24 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



is numerous approximately every other year when it attracts atten- 

 tion on account of its feeding in swarms upon the blossoms of vari- 

 ous trees, particularly honey locust. 



Forest insects. The destructive work in recent years of the 

 hickory bark beetle, Eccoptogaster quadrispi- 

 n o s a Say, has resulted in bringing to attention a number of insects 

 of secondary importance. Notes upon these latter have been com- 

 piled and are placed on record in a summarized form in the 

 Entomologist's report. 



There was an outbreak of the antlered maple caterpillar, 

 Heterocampa guttivitta Walk., in Chautauqua 

 county, accompanied by defoliation of sugar bush in areas where the 

 insects were most abundant. 



The interesting maple leaf cutter, P a r a c 1 e m e n s i a 

 acori foliella Clem., again attracted notice on account of its 

 unusual abundance in the vicinity of Lake George. 



Lectures. The Entomologist has delivered a number of lectures 

 or participated in discussions on insects, mostly economic species, 

 before various agricultural and horticultural gatherings, some of 

 these being in cooperation with farmers institutes or county farm 

 bureau agents ; a considerable proportion, owing to the conditions 

 prevailing during the past year, have related to the European corn 

 borer and its control. Some of the more important were before a 

 subcommittee of the United States Senate at Washington, a special 

 meeting of the Council of Farms and Markets at Ithaca, a special 

 conference of state commissioners of agriculture and official 

 entomologists at Albany, the annual meetings of state commissioners 

 of agriculture at Chicago and the American Association of Economic 

 Entomologists at St Louis. 



Gall midges. The 33d report of this office, issued during the 

 period covered by this report, contains part 6 of the study of gall 

 midges, a portion devoted to many very interesting and highly com- 

 plex members of the tribe Itonididinariae, one of the common repre- 

 sentatives being the pear midge. The Key to the Sub-families, 

 Tribes and Genera of the Itonididae or Gall Midges of the World, 

 which appeared in the Philippine Journal of Science during the 

 present year, is the most comprehensive paper of this character 

 which has yet appeared. 



Gall insects. The " Key to American Insect Galls " was pub- 

 lished during the past year. It is the only comprehensive tabulation 

 of these interesting deformities , in America and since it deals pri- 

 marily with the more obvious swellings or plant malformations 



