FAUNA. 247 
damage to the meadows, while the caterpillars devour the 
roots of the grasses on extensive stretches of land. 
‘Of the injurious forest insects I cannot say much. 
Though we have a goodly share of these, we do not see 
much serious injury done by them. As is known, the 
injurious forest insects are divided into two sections :—1. 
Insects which reduce the trees to a sickly condition; to 
this class belong the Chrysomelidae, Melolonshidae, many 
Curculionidae, also Polydrosus nurcans, Strophosonins corylz, 
Bruchus, Tortrizx trobilana, Hylesinus piniperda, Retinia turion- 
ana, Resinella buoliana, and the caterpillars of Lophyrus. 2, 
Then come the insects which entirely kill the trees, or 
make the wood altogether useless for technical purposes, 
In this respect the Bostrychus lineatus has done great 
damage of late years. In December 1879 the gales did 
great destruction by breaking over and uprooting trees. 
Many thousands and thousands upon thousands of trees 
were overturned, and the mountain ridges suffered espe- 
cially: in some places there were whole stretches of 
forest levelled with the ground. In 1880 the Crown 
ordered the sale of the fallen trees, but at the prices of 
standing trees, and there were of course few bought. In 
consequence of this, the prices were lowered in 1881, and 
many were purchased and dressed. But still, in the 
inspection made in the spring of 1882, it was seen that 
Nature had not failed to do her work in the matter. 
Bostrychus lineatus had created great devastation. It 
wrought its way into the wood to the depth of two verst- 
choks—three and a half inches—and from thick trees, 
eight verstchoks—fourteen inches—in diameter, only 
boards five and six verstchoks—nine inches and ten and a 
half inches—in breadth could be obtained, I speak here 
only of the Pinus sylvestris. 
“Moreover, in the summer of 1882, I made the observa- 
tion that the said Bostrychus lineata readily attacked sick 
overturned trees of betula and of Alnus incana. Their 
course in penetrating the Betula was irregular ; but in the 
Pinus sylvestris it was as follows :—[The description was 
