87 



several inches. Where the larvae are very numerous the plants will die 

 before the larvae are grown, and most of the latter will perish ; oirty 

 such as are situated near or below the ground will survive. Empty 

 pupae of two species of parasites were observed within the burrows of 

 the larvae, both apparently belouging to the Ichneumonidae. 



As a remedy, the collecting of the beetles may be recommended. Dur- 

 ing early morning and evening they may be found either on the cur- 

 rant bushes or the surrounding trees, almost always at rest on and 

 within dry and dead leaves from which they can be shaken into an 

 umbrella. During their operations upon the plants in the day-time it is 

 difficult to get near them as they are very quick on the wing and ex- 

 ceedingly shy. Collecting and burning the infested plants during 

 winter, and also the whitewashing of lower parts of plants may have a 

 good effect ; this should be done about the end of May. 



(Diabrotica soror Lee.) 



This beetle occurs occasionally in such numbers as to become ex- 

 ceedingly destructive to fruits and vegetables. As yet the earlier stages 

 have not been studied. All attempts to get eggs and larvae have so 

 far been a failure on my part as well as on the part of other entomol- 

 ogists. A large number of the beetles were kept in confinement for 

 weeks with various living plants without any results. The larva, without 

 doubt, will be found to have the same habits as the other species of the 

 the group, — feeding upon roots of various plants. Fortunately this 

 insect is preyed upon by a dipterous larva, which without doubt de- 

 stroys the greater number of them, in certain years at least. As early as 

 1886, while at Los Angeles, Mr. Alexander Craw, of that city, showed 

 both Mr. Coquillett and myself the larva infesting this beetle. I did 

 not succeed inbreeding the same until June last, and Mr. Coquillett re- 

 ports recently of his partial success in this particular.* 



THE TENT- CATERPILLARS. 



(CUsiocampa spp.) 



From year to year these worms become more and more numerous 

 upon fruit-trees. Mr. Stretch in his paper on the genust cites six species 

 as occurring on this coast, — G. califomica Packard, as feeding upon 

 Quercus agrifolia; G. fragilis, Stretch, from Nevada; G. constricta, 

 Stretch, on Quercus eonomensis; G. strigosa, Stretch, from Yosemite 

 Valley ; G. erosa, Stretch, from Oregon ; and G. thoracica, Stretch, as 

 feeding upon Willow. The genus, however, seems to be far more nu- 

 merously represented. In addition to this I have bred one species from 

 the Sierra Nevada Mountains upon Geanothus and wild cherry (Prunm 

 demissa); a second species was found to be very abundant in Los An- 



* Insect Life, Vol. II. No. 3, p. 74. 

 tPapilio, Vol. I, No. 5, pp. 63-69. 



