38 



Under the caption " Elaphidion injury," and evidently referring to the 

 present species, Prof. J. B. Smith wrote in 1892 (Ent. News, Vol. Ill, p. 

 261) : "One of the striking features noticeable now in riding througn 

 New Jersey is the unusual amount of Elaphidion injury on oaks. In 

 some localities every tree has several dead or dying twigs, and the 

 ground beneath is strewn with branches broken off by recent nigh 

 winds." 



A similar condition was observed and commented upon by Dr. Eiley 

 at about the same time in the country lying between Washington and 

 New York City, and noticeable from the railway cars in traveling 

 between those cities. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



From our present knowledge of this species the following brief 

 account of its life- history may be given : 



The mother beetle inserts an egg 7 usually in one of the smaller twigs 

 of a living tree. The young larva hatching therefrom first attacks the 

 wood under the bark, following the grain of the wood and packing its 

 burrow with its sawdust-like castings. The larva as it grows bores 

 toward the base, often consuming the wood entirely around the limb 

 and ejecting its castings through holes which it makes in the bark. 

 Later it follows the axis of the twig, boring through the center and 

 excavating a more or less oval channel, sometimes for a distance of 

 several inches. Dr. Fitch has said that the larva is only about half 

 grown when it severs the limb in which it is working, but it has more 

 probably attained its full growth at this time. He described this 

 operation, recounting at length how, with u consummate skill and seem- 

 ingly superterrestrial intelligence, he varies his proceedings to meet the 

 circumstances of his situation in each particular case." 



From Dr. Fitch's account it would seem that he imputed to this insect 

 a reasoning power, which enables it to modify its operations according 

 to the conditions, and to judge just how far the limb should be cut off 

 to insure its ultimate amputation by the wind, without endangering its 

 own safety. Whether guided by reason or by blind instinct, the insect 

 is actually enabled to accomplish this purpose. 



After cutting away the wood in such manner that the winds will in 

 time bring the limb to the ground, the contained larva retreats into its 

 burrow and plugs up the severed end with castings. Here it trans 

 forms to pupa (fig. 11, c,/), sometimes late in the autumn and often not 

 until early spring, assuming the adult stage as early as November and 

 appearing abroad in June and throughout the summer until September. 



A larva received through the kindness of Dr. A. E. Brunn, from 

 South Woodstock, Conn., transformed to pupa May 3, and to adult May 

 21, having thus passed the pupal stage in eighteen days, the average 

 temperature having been about 74° F. 



Although this species normally completes its transformations in ampu- 

 tated or fallen limbs, it occasionally breeds in limbs that have not been 



