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THE CLOYER-ROOT BORER. 



As has been pointed out by Mr. James Fletcher, this insect has become 

 known of late years in Canada, and we learn from an item in the Eural 

 Kew Yorker for September 15 that it has been found upon the Rural 

 farm on Long Island. This destructive enemy of the clover plant is a 

 slow spreader, and it is very fortunate that this is the case, as it is a very 

 difficult enemy to fight. 



A POINT IN FAVOR OF THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



Mr. J. G. Cooper, writing to the Pacific Rural Press of September 8, 

 1888, records the destruction of the Woolly Aphis upon his apple trees 

 by a large flock of young English sparrows, but is inclined to think that 

 it was due to the excessive dry weather, causing a scarcity of their usual 

 food. 



THE REAR-HORSE DOINIESTICATED. 



Many of the old office desks in the Department of Agriculture here 

 at Washington have become badly infested with Roaches and Croton 

 Bugs, which feed upon almost everything left in the drawers. One of 

 the assistants in tlie Entomological Division was payiug a visit some 

 days since to a lady employed in one of the other divisions, and to en- 

 tertain him she showed him what she called her " entomological pet.'' 

 This was a handsome female specimen of Mantis Carolina which she had 

 captured and domiciled upon her desk and fed with roaches until it had 

 become reconciled to its position. At the date of the visit the Mantis 

 seemed perfectly at home and the original insect inhabitants of the 

 desk were rapidly becoming less numerous. This practical application 

 of entomological knowledge is highly to be commended and greatly en- 

 courages the entomologists of the Department in their labors to diffuse 

 knowledge of the habits of insects ! 



A CALIFORNIA ENEMY TO WALNUTS. 



Mr. Coquillett, writing us under date of April 16, gives an account of 

 a Tortricid larva which does a great deal of damage to Walnuts near Los 

 Angeles. We quote his note as follows. The description of the larva 

 comes first : 



Body green, sometimes tinged with yellow; piliferous spots lighter; spiracles 

 ringed with brown or black ; cervical shield greenish, irregularly bordered behind 

 with black ; head yellowish ; a black or brown dot on each side of face, another on 

 lower part of clypeus; a black or brown triangle on each lobe of the head; sides of 

 head broadly and irregularly bordered with black or brown. Body nearly naked, 

 provided with 1(3 logs. Length 14"^'". Lives singly in the grocMi nuts of Jnglans 

 caUfoniica. They usually enter the green nut near the stem end, and make from one 

 to three holes in it, out of which they push their black excrements, which collect in 

 a conspicuous heap at the mouth of each hole. After eating out the interior of one 

 of the nuts the larva dcsiM-ts it and eats its way into a second nut, and this it con- 

 tinues until reaching its full growth. In the breeding cage the full-grown larva) de- 



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