20 



The Legged Maple Borer — Aegeiia acerni (Clemens). 



In 1860 Dr. Clemens described this pretty moth in the Proceedings of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and since then it has been written on by Mr. P. 

 Gennadius in the American Naturalist for January, 1874, 

 and in the same year by C. V. Piley, in his 6th Missouri 

 Peport. It is well figured in the accompanying cut, 

 ligure 4 (after Riley), in all its stages ; a shows the larva, 

 6 the cocoons exposed by removal of the bark, c the moth, 

 and d the chrysalis. 



The moth appears late in May and during June. 

 When the wings are expanded it measures about three- 

 quarters of an inch across; its wings are transparent, 

 decorated with bluish-black markings. The head and 

 palpi are of a deep reddish-orange, antennae bluish-black, 

 thorax ochreous yellow, abdomen bluish-black varied with 

 ochreous yellow and terminated by a tuft of brilliant 

 reddish-orange hairs. 



The under side of the body is ochreous-yellow, with 

 bluish-black markings. 



The female deposits her eggs on the bark of the soft 

 and sugar maple trees, chiefly on the former, and when 

 hatched the young larvae burrow through the bark and 

 feed upon the inner portion and sap wood, never pene- 

 trating to the solid heart wood. The excavations made 

 by the larva are filled with its brown castings. When Tig. 4. 



full grown it is more than half an inch long, cylindrical 



to the eleventh segment, then tapering to the end, with the skin wrinkled and folded. 

 The head is small, of a yellow colour, cervical shield paler; stigmata brown; legs and tips of 

 prolegs reddish. When the larva is full grown it eats its way nearly through the bark, 

 leaving but a very thin layer unbroken ; it then retires within its burrow, and having en- 

 closed itself within a loose, silky cocoon, changes to a brown chrysalis. A short time before 

 the moth escapes the chrysalis wriggles itself forward, and pushing itself against the thin 

 papery-like layer of bark, ruptures it and the chrysalis protrudes as shown in the figure. 

 Soon afterwards the imprisoned moth in its struggles ruptures the chrysalis and escapes. 



This insect appears to be increasing in numbers every year, and is very destructive,, 

 especially to young maple trees. Many of our shade trees in London are much injured 

 by it, and where very numerous it is liable to completely girdle the tree and kill it. It is 

 also found throughout the Middle States. To prevent the moths from laying their eggs, 

 the trunks of the trees should be painted about the 1st of June with a mixture of soft 

 soap and lye about the thickness of paint, or with a mixture of lime and soap. When once 

 the larvae obtain an entrance it is very difficult to discover them, and they will then carry 

 on their destructive work all through the summer. 



The Ped-Humped Apple Tree Caterpillar ( Notodonta concinna ).. 



This insect appears in the perfect or moth state (fig. 5) during the latter part of June. 

 When its wings are expanded it measures from one inch to one inch and a quarter across. 

 The fore wings are dark brown on the inner margin and gray- 

 ish on the outer margin, with a dot near the middle, a spot 

 near each angle and several longitudinal streaks along the hind 

 margin dark brown. The* hind wings of the male are brown- 

 ish or dirty white, those of the female dusky brown ; the body 

 is light brown, the thorax of a darker shade. 



The female deposits her eggs in a cluster on the under 

 side of a leaf during the month of July, where they shortly 

 hatch into tiny caterpillars, which at first consume only the 



