216 



1 



The chief object, however, of i^ublishing this DOte is to iutroduce 

 careful figures of the full-grown larva not before published. They are 

 drawn from a specimen received through the kindness of Mr. George B. 

 Starkweather, of this city. Ooncerning the capture of the specimen, 

 which was from a female Chipmunk, Mr. Starkweather wrote, October 

 19, 1888 : 



About uoon on the 13tli my cliildren's pet kitten came in from the grove near 

 our house, in the Rock Creek region, with a *' chippy " in its mouth. They rescued it 

 at once, but, although warm, life was extinct. The strange appendage, or abnormal 

 growth which they noticed on the under side, caused them to lay it away carefully 

 in an empty covered cigar-box " to show to papa." 



My attention was called to it twenty-four hours later, when the dark-colored mag- 

 got was found in one corner of the box nearly motionless. They described the 

 '•'swelling" as about an inch long and of the shape of a mulberry. There seemed to 

 be a natural opening at its apex over a sixteenth of an inch in diameter with a tinge 

 of a dark liquid about it. 



Subsequent inquiry lias revealed the fact that squirrel hunters in this 

 vicinity report that these grubs are very abundant around Washington 

 in the common Gray Squirrel, one gentleman, with that freedom from 

 fact-bias characteristic of the amateur hunter, stating that be never 

 shot a squirrel which was not infested by grubs. We will doubtless, 

 therefore, have opportunities for rearing the adult and comparing it 

 with Low's sciitellaris. 



The larva has already been well described by Fitch, and our figures 

 will illustrate its aj^pearance. The specimen from which they were 

 drawn was evidently full-grown, and has entered the earth in a breed- 

 ing jar. 



EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 



Injurious Insects in Mississippi for 1888. 



(1) The Cotton Worm {Aletia xylina) was reported from the Homochitto River and 

 Middle Fork Creek bottom after the storm of the 19th and 20th of August, but with- 

 out doing any serious damage. Winds mostly southeast aud east. On September 10 

 I observed them of three different sizes in my own field, feeding on the second growth 

 of tender cotton leaves. I have noticed on some stalks worms as marked (*2«) on 

 Plate I, Report IV, United States Entomological Commission, eating on the underside 

 of the leaves, others as marked on same plate {2d and 2lt as well as 2f). They con- 

 tinued to eat slowly and made but very little progress in destroying the foliage. 

 Cool nights and hot days kept them at bay duriug the latter part of September and 

 the first part of October. As some of the most natural enemies of the Cotton Worm 

 observed duriug this season I will mention one spider (Oxyopes I'tridans); one wasp 

 (Folisteshellicosa); onebug {Meiapodim femoratus); one ^y (Proctacanthus milherti) ', 

 one ortho\)ter (JIantis cat'olina). All those mentioned above I have observed myself de- 

 stroying the worms. The latter did not damage the cotton crop to any extent in this 

 county. During the middle of October they webbed up in all parts of the field, and 

 i observed a large number of Cotton Worm chrysalids destroyed by the larviie of 

 Cliauliognatluis aniericanus. I also found some chrysalids devoured by the larvae of 

 Cyrtoneiira siabnhins, and have likewise found some empty skins of chrysalids con- 

 taining the puparium of this lly. 



