140 Forty-fifth Report on the State Museum. 



They were abundant in Massachusetts during the second week in Sep- 

 tember, 1892, on Betula populifera. (Packard.) 



Larva? received September 13 and 15, 1890, from Massachusetts, gave 

 ^cocoons later, moths from which emerged from January until March. 

 (Riley-Howard.) 



The injuries of the larvre become noticeable in August, when the 

 leaves assume a rusty or burned appearance and fall prematurely. Since 

 1890, all varieties of birches in the vicinity of Ottawa have been 

 attacked, but Betula alba most severely; B. papyrifera and B. lutea 

 almost as severely. They are particularly partial to the European cut- 

 leaf weeping-birch. A few cocoons have been found on twigs, but the 

 main body must spin elsewhere. They are not spun on the leaves 

 except in confinement. (Fletcher.) 



Distribution. 

 Thus far, the insect has only been reported from Canada, "New 

 England States, and New York, but it will undoubtedly be found to 

 have a wider distribution. It was originally described from specimens 

 received from Mr. F H. Belenger of the Universite Laval, Quebec. 

 The recorded localities are Ottawa and vicinity (Fletcher). Bruns- 

 wick, Me.; Bristol county, Mass.; Providence, R. I. (Packard). East 

 Norton and West Bridgewater, Mass. (Riley-Howard). Scottsville, 

 Plattsburg, and Albany (Lintner). 



Remedy. 

 Whenever it shall be found necessary to check the attacks of this 

 insect, on ornamental or shade trees, it can be done by spraying the 

 foliage of the infested tree during the latter part of August or the 

 first of September with a weak mixture of Paris green or London 

 purple — one pound to 300 gallons of water. 



Diplosis pyrivora Riley. 



The Bear Midge. 



(Ord. Diptera: Fam. Cecidomyid.e.) 



? Cecidomyia nigra Meigen : Syst. Beschr. bek. europ Zweifl. Insek. , 1818, pi. 

 iii, fig. 11; cited in Macquart's Hist. Nat. Irs.-Dipt., i, 1834, p. 161. 



f Cecidomyia nigra Meig.: Schmidberger, in Kollar's Ins. Inj. Gard.-For.- 

 Farm., 1840, pp. 292-295 (general account). 



$ Cecidomyia pyricola Nordlinger: Die Kleinen Fein/le, 1869, p. 622. 



^Cecidomyia nigra: Ormerod: [7th] Rept. Obs. Inj. Ins., 1884, pp. 52-54 (opera- 

 tions, habits, remedies). 



