366 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I908. 



this season as determined by Mr. Caudell through the courtesy 

 of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology, are the following species 

 Nomote'ttix cristatus Scudd. Tettigidea lateralis polymorpha 

 Burm. Camnula pellucida Scudd. Encoptolophus sordidus 

 Burm. Stenobothrus curtipennis Harr. Stenobothrus curti- 

 pennis longipennis Scudd. Melanoplus collinus Scudd. 

 Xiphidium fasciatum De Geer. 



At Mercer not far from the center of "the grasshopper 

 region" the predaceous beetles, Amara obesa, was observed. 

 As the larva of the beetle is credited with "devouring great 

 numbers of locust eggs" its presence is one hopeful sign. 



The grasshopper mites, Trombidium locustarum, bright red 

 mites were present upon the grasshoppers of this locality being 

 crowded particularly thicker about the regions of the wings. 



Possibly correlated to the grasshopper scourge is the increase 

 of the blister beetles, Macrobasis unicolor and Bpicauta penn- 

 sylvanica, both species troublesome to potatoes and other crops 

 but probably paying for such damage by the good which their 

 larvae do in eating such dangerous material as the eggs of 

 locusts. 



Fungus disease disposed of large numbers this season as last 

 in spite of the dry weather. 



Fungus Disease of Insects. 

 Late in July and early August it was observed over a region 

 extending at least from Franklin to York counties that the 

 caterpillars then feeding were overtaken by a contagious fungus 

 disease. An account of such an attack of the saddled promi- 

 nent is cited elsewhere.* 



"White Pine Blight." 



On account of the precarious condition of white pine in cer- 

 tain parts of the State considerable alarm has been aroused by 

 various insects found upon the pine this season and indeed it has 

 seemed as though an unusual number of species had taken 

 advantage of the pines this year. 



Besides the standard borers to be continually reckoned with, 

 the pine sawflies and pine leaf eating caterpillars have made 



* Me. Agric. Exp. Station Bulletin No. 161. 



