88 
tender leaves when they are just opening. It seems that a 
large amount of poison is injected into the wound made by the 
slender beak of the bug, as the substance of the leaf near the 
wound always turns brown. ‘Terminal leaves injured by this 
insect curl up in very peculiar shapes and soon become dis- 
colored and die. These curled leaves afford an excellent 
shelter for the insect, and make it very difficult to apply 
remedies. As these insects do not chew their food, we have 
to apply such remedies as kerosene-emulsion, which, how- 
ever, has to be used as strong as one part to five of water, as 
the bugs are exceedingly hardy. Clean culture is always 
advisable. This with pruning, late in autumn, or very early 
in spring, will prove effective, as the eggs are always deposited 
near the tips of the canes of that season’s growth. 
THE CURRANT-BORER. 
(Sesia tipuliformis Linn. ) 
The currants in all their varieties, as well as the different 
kinds of gooseberries, have no greater enemy than the above 
borer. The damage it causes is so much greater than that 
inflicted by other enemies of these plants, because a whole 
cane, even the whole plant, may be killed by a single borer, 
nor can its work be noticed until the injury has been done. 
Like so many of our destructive insects it was introduced from 
Kurope with the plants that it destroys, but it is now much 
more injurious here than in its original home. The insect is 
illustrated in Fig. 45 on Plate 5, where its work, the larva, 
empty pupa and adult are given. A glance at the latter shows 
that it is a beautiful moth. When seen in June upon the bright 
foliage of currants, it is indeed an elegant insect, in whatever 
position it may be observed. It shows to the greatest advant- 
age, however, when making love to its mate. In this case the 
male dances about very gracefully, rapidly opening the fan- 
like feathers at the end of the abdomen, and as the whole 
insect is clothed in glossy scales it reflects all the prismatic 
colors. The adult insect, as seen in the illustration, is quite 
different from ordinary moths, having its wings but partly 
covered with scales, the uncolored parts being glassy, which 
is the reason why such moths are frequently called ‘‘glassy- 
wings”. Such moths resemble flies and wasps, and are fre- 
