9 



mill if possible to detect the real author. Till then the mischief had 

 been attributed to this species,* but, notwithstanding that the field was 

 literally swarmuig with this large saw-fly, uot one was seen to puncture 

 any of the willows. Ail the willows except verj^ few along the edge of 

 the field, which appeared to have been very recently injured, appeared 

 to be in healthy condition. The affected shoots, the tips of which were 

 hanging down,' had become brown and almost dry from the fierce heat of 

 the day, and showed, when closely examined, unmistakable evidence of 

 the work of this Phylloccus^ whose life-habits, with the assistance of Mr. 

 Pergande, we have been able to trace. 



i^^ 



Fifi. 2. — PiTYLT.fKcrs iXTEGEit. fl/'egg; h, larvii, dorsal view; c, same, side view ; d, <•, two views 

 of barrow; /, twig, sbowing damage ; </, adult; all enlarged except /; //, antenna, still more enlarged 

 (original). 



Admiral Amnien stated that the year before almost the whole field 

 looked like these shoots, appearing as if it had suffered from a severe 

 frost or as if a fire had ran over it, and that by autumn large numbers 

 of the shoots had been killed close to the ground. 



As the larva of this insect, which resembles very much that of 

 Urocerifs or Tremex, is a true borer, the female inserts her eggs in the 

 stems of willows or nearly related plants and by a wonderful instinct 

 girdles the twig after she has consigned her egg, to prevent it from 

 growing any farther, audinordertoi^rotect the egg from being crushed. 

 The eggs are inserted m an oblique direction into the pith of the stem, 

 from 2 to inches below the tip, and the girdle is made about 1 inch 

 above it. 



The puncturing of the tip is evidently done with the ovipositor, as the 

 inmctnres can be traced into the i^ith. The tips soon become dry and 



^^ See Report Entomologist, Ann. Repfc. Dept. Agr., 1881, p. 334. 



