﻿Repokt 
  of 
  the 
  Botanist. 
  25 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  are 
  deposited 
  along 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  furrow. 
  They 
  lie 
  close 
  together, 
  almost 
  or 
  

   quite 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  each 
  other. 
  When 
  the 
  larvae 
  emerge 
  from 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  soft 
  cambium 
  and 
  to 
  work 
  

   their 
  way 
  under 
  the 
  bark 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  furrow. 
  

   They 
  are, 
  at 
  first, 
  so 
  minute 
  and 
  work 
  so 
  close 
  together 
  that 
  

   they 
  make 
  no 
  distinct 
  furrows 
  but 
  seem 
  rather 
  to 
  devour 
  entirely 
  

   a 
  very 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  cambium. 
  But 
  as 
  they 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  

   they 
  begin 
  gradually 
  to 
  form 
  distinct 
  furrows 
  and 
  to 
  take 
  

   directions 
  more 
  divergent 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  

   original 
  course. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  colonies 
  from 
  contiguous 
  furrows 
  

   at 
  length 
  run 
  together 
  and 
  in 
  time 
  the 
  whole 
  trunk 
  is 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  their 
  multitudinous 
  pathways, 
  and 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  

   the 
  tree 
  is 
  accomplished. 
  Great 
  care 
  is 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  parent 
  

   beetles 
  to 
  keep 
  their 
  furrows 
  separate. 
  No 
  instance 
  was 
  

   observed 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  ran 
  together. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  a 
  furrow 
  was 
  changed 
  to 
  avoid 
  running 
  into 
  the 
  lateral 
  

   furrows 
  of 
  a 
  colony 
  of 
  larvae 
  just 
  above. 
  No 
  furrows 
  were 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  tree 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  feet 
  from 
  its 
  base, 
  

   thus 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  attacks 
  are 
  made 
  upon 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  trunk. 
  The 
  attacks 
  are 
  not 
  made 
  simultaneously. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  furrows 
  in 
  this 
  tre*e 
  were 
  scarcely 
  more 
  than 
  an 
  

   inch 
  long, 
  and 
  evidently 
  had 
  been 
  just 
  commenced. 
  Others 
  

   were 
  fully 
  excavated 
  and 
  contained 
  eggs, 
  and 
  in 
  others 
  still 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  had 
  hatched 
  and 
  commenced 
  their 
  work, 
  but 
  in 
  none 
  

   were 
  they 
  fully 
  grown. 
  In 
  another 
  tree, 
  a 
  few 
  rods 
  distant 
  

   from 
  the 
  first, 
  the 
  attack 
  had 
  evidently 
  been 
  made 
  earlier 
  in 
  

   the 
  season, 
  for 
  the 
  larvae 
  were 
  farther 
  advanced 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  

   bark, 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  was 
  well 
  loosened, 
  though, 
  strange 
  

   to 
  say, 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  trunk 
  was 
  comparatively 
  unharmed. 
  

   I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  discover 
  why, 
  in 
  this 
  instance, 
  the 
  attack 
  was 
  

   limited 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  trunk. 
  It 
  is 
  pretty 
  evident, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  that 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  attacked 
  all 
  along 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  

   June 
  and 
  July 
  and 
  possibly 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  August. 
  I 
  suspect, 
  also, 
  

   that 
  the 
  parent 
  beetle, 
  after 
  having 
  established 
  a 
  colony 
  in 
  one 
  

   place 
  may 
  emerge 
  from 
  her 
  furrow 
  to 
  repeat 
  the 
  operation 
  in 
  

   another 
  place, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  trunk 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  different 
  one, 
  

   but 
  this 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain 
  definitely. 
  

  

  A 
  whitish 
  fungus, 
  Polyporus 
  volvatus 
  Pk., 
  scarcely 
  larger 
  

   than 
  a 
  hickory 
  nut, 
  occurs 
  in 
  considerable 
  abundance 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  