocoon of the White Marked Tussock Jloth {Orgyia 

 leiicostigma, Sm. .t Abb.), containing the empty c? 

 chrys.alis shell. No. 2, the same No. 3, the cocoon of 

 the same species with the eggs of the $ attached. These 

 eggs would soon hatch out into beautifully tulted cater- 

 pillars, which prove very destructive to the foliage; but 

 by destroying the eggs at the present time you of course 

 efloetually prevent the hatching of the worms. You 

 should, however, only destroy those cocoons which 

 have eggs on the outside, as all the others either con- 

 tain the harmless (^ chrysalis shell, or else some parasite. 

 .\t Figure (iT of our first volume, you will find an illus- 

 tration of this worm. No. 4, are the silky eases of the 

 Leaf Grumpier [PJii/cila nelnilo.) They now contain 

 worms, and should be carefully iilucked and destroyed 

 before the leaves expand. These worms, which attack 

 both quince, crab and iibini trees, produce little gray 

 moths in June. 



Native Apple-tree Bark-llcc — A. C. Ilainiiiiuid , 

 Warsaw, Mis.— The apple twigs you send, which are 

 speckled over with small white paper -like scales, are in- 

 fested with the Native .\pple-tree 

 Bark-louse {Aspidiotus Harrisii), 

 ■^as you will at once perceive by the 

 accompanying Figure 111, which 

 represents such an infested twig. 

 You will tind a full account of this 

 insect, with the proper remedies 

 suggested, in .Air. Walsh's First 

 Iteport, as acting State Kntoraolo- 

 gist, or in our I'Mrst Missoiu'i Re- 

 port. The species occurs on the 

 Pear and Mountain -Vsli, as well 

 as on the .Vpplc, and though it has 

 in a few instances multiplied suf- 

 cientlv to do serious harm, yet 

 these are the exceptions, and not 

 the rule, for it is so eflectually 

 preyed upon by parasites and can- 

 nibals that it is little to be feared, 

 and you need not feel as much 

 alarm as though you hail the im- 

 ported t )yster-shell species on your trees. Kneourage 

 the lady-birds, especially the Twice-stabbed Lady- 

 bird, Which has several times licen figured in back 

 numbers 



EntonioloSical %Vorks— /■'. W. Bryan, Pomonhy, 

 j/u!, — See what we have said in answer to Dr. (i. S. 

 Franklin in this number. There is no work extant that 

 meets your demands; nor do wc believe one could be 

 made. Wo shall soon publish a table such as you sug- 

 gest. Yes, we haec published articles on the Peach 

 Borer, and refer you especially to the practical one on 

 page ISO of the first volume. Shall b<' glad to receive 

 notes from your locality. 



"Norice." Aineshnnj. -l/as«.— We reler you to the above 

 answers. 



" Sow-bngs "— £■, P. Allis, ^;.— Sow-bugs (Por- 

 cellio) are harmless, as they feed upon rotten wood and 

 decomposing vegetable matter. They delight in ilamp 

 places, and this is the reason you find them in your 

 fernery. They are not true insects, but belong to the 

 same (Mass (CRtJSTACR.k) as the lobster. 



