13 



appearance, as if they had been winter-killed. A pasture lot of fifty acres, which ten. 

 days before offered good pasture, was burned so that in places not a blade of grass could 

 be seen to the square yard. Numerous dead caterpillars were adhering to the dead 

 stems of last year's gi'ass, which it was believed had fallen victims to starvation. The 

 upland pastures were first attacked. The progress was remarkably rapid ; entire fields^ 

 were laid waste in ten or twelve days. The secrecy of the depredations was remarkable. 

 The larvae had seldom been seen, and never observed in active feeding. It was believed, 

 by the farmers that they fed at night, or by drawing the blades of grass into their sul> 

 terranean retreats. In two instances the larvae were observed in immense numbers, col- 

 lected on the trunks of trees, so that they could have been scooped up by handfuls. 



The tree trunks were enveloped by a firm web of silk, spun by the caterpillars, of so 

 firm a consistence that it could be lifted up in a sheet like a piece of woven silk. The 

 cause of the congregation at this point could only be conjectured. It was not for feeding 

 on the foliage, for the grasses alone were eaten by the caterpillars. 



The caterpillars observed and collected by Mr. Lintner were slender, cylindrical forms,, 

 sixteen footed, of an obscure greenish colour, with a shining black head. They were desti- 

 tute of lines or other ornamentation, except some warty spots on their upper side. Their 

 average length was three-fourths of an inch. He was unable to identify them with the 

 Army Worm, for they were quite unlike the mature form of that species, and their habits- 

 seemed to be quite difierent. 



On the 6th of August the first moth emerged from some cocoons furnished by Mr. J. 

 Q. Adams, of Watertown, N. Y., and it turned out to be a Cramhus vulgivagellus. 



The interesting question as to which of our insect depredators was chargeable with 

 the ravages in Northern New York was decided. The new enemy was found to be an 

 inconspicuous, hitherto unobtrusive little Cramhus. It had long been known in our 

 cabinets, but had never before presented itself as an injurious insect. 



It is probable that several accounts of injuries to pasture lands in New England 

 States during the last three or four years, which have been ascribed either to the Army 

 Worm or an unknown depredator, are due to this species. Its subsequent appearance may 

 hereafter be recognized. 



The Crambida3 are small moths with narrow front wings often marked with metallic 

 spots and stripes, which are frequently driven up for short flights in our pastures and 

 meadows during the fall months. Specimens of the larvai, pupee, cocoons and perfect 

 insects were exhibited to the Section. 



Following this three papers were read by A. J. Cook, of Lansing, Mich., " How Does 

 the Bee Extend its Tongue"?" " The Syrian Bees," "Carbolic Acid as a Preventive of 

 Insect Ravages." 



The author explained how the bee extends its tongue by means of a diagram; it is done, 

 he believes, by iorcing into the extremity of that member some of the fluid contained in 

 the glands. In his paper on Syrian Bees, he related how D. A. Jones, of Canada, and Frank 

 Benton, of Michigan, went to Europe in search of new varieties of bees. They brought 

 from Cyprus both the Cyprian bee and the Syrian bee, and Mr. Benton went to Ceylon 

 and Java in search of other varieties. From the former place he brought two new species 

 not very unlike our own, but in Java he failed to find the great Java bee. With the 

 Syrian bees the author had Syrianized the apiaries of the Michigan Agricultural College. 

 The Syrians are of a yellow type, closely allied to the Italian bee ; they are indefatigable 

 workers, but more irritable than other bees, especially when queenless. They are 

 imdoubtedly a valuable acquisition to American apiculture. 



The next paper was by Mr. W. H. Edwards, on " The Alleged Abnormal Peculiarity 

 in the History of Argynnis myrina^^^ which was followed by one by E. W. Claypole, of 

 -Yellow Springs, Ohio, on the Buckeye Stem Borer. The writer remarked that during 

 the spring months some of the leaves of the Buckeye tree droop and die without any 

 obvious cause ; indeed these dying leaves may be seen almost as soon as the foliage is 

 expanded. On examination, a small hole was discovered in every stalk on which a dying 

 leaf was found, and in splitting this round stalk a living caterpillar was observed ensconced 

 in the narrow tunnel evidently excavated by itself. The destruction of the central part 

 of the leaf stalk was clearly the cause of the death of the leaf. A number of leaves were 



