1 IS: 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



length of I it. or more. Mr. Lewin thinks 

 the caterpillar generally confines itself to 

 the pith in the centre of the stem ; hut 

 -Mr. Bree finds the pith sometimes un- 

 touched, all the perforations being made 

 in the solid wood between the pith and 

 the bark. Being an internal feeder, the 

 caterpillar, of course, is only to be found 

 by cutting into ami opening the stems of 

 the willow in which it is enclosed. When 

 the periodical falls of underwood take 

 place, Mr. Bree has observed that scarcely 

 a single willow wand is cut down that 

 does not exhibit proofs of the ravages of 

 this insect; sometimes three or four, or 

 even five, separate perforations occurring 

 in the same stem. Though the TrocMlium 

 erabroniforme is a common species, Mr. 

 Bree has never met with an example of 

 the winged insect at large in his neigh- 

 bourhood (Allesley, near Coventry). 

 He has bred it from the caterpillar; and 

 once he took a single pair in an osier 

 bed near Dudley, which, at the time, 

 were considered as great rarities. " The 

 wood of Salix caprea is, in Warwickshire, 

 usually either sold to the rake-maker, 

 for the purpose of being worked up into 

 rake-teeth, &c. ; or converted into what 

 are called flakes, i. e. hurdles made of 

 split stuff nailed together, in contradis- 

 tinction to the common wicker hurdle, 

 which is formed of round wood, twisted 

 and plaited together, without the help of 

 nails. The lower, and consequently the 

 thicker, portion of each willow rod, to 

 the length of 5 in. or 6 in., or occasionally 1 ft. or more, is spoiled by the 

 perforations of the larva, and rendered unavailable to the above purposes." 

 ( Mais. Nat. Hist., new se- 

 ries,' vol. i. p. 19.) Of the 

 Trocbilium crabroniformc 

 (or, more properly T. bem- 

 heciforme) a beautiful figure 

 i-, L'iven by Mr. Curtis in the 

 British Entomology, pi. 372. 

 up. ; and several addi- 

 tional particulars relative to 

 it-, habits are given by Mr. 

 \\ < tWOOd, in BH article in 

 the third part of the; Trans- 

 actions of the Entomological 

 8oi " ■ i '//. 



The caterpillars of Ne- 



matui < spree feed on the 



leaves of the sallow (S. ca- 



L.), and of several 



of willow and osier, 



to irhicfa they are said to be lometimes very destructive. A cultivator 

 in the neighbourhood of Penzance, after thoroughly preparing a piece of 



1291 



