﻿36 
  Ttve^ty-eighth 
  Eeport 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  tainly 
  if 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  at 
  all 
  diseased 
  before 
  its 
  attack, 
  the 
  insects 
  

   must 
  be 
  exceedingly 
  quick 
  to 
  detect 
  it, 
  else 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  trees 
  whose 
  leaves 
  are 
  yet 
  green 
  and 
  

   whose 
  sapwood 
  is 
  yet 
  fresh 
  and 
  moist, 
  except 
  where 
  stained 
  

   by 
  their 
  excavations. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lake 
  Pleasant 
  the 
  affected 
  trees 
  are 
  upon 
  

   the 
  mountain 
  slopes 
  or 
  on 
  dry 
  ridges 
  where 
  the 
  spruces 
  are 
  

   especially 
  abundant. 
  And 
  we 
  might 
  naturally 
  expect 
  that 
  the 
  

   insects 
  would 
  be 
  attracted 
  to 
  and 
  carry 
  on 
  their 
  depredation 
  

   most 
  extensively 
  in 
  those 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  material 
  on 
  which 
  

   they 
  work 
  is 
  most 
  abundant. 
  In 
  the 
  valleys 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  trees 
  

   affected 
  by 
  them 
  and 
  yet 
  they 
  doubtless 
  do 
  carry 
  on 
  their 
  

   destructive 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  lands 
  where 
  spruces 
  abound. 
  I 
  

   see 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  they 
  should 
  not. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  localities 
  their 
  ravages 
  have 
  already 
  ceased. 
  On 
  the 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  an 
  elevation 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  southwest 
  from 
  Speculator 
  

   Mountain 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  groves 
  of 
  dead 
  spruces. 
  Many 
  trees 
  in 
  

   both 
  were 
  examined 
  and, 
  though 
  all 
  the 
  dead 
  ones 
  bore 
  un- 
  

   mistakable 
  marks 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  beetle, 
  not 
  one 
  

   could 
  now 
  be 
  found 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  state. 
  

   What 
  had 
  caused 
  them 
  to 
  disappear 
  % 
  Surely 
  not 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  

   material 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  work, 
  for 
  several 
  large 
  living 
  spruces 
  yet 
  

   remained. 
  This 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  remedies. 
  Doubt- 
  

   less 
  there 
  are 
  natural 
  agencies 
  whose 
  free 
  operation 
  has 
  a 
  

   tendency 
  to 
  check 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   their 
  excessive 
  multiplication, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  times 
  and 
  locali- 
  

   ties 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  opposing 
  agencies 
  are 
  inefficient 
  or 
  inoper- 
  

   ative, 
  and 
  then 
  these 
  destructive 
  insects 
  multiply 
  rapidly 
  and 
  

   their 
  ravages 
  become 
  painfully 
  apparent. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  necessary 
  

   that 
  man 
  himself 
  should 
  do 
  something 
  to 
  protect 
  his 
  property 
  

   from 
  these 
  active 
  little 
  foes. 
  It 
  was 
  noticeable 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  dead 
  trees, 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  groves 
  just 
  mentioned, 
  had 
  their 
  

   bark 
  so 
  chipped 
  by 
  wood-peckers 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  hue 
  of 
  the 
  

   trunk 
  was 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  grayish- 
  

   brown. 
  Here 
  then 
  is 
  a 
  possible 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  cessation 
  

   of 
  the 
  ravages 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  insects. 
  Here 
  is 
  doubt- 
  

   less 
  the 
  indication 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  natures 
  antidotes 
  to 
  the 
  mischief. 
  

   The 
  wood- 
  pecker 
  is 
  the 
  natural 
  foe 
  of 
  such 
  insects. 
  With 
  its 
  

   long 
  beak 
  and 
  barbed 
  tongue 
  it 
  extracts 
  them 
  as 
  a 
  dainty 
  

   morsel 
  from 
  beneath 
  the 
  bark. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  probable 
  that 
  

   these 
  birds 
  had 
  congregated 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  localities 
  in 
  sufficient 
  

   numbers 
  to 
  completely 
  stop 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insects. 
  

  

  