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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  mounds 
  built 
  as 
  an 
  extension 
  to 
  the 
  underground 
  burrow 
  (Pis. 
  X, 
  XI). 
  

   Only 
  two 
  other 
  instances 
  of 
  their 
  occurrence 
  prior 
  to 
  this 
  have 
  been 
  

   given 
  by 
  writers, 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  hereafter, 
  and 
  but 
  one 
  example 
  was 
  known 
  

   in 
  any 
  collection 
  — 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  museum 
  at 
  ^\'ashington, 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  there 
  over 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  these 
  above-ground 
  chambers 
  and 
  the 
  causes 
  lead- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  larvse 
  to 
  construct 
  them, 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  satisfactorily 
  explained. 
  

   Their 
  occurrence 
  under 
  widely 
  different 
  conditions, 
  and 
  the 
  theories 
  

   advanced 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  their 
  building, 
  renders 
  it 
  desirable 
  that 
  their 
  

   localities 
  be 
  given 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known. 
  

  

  Their 
  Abundant 
  Occurrence 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  To 
  Benjamin 
  Lander, 
  of 
  Nyack, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  belongs 
  the 
  credit 
  of 
  

   having 
  discovered 
  and 
  studied 
  on 
  South 
  Mountain, 
  near 
  Nyack, 
  

   by 
  far 
  the 
  largest 
  tract 
  of 
  ground 
  thickly 
  dotted 
  with 
  these 
  

   chambers 
  that 
  had 
  ever 
  been 
  observed. 
  ^ 
  The 
  total 
  area 
  was 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  by 
  him 
  at 
  about 
  sixty 
  acres, 
  with 
  five 
  to 
  twenty-two 
  of 
  

   the 
  structures 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot. 
  Those 
  to 
  which 
  his 
  attention 
  

   was 
  first 
  drawn, 
  occupied 
  a 
  small 
  tract 
  of 
  woods 
  that 
  had 
  recently 
  been 
  

   burned 
  over. 
  Subsequent 
  visits 
  extended 
  the 
  area 
  far 
  beyond 
  this 
  tract, 
  

   and 
  included 
  ten 
  acres 
  of 
  open 
  land 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  wooded 
  in 
  1877. 
  

   Other 
  localities 
  of 
  the 
  chambers, 
  varying 
  in 
  their 
  extent, 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  

   by 
  him 
  at 
  Nyack, 
  Upper 
  Nyack, 
  South 
  Nyack, 
  Grandview, 
  Piermont, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  Pafisades 
  near 
  Alpine. 
  Several 
  of 
  these 
  areas 
  had 
  been 
  

   burned 
  over. 
  Mr. 
  Lawton, 
  superintendent 
  of 
  schools 
  at 
  Nyack, 
  found 
  the 
  

   chambers 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  on 
  a 
  slight 
  terrace 
  in 
  his 
  yard, 
  and 
  although 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  came 
  up 
  in 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  yard, 
  no 
  chambers 
  

   were 
  built. 
  Quite 
  a 
  number 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  West 
  Point; 
  at 
  New 
  Windsor, 
  

   Miss 
  Morton 
  observed 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  rows 
  between 
  the 
  

   garden 
  plants. 
  A 
  few, 
  which 
  were 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   horizon 
  talj 
  were 
  reported 
  from 
  Johnsville. 
  They 
  were 
  also 
  seen 
  at 
  Marl- 
  

   boro 
  in 
  the 
  woods, 
  and 
  probably 
  further 
  search 
  would 
  have 
  revealed 
  

   others. 
  In 
  the 
  sandy 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  Pough- 
  

   keepsie, 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  thickly 
  covered 
  with 
  them. 
  At 
  Bangall 
  they 
  

   were 
  found 
  under 
  the 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  among 
  three 
  times 
  as 
  

   many 
  uncapped 
  holes 
  : 
  several 
  acres 
  were 
  dotted 
  with 
  four 
  to 
  ten 
  

   holes 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot. 
  At 
  Athens, 
  in 
  one 
  locality, 
  the 
  soil 
  was 
  not 
  

   much 
  over 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  depth 
  where 
  the 
  chambers 
  occurred, 
  while 
  in 
  

   another 
  locality 
  covered 
  with 
  bushes, 
  no 
  rock 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  a 
  reason- 
  

   able 
  depth. 
  Mr. 
  Brooks 
  of 
  Athens 
  had 
  noticed 
  the 
  chambers 
  in 
  his 
  

   apple 
  orchard 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  when 
  cultivating 
  it. 
  The 
  clay 
  was 
  then 
  

  

  