1838. HOUSE—No. 72. 91 
bushes, seem to be its natural food ; and the perfect insects are fre- 
quently found on the leaves of these plants during the months of 
June and July. It is at this time that the eggs are deposited, be- 
ing laid upon the bark near the root. The larva is elongated, 
nearly cylindrical, rather larger towards the head, and is destitute 
of feet. It cuts, with its strong jaws, a passage through the bark 
into the wood, and the place of its operations is known by the 
castings which it thrusts backwards out of the hole. The larva state 
continues two or three years, at the expiration of which time the in- 
sect has extended the channel several inches in length up the trunk of 
the tree, at its termination approaching the bark and covered only by 
‘it. In this channel its final transformation takes place. The pupa 
does not differ greatly from other pupe of the Coleoptera ; but it 
has the tail armed with short spines, and a transverse series on each 
of the dorsal segments. ‘These spines probably assist the insect in 
its movements when the pupa coat is to be cast off. This occurs 
about the first of June ; the perfect insect penetrates the thin cover- 
ing of bark which was left over the upper extremity of its channel, 
and emerges from its place of confinement during the night. 
Various means have been tried for destroying the borers in the 
apple tree. An ingenious mechanic, Mr. Hersey, was very suc- 
cessful in cutting them out with a gouge; he then covered the wounds 
with composition, and, in vigorous trees, the bark soon closed over 
them. Where great. numbers of borers infest one tree this method 
is injudicious ; such an extensive removal of the bark, as nearly to 
girdle the tree, interrupts materially its healthy functions. Instead, 
therefore, of a free use of the gouge and knife, it will be more pru- 
dent to introduce a wire so as to destroy the larve in their holes. 
Plugging the external orifice has been practised by some persons, 
and, as they assert, with success. Others have recommended put- 
ting camphor in the hole and then plugging it. The latter promises 
to be more effectual, but experiments are wanting to confirm its ex- 
pediency. 
There are several small species of Saperda in this State, distin- 
guished by the extreme slenderness of the body, which is almost or 
quite cylindrical. Such are the insects named Saperda plumbea and 
tripunctata. The larve of these species are not, strictly speaking, 
wood-eaters, for they consume the pith only of plants. They are 
