174 Annual Report for 1889 of the Consulting Entomologist. 
choice) to select by preference, for tunnelling and breeding purposes, 
the stems of lately felled or fallen trees, or stumps remaining in the 
ground, or pieces of fallen branches, rather than the growing trees. 
Therefore, for purposes of checking the infestation, besides removing 
the young trees which are rapidly killed by the attack and burning 
them (with the contained pests), the removal also of all such 
nurseries of infestation as the above clears away much coming 
mischief. 
The female beetles have powerful wings, but before they take 
flight may be found by tens, or scores, in their tunnels, and, there- 
fore, besides destroying these in swarms as noted above, it answers 
well to set traps by placing pieces of newly-felled branches or poles 
amongst the trees to be protected. 
This can be done with little trouble, beginning about March, 
and the branches (or " trap-wood ") should be examined about every 
three or four weeks, and if at all bored into carried off and burnt, 
and other pieces set up about the orchard. 
It will also very likely be found that, as these beetles (like 
several of our most destructive kinds) attack by preference stems 
in which the sap is not in full flow, it will be the young recently 
removed trees which require chiefly to be guarded against their 
attacks. This appears to be best done as advised in Canada, by 
coating the bark of neighbouring trees with whitewash or soft soap, 
with a little Paris green or a little carbolic acid added, in quantities 
that will be certain not to hurt the bark, but of which the smell 
will deter the beetles from boring into it in the spring. It is really 
of great importance to fruit growers not to allow this new infesta- 
tion to take hold, as, where once established, it causes what is not 
inaptly described by one sufferer as fairly a " slaughter " of the 
trees. 
White Woolly Currant Scale, Pulvinaria liibesice, Signoret. 
On July 30 I first reported notice of a large white woolly scale 
insect, which has only recently been observed in this country, and 
which requires attention. Its spread would be very injurious to 
fruit farmers, as it infests the black and also the red and white 
currants in profusion ; it also is found on the flowering currant*: and 
as I have two notices of it (or a scale insect indistinguishable from 
it) being found on the mountain ash (Pyrvs aucupuria), attention is 
very desirable to see that it does not infest other kinds of Pyrus, 
namely, apple and pear trees. 
The scale insect has been identified by Mr. J. W. Douglas, one 
of our chief British authorities on this family of insects, as the 
Pulvinaria ribesice of Signoret, a species known in France and 
Germany, but which he had not previously been aware of the 
presence of in England, and it was also quite new to myself. 
It may be perfectly easily distinguished in summer by the 
white, woolly egg-bags, about a quarter of an inch long, and rather 
less across, looking in the distance like little lumps of whitewash, 
and scattered so thickly over the infested boughs that I have 
