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THE GREEN-LINED MAPLE-WORM. 



For the third time, now, many of our soft maple trees in the city of 

 Lincoln have been entirely defoliated by the larvae of Anisota rubicunda. 

 This insect has been steadily increasing for the past three years, and 

 if it does not soon die off by some epidemic disease or is killed by para- 

 sites the growing of this tree will be very difficult. This state of 

 affairs is due entirely to the negligence of our citizens in general, who, it 

 appears, can not be induced to spend the little time necessary for the 

 destruction of insect pests that attack their shade trees, garden and 

 farm produce, and flowering plants. The entomologist can not kill all 

 the insects, good and bad, in the country ; neither are his words of 

 advice heeded in the least when he tells how each insect enemy is to be 

 gotten rid of by means of the least labor and expense to those who 

 should be most interested. 



THE BLUE- OR ASS WEEVIL. 



For the past two years Sphenophorus parvulus Gryll. has been in- 

 creasing quite rapidly in numbers, so that now it has come to be one of 

 our commonest beetles in the city of Lincoln, at least, if not elsewhere. 

 From the fact of its frequenting sidewalks, or being concealed under 

 boards, sticks, and stones that were left lying about on the University 

 campus, and on lawns elsewhere in the city, I began an investigation as 

 to its probable breeding place. This study has led to the discovery of 

 its feeding upon the roots of the common blue-grass (Poa pratensis). 

 So plentiful has the insect become in some lawns that the sod has been 

 entirely killed over large patches. 



The larva is a short, thick, whitish grub, like those of other species 

 of the genus, and measures from 4 to 5 millimeters in length when fully 

 matured. The beetles appear twice a year, i. e.An the spring and early 

 fall, the insect probably being double-brooded. Some of the beetles 

 inay come out in fall, while the remainder may lie over winter as pupae. 

 The fully matured larvae were found early in June, while others were 

 observed last October. Damp and well-watered lawns appear to be in- 

 fested fully as badly, if not worse, that those that are dryer, although 

 they do not show the injury nearly so quickly in the former as in the 

 latter case. 



While looking for larvae during the latter part of last May, numerous 

 specimens of a small white " hair-worm n Mermis or Gordius, or some 

 allied genus, were found scattered through the soil. These were only 

 obtained at very damp places under trees on the University campus, 

 and as a rule were tightly coiled. Whether these would have or had 

 been in any way connected with the Sphenophorus larvae, I do not know, 

 as I am not sufficiently well acquainted with these forms nor with their 

 life- histories. Various ground-beetles (Carabidw) and their larvae cer- 

 tainly do devour the larvae of Sphenophorus, since the former were also 

 quite common in the localities where the latter abounded. jSTo expert- 



