58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



occasionally establishes itself in houses and, if allowed to multiply 

 unrestricted, may seriously weaken the timbers. 



Abbott's pine sawfly (Lophyrus abbotii Leach) . 

 This rather common and occasionally destructive species was 

 unusually abundant in the foothills of the Adirondacks last summer. 

 This insect was reported as defoliating pines in August, by Mr 

 Andrew Lackey of Johnsburgii and by Messrs Wesley Barnes and 

 J. W. Wilson of Olmstedville. Mr Lackey stated that the insects 

 had injured quite a number of his pines, while a personal examina- 

 tion showed that this sawfly was abundant on a comparatively few 

 trees at Olmstedville, being restricted to some 40 or 50 pines in the 

 creek bottom. One of these trees was nearly 50 feet high and so 

 badly injured that practically all the foliage was destroyed, while 

 at its base were to be found thousands of half -grown larvae unable 

 to secure nourishment necessary to the attainment of their normal 

 growth. Many cocoons were observed in the needles at the base 

 of this tree August 9th and loth. None appeared to be of normal 

 size, since they were from one-third to even one-iourth smaller 

 than cocoons made by larvae received early in August from Mr 

 Lackey. The other affected pines at Olmstedville were all small, 

 rarely more than 25 or 30 feet high and none of them were so 

 badly injured as the one described above. In some instances there 

 were numerous full-grown larvae, specimens of which were secured. 

 It was also stated that this insect was at work on near-by pines, 

 though a cursory examination revealed no evidence of their opera- 

 tions. There were signs here and there of pines being injured, 

 presumably by this insect, along the Hne of the Delaware and Hud- 

 son Railroad running from Corinth to North Creek. Rev. G. H. 

 Purdey reported under date of August 22d, similar injury here and 

 there to pines in the vicinity of Warrensburgh. No adults developed 

 last season from the cocoons collected in August. There appears 

 to be but one generation annually. 



The destructive caterpillars, when full-grown, are nearly an inch 

 long and easily recognized by the black head and the yellowish white 

 body ornamented with two rows of oblong, square, black spots down 

 the back. On each side there is another row of about eleven black, 

 nearly square spots, a little longer than broad. These false cater- 

 pillars, when disturbed, throw back the head and move the upper 

 portion of the body in a manner very similar to that of caterpillars 

 belonging to the genus Datana. The larvae spin their brownish, 

 oval cocoons among the leaves. Dr Riley states that some of the 



