94 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



jury is very likely to be followed by blight infection. The species 

 thus far known to be responsible for the long series of tgg punctures 

 in raspberry, blackberry and other soft stemmed plants are the 

 black horned tree cricket, Oecanthus nigricornis Walk, 

 and the 4-spotted tree cricket, Oecanthus quadripuncta- 

 tus Beutm. This injury is very likely tO' be followed by the cane 

 splitting or even breaking during the winter and, in some instances, 

 as many as three fourths of the canes in a large patch may be 

 seriously injured. The tree crickets are most abundant among 

 coarse weeds and shrubby growths, consequently, the adoption of 

 clean cultural methods, so far as possible, will be of considerable 

 service in reducing their numbers and preventing subsequent damage. 



Miscellaneous 



Say's blister beetle (Pomphopoea sayi Lee). This 

 large, usually rare blister beetle is nearly an inch long and is easily 

 distinguished from allied forms by its rather stout, olive-green 

 body and the shining black, orange banded legs. This species was 

 quite abundant the latter part of June and early in July at Quaker 

 Street, Schenectady co. and in the vicinity of Voorheesville, Albany 

 CO. In the first named locality it was said tO' be swarming upon 

 roses and other plants, devouring much foliage and causing con- 

 siderable injury, while at Voorheesville it destroyed many of the 

 blossoms on locust trees and fears were entertained of serious in- 

 jury to crops. It is interesting tO' note that our records show that 

 this species was abundant in the same vicinity in 1900. This blister 

 beetle usually disappears before material damage has been inflicted. 



Army worm ( H e 1 i o p h i 1 a u n i p u n c t a Haw.) . This 

 widely known insect was very abundant on Long Island caus- 

 ing serious injury to wheat fields at Oakdale, while similar 

 devastations were reported from Greenlawn, the Hamptons and 

 Orient. This pest was abundant in limited localities at least, 

 in southeastern Westchester county, as was evidenced by the 

 writer finding July 2, numerous caterpillars on the estate of 

 W. W. Cook at Port Chester. A nearby outbreak was also 

 reported. This species attracts notice only wdien the hordes 

 of caterpillars devour all of the foliage in the immediate vicin- 

 ity and then begin to march as though by a common impulse 

 in search of provender. A relatively insignificant factor may 

 result in army worm depredations being observed. A few 

 years ago the writer's attention was called to a strip of grass 



