101 



seen or heard of all of the following species suffering alike from this 

 cause : Ash, Box Elder, Soft Maple, Cottonwood, and Willow. The 

 honey locust, too, has been subject to defoliation by insect enemies when 

 growing as hedges upon the uplands of the semi-arid regions west of 

 the 97th meridian. Some of these trees thus attacked were killed out- 

 right, while others were set back a year or more by each defoliation. 

 Several different lines of investigation have been followed in the 

 study of this subject, viz, the comparative freedom from insect attack 

 of the various kinds of trees ; the influence of topography upon the 

 growth of each kind of tree, as well as upon the increase and develop- 

 ment of the insect life thriving upon the tree; also the comparative 

 abundance or absence of birds and parasitic insects in the different 

 regions, and what relation these bear to insect depredations. Of course, 

 when fully carried out in the several lines indicated above, the investi- 

 gation of such a subject can not fail to be quite extensive and result in 

 some good to the parties most concerned. For the present paper, how- 

 ever, only a few of the most important of these insect enemies will be 

 mentioned, and then only cursorily. Of these there are about thirty 

 species belonging to the orders Ooleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, 

 Orthoptera, and Hemiptera. Most of these insects that I wish to call 

 attention to are quite general in their distribution, and therefore as 

 well known to you as they are to those living in the "tree-claim" 

 region. My report will then simply consist of a statement as to their 

 abundance, distribution, and the amount of injury done by each species. 

 To do this the following table will best express my wishes and at the 

 same time be least cumbersome. All of the species therein mentioned 

 have been either observed by myself or were reported by others as 

 occurring in injurious numbers during different seasons upon tree- 

 claims located in Nebraska, Kansas, and Dakota. 



Insect. 



Tree. 



Insect. 



Tree. 



HYMENOPTERA. 





Cressonia juglandis A. & 



S. 

 Clisiocampa americana 



Walnut. 



Cimbex americana Leach . 



Willows. 



Most kinds. 



Monophadnus barda Say .. 



Ash. 



Hair. 









Clisiocampa sylvatica 



Do. 



COLEOPTERA. 





Hair. 









Datana angusii G. &. R. 



Black Walnut. 



Lina script a Fab 



Willow and Cotton- 



Anisota rubicunda Fab .. 



Soft Maple. 





wood. 



Hyphantria cunca Drury 



All kinds. 



Chryso m-ela sp 



1)0. 



Apatela vopuli Riley 



Dof 



On Cottonwood. 



Disonycha pennsylvanica 



Willow. 



Willow. 



111. 





Do 



Maple, Box Elder. 

 Honey Locust. 



Ghrysobothris fern or at a 



Box Elder and Maple. 



Tortricid ( ) 



Fab. 





Sphinx 



Ash. " 



Lachnostcrna (several spe- 

 cies). 



All kinds. 



Do 



Elm. 





Tortricid ( ) 



Boring twigs of Hack- 



Epicauta cinerea Forst 



Honey Locust, Coffee 





berry, Box Elder. 





Beau. 



ORTHOPTERA. 





LEPIDOPTERA. 













(Ecanthvs niveus Serv . . . 



Stems of various trees. 



Papilio turnus Linn 



Ash. 



(Ecanthus laUpennis Ri- 



Stems not so common. 



Vanessa antiopa Linn .... 



Willow, Elm. 



ley. 





Platysamia ceeropia Linn 



Maple, Willow, Box 



Melanophis spretus Tbos 







Elder, etc. 



Mr Ian oplus femu r-rub - 



Foliage of all when 



Telea polyphcmus Cramer 



Maple, Elm, Box El- 



rum DeGeer. 



numerous. 





der, etc. 



21 eta noplus differcn tia lis 





Triptogon modesta A. &. S. 



Willow, Cottonwood. 



Thos. 





