242 



THE AMERICAN 



The Gkape-leaf Gall-louse — 31ontpeUier, 

 France. — Your remarks ou page 248 of the first 

 volume, in reference to tlie Grapc-lcaf Gall-insect 

 ai'e perfectly in concordance with the views of 

 my brother-in-law, Dr. Planchon, and of my 

 own. * * * You are perfectly right 

 in your criticism of Dr. Shimer's new family, 

 Dactylosplimridm, as the globular hairs at the 

 extremity of the legs are common to all Coccus 

 and Cbccws-like Leaf-lice, and Phylloxera stands 

 very close to Coccus. , J. Lichtkkstein. 



Development of Egg of Imported C'uerant 

 Saw-flt [ITenatus ventricosus)— London, C. W., 

 May 11th, 1870. — I send you a small tin box, 

 containing some eggs and a few young larva? , 

 just hatched, of JSTematus ventricosus. I found 

 them in the garden to-day, and hope they will 

 reach you in good order. I observe that the 

 freshly deposited eggs are much smaller than 

 those from which the lai-va is about to proceed; 

 but cannot see that they are attached to anytliing 

 more than the mere surface of the ribs of the 

 leaves. If this is the case, do the females use 

 their saw-hke appendage at all in connection 

 with the depositing of eggs? The subsequent 

 swelling of the egg must, I fancy, proceed alto- 

 gether from the development of the enclosed 

 larva. The texture of the enclosing membrane 

 appears to be very elastic. Wm. Saundeus. 



A Rare CkVixrRK— Covington, Ky., April 10, 

 1870. — The only notice that I have ever seen 

 of Phymaphora pulchella is that in Packard's 

 Guide, and from that I infer it is very rare.. It 

 may therefore be worth while to record the cap- 

 ture of a single specimen by me upon a plank 

 fence around timbered laud last summer. I do 

 not remember the exact date, but I think it was 

 about the last of April. It was left for some 

 time among other material, and did not attract 

 my attention until a short time ago. 



V. T. Cn ambers. 



Beech-nuts in Cocoon of the Cecropia.^ — 

 In the last number of the American Entomolo- 

 gist AND Botanist, mention is made of kernels 

 of corn being foutjd in the cocoon of the Cecropia. 

 Two similar instances have come under my 

 notice. Twice I have found beech-nuts in the 

 inside of the cocoon at the small end, between 

 the caterpillar and the innermost layer of silk. 

 The explanation offered by Dr. LeBaron seems 

 hardly admissible under these circumstances. 

 [Why?] On the other hand, the fact of no 

 beech trees being within an eightli of a mile, 

 would indicate that they must have been placed 

 there by the blue-jays, or some other bird, as he 

 supposes. C. S. MiNOT, in Canadian Ent. 



THE WHEAT-BAEBERRY RUST, 



Says the Country Gentleman: 



We have no controversy with the Eiitoiuolo- 

 (jist on the scientific position it has taken on 

 "the fungoid parasites. The identity of the bar- 

 berry rust and the wlioat rust ilocs not prove 

 that the former plant causes tlii' destruction of 

 the wheat crop, any more tluui (lie identity of 

 the apple and of the phun cui'culio proves that 

 the apple destroys the plum tree. 



The Entomologist has distinguished itself in 

 exposing mauy popular errors, and in the last 

 number mentions the connuon opinion at the 

 South, that the hedge-hog caterpillar causes fever, 

 because it is found in miasmatic localities : also, 

 that of hair-snakes being water-soaked and ani- 

 mated hairs. It is precisely such liasty reasoning 

 that induces manj^ to believe that wheat turns to 

 chess, and that the barberry bush rusts wheat. 

 We admit tliat these two eases are unlike in 

 character, but alike in the want of attempted 

 proof, by close, accurate, repeated observation. 

 The Entomologist is thoroughly scientitic in its 

 character, and we infer from its last article on 

 this subject, that it only argues for the identity 

 of the wheat and barberry rust, adding "we have 

 never assumed that healthy barberry bushes, free 

 from rust, will produce any rust in wheat." 

 When it has furnished a series of close experi- 

 ments proving that the barberry manutacturcs^ 

 rust and then scatters it far and wide over wheat' 

 fields, we will accept the proof as far as it goes. 



We would gently remind our contemporary 

 that, in the first place, there is no identity be- 

 tween the Apple and the Plum Curcubo, and, in 

 the second place, if these two insects were iden- 

 tical, the analogy drawn in the first paragraph 

 above quoted is a purel)' false and supposititious 

 one. If there existed a curcuho which in the 

 larva state fed on apples, but which could only 

 undergo its transformations to the jiupa aiid 

 perfect states in plums, such an insect might 

 furnish the illustration required. 



It does not become our Albany friends, after 

 first criticising our iDosition, to attempt to tlu'ow 

 the burden of proof on us. We like not such 

 modes of arguing a point. We Iiave already 

 furnished proof in support of our own position, 

 and to deny in the face of it that barberry rust 

 has any influence on wheat rust, is tantamount 

 to denying, in the face of scientific evidence, that 

 we derive the tape-worm from the cystadids 

 whicli inhabit the liver and other parts of the 

 hog. Until tills last fact was proved by e'xperi- 

 ment, few could comprehend or imagine that wc 

 derived that dreaded parasite from one of our 

 most common domestic animals ; and though it 

 may be equally difficult for some persons to com- 

 prehend how the pregerminal form of a parasitic 

 plant may be ^\•afted hundreds — nay thousands — 

 of miles from its place of development ; or how 

 it may be almost ubiquitous, and yet remain 



