NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 



Eastern insects reported in British Columbia. — In the course of the very 

 numerous "Notes from Correspondents" printed in the Fourth Report of the depart- 

 ment of agriculture of the Province of British Columhia for 1894 frequent mention 

 is made of the plum curculio and pear-tree psylla. Inasmuch as neither of these 

 insects has heen known to occur ou the Pacific Slope, we wrote to Mr. R. M. Palmer, 

 inspector of fruit pests of the Province, who has replied that the common pear-leaf 

 slug is often called "pear-tree psylla" out there, and that he has never seeu speci- 

 mens of the plum curculio in that part of the country. 



A -wasp attacking codling moth larvae. — A wasp, Sphecius nevadensis, closely 

 related to the common species which in the East attacks cicadas is reported hy Mr. 

 N. W. Motheral, of Hanford, Cal., to he attacking codling moth larva? in pears. He 

 has not observed the wasps on apples, but the pear trees all over the country where 

 this fruit is attacked by the codling moth have swarms of the wasps inspecting each 

 tree. Mr. Motheral describes the wasp as pulling the larva' out of the pears with its 

 " fore foot." This record is new and interesting. 



Cells of a leaf-cutter bee in a curious place. — A correspondent in Texas sends 

 to the Division the larval cells of a species of Megachile, found by his wife in a 

 disused bed between the sheet and the quilt. The species can not be determined 

 from the material sent, but, an attempt will be made to rear the adult. 



Birds eating leaf-miners. — Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell writes us that he has seen a red- 

 winged starling (Agekvus pliceniceus) busily engaged in eating the larva? of the Cot- 

 tonwood leaf miner (a sawfly). He writes that the birds are quite expert at getting 

 the larva? out of the leaves. 



A migration of Colias caesonia. — Instances of migratory swarms of butter- 

 flies of the subfamily Pierina? have frequently been observed, but none have been 

 recorded so far as we know, of Colias ccvsonia. May 26 we received a number of speci- 

 mens of this species from Dr. J. M. Shaffer, of Keokuk, Iowa, who writes under date 

 of May 22 as follows : 



"Yesterday great numbers of these butterflies passed from south to north over 

 this place. They came up the streets and over the houses and tree tops. Very few 

 alighted. I followed them to our park, a mile and a half, and everywhere they were 

 moving north, hundreds of them. In a field of red clover and on the pansies and 

 other flowers of the park I captured a dozen or so of them. * * * After 1 p. m. 

 I went to the United States Government canal lock, just below my house, and 100 

 feet down the hill, and found that the butterflies came across the Mississippi. I 

 observed them also on the bridge, and they came from Illinois, from how far east I 

 have no means of knowing. They are very numerous to-day." 



Boll worm damage to strawberry plants. — Mr. R. T. Smith, of Utica, Mo., 

 writes us that Reliothis armiger has been discovered in his locality this fall damaging 

 strawberry plants by eating the crown and destroying the runners. 



Injury to apples by the ash-gray pinion. — Mr. Harry S. Burnett, of Kendall, 

 Orleans County, N. Y., writes under date of June 7, transmitting specimens of the 

 larva of Lithophane antennata=Xylina cinerea, with the statement that it is doing 

 immense damage to apples in neighboring sections. It is found in every orchard, 

 whether the orchard has been sprayed or not. Spraying at the right time will 

 probably prevent this damage. It should not be sprayed until after the leaves are 

 well grown. 

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