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Py 7 “. <= = - — oe | ~ tor - -— =o! ¢ 1 7 - Pe ee ed = ' a ant @ ~ = a - ww: 7 A a °@ _ S 4 = _ =a t - an - = ~ ~ 2 ® ae r = Pa = 4 = - a — 7 -_ - x ee Pe mn o ee we oan GS a a — = nal - 2 n - + ’ a! fa be ¥ 7 7 — on = ° » 2 = a CF , ie .— =) = + co ~ = - 4 - bd 1 a ~~ mane “ee igh © 1 ox = © we = £ - — * - = - - - wo eae + eh “ote _ 4 “ - af “o> =) aay - . . oo <= * ae — a Oe = —* 1 - - . = = 5 - oF % - ‘ - - 7 7 - oO — = a at ” Li 7 | <= 7 — ee : - 2 q >. —— 2. - 7 sta h=a 2 —s v * © - - 7 a ~ - im ‘ = i ee aa > - * = _ = * an! = + = « ~ = —< - - _ ~ ca - ~ in ae of + _ - 4 8 er > 1 * _ = = —— - my = - . = oe . * - ge . « - ha eg 4 -_ _ = bees * _ a : - == if 7 = de - a ~ : - 4“ a = bs =. 7 = 7 = " —_ = Pi Sal - = - - - .» = i - - mee, of Bo - 2 is ~ 7 ee = = - pe - a J ’ = - - é 7 - _ 7 7 ‘ ~ ” i “> HET AU pte O> ? is “0 | ati v- S My ca wa O te 4 teen’ fn s , eh oe FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, For the Year 1886. TRANSMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE JANUARY 14, 1887. ALBANY : THE ARGUS COMPANY, PRINTERS, 1887. No. 115. “IN ASSEMBLY, . mS Rats | January 14, 1887. Se aa . . ies Ma a % _ FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT . 4 a 5 ' re OF THE . x * FOR THE YEAR 1886, ae Pa, ; “7 f 0 the Legislature of the State of ‘Wew York: 2 ; ON af I have the honor to transmit herewith the Fortieth AveeaE he - Report of the Regents of the University, as Trustees of the New pes oe rork State Museum of Natural History, as required by law. * Ree ode GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, . _ Vice- Chanedllor. REPORT. To the Legislature of the State of New York: The Regents of the University submit to you, as required by law, their fortieth annual report as trustees of the State Museum of Natural History. In the last annual report the trustees of the museum called your attention to the work of preparing the State Hall for its occupancy for a museum, which was intrusted to them by a law passed in 1883. The full use of the building was only to come into the hands of the museum when the State officers were provided with proper accommodations in the Capitol. This has not yet been accomplished, and the Comptroller, the Treasurer and the Engineer and Surveyor still occupy parts of the building. Since the last report, however, the clerk of the Court of Appeals has vacated two rooms which he had occupied on the south-west corner of the ‘second story. These rooms are now used by the museum, one of them being the quarters for the State Botanist and the large col- lection of plants composing the State herbarium, which are under his care. The other room is used by Professor Hall and Mr. Beecher as an office. Progress has been made in removing the material from Professor Hall’s buildings to the rooms alloted to them in the State Hall. The portion of material which has been removed is that which had been used by Professor Hall in his publication of the Paleontology of the State. Rooms in the basement, on the north-east corner, have been fitted up for the machinery used in making sections of rock and sections of paleontological specimens. These sections go far towards revealing the proper inward construction of the ancient inhabitants of the earth. They are now being studied with great profit by those who are making paleontology their specialty. As rapidly as the State officers can be provided with accommodations the rooms of the State Hall will be utilized for the State Museum, 6 Aaa The building itself will in eras end, require some material modi- te fications. The roof isin such a condition that it. will probably require to be replaced in order to make it a fit cover for 80. important a collection. No general method of heating this build- ing has ever been provided. The State officers who were in it ins the past, and those who are still occupying it, make use ot stoves as the method of heating. This, of course, entails a great amount — of unnecessary labor, and is not economical nor satisfactory. Some — system of heating the buildiig by steam ought to be adopted. — There seems to be no insuperable objection to the carrying of steam a from the present steam-house, which has been built for the purpose — a of conveying heat to the Capitol. The distance is not much greater to the State Hall than it is to the Capitol. There would 7 be no objection to creating as much more steam in the steam-house as would be needed to properly warm the State Hall. ee Another volume on paleontology has been published since ‘the | a last report, in accordance with the law passed in 1883. Thesub- ject is Lamellibranchiate, and is a continuation and completion ‘Oo a the subject of the preceding volume published in 1884. A volume on Bryozoans is in preparation, and will be issued shortly. The immense task of preparing these successive volumes weighs heavily __ upon Professor Hall, and the trustees have found it necessary to give him as much respite from other duties and as much assistance - as they have found it possible to do. With these modifications in the original plan of work, it is believed by the trustees that this : great publication, which is so honorable and creditable to the State, will be finished nearly, if not entirely, in accordance with the provisions of the law of 1883. “ e Very important explorations have been carried on by themuseum staff during the past year. Professor Smock has continued his exploration of the crystalline rocks in the south-eastern portion 4 of the State. He has also dene something towards collecting facts a and data concerning the building stone of the State. Thislatter subject he proposes, when he has collected a sufficient amount of data, to publish together as a bulletin of the museum. Mr. Beecher a has made use of a portion of his time in examining a locality in’. the Adirondack region where crystals of tourmaline has been found. He has, under the direction of the local committee of the museum, No. 115.] 7 completed an arrangement by which the museum will be supplied with a large collection of these crystals. Mr. James W. Hall, one of the assistants in the museum, has also visited, under the direction of Professor Hall, a locality where dictyospongide have been found. He not only found the speci- - mens in this locality, but also in another, which had not before been suspected. These localities are notable within the bounds of this State, and even of the United States, where specimens of this kind have been found. : The trustees desire, in connection with the additions made to the museum, to report to you the large and important collection of minerals which were purchased from Mr. George F. Kunz. Mr. Kunz is a mineralogist in the employ of Tiffany & Co. in New York, and in the regular pursuit of his occupation he had made a very unusual collection of minerals and gems. This col- jection the trustees of the museum, after a very careful inspection by Professor Smock and Mr. Beecher, decided to purchase for $4,000. This has been accomplished and the collection has been delivered, and is now being prepared for a proper display in the rooms of the museum. ' The trustees also desire to report to you a collection of mollusca which has been presented to the museum by Mr. Beecher. They consist of about 15,000 specimens of land and fresh water shells and are of great interest and value. They occupy seventy-five drawer® of twenty by twenty-four inches. The additions to the museum should also include a collection of Eurypterus purchased by - Professor Hall from Ward & Howell of Rochester. They com- ‘prise about 100 specimens and cost $125 ; also a collection of corals purchased from Mr. Woodman of New York containing about 177 specimens and costing $1,000. The work that has been conducted in the museum will be found very fully described in the reports which are herewith appended. The report of Director Hall, of the State Botanist and the _ State Entomologist Lintner and the other reports, will be found full of interest. The trustees report the following as constituting the museum staff at the present time: James Hall, LL. D., Director and State Geologist ; J. A. Lintner, Ph. D., State Entomologist; Charles H. Peck, State Botanist; Professor John C. Smock, assistant in ay ee of ‘ee museum ; R 1Qharies. E. ‘Beecher, assiotant dnl «Sees i oa collections 3 J ames W. Hell assistan : 3 Beecher, in audition to his fai as an poe "museum, gives a Ere of his time to eile: in te ee Binploved 4 in Pee of ees for the Paloonts O ci Respectfully submitted. — : any ! age oa | GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, Vice-Char Davin Morray, ete Secretary. Wan : ana 4! cit oe ee? ae ie as NE ae en a a es REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. _ Anpany, N. Y., December 14, 1886. To the Honorable, the Board of ftegents of the University of the State of New York: GentLemMEN. —I have the honor to communicate herewith, the Annual Report (being the fortieth in consecutive order), upon the _ State Museum of Natural History, and the condition of its collections in the several departments, so far as the same have come under my knowledge or direction. The accompanying appendix will present a list of the additions to the museum collections, which have been made PY collection, purchase and donation, during the past year. The report of last year is not yet out of the printer’s hands, and, therefore, [ cannot refer you to the published document, which contains an account of the work accomplished during the year 1885. In that report I have also transmitted a copy of an illus- trated paper on the annelidee cheetopoda of the New Jersey coast, by Professor H. E. Webster, which was communicated by him to the thirty-second report of the State Museum, and formed a part of that report, as transmitted to the Legislature. Of this paper the text only appeared in the published document, of which no extra copies were printed for the use of the Regents. Through accident or otherwise the plates had been lost, and were only discovered in the office of the State printer last year (1885). These plates with the accompanying text, as it aad in the erat -second report, will appear in due time. Since my report of last year was cominunicated to the Board of Regents, they have ordered an edition of the thirty-second report to be reprinted, but this is still without the plates referred to. In order that the Regents’ edition of this report may be more complete and fill the place in the series, as originally intended, I would sug- 12 [ AssEMBLy, | gest that a sufficient number of the plates be printed to correspond © with the number of copies of that edition. There is likewise, in the same report, a paper on the distribution _of iron ores in Essex county, N. Y. This was originally’accom- panied by a map, which is necessary for the proper understanding of that text. I would, therefore, suggest that a sufficient number of . copies of this map be procured to correspond with and accompany ~ the Regents’ edition of the thirty-second report. No farther progress has been made in the preparation of the | bulletins upon the lamellibranch shells, or upon the dictyospongide. Last year the committee on the State Museum, decided to postpone the work of lithographing for these bulletins for the present. I — would now beg leave to suggest that this work be commenced as — soon as practicable. ‘The illustrations of the dictyospongidae will — occupy at least. twenty-five double octavo plates, and it seems very desirable to have them done by the experienced artist, _Mr. Ast, who has done so much good work for the paleontology of New York. The proper lithographing of these plates would occupy one artist for about a year, therefore, as the coming year may bring a diminu- — tion of lithographic work for the Palzeontology, I would recommend that any interval occurring should be occupied in forwarding this work for the Bulletin of the State Museum of Natural History, and that no time be lost before beginning. The necessity of doing this work in a quiet and unremitting manner is very well understood by — every author, while the letter-press printing may be pushed more ~ rapidly. It need scarcely be said that it is very important that the litho- - graphy be essentially completed, before the Gesctipene text shall be put to press. The museum report of this year will be comparatively barren of scientific papers communicated by the staff, beyond ae State Botanist and State Entomologist. In the first place it ‘became necessary to make a distribution of the extensive collections of lamellibranchiata, which had formed the basis of the two volumes of the paleontology of the State, and which, by the law of 1883, had been transferred to the State Museum. These collections have all been labeled according to the nomenclature adopted in the volumes referred to, and a large No. 115.] | . 1B proportion of them have been selected and made up into a series of collections for distribution to the colleges, normal schools and academies ot the State. A list of the institutions receiving these collections is herewith appended. Early in the spring of 1886 it was determined by the trustees — that the large collections accumulated since 1855 by the State Geologist, for use in the preparation of the paleontology, should all be removed from his private buildings to the State Hall, in conformity to the law of 1883, which authorized the occupancy of these rooms as fast as they should be vacated by the State officers. This work, begun in April, has occupied the greater part of the spring and summer months, and is not yet completed. Owing to some necessary field work during the autumn months, the work has Eenarayeet but little since the beginning of September. I have appended a statement showing approximately the nature and total amount of collections which have been transferred from my own premises to the State Hall, and the amount yet to be so transferred. . Besides removing the collections to the State Hall, the offices and working rooms of the museum staff and assistants in paleeon- tology have been established there, and, by the time of the annual meeting of the board, will be fully occupied with the work of the museum and the paleontology. This organization, when fully accomplished, will give to our paleontological collections, and to the State Geologist and his assistants, the occupancy of a pan building for the first time in more than forty years. The current work of the museum has been carried on, as usual, _in the museum building and in the State Hall. The zoological . collections have all received proper attention, and the stuffed skins and skeletons have been removed from their cases and thoroughly _ cleaned, and returned to their proper places. These collections are in good condition, and essentially free from the depredations of insects. The whale skeleton remains still unprovided with a _ proper place of exhibition, or a place .where it can be properly mounted. A small space has been alloted on the second floor of the museum, the entire length of which is scarcely more than one- fourth the length of the skeleton. The vertebral column is exbib- ited in the three sections, there not being suflicient room for err en ener er ri :: , . ae pe 4S * | Ed dee SSEMBLY, a attaching the ribs. These, with the mandibles, lie upon the plat- form, while the skull and upper jaw are stored in another part of © the building. ee I would earnestly recommend that some place be appropriated a for this fine specimen, which, if properly mounted, would be very instructive to the student and interesting to the general public. The ground in the rear of the State Hall would afford abundant es’ space for a pavilion devoted to this object. It would not occupy sufficient space’ to interfere with the present purposes of the ground, ~ and such a feature would add to the public interest of the place. The exterior and interior of the Museum Building on State ? street has been thoroughly renovated and repainted, the entire economical collections of ores, blocks of marble, and other building sae and ornamental stones, have been cleaned and rearranged, and the name and locality painted upon each one, thus obviating the neces- ; sity of replacing the written or printed paper labels, which, no matter how carefully and apparently securely pasted upon the blocks were sure to be picked off piece- ae by the too curious visitor or undisciplined child. The collections of crystalline and metamorphic rocks Have received special attention in their arrangement, and an effort has been made _ to restore in full, as had been partially done before, the typical collections as arranged by the State Geologist in 1843, and more especially in the specimens arranged by Dr. Emmons under the Taconic system. The specimens which were thus originally cata- -logued in the report of the State cabinet had been relegated to the basement by a former curator, and were only identified by their — labels and restored to their proper place in the serial arrangement by the present director in 1866. This original catalogue, with the labeled and numbered specimens, will be of use in studying the character of the works which constituted the Taconic system of Emmons as defined by him in 1848, 1845. This collection is worthy of the study of those geologists who are interested in the discussion __ of this question. The reports of the State Botanist and State Entomologist will make known to you the work accomplished in these departments. In the division of the museum work Prof. J. C. Smock has superintended the renovation of the interior of the Museum Build- ing, the rearrangement of some portions of the collections, and the relabeling of the marbles, building stones, ores and other similar - material. He has arranged in a new ease, at the head of the stairs upon the first floor, a series of specimens illustrating certain econ- omic products of the State which formed a part of the New Orleans exhibit, making an instructive addition to that part of the collection ; and also the rearrangement of some portions of the crystalline and ‘metamorphic rocks. These museum duties occupied his time for the early part of the year, and later he has been giving in the field - special attention to the quarry industries of the State. The pur- chase of the Kunz collection of minerals and the necessity of arranging the same will occupy a large part of his time during the coming year. Mr. C. E. Beecher, assistant in charge of the paleontological collections has been occupied during the first months of the year upon the collections of fossil.lamellibranchiata, and with the assist-_ ance of Mr. J. M. Clark, the entire collection has been labeled, and a selection of thirty-five collections has been made from the dupli- cates of this class of fossils.* Subsequently both of these gentlemen have been occupied in arranging in the State Hall the collections transferred from the rooms occupied in Mr. Hall’s buildings. Mr. Beecher has*likewise superintended the fitting up of the new office in the State Hall, and later has been working in the preparation of material for the volume on the fossil brachiopoda. Dr. J. W. Hall in charge of the zoological collections and of the laboratory for cutting rocks and fossils, has looked carefully after the preservation of the zoological specimens and they have been thoroughly overhauled, cleaned and rearranged. In the laboratory he has superintended and prepared many hundred sections of rocks _and fossils preparatory for study under the microscope. Specimens for the museum collections too fragile for breaking by the hammer have been cut and shaped by machinery especially adapted for this purpose. Improvements have been made in the machinery used, and we are now better prepared than ever before to accomplish this kind of work. Among the conveniences added to the museum he has devised a lock tor locking or unlocking a series of drawers with a single turn of one key. This invention is already in use in * T shall have further occasion to mention Mr. Clarke’s work in the report of the State Geologist. 16 [Assempiy, — two cases of 144 drawers each and in several series of table drawers. In each instance a single key locks or unlocks all the drawers. simultaneously. During the month of October, Dr. Hall, with the assistance a C. Van Deloo and Martin Sheehy, explored the Chemung rocks of Steuben county, especially for fossil dictyospongide, and there have been brought in from the towns of Bath, Avoca and Wallace, several hundred nearly perfect specimens, and altogether the most extensive collection ever made of these heretofore comparatively rare fossils. Mr. Geo. B. Simpson, who is partially occupied upon museum work, has been engaged upon the corals and bryozoa, separating, cleaning and describing the species from the large collections which have been brought into the museum from field collections and other sources. | These collections, when finally arranged, will form an interesting and important. feature of the museum collections. | Mr. John Gebhard, special assistant and guide to the museum has been regularly in attendance upon his duties, and his exposition of the museum collections and his ina re explanations are very acceptable to inquiring visitors. During the year 1886, collections of rocks and fossils were dis- tributed to the Potsdam Normal School and to the Brockport Normal School. These collections included those made up in 1875-76, as wellias the lamellibranchiata of the distribution of 1886. To the following institutions I have sent collections of the fossil’ lamellibranchiata of the distribution of 1886, as supplementary to the general collections of 1875 and 1876 sent to the same institutions: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, N. Y. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y. Alfred University, Alfred, N. Y. State Normal and Training School,.Oswego, N. Y. State Normal and Training School, Buffalo, N. Y. State Normal and Training School, Geneseo, N. Y. State Normal and Training School, Fredonia, N. Y. State Normal and Training School, Cortland, N. Y. The Albion Academy and High School, Albion, N. Y. i : ee, 17 Westfield Academy, Westfield, N. Y. Norwich Academy, Norwich, N. Y. The following institutions have received a general collection of fossils from the State Museum : _ Canisius College, Buffalo, N. Y. Normal School, Potsdam, N. Y. Normal School, Brockport, N. Y. The purchase of the Kunz collections of minerals will supply a , long-felt want in the museum, and will give a means of a popular exhibition in this department not before possessed. The original collection of minerals of the State ot New York was made during the years 1836-1841, and under circumstances not favorable to the accumulation of the better specimens from our State localities. Good mineral specimens had, even at that period, a special money valuation which has greatly increased in later years. In procuring _ specimens for the original collection of New York minerals no money was expended by the State and, consequently, the collection acquired was an inferior one, and it has so remained to the present time. The authorities of that period believed that the possessors of fine specimens would willingly contribute them to the State, but experience proved quite the contrary ; and when it was understood that the State wished to procure specimens a higher price was asked. By reference to some communications accompanying the annual report you will obtain a more distinct idea regarding this matter. The minerals constituting the general collection consist largely of donations which have been recorded and acknowledged in pre- - vious reports. During the earlier years of the museum administration a con- siderable part of this general collection thus acquired had been ____ incorporated with the old State collection, as arranged by Dr. Beck, thus destroying the original intention of the State Mineralogist, who had arranged the minerals of the State of New York asa strictly local collection. In 1866, when the present director entered upon his duties as curator of the State Museum, it became one of his first objects to restore this State collection to its original arrange- ment, and to arrange a general collection of minerals from. the materials in the State collection cases and from the material stored # in the basement of the building. » —__ [Assembly, No. 115.] 2 State ee as it should have been, Be the progress ofa discoveries, and, therefore, it has failen into desuetude. I would now mostgemphatically recommend that in the arranger of t! limitation ; and, further, that the New York State colluctaant re _ arranged in the cases now occupied by the general collection, and — that a systematic effort be made to complete it so that it may pre. ; sent a creditable appearance as an exhibition of the mineral prone of the State of New York. a I believe that the trustees of the museum owe this duty to the i State, as a part of the historic record of the geological survey, and to the memory of the State Mineralogist, Dr. Lewis C. Beck. The purchase of a large collection of recent corals will add an important feature to the zoological collections of the State Museum, We have been in need of such a collection more than of any other | in zoology. This will give an equilibrium to our exhibited collaptions leaving still desirable additions in the annelide: and crustacea, In which departments our collections are still very inferior. ane oy A collection of land and fresh. water shells has been presented — to the museum by Mr. ©. E. Beecher.- This collection occupies a seventy-five drawers of two feet square, and will be an important | addition to the molluscan collections of the museum. : The museum collection of stuffed skins and of skeletons is fairly Hy representative of the vertebrate fauna of New York; and so long — as we have no specialist working in these classes, we need not be i: anxious to enlarge its scope. Our collection in recent shells is a % very creditable one, and, like that of the vertebrates, needs only to be labeled according to thé more recent literature on the subject _ to be a very creditable collection. We may, therefore, wait a a special opportunity before making efforts to add to these collections. We shall be able to find room on the upper floor of the: museum — a iisttions of the Btate. Notwithstanding the very large collec- tions in this department, it should not be forgotten that the law of 1885 and the following contracts provided only for obtaining material for the completion of the work on the paleontology as then contemplated. These conditions restricted the State Geologist ye iu the limits of the field to be worked, and he had no authority for making collections in the lower rocks. While, therefore, the State collections are very rich in material of the Upper Helder- by berg, Hamilton, Portage and Chemung groups, we are extremely - poor in the Niagara of the State, and all the formation below that horizon, and have very few representations of the primordial zone. With these very extensive collections of the higher rocks, our _ duplicate and working collection presents a very one-sided or unequal aspect, and this condition affects the arranged collections _ of the museum, which, in the lower formation, scarcely presents a __ ereditable exhibition. --- In conclusion I beg leave to repeat my recommendation of last ‘year, that the director be authorized to employ some competent __ person to devote himself to the selection and distribution into ____ series of the duplicate fossils of the State Museum collections, and a especially of the very extensive collection of fossil corals. The ) 4 accumulation of collections is now so great, including those to be Be . brought i in by the State Geologist (the work now in progress), that we shall soon require the use of the drawers and cases now occu- pied by these corals, and shall be compelled to pack them in boxes or distribute them into school collections. | The report which, as State Geologist, |] am required to make, _ __will give some further information on several points referred to in this communication. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES HALL, Director. me? j Re y | vs y me Pe a . re —- eld ergy? oe i < Cs ‘er “| aH 6 s = = Z | A ae < a Se aeRO aie pom he RO a! Mee ae). ERR Ce ee pt r= ae er th’ ; ok Reta bed PAGS a n \ wane a! ae Far ee 4 aA FS He 5 ; a ie we a Le ) 24 tae So is fhe Carl Dokken of Giselle Livingston ome No Rock salt, two large cabinet: specimens, oa shaft ‘s sur Ea Piffard, Livingston county. 7 Cores from boring for salt at Piffard, at. depths o Bee is 1,090 feet. Beer) Bepiti A. J. Morrill, of Danville: : hay Chrysotile and Serpentine, one box, with sixty speci ‘ ; from Danville, Richmond county, Province of Queb vy ; A Canada. i> 0. From D. Lynch, of Olmsted ville] Essex county: gs Cae - Garnet, from Minerva, Essex county. i From John D. Nutting: . ee Garnet, from Warren county. ° | From C. ©. Stevens, of ‘Keeseville : alia Mi _. Graphite, Colophonite and White Quan, from | will he borough, Essex county. Granite, dressed block, from near Essex county. _—- From Dr. J. N. Tilden, Peekskill, N. Y.: ¥ 3 Stilbite, Peekskill, Westchester county. tae Mar Sillimanite, three specimens of, from Yorktown, West. Da i cy chester county. ; ck Bees} * Pyrrhotite and Chaleopyrite, four specimens of, from 1 mine — Ze on Anthony’s Nose, northwest of Peekskill. bi kone Peck R. McMichael, of Philadelphia : _. Serpentine, “ American Verde-Antique, ”’ from Green Ser- ree | pentine Marble Quarry, Hartford county, Md. ' oe From Daniel T. Smith, of Grand View: Be » Sandstone, one block of, from Nyack, N. Y. From George Crawford, of Kingston: Bluestone, one Hlack of, from Kingston, Ulster county. Be Bluestone, one block of, from Fox Hollow, Ulster aa best s' F lagging- -stone, from Roxbury, Delaware county. rigs _ Faggngstone from ere Chenango county. Dam any, “157 Pesadivay, New York city: _ “Snowflake marble,” one large dressed blows of tt Pleasantville, Westchester county. | " 33 Shey Hon. James Shanahan, State Superintendent of Public Be W bi Bey. Limestone, Onondaga, large block of, from Union Springs | quarry, Cayuga county. , From Haskell, of New York city: Specimens of rock drillings (eighteen), representing material Ey passed through at twenty-foot intervals, from 660 to | f - 1,000 feet in depth, at well sunk in Amsdell’s brewery Pi yard, Albany, N. Y., 1886. From Edward I. Devlin, of Regent’s office : Mud from depth of 4,529 fathoms, 150 miles north of St. Thomas, West Indies, from soundings by U.S. Steamer “ Koterprise,’ March 6, 1886. Ea ice J. N. Atwood, secretary of the Ausable Granite Company: A block of granite, dressed and polished on two faces, 16 x 7% x44 inches, from the quarries of the Ausable Granite Company, at Keeseville. _ From Daniel T. Smith, of Nyack : A block of red sandstone, from quarry at N yack. From George F. Kunz, Hoboken, N. J.: Chrysocolla and Malachite from Arizona. Rhodocrosite from Arizona. _ From M Foshay, Brewsters, Putnam county. _ Apophyllite from the Tilly Foster iron mine, near Brewsters. From Robert Whitaker, Weavertown, Warren county. Specimens of garnet and white quartz from near Weavertown. By PurocuHass, From L. Stadtmiiller, of New Haven: One collection, consisting of seventy specimens, Hivateating» typical rocks described in Dana’s text book of geology. From Mr. Charles E. Hall of ie second geological survey of B Penteyivanis: One ccliection of Pennsylvania rocks, consisting of 576 specimens from the crystalline-rock district of the south- eastern part of the State and the adjacent, sedimentary formations, in Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester counties. | : by sienart pene and Sie in the Piastts of ‘the! < Gagan Geological Survey of Pennsylvania. They bear the een of the reports and are, therefore, catalogued in oe cate O. & O., of the Pennsylvania Survey. Se From Mr. Charles E. hae of the Pennsylvania 7 Geole i 2 Survey: | | aoe A collection of 230 representative ores and nina ; . ring in the crystalline-rock formations in the south-e: a } part of the State. Collected during the progress ro: Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania. ‘From Silas C. Young of Edenville:'. Hee Beery fk A collection of minerals, consisting of twenty-four speci ne of warwickite, yttrocerite, houghite, leucopyrite, xan | and jeffersonite, occurring in the vicinity of Edem =A | Orange county. Le Bane From.S. C. H. Bailey, Cortlandt-on-Hudson : ‘ee Meteoric iron, Scriba, Oswego county. IV. PALZONTOLOGICAL. ‘ee By Donation. Ne Yu | ; EKurypterus a, two large specimens in slat : ad From Jacob T. Hazen, West Park, Ulster county, N. Y.: Cae Slab of Hudson river slate, with graptolites, from We Shore railroad cut at West Park. ‘Ste From D. D. Luther: A specimen of Lepidodendron from the Portage | ‘ae near N aples. (The specimen consists of a portion of + trunk, about fifteen feet long and thirteen to four one-half inches wide. eee Charles E. Beecher: iy Be? Type specimen of Spirodomus insienis, Beecher, Wave OM group, Warren, Pa. eee be Retr in Limestone, with Colospira concava, lower Helderberg gro ee Hudson, N. a ce ) us) Sen) 27 Wacoal encrinal limestone, Hamilton group, Hightyen, mile creek, N. Y. From I. P. Bishop: Specimens of Trenton fossils, Shiathaini gS By PuRCHASE. ‘From F. A. Randall, Warren, Pa.: One Phacops rana, Hamilton group, Eighteen-mile creek, WY Six specimens of Phyllocarida, Chemung group, Warren, Pa. One specimen of scales of fish, Chemung group, Warren, Pa. Warren, Pa. One specimen of Dictyophyton prismaticum, Chemung oe group, Warren, Pa. Be oe One specimen of Spiraxis Randalli, Chemung group, War- ® eh ren, Pa. From Ward & Howell: Be Seventy-five specimens of Euryptus and other Crustacea, ; ue and two specimens of Algz, from the Waterline group, ee Buffalo, N. Y. Bs From H. T. Woodman, of New Vail: , Ga Two fussil corals (Favosites), from the Devonian of Iowa. From Myron G. Cotton, of Farmington, Ontario county. Some bones and part of one horn of an elk (Zlaphus canadensis). (These remains were found in a muck swamp in a part of the State in which the animal has not rf ez ae heretofore been known to have existed.) From D. D. Luther: Collections of fossils from the Portage and Chemung group, in the vicinity of Naples, and southward in Steuben county and adjacent parts of Livingston county. By Cotxuections Maps sy tHe Museum Srarr. q Mr. J. M. Clark has made collections of the fossil crustacea from the upper Helderberg group, at Waterville, Oneida county 7 . at Manlius, Onondaga county ; at Canandaigua, East Bloomfield, _. Phelps and Clifton Springs, Ontario county; at Limerock, near Nine specimens of lamellibranchiata, Chemung group,. ar Saab To oe An aE is rN SR Nae Re aa ateges } ie : ets mB “ Or ARE colt ae ae poe k hes NR * Kay ae fo aT SS 2 hig cae it Tae NV tw ed ie by fe Fe f mints ' 4 2. at a we ‘ , ae ir ( ‘ ¢ ihe c hl ma bay TR at | 28h Nee aoe eee tx : : , ‘ ae ; e. : ia LeRoy and Stafford, eens county, at at Clarence, in E - gounty. He has also made similar collections from the Hami group at Pratt’s Falls, Onondaga county, and at Tichenor’ 8 Poi on Canandaigua lake. ; Mr. C. Van Deloo and Martin Sheehy have made a collectic _. _Bryozoa from the Shales of the Hamilton group, in Ontario county a, Dr. J. W. Hali, with the aid of Mr. Van Deloo and Marti n i | Sheehy, has rade a large collection of Dictyophyton from | Chemung group, near Bath, and in the towns of Wallace and Avoca. Rit 3 V. HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN COLLECTION. ea) ‘ ey By Donation. From David G. Spencer, of Schenevus, Otsego county, N. Yr i i A clock with wooden works, eighty years old. | wake. VEOTO THE LIBRARY. By Downatton. From Smithsonian Institution ‘ | Report for 1884, part L. ie Bureau of Ethnology, third annual report, by J. W. Powell 1 us From, United States Geological Survey : Fifth Annual Report, 1883, 1884. Ve a: Bulletins Nos. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 29, 23, 27, 98, 29... Mineral resources of the United States, 1883, 1884. Williams. Monograph IX, Brachiopoda and Lameéllibranchiata of the Raritan Clays and Greensand enaes of New Jersey. sie. Whitfield. cs From War Department, Chief Signal Officer: January, February, March, April, "May. June, ie, August and September, 1886. | Bete ie From Department of Agriculture: : ed: Annual Reports for 1877, 1881, 1882. cis oan Report of Forestry, vol. IV. | From United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries: — i The Fishery Industry of the United States, with volume . ot plates. . Bulletin, vol. V for 1885. _ Report of Commissioner for 1883. ae United States Patent Office: : qe - Official Gazette, vols. 34, 35, 36 and 37, Nos. 1-9. . Annual Report of Commissioner of Patents for 1885. From United States Bureau of Education: . Circulars ot information, Nos. 8, 4, 5, 1885. 4 Report of Commissioner for 1883, 1884. a Special Report Ed. exhibits at New Orleans, part I. ie Mineral Resources of the United States, 1883, 1884. Wil- | liams. -" From United States Uivil Service Commissioner : Third Annual Report. From Forest Commission of New York: First Annual Report. From J. A. Lintner, Albany, N. Y.: wee _. Second Annual Report of the State Biteanaioetst of New ae York. --——s«* From Chancellor H. BR. Pierson : © ie University of the State of New York, Report of, for 1885. : | From Regents of the University : ihe Lae Paleontology of New York, vol. III, part I (two copies) ; e part IT (two copies); vol. lV (two copies); vol. V, part [, ao Lam. I and II (three copies); part II, plates and text # (three copies). ae From Geological Survey of New Jersey. Cook and Whitfield: Paleontology of the cretaceous and tertiary of New Jer sey. | From Mr. S. A. Miller: De _ Catalogue of American paleezoic fossils. ie | ~ From R. E. Call: | } Bee Fresh-water Mollusca, recent and quarternary. Bae On Pyrgulopsis. a # - From S. H. Scudder: i Syst. Uebersicht d. fossilien Insecten. | : From Geo. F. Kunz: | Precious Stones in the United States. | is a San: A ® ee, We Shy aes ay cay ; , ; A ye ae ‘ R. ° rp tee ‘ ¥ rath ; : = if ef ‘ a* ee, wid +3 4 ; . “ie / ‘ { 7 S : ns ; ay F y > rd . Qh ad oie , ) { ‘ 30° " é : | fy { eae p eaten : gee Rei wae a oe aie Sane’ att a eon Sains’ ig Miazs: ek Be fei sth Oa , : re ete Report of Oy Auditor, Bunton, 1886, 1886. : By Poacnaeae Le Se peo iody's of the United States, Maclure. na ye ay ~ Catalogue of minerals, Chester. - na | ae Mineraloque Micrographique a Planches, Peak tik et Levy. in. a Synoptical Flora of North America, vol. I, part pk Lise ee part I, Gray. | vi _ Beschi neuer verstemerungen a. d. Thale Salgir. Rus lat Pept Kutorga. — ra : Paes ee Beitrage z. Geognosie u Pal. Dorpats. . my Aye | '_ Beitrage Paleeontologi Russlands. . | (ere Nene Arten von d. Toantharia rug~a. Gc iniacndleed Dyb | Abhandhnrngen iiber fossilien korallen. ay Un Spongiare nouv. d. Syst. Kifelien, De Walque. ‘Trilobiten d. Prenss. Geschieber, Steinhardt. Carboniferous Polyzoa, Vine. os On the Family Diosporidee. On the Annelida Fulicola. 2 --- Polyzoa of the Wenlock Shales. ; ~ Teones selectee Hymenomycetun, Fase. IT, Fries. ieee Encyclopedia Brittannica, vols. XX, X XI. ay aey map of New York State, French. ep Map of New York city and vicinity. Orange county Atlas. Rockland county Atlas. : e . Map of Cattaraugus county. ey? Map of Chautauqua county. 4 2 - Map of Columbia county. ‘ American Journal of Science, vols. 31, 32. ; American Naturalist, vol. 20. re . Nature, vols. 33, 34, 35, Nos. 1, 2, 3. “ Political Science Quarterly, vou 1. 1, Bs 4. A - Science, vols. 7, 8. . at Neues Jahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, ‘Gestovie u. Palzeonto oe | 1886, I. Bd. Hefte 1, 2, 3; II. Bd. Hefte 1 TV. Bei ae : Band, 1, 2, u. 3 Hotte: ; ve tau We 4 | at eS itey is aos hs Poe ey: alae Pica t eee é ye : By ExcHanee. Pa: New York State Museum of Natural History: . 9th, 10th (2 copies), 11th (8 copies), 14th, 15th, 16th (2 copies), 22d and 31st Ann. Reps. Natural History of New York: ee Geology 4th Dist.: Palzeontology, vol. I. 3 z Geology of 1st Dist.y 2d Dist., 3d Dist. and 4th Dist., or Bi __ pts. I-IV (2 copies). ‘oa Geology of 2d and 3d Jiists. ¢ List of paleozoic fossil insects ot United States and Coiiattat Geological Survey of Illinois, 7 vols. Geological Survey of Illinois, vol. III. -_—-—sCNew York Academy of Sciences: Annals III, No. 9, Decem- x a ha ber, 1885. 4 a New York Academy of Sciences: Trans., v. Nos. 1, 2, 3, : ~~~ &aand 5, January and February, 1886. American Museum of Natural History: Bull., vol. I, No. 7. ! ___ American Museum of Natural History: Ann. Rep. of Trustees Biss: for 1885. a? American Geographical Society : Bull., No. 2, 1885. _ American Geographical Society: 1882, No. 6; 1883, No. 7; RM 1884, No. 5. New York Microscopical Society: Jour., vol. I, Nos. 8, 9; vol Il, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Torrey Botanical Club: Bull., Nos. 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Vassar Brothers Institute: Trans., vol. ILI, pt. 1. | Johns Hopkins University: Studies from Biological Laboratory, vol. III, Nos. 6, 8. Cincinnati Society Natural History: Jour., vol. VIII, No. 4; vol. [X, Nos. 1, 2, 3. Brookville Society of Natural History: Bull., No. 2. Washburn College Laboratory: Bull., vol. I, Nos. 5, 6. Davenport Academy of Sciences: Proe., vol. IV. Peabody Academy of Science: Methods of Arrow-Release, Morse. Canadian Institute: Proc., 3d series, vol. Ii]; Fasc., 4, vol. IV, No. 1. | : Canadian Record of Science; vol. II, Nos. 3, 4. _ Royal Society-of Canada: Proc. and Trans., vol. III. Rio de Janeiro: Archivios de Museo Nacional, vol. VI. : = - Rig ets ss) Py TA ea ge ae, Ms 5 . ~ ie { 3 Re Ty ? ‘ 9 aN vn pare veh we y ty i 3 saat BAY pee De ; | : roa PE ae Roe PUP tei eon ms hes, BAO ONT Be ae ae it eat See Rio de Janeiro: Lettre to Ernest Renan, Netto. | Liverpool Public Library and Art Gallery: 38d Ann. a p 6 lof (Comy i: <0 ‘Soc. Geologique de Belgique: Annales, Tome 12, 1884-85, Soc. Geol. de France: Extrait du Bulletin from ’annee 1886. ti Soe. Zool. de France: Extrait du Bull, 1885. Musée Teyler Haarlem: Archives, Serie 2, vol. 2, 3, Bariien Musée Teyler Haarlem: Cat. de la Bibliotheque, 1, 2. Rea “Isis” in Dresden: Sitzung Berichte u. Abhandlangen, 1 1885, Jan.—June, 1886. if Mojsisovics u. Neumayer: Beitrage z. Paleontologie ester | reichs — Ungarns, B’d V. Heft 3. Moscou Soc. Im. des Naturalistes: Bull. 1885, Nos. 2, 3, os Ee Wien Annalen des K. K. Naturhistorischen Hof Museums, Band J., Nos. tp 2, 3, 4. oe Stockholm, Oivatnint af Kongl. ‘Wersuakars Akademiens For. | handlingar, 42 Arg., Nos. 6, 7, 8,9 and 10, 48 Arg., Nos. - ire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. ey | Florence, Arch. d. Senload ’Anatomia Patclosions vol. ce . Pellizari. | re Florence, Sulle Convulsion1 Epileptche, Rovighie, G. Sanhari. Mermoranpa, FurnisHep By Pror. J OHN C. Smocx, ’ During the .past summer (1886), the State has expended an appropriation of $5,000 in repairs to the Geological Hall buildin i. . A new roof and new gutters and leaders make the building sate against damages from leakage, besides improving i external : appearance. . In the museum exhibition stories, the walls and ceilings have been repaired and kalsomined, and the exterior of a]l the wall cases and railings have been painted white. The rooms are lighter and tg the collections much better presented for this much needed improve- ment. Some of the table cases also received a coating of paint. — The collections of marbles and ee stones in the hall: — of saan upon the blots thus moiené the annoyance from he removing or mutilation of paper labels by curious visitors” or children. It attracts increased attention and is much admired by the visitors. The collection embraces about 200 dressed blocks an | 9% } stig ps 33 slabs mainly from quarries in New York State, with others from the Vermont quarries, Maine granites and Ohio sand-stone, with other stone from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland, and repre- sentative specimens of the red and brown sand-stones of Lake Superior. | In the first son of the CP astogicn! Hall, the rallowarn changes have been made, viz. _1. The “ New Orleans” collection of building-stones, slates, marbles, iron ores, etc., has been. placed in a new wall case at the head of the stairs entering the room. 2. The so-called Quebec Group case originally arranged to con- form to the nomenclature of the Canada Geological Survey, has been removed back one section in the west side wall cases, and placed next to the Huronian. The material in it has been sorted and rearranged so that the specimens of lime-stone, slate and quartzite from typical “ Taconic ” localities (of Emmons) with some others, previously in drawers, and not on exhibition, now form a separate section, between the Hurcnian and Potsdam—Calciferous cases, under the designation of Metamorphic (Taconic of Emmons). The case as now arranged is a historic one, representing the type specimens of Emmons’ Taconic System, so far as these remain in possession of the museum, holding the place in the arrangement originally given to it by the author of the term “ pee System in Geological nomenclature.” : In the second story of the museum exhibition rocms a few minerals have been added to.the general collection, but the arrangement has not been altered or disturbed. The collection of typical rocks for students use has been on exhibition most of the year in a case constructed for it. There have been two new table cases put in ie room to accom- _ modate archeological material not before | on exhibition. These cases now stand against the enclosure containing the casts of Mega- therium and Binotheval remains. In the tertiary collections slight changes in the arrangement of the cases have been made, a more natural sequence in the order of their position. , ‘Three additional table cases have been placed in this room for the arrangement of specimens illustrative of dynamic geology. [ Assembly, No. 115.] Pee Par aes ee Be te PC ee ecg et ee okey aes 3 fs Bay re SN eS dae “htt Med ive eR a a a: eas mii Mee ve 4 Ge peta Kote eA t he eae aS ie | Ce ESS Dyes PO pee a ALY» is : ‘ a ; <4 { ay are c iat ee Ps oe Py a € me yee WE Ae the eiéeank time 2 they are partly, filled with an ineomp miscellaneous collection, =~ | Heh _ 8. A new case for the “ Pompey : stone ” ibe been FR ee of the south window | recesses on this floor, where it can. be si _ best advantage. gi a a gol: 3 A. The large fossil corals, formerly in the sae -way of the mu ei have been placed on a low bench buiit against the east side is : “cases. . | peites tae 5. The blocks of iron ore on the west side of the room ha Rea been rearranged and the labels thereto, painted in plain lette ; ae the white base-blocks, where they can be easily read by the-vis 3 Se fis Allof tthe large aa on pee in this. mee hav SO as relabeled. bak ~ , { %, \ : . ’ \ af a / a ¢ y 17 ' 5 p'. ¥ \. Cor x id * i A: mes I 4 \ ¥ 9 ; “ ° 2 7 y . , { rd : | : ' 1 ' j ‘ L 1 , y i zi" . : : Voie! 1 y “s ' ; { “ ; i ; : ‘ ( re 5 “al ie \e = ‘ oy \ nf Aoay ete ™~ P pene s ar ae *. \ ; oS , a, : . ; r \ ~ t _ o*, ‘ ‘ ( ‘ é ~ 3 nO aes pram SS he MY j ° x 4 ‘ gests be ns Rion ak tat ae ene? f aula Lk : te Ae i Sh Ae ‘ i OD th Ri ad ER aie a Ge eS a ph ae REPORT OF FIELD WORK FOR 18386. iS.y | l By Prof. JonHn C. Smock. In accordance with the general scheme of museum work, and in __ ~ what may be termed the division of “ Economic Geology.” the q survey and examination of the building stone quarries of the State _ __—s was begun in the autumn. A eircular letter, with appended list of questions, relative to ownership, name of lessees, amount of capital and value of plant, number of laborers, value of product, distance from public lines of transportation, markets, and date of opening, was prepared and addressed to some of the quarry owners, chiefly in the districts visited. The greater number have come . back with data furnished, in answer to these inquiries. The field work was begun in the south-eastern part of the State, and was continued, with some interruptions, to the close of the season. The quarries in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Orange and Rockland counties were nearly all visited. A few in Ulster - county also were examined. Statistics of the blue-stone quarries > of the State were obtained, with notes of the business and localities worked, and other data of that branch of the quarry industry of | ’ the State. The plan for this survey of the quarries included the ' +. whole State, and the results of this survey were to form a bulletin | to be issued during the winter. On account of the lateness of the season when the work was begun, and the want of time to get over a the whole territory occupied by the quarry industry, the prepara- I tion of the report thereon is necessarily postponed until after another season of field work. It will be possible to complete the 4 observations in the field next summer and autumn, and to present _ the report in a museum bulletin during the coming winter. In |‘ the meantime, the work in the office of sending out circulars, and | q the study of the specimens, can be started, as also the comparative | examination of material from quarries outside of the State, but which come,to our markets and compete with New York stone. The importance of the subject is apparent to all who give even the least thought to the great quantity of stone now employed in 2 Teh p ry , 2 ame 7 eas paeaty aie Ss ee aa ‘s \ ate - ‘ ae Os 2 ae. : j ‘ C LW ee has oe laid upon architects and builders to select sil fiat ole as will " most effectually resist decay and decomposition, and be most perma-_ nent and unchangeable in appearance and structure. The unsightly — aspect in case of many of our public buildings, and the inferior — quality of much of the stone now in use, show the great need ofa ‘more care in the selection of stone; and to this end there is the . necessity for the education of the people, in the general facts about. ey a stone, and the localities where quarries now are worked, as also, the 99 | information of a more particular nature as to occurence, constitution, s ‘structure, and chemical changes, incident to certain varieties and peculiar to localities. It is this specialized matter which is sought a i after, and which is to be given to the people in the forthcoming _ af = survey report on the building stone of the State. St aaa y The collections made during the autumn past are repr esentative ee -* ot localities visited, and, when arranged, they will form an interest. ing exhibit in the department of economic geology. They number about two hundred carefully selected cabinet specimens. Res. f eee Lae | : 1i* yd ; ‘. Hai a4 Wii i . af a | -~ 2. * ‘SS a ~ * ‘ : “~ Snuled ¥ i net tal a . + | » _ r “A a | eee 4 2 \ * . : ; ~ . : : 7 i fe ’ : . as & ~~ : ‘ v Le =) » * ¢ : | : i A \ ‘ Pe | A Y r ‘ : x id : : . EPORT OF THE BOTANIST, e 5 | . : * 4S REPORT. To the Honorable the Board of Regents uF the University of the State of New York: Gunttemen:—I have the honor to communicate to you the - following report : In prosecuting the work of completing and arranging the State herbarium the past year, specimens of the plants of the State have been collected in the counties of Albany, Genesee, Essex, Hamil- ton, Livingston, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schoharie, eet tn, Wayne and Wyoming. : Specimens of 184 species have been added to the herbarium, of which twelve were contributed by correspondents, and 172 were collected by the Botanist. Of these 106 are new to the herbarium, and with two exceptions are new to our flora. Forty-seven of them are regarded as previously unpublished species. Among the added species are seven flowering plants, one moss and one lichen. The remainder are fungi. A list of the additions accompanies this report and is marked “A.” The number of contributors is twenty-three. Among their con- _ tributions are specimens of many extra limital species, not included in the preceding enumeration. These are kept distinct from the herbarium proper, which represents the State flora. A list of the contributors and of their respective contributions is marked “ B,” A paper containing notices of species not before reported, together with a record of their respective localities and descriptions of new species, is marked ‘“ C.” - Notes and observations concerning those not new to our flora’ will be found in a paper marked “ D.” Wishing to obtain good flowering specimens of certain Btants which grow upon the summit of Mt. Marcy, that locality was os visited early in June.. Although the snow had not yet entirely disappeared from that high elevation, several of the desired plants were in full bloom. Fine specimens were obtained of the alpine 4() oe te [A SSEMBLY, ec rosebay, Phododendron Lapponicum, the Lapland diapensia, Diap- ensia Lapponica, the hairy fly honeysuckle, Lonicera cwrulea, and — the dwarf birch, Betula glandulosa. The hairy fly honeysuckle ; and the small cranberry had not before been observed by me on the open summit of the mountain and should be added to the list of plants already published as belonging to that elevated station. _ July is given in the Manual and also in the State Flora as the time of flowering of the alpine or Lapland rosebay, but here it was flowering finely on the tenth day of June. Several new and interesting species of fungi rewarded my search in that bleak locality. Near the base of the mountain, the few fruited June berry, Amelanchier Canadensis, var. oligocarpa, enlivened the dark evergreen forest with its few pure white flowers. These are much scattered on the branches, there being only one, two or three in a place. The petals are broadly oval or almost erbicular, and the branches are wide-spreading, straggling and irregular. These features are so unlike the corresponding ones in other varieties of the species, that for the instant they almost compel us to believe that the plant is a distinct species rather than a mere variety. Yet, in less elevated and more open places connecting forms appear. — Along Marcy brook, the rare mountain bush cranberry or tew flowered viburnum, Vzburnum pauciflorum, was observed, but it was not yet in flower. At Ausable ponds the large leaved avens, __ Geum macrophyllum, was discovered. This is a notable addition to our flora. It is an inhabitant of the White mountain region of New Hampshire and of the Lake Superior region, whence it extends westward to the Sierra Nevada mountains, and northward to Sitka. This New York station is intermediate between the eastern one and the nearest western one. An interesting form of the northern Clintonia was also discovered at this time. In it, one or two lateral umbels project from the scape at short distances below the terminal umbel of flowers. I find no mention of this --form in our botanies. It is apparently due to.a very thrifty and vigorous condition of the plant. The number of flowers in an -umbel often much exceeds the number ascribed in the descriptions of the botanies. | From time to time reports have reached me that a red-flowered y- form of the white water-lily, Vymphwa odorata, existed in some of the waters of the Adirondack region. As I had never been No. 115.) 3 41 able to find such a plant myself, these reports were somewhat tan- _talizing. Knowing that such a lily had been found in Massachu- setts, and learning of a definite locality where it was reported to have been seen in the Adirondacks, I determined to test the accuracy oF this report, and to add, if possible, a specimen of such a rarity to the herbarium. Mud pond, in which it was said to - grow, is a small, boggy water-hole, between Long lake and Tupper’s lake: Upon visiting it I found an abundance of the white water- lily. There were a few flowers scattered about, in which the external, petals were considerably tinged with red. When these flowers were but partly open, and viewed at a short distance, they had a decided pink-red appearance, and might easily be mistaken for the variety in question. But a closer examination invariably revealed white interior petals, thongh in some instances these were slightly stained with red or pink on the exterior surface near the base. ‘Thus far the occurrence of the real red water-lily in the Adirondack region has not been verified by me; but this half-way approach to it indicates the possibility of its existence there, and raises the hope that it may yet be added to onr flora. In this bog hole the bayonet rush, Juncus militaris, was found growing plenti- fully. It is an interesting addition to the idigenous plants of the State. On this trip, groves of larches or tamaracks, Larva Amert- cana, in three widely separated localities, were noticed, in which ik many of the trees were almost defoliated by the ravages of some insect. Among them were many trees already dead, evidently — having yielded to the thorough manner in which they had been deprived of their foliage. It appears that the loss of a large per- centage of the larch trees of these noble forests must yet be added to the loss of many of the spruces through the agency of pestilent insects. _ Wishing to observe what influence had been exerted on the flora by the operation of the salt works at Warsaw and its neighboring localities, that place was visited. It is well known that certain so-called seaside and salt marsh plants occur at Onondaga lake, about the salt works at Salina, and in other places where there are saline influences. It is evident that at Warsaw no saline influences have been present until quite recently. No salt springs come to the surface. The salt water is manufactured, so to speak, and pumped up from great depths. No salt marsh plants existed there when *| jx , - a : pe | (ae ae ; iv Se 42 | [ ASSEMBLY, the salt wells were first opened. Had any been introduced and ae established there since that time, was a question, the answer to Se which I wished to put on record. Nota single plant of this char- e acter wasfound. The nearest approach to it is the commgn orache, Atriplex patula, which grows freely along the sea coast; but this — plant is also capable of living and thriving in places remote from - a) salt water or saline influences.’ It has followed the tracks of our railroads till now it is a common plant along these thoroughfares — in many places in the interior of the State. At Warsaw it is abundant, and occurs in several well-marked forms, thus showing well its disposition to vary. Its fondness for salt water, however, is shown by the fact that it is especially vigorous along the ditches by which the waste brine is carried away, and it follows these for considerable distances. Some of the trees in the immediate vicinity of several factories were seen to be dead or dying. Their death was apparently due to the gaseous products of the combustion of coal which is used in running the works. They were not in reach | of the brine. ; Two opinions are entertained concerning the liability of plants to the attacks of parasitic fungi. Some claim that, no matter how vigorous and healthy a plant may be, if the spores of its parasite lodge upon it the result will be the development in it of the disease - which that parasite generates in that particular host plant. Others _ claim that there is a difference in the susceptibility of plants of the same species to the attacks of the same parasite; that a plant in a weak, starved or feeble condition is more likely to yield to and sufter from the attacks of its parasites than is one of the same species which is strong, well fed and vigorous. In other words, it is claimed that the vigorous plants, though exposed to the action of the spores of the parasite, have the power to resist the develop- _ ment of the disease and to remain healthy and unaffected; while the more feeble ones, exposed to the action of the spores of the same parasite, yield to the disease and suffer therefrom. This last ~ claim is one of great practical importance, and if it can be shown to be well founded, a knowledge of it may be useful. Two instances illustrative of it fell under my observation the past season. 7 : 3 ae Si At Warsaw a small patch of knotgrass, Polygonum aviculare, — a was noticed. The plants were very small and starved in appear- , ‘4 No. 115.] ret 43 z ance, and seemed to be struggling for existence. A close inspec. j _ tion showed that many of them were affected by a parasitic fungus, Uromyces Polygent. On one side of this patch, and continuous - with it, was one composed of taller, more healthy looking plants, These were entirely free from the fungus, thus indicating that the weakness of the plants in one patch had favored the development of the disease, while the strength of the plants in the other had resisted it. It might be said by the supporters of the other claim _ that the dwarfed and weak condition of the affected plants was dne to the presence of the fungus and not the predisposing cause of its presence. To one accustomed to observe this fungus, such an = assertion would carry but little weight. But if we should admit the truth of this assertion, how should we explain the presence of the dwarf but unattacked plants in this patch ? In low ground near the lake shore at Port Henry, were numerous seedling plants, apparently of the discoid tickseed, Coreopsis discoidea. This ground had been overflowed in time of high water, and when the water receded it left numerous heaps of small sticks, _ bits of bark and other floodwood. Many of the seedling tickseeds were growing on these heaps of rubbish where there was little or no soil to afford nutriment to their roots. Others were growing on the ground about them, having their roots imbedded in and nourished by the soil. The plants growing on the floodwood were in many instances infested by a parasitic fungus, Peronospora Halsted ; but not a single affected plant could be found among _ those whose roots were in the soil. In this case the better _ nourished plants had escaped infection, although as much exposed to it as their less favored companions. Possibly there may be eases i in which plants are liable to the attacks of parasitic fungi, no matter how, strong and vigorous they may be, but it is clear that this cannot be a rule withont exceptions. Instances are not want- ing to show a greater susceptibility to attack in weak than in strong and well fed plants. Those who are accustomed to collect specimens of parasitic fungi soon learn, almost unconsciously, to look for them, either among feeble and starved plants or among _ those of unusually rank and luxuriant growth. Very respectfully submitted, , CHAS. H. PECK, Axvpany, December 15, 1886. 2 44 | [AsseMBLy, (A..) PLANTS ADDED TO THE HERBARIUM. rp - Nerw To THE HERBARIUM. Geum macrophyllum Willd. P. eupyrena Sace. Aster sagittifolius W2lld. lie Populi P&. Lactuca Scariola Z. aye herbarum West. Mimulus moschatus Dougl. _—_—| P. Castanea P&. Amianthium muscetoxicum Gr. | P. Dipsaci Sace. Juncus militaris Bzgel. Apospheeria conica Sace. Alopecurus pratensis Z. Cytospora grandis P&. Distichium capillaceum 2B. & S.| Haplosporella Pini P2. Calicium eusporum /Vy/. Diplodia paupercula B..& C. Collybia fuliginella Pk. 1B) Asparagi Pk. Clitopilus subvilis P&. Stagonospora Chenopudit Pk. Hebeloma glutinosum Lind. Septoria Stachydis R. @ D. 2 Polyporus dryophilus Berk. S. fusca Pk. Nigh sinuosus /7. S. Stellarie 2. & D. P. radiculosus Pk. S. Sibirici Zhum. Hydnum velatum B. & C. S. __-solidaginicola P&. ae & subfuscum P&. S. brevis Pk. H. carbonarium P&. S. populicola P&. Irpex ambiguus Ph. S. Smilacinee 4. d& 1. Porothelium papillatum wk. Pilidium graminicola P&. Thelephora dendritica Berk. Glceosporium Robergei Desm. Stereum abietinum Pers. G. septorioides Sacc. _ Hymenocheete tenuis Pk. G. Lindemuthianam Sace. Clavaria Kromholzii /7. Melanconium betulinum Schm, __ Phyllosticta Caryee Ph. M. dimorphum PA. , Ps phaseolina Sace. Marsonia Populi Sace. P. Lycopersici Pk. | Coryneum tumoricola PA. ‘ P. phomiformis Sacc. Scolecosporium Fagi Zz. ae tumoricola Pk. Pestalozzia Jefferisii lls. P.’ — populina Sace. ~ | Monilia Martini S. & £. i spermoides Pk., M. cinerea Bon. lg faginea Pk. Ramularia Barbaree 1%. P. vagans Pk. Coniosporium punctoideum = i fatiscens Pk. Karst. ak Symphoricarpi West. Cladosporium Aphidis Thum. Phoma magnifructa Pk. C. Asparagi /7, — P. -leguminum West. C. brevipes P&. or a ee ” § _ Hyssopus officinalis Z. peen 5 C). letiferum Ps. _ Cercospora Acetoselle /’llis. - Macrosporium tomato Cke. _ Pilacre orientalis B. & Br. Graphium Sorbi PA. a Isariopsis alborosella Sacc. Fusarium Lycopersici Sacc. Peziza truncicomes (er. da alboviolascens A. & S. Helotium episphericum P&. Ascomyces letifer Pk. A. rubrobrunneus Pk. Erysiphe horridula Zev. Calospheria ciliatula Aarst. ~Valsa Thuje P24. V. exudans Pk. Valsella adherens Fekl. SS ~~ No. [15.] aria 45 V. Laschii Sace. Diatrypella quercina WV7ts. Melanconiella Decorahensis Ellas. Spheerella Pinsapo Zhum. S. minutissima Pk. S. alnicola Pk. S. Pontederize Pk. Diaporthe farivosa Pk. yy. sulphurea /ckl. Valsaria Niesslii Sace. Leptosphaeria Asparagi P&. Massaria Pyrii O7th. Pleospora Shepherdie Pk. Dothidella Alni P&. Lophiotrema vestita P&. L. parasitica Pk. - Nor New to trae HeERBaArivum. -Thalictrum ptirpurascens Z. Nelumbium luteum W7lld. Nymphea odorata Azz. ~ Nuphar advena Ai7?. Nasturtium lacustre G7. Arabis Drummondii G7. Cardamine hirsuta Z. Lepidium Virginicum LZ. Lechea major Me. Polygala paucifolia Willa. Lathyrus palustris Z. Lespedeza violacea Pers. Geum rivale L. Pyrus sambucifolia C. & S. Amelanchier Canadensis 7. & G. -- Ribes Cynosbati Z. R. lacustre Pozr. R. prostratum L’ Her. Cornus paniculata L’ fer. Lonicera cerulea Z. Symphoricarpus racemosns M/z. Aster acuminatus J/z. A. Radula Azz. Solidago uliginosa Vute. Hieracium pilosclla Z. Rhododendron Lappovicum Waal. Polygonum tenue Mz. Diapensia Lapponica ZL. Carya alba Vutt. Quercus palustris Dw Loz. Betula glandulosa Jz. Salix Cutleri Zuckm. Abies alba Jz. Orchis spectabilis Z. Clintonia borealis /af. Streptopus roseus L/x. S. amplexifolius LD. C. Polygonatum biflorum £/Z/. Luzulu parviflora Desv. Juncus articulatus L. Scirpus Eriophorum J/z. Scleria verticillata AZuAd. Carex alopecoidea Z'uckm. CO. flava L. e.. longirostris Torr. Agrostis vulgaris Weth. Avena striata Mx. Panicum capillare Z. Crus-galli Z. Setaria glauca Bv. | Triticum caninum Z. Aspidium Goldianum Hook. Owphalia umbellifera Z. Pleurotus subareolatus Pk. : Geetha ikeitbes Phe ~ Boletus subaureus Pk. Polyporus pubescens J. Sao ‘Trametes mollis LE”. a _-Phlebia radiata 77. oy - Odontia fimbriata 7’. : > ; a ; ~ Peniophora neglecta Ph. ag - Clavaria pinea Pk. Ve , " , x 5 te ok Sas, Cae > A ae eo sve pe a. J ape a Sok ' “ a ee Me ta S Pree eg s : chet Ramularia Plantag | Cystopus Bliti Toe PR cyphelleformis B. & C. P. _ gangliformis D a aeerennn Martini is & LF. Peronospora Talstodit 7 : Trichothecium roseum Pezicula acericola “ile Unginula adunea Zev. © oe Hypoxylon atropunctatt U 1m Diaporthe acerina Saco, Ue rae oy Ss a . ee ; ' 3! wai . ‘ a 4 aT ia ae (B.) CONTRIBUTORS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS. ® Mrs. M. M. Parron, Berne, N. Y. Cynoglossum erande Doug. | Brodisea capitata Benth. 3 Mrs. I. B. Sampson, Albany, N. Y. - Sarracenia variolaris Jz. Rnuellia oblongifolia Iz. | Polygala nana DC. Eriocaulon gnaphalodes Wz. ee : Hon. Davin Murray, Albany, N. Y. Viola lutea Sm. Sedum acre Z. % Arenaria verna L. 5: saxatile Z. Silene inflata Sm. Linnea borealis Gron. Parnassia palustris Z. Gnaphalium leontopodium Saxifraga aizoon Jacq. Walld. a 1 azoides L. | Hieracium pilosella Z. S. _ bryoides Z. Loiseleuria procumbens Desv. Prof. James Hatz, Albany, N. Y. Agaricus subareolatus P&. Cuartus E. Buxcuer, Albany, N. Y. Lenzites sepiaria Fr. Deedalea glaberrima B. & C. Polyporus brumalis 77. | Stereum versicolor /7. x a sanguineus L. | -Hypochnus rubrocinctus Zhr. Trametes hydnoides /7. Geaster minimus Schw. Guo. A. Rux, M. D., Philadelphia, Penn. f Hemiarcyria stipata ZL. Tilmadoche gyrocephalum _ Areyria dictyonema P. Mont. . A. Cirstedii £&. _ Physarum pulcherrimum B.&C. Trichia Jackii PR. E- Petersii B. & C. Rev. A. B. Lanatots, Pointe a la Hache, La. Cytospora pallida, El/és. Botryodiplodia diplocarpa Fusarium sarcochroum Desm. E. Ailographum cespitosum 2. & Z| Meliola sanguinea Zi/is. Dinemasporium Langloisii Zidis. | Valsa hylodes Z7/¢s. 48. , [| ASSEMBLY, K. C. Hown, M. D., Lansingburgh, N.Y. Carex Buxbaumii WaAl. Triticum caninum ZL. Alopecurus geniculatus ZL. | H. L. Grirris, Binghamton, N. Y. Polygala paucitolia Wedld. O. E. Surrx, Philadelphia, Penn Baptisia tinctoria #7. Br. Linaria vulgaris Afzdl. Polygala lutea Z. a P. H. Duptey, New York, N. Y. Trametes Pini #7. | Polyporus versicolor F7. Prof. B. T. GaLLoway, Columbia, Mo. Cercospora condensata Z. & K. | Cercospora Sanguine Pk C. Gymnocladi &. & X. Puccinia Seymerie Burrill. C. rhuina C. & £. Septoria bacciligera Went. C. Plantaginis Sace. Gleeosporium Aceris Cke. C. Caulophylli P2. Marsonia Quercus P&. Prof. L. M. Unverwoon, Syracuse, N. Y. _ Puccinia curtipes Howe. | Uromyces Trifolii ek. Prof. T. H. McBring, Iowa City, Towa. plete EpRIprouRotas Pk. Jutius A. Bisxy, ‘Pinakine NN: Aster Radula Adz. Mimulus moschatus Dougl. res acuminatus Ja. Amianthium muscetoxicum Gtx Prof. F. Lamson Scripner, Washington, D. C. peo Donax L. A. P. Morgan, Preston, O. Polyporus endocrocinus Berk. Prof. Wm. Treneass, St. Louis. Mo. Lycoperdon delicatum B. & C. | Dothidea viridispora Oke. L. rimulatum P&. ; er No. 115.] . Rctattes abietina 77. Panus stipticus /7. Polyporus adustus 77. P: Be brumalis /7, previ L”. sulphurens Fr. iP. applanatus /7. as ey picipes F’r. | oP fraxinophilus Ps. _- ‘Trametes sepium Berk. - Craterellus cornucopioides #7. Stereum frustulosum /7. Merulius tremellosus Schrad. Hydnum pallidum C. & &. Tremella foliacea /?. Gleeosporium stenosporum E. & K. Vermicularia Dematium /7. a Darluea filum Cast. 4 Leptostroma vulgare Fr. 4 B.. Acteere Schw. Septoria Verbene 2. & D. gaurina £. & X. S. Nolitangeris Ger. S Kalmicola B. & C. S Helianthi Z. & X. S Verbascicola B. & C7. S. — Polygonormn Desm. S Mimuli 2. & XK. S Pruni Zvls. S Cerastii R. & D. S Gei Desm. S spheerelloides 7. & K. S xanthifolia E. d& X. S. Sisymbrii Fié/zs. 5: Specularie B. & C. o 8 S. S. i ar = 4 Lg im ae Erigerontis Pk. lactucicola Z & UM. Cacalie EF. & KX. hyllosticta Asimine &. & F. acericola B. & C. _ smilacina EF. & XY. Phaseoli Sace. Chenopodii West. Ampelopsidis & & Y, __Labrusce Thum. F ih - Podophylli Wind. Be _ Lyeii i. db K. i Rgembly, No. 115.] Spo nee ee 49 hig Prof. W. A. Ketierman, Manhattan, Kansas. » Discosia maculeecola Ger. _ Phoma glandicola Desm. Stilbospora ovata Pers. Coniothyrium herbarum C..de £. | Spheronema Persicee Schw. - Cxeoma mercurialis Lk. ColeosporiumCampanulacearam Fr. | C. Sonchi Zul. | C. Senecionis 7. ) C. Agrimoniz Lon. - Uredo Smilacis Schw. Trichobasis Crotonis Che. _ Chrysomyxa pyrolatum Aoenzg. Synchytrium Anemones Woron. ~§S. — mercurialis ck. | S. Taraxaci De By. Reestelia penicillati 77. | R. lacerata Zw. _ Melampsora salicina Lev. egg)" impatientatum Schw. Allii-arsini Pers. Tragopogonis Pers. Prenanthis Pers Euphorbie Pers. leucospermum DC. robellum Pers. Epilobii DC. (nother P&. Caladii Schu. Dicentre Tred. Ficarize Pers. Viole Schum. Callirrhoes #. & XK. amphigenum Z. & KX. Sambuci Schw. Verbenicola £. & KX. Ceanothi 2. & K. romyces appendiculatus Lev. Zygadeni Pk. Euphorbie C. & P. Lespedezze Schw. Alchemille Pers. , Peltandrae Howe. Hyperici Schw. stilago Carbo Zul. aac 4 U. Syntherisme Schw. Phragmidium obtusum L/. Gymnosporangium macropus Schw. Puccinia Sorghi Schw. Helianthi Schw. Mariz Wilsoni Clint. Amorphe Curt. aculeata Lk. Artemisiarum Duby. Myrrhis Schw. Xanthii Schw. Malvastri P&. nigrescens Pk. -Polygonorum Lk. solida Schaw. Cherophylli Purt. Menthe Pers. — Siiphii Schw. Oy HDR hy Ad Epicoceum spherococcum Berk. Sporocybe byssoides /7. Fusicladium fasciculatum C. & #. Helminthosporium gracile _ Wallr. H. interseminatum B. & L. Macrosporium Maydis C. & £. M. Solani £. & I. M. Catalpe L. & I. Polythrincium Trifolii Aze. Stachybotrys lobulata Berk. Botrytis vulgaris /7. Pyricularia erisea Sace. Cylindrosporium Fraxini Microstroma leucospora WVess/. Ramularia Desmodii Cke. R. Astragali &. d& H. R. Grindelie H. & K. R. rufomaculans P2. R. Tulasnei Sace. Entyloma Ranunculi Bon. E. Physalidis Wendt. Cystopus cubicus Lev. C. Biiti De By. Peronospora sordida Berk. : parasitica Zu. P. — gangliformis De By. E.& K. BO alta Fekl. Halstedii Parl. Oxybaphi £#. & LK. Arthurii Parl. * lercospora Acalyphe Pk. Ampelopsidis PA, Chenopodii /7es. Piantaginis Sace. effusa Hillis. Desmodii #: & K. ; condensata Z. & K. ercospor a Gymnocladi Zi d& K. chionea F. & K. . Isanthi &. d& &. rhuina C. & #,. microsora Sace. Teucrii 2. & K, eziza capitata Pk. floceosa Schw. nivea /7. Ascobolus pilosus #7. Phacidium Pini Schw. a Medicaginis Schw. Cenangium triangulare Schw. Exoascus deformans Berk. Cheetomium chartarum Cd. Cheetomella perforata &. & &. Podospheria Kunzei Zev. * Phyllactinia-suftulta Leb. Erysiphe lamprocarpa Lev. Uncinula adunca Lev. ibe Ampelopsidis Pk. aye macrospora Pk. g oncsceernty Wm yOaaaS Microspheria Euphorbie B.&C. M. Platani Howe. Diatrype disciformis /7. D. bullata #7. 13. hypophlea B. & C. Xylaria Hypoxylon #7. Hypoxylon sassafras Schw. atropunctatum Schw. Rosellinia millegrana Sace. : [Assemny, | i : Dothidea perisporioides B. @C. Stigmatea Robertiani 77. Diaporthe spiculosa J”. Phylachora Ulmi Fk. Heliospheeria patella Grev. Linospora capreze ck. - No. 115.] Venturia orbicula C. & P. Kellermania yuccagena 2. & £. Leptospheria doliolum Pers. Pleonectria denigrata Went. Ophiobolus porphyrogonus Sace. ~ Melanomma pulvispyrius Fk. ~Gnomonia setacea Pers. Melanconis dasycarpa Z. & PR. Spheeria Carye C. & F. : Arthuriana Sace. , anguillida C. & £. : fulgida C. & P. pheerella decidua 7. & XK. maculeformis Pers. S. sparsa Awd. S polystigma Zidis. S. Campanule ZF. & K. S S S S S E. J. Forster, M. D., Boston, Mass. Hydnum anriscalpium Z. - Scleroderma vulgare /7. Phyllosticta Sambuci Desm. Sporidesmium lepraria B. & Br. ~ Phragmidium bulbosum ScAl. P. mucronatum Zk. iE. gracile Grev. _ Triphragmium Ulmarie ZA. Puccinia graminis Pers. i. clandestina Carm. P. Umbilici Guep. Ustilago Carbo Twi. Urocystis pompholygodes Schl. Podisoma Sabinee F’r. Roestelia lacerata 7'wi. Sepedonium chrysospermum Lk. Cheetomium elatum “ze. Hypomyces aurantius 77. H, lateritius Zw. Ht: rosellus Zw. Spherotheca Castagnei Lev. Spheeria fimbriata Pers. — Spheerella Buxi DC. Stigmatea Robertiani /7. i H. C. Gorprnimr, M. D., Troy, N. Y.- Ranunculus alismeefolius Geyer. Lepidium campestre ZL. Cerastium nutans laf. - Arenaria lateriflora Z. Geranium Carolinianum Z. Trifolium hybridum Z. Mitella nuda Z. Chrysopsis graminifolia Vutt. Polygonum tenue Wz. ~ Rumex Brittanica L. Blitum capitatum Z. Populus balsamifera Z. Salix candida Welld. Thuja occidentalis LZ. Orchis spectabilis Z. Cypripedium spectabile Swartz. Carex Buxbaumii Wahl. C. Muhlenbergii Schk. C. alopecoidea Z'uck. C. aurea Vuwitt. Alopecurus geniculatus Z. Glyceriatacutiflora Zorr. Pardanthus Chinensis Ker. J. Dunn, Albany, N. Y. A piece of wood of silver maple, showing the scar of an inscribed cross, both in the wood and the bark. | W. S. Haywarp, Sodus, N. Y. A splinter of wood and*fragments of stone broken by lightning. Re (C.) PLANTS NOT BEFORE REPORTED. GEUM MACROPHYLLUM, Willd. Adirondack mountains, near the inlet of Lower Ausable pond. In the Manual this species is accredited to the base of the White mountains, Northern Michigan, Illinois and north-westward. Our newly discovered station is intermediate between the eastern and western localities recorded in the Manual. Flowering specimens were collected in June. | 3 LACTUCA SCARIOLA, L. Introduced, but apparently well established, in Clyde, Wayne | county. September. / MIMULUS MOSCHATUS, Doug]. Introduced. ‘ Well established in a bog near Locust Valleys Long Island. Julius A. Bisky.” August. AMIANTHIUM MUSCZETOXICUM, Gr. Valley Stream, Long Island. July. J. A. Bisky. ‘This is probably one of its most northern stations. JUNCUS MILITARIS, Bigel. Adirondack. mountains. In Mud pond and Clear pond near Long lake. July. The bayonet rush grows in shallow water in these localities. Its panicle is not-very conspicuous, and a superficial observer might easily mistake the plant for the great bulrush, Scerpus validus, which grows in similar situations. It spreads by creeping rootstocks which give origin to new plants, — sometimes at less than an inch from the parent plant. The capillary submersed leaves noticed by Dr. Robbins in flowing ‘ water were not seen in these stations, in which the plants grow in quiet water. The whitish membranous scales that subtend the red- dish-brown or chestnut colored heads of flowers are noticeable DE reason of the contrast in colors. 52 [ AssEMBLY, - No. 115.] 53 ? | DISTICHIUM CAPILLACEUM, B & S. Wet rocks and precipices. Adirondack mountains, Casc&deville. June. The distichous arrangement of the leaves, characteristic of the genus, is not very conspicuous in this moss, which at first sight somewhat resembles Dicranella heteromalla. CALICIUM EUSPORUM, Nyl. Bark of dead balsam, Adzes balsamea. Chapel pond, Adiron- dack mountains. June. This rare lichen has but recently been detected in this country. Mr. Willey informs me that he first found it about a year ago in the White mountain region. : COLLYBIA FULIGINELLA, N. sp. Pileus convex or nearly plane, sometimes irregular or undulate on the margin, glabrous, even, fuliginous-brown, flesh white; lamellee, rather narrow, close, rounded behind, adnexed or nearly free, white; stem equal or slightly. tapering upward, subfibrillose, stuffed or hollow, colored like the pileus or a little paler, white tomentose at the base; spores subelliptical, .0003 to .00035 inch long, .0002 to .00025 broad, usually containing a single large nucleus. . Pilens 1.5 to 2.5 inches broad, stem 1.5 to 2 inches long, 2 to 3 lines thick. - Under or near arbor- vite, T hapa occidentalis. Elizabethtown, Essex county. September. In size and shape this species resembles Collybia dryophila, but its color, which closely resembles that of Lactarius lignyotus, is far different. | . | ; CLITOPILUS SUBVILIS, N. sp. Pileus thin, centrally depressed or umbilicate, with the margin decurved, hygrophanous, dark-brown and striatulate when moist, grayish-brown and silky-shining when dry; lamelle subdistant, . adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish when young, then flesh-colored ; stem slender, brittle, rather long, stuffed or hollow, glabrous, colored like the pileus or a little paler; spores irregular, augular, .0003 to .0004 inches long ; odor weak or none, taste farinaceous. Pileus 8 to 15 lines broad, stem 1.5 to 3 inches long, 1 to 2 lines thick? .. Damp soil in thin woods. Karner, Albany county. October. The species seems to be closely related to Clitopilus. vilis, from 54 [Assemsy, | ; which I have separated it because of its smooth and shining (not floeculose and opaque), pileus and its farinaceous taste. It was disco veredlin 1884, growing,in company with Lntoloma rhodopolium in such a way that it was taken to be a variety of it, and it was referred to that species under the name var.wmbidlicatum. This — year it was found plentifully in the same’ locality, but entirely unaccompanied by £. rhodopolium. A more careful study of it leads me to the conclusion that it is a distinct species. — HEBELOMA GLUTINOSUM, Lind. Among fallen leaves and on half buried decaying wood, in thin woods. Oonklingville. September. iIn wet weather the gluten is sufficiently copious to drip from the pileus. CORTINARIUS SUBFERRUGINEUS, Fr. Thin woods. Conklingville. September. POLYPORUS DRYOPHILUS, Berk. At the base of oak trees. Conklingville. July. POLYPORUS SINUOSUS, Fr. Decaying wood of maple, Acer saccharinum. Forestburgh, Sullivan county. September. The species is remarkable for and easily known by its sweet and agreeable fragrance, which has been - likened to that of licorice. | POLYPORUS RADICULOSUS, N. sp. ‘ Resupinate, effused, thin, soft, tender, orange-yellow, the mycelum creeping in and over the wood, silky-tomentose, at first white, then yellow, forming numerous yellow branching root-like strings or ribs which are more or less connected by a soft, silky tomentum; pores rather large, angular, at first shallow, sunk in the mycelium, the dissepiments becoming more elevated, thin and tragile ; spores elliptical, .0002 to .00025 inch long, .00012 to .00016 broad. | Half buried chips ot poplar. "Populus tremuloides. Gansevoort. September. The species is allied to P. Vazllantii, in its peculiar rhizomor- — phoid strings of mycelium, but from this it differs decidedly in its color and texture. In these respects it approaches P. bombycinus, of which it may possibly be a’ peculiar variety. It is very \ x No. 115.] 55 destructive to the wood on which it grows, causing it to become soft, brittle and even friable. HYDNUM VELATUM, B. &C. Decaying wood of poplar, Populus tremuloides. Gansevoort. . September. — HYDNUM SUBFUSCUM, N. sp. -Resupinate, thin, soft, the margin and subiculum beneath white, ‘Somentose, sometimes extended into branching strings of mycelium, the upper surface of the subiculum pale yellowish-brown or dingy- ‘isabelline, when magnified, appearing as if sprinkled with minute shining particles; aculei slender, subulate, very acute, white when young, then with white tips or wholly colored like the subiculum. Decaying wood of deciduous trees. Conklingville. September. In H. himantia, which, in some respects, this species resembles the teeth are described as obtuse and pulverulent. ‘ HYDNUM CARBONARIUM, N. sp. Resupinate, very thin, at first floccose-pruinose and white, then smoky-brown, sometimes retaining a white margin; aculei at first short, then longer, subulate or cylindrical, minutely ciliate at the apex, whitish when young, then smoky-brown. Charred wood. Elizabethtown. September. The species is easily recognized by its peculiar color and by the ciliate or setulose tips of the teeth. It appears as if it had been smoked or scorched. IRPEX AMBIGUUS, N. sp. Resupinate, adnate; subiculum very thin, flocculose-pruinose, white, becoming pallid with age; aculei oblique, somewhat united at the base, minute, very variable, subulate and entire, or com- pressed, acute, truncate, branched, incised or subserrate, ‘white _when young, becoming pallid with age. Decaying beech wood ad bark. Adirondack mountains. September. It forms small irregular or interrupted patches. To the naked eye it resembles Hydnum pallidum, but the teeth are more or less united at the base, thus requiring it to be placed in the genus Irpex. Scarcely any two of them are exactly alike. POROTHELIUM PAPILLATUM, N. sp. Effused, very thin, flocculose-pruinose, white when young, soon pallid or isabelline, subwaxy and often rimose, the margin subin- - ' mens shows the presence of both sete: and metuloids, the latter a ‘does for Deedalea, Trametes and Lenzites,as was shown in the 56 hy | [AssEMBLY, determinate: verrucae minute, subdistant, at first a limpid globule resting on the subiculum, then slightly prominent, papilliform, a colored like the subiculum and crowned with a limpid globule which varies in color trom hyaline to amber. : RS a Decorticated wood of poplar, Populus tremuloides. Elizabeth- a town. September. It forms patches several inches in extent. It a is apparently related to P. Friesiz, but itis not membranous, the warts are colored like the subiculum and are not immersed in it. -_ THELEPHORA DENDRITICA, Berk. ey HU Gay the hymenium of effete Polyporas “plana ‘ e 4 Adirondack mountains. September. ae STEREUM ABIETINUM, Pers. Prostrate trunk of spruce, Abies nigra. Cascadeville, rae -dack mountains. - June. Our specimens agree with the description i: the species to which we have referred them, but they present some interesting — characters not’ mentioned in that description. It often happens that great perplexity arises because of the incomplete descriptions of some of the older authors. A careful examination of our speci- much more numerous than the former. Thus this species does for Stereum, Hymenochete and Peniophora what Dedalea confragosa ° thirtieth report. It sets at naught the characters used in dis- tinguishing these genera, and bids defiance to the generic limits assigned in the botanies. To the naked eye, the hymenium in our specimens has a somewhat ‘velvety pruinose” appearance, but when examined by the microscope it is found to be abundantly furnished with projecting setiform bodies, some of which are smooth and colored, as in Hymenocheete; others are colorless and rough or minutely warted, asin Peniophora. Sometimes a single one is colorless and warted in the upper part, colored.and smooth — in the lower. And as if this was not enough of confusion to our former notions, the hymenium, though dry, becomes rimose as in many species of Corticium. The fungus sometimes forms patches | several inches in extent by the confluence of individuals. It is | nearly or quite one line thick, the intermediate stratum being — q et ie No. 115.) — ee ae composed ot erect fibres. Though dry, it is not very tough. The an spores are oblong or subfusiform .0005 to .0007 inch long, .0002 broad. HYMENOCHATE TENUIS, N. sp. Resupinate, very thin, even, forming elongated, more or less confluent, dark ferruginous patches, concolorous on the determinate margin, inseparable, rimose; sete acute, .0012 to .0025 inch long. Decorticated wood of arbor-vitee, Zhwja occidentalis. Cascade- ~ ville. June. ~ , CLAVARIA KROMHOLZII, Fr. Open woods. Brewerton and Adirondack mountains. September. PHYLLOSTICTA LYCOPERSICI, N. sp. Spots large, suborbicular, cinereous; perithecia minute, brown or blackish, opening by a single or sometimes by two pores ; spores abundant, oblong or elliptical, .00025 to .0003 inch long, .0001 to .00012 broad. Fruit of tomato, SE Scat esculentum. Menands, Albany county. July. PHYLLOSTICTA PHASEOLINA, Sacc. Leaves of cultivated bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. Menands. September. | PHYLLOSTICTA CARY, N. sp Spots large, irregular, often confluent, at first yellowish, then brown, sometimes becoming grayish in the center; perithecia minute, .004 inch broad, punctate, epiphyllous; spores irregularly elliptical, .0002 inch long, .00008 broad. Living leaves of hickory, Carya alba. Piffard. August. PHYLLOSTICTA PHOMIFORMIS, Sacc. Living leaves of white oak, Quercus alba. Sandlake, Rensselaer county. September. ‘PHYLLOSTICTA TUMORICOLA, N. sp. - Spots suborbicular, arid, paniid with a reddish or reddish-brown margin, apparently caused by insects; perithecia amphigencous or epiphyllous minute, .005 to .007 inch broad, depressed, brownish ; spores oblong or narrowly elliptical, colorless, .0004 to .0005 inch long, .0002 to .00025 broad. Living gall-spotted leaves of white oak, Quercus alba. Karner. October. iid ag phomiformis the spores are much larger than in - . this species. The spots are centrally punctured and appear to Ri have been produced by the stings of insects. PHYLLOSTICTA POPULINA, Sacc. v. PARVA n. var. Living or languishing leaves of necklace poplar, Populus mon- alifera. Menands. October. . Spots very small, orbicular, white, with a brown border; peri- thecia one to four on a spot. PHYLLOSTICTA SPERMOIDES, N. sp. Spots suborbicular, brown or cinereous with a brown border, sometimes confluent ; perithecia minute, .0014 to .0025 inch broad, numerous, hypophyllous, blackish ; spores minute cylindrical, .0002 — inch long. Living leaves of wild grape vine, Viizs r¢parva. Gansevoort. September. PHYLLOSTICTA FAGINEA, N. sp. Spots suborbicular, small, often seriate or subconfluent, and arranged in rows parallel to the veins of the leaf, cinereous or red- dish-gray, with a reddish-brown border or wholly reddish-brown, subferruginous beneath ; perithecia few, epiphyllous, minute, .008 inch broad, black ; spores ovate or elliptical, 0003 to .0004 inch long, .0002 to .00025 broad. Living leaves of beech, Fagus ferruginea. Argusville and ~ Elizabethtown. September. PHYLLOSTICTA VAGANS, N. sp. Spots none; perithecia minute, .003 to .0035 inch broad, amphigenous, numerous, occupying the whole leat, black; spores very minute, spermatoid, .00012 inch long, .00004 broad, some-_ times oozing out and forming a white globule. Dead leaves of Smelacina racemosa. Conklingville. September. This is a very anomalous species. But for the very short minute spores, it would accord better with Septoria than Phyl © losticta. . PHYLLOSTICTA FATISCENS, N. sp. Spots rather large, suborbicular, pallid, generally marked by one or more elevated concentric lines, at length cracking around the margin and separating, wholly or in part, from the uninjured tissues of the leaf ;*perithecia minute, .004 inch broad, epiphyllous, Beh [Assematy, e No. 115. 15.) ae 59 at first pale, then brownish ; spores oblong, straight or slightly curved, .00025 to .0004 inch Wack .00012 to .00016 broad. Living leaves of yellow pond lily, Wuphar advena. Argusville, Schoharie county. July. 3 PHYLLOSTICTA SYMPHORICARPI, West. Living leaves of snowberry, Symphoricarpus racemosus. Cana- joharie, Montgomery county. July. PHOMA MAGNIFRUCTA, N. sp. Perthecia small, .005 to .007 inch broad, scattered, subglobose, erumpent, black; spores oblong-tusiform, .0009 to .0012 inch long, -.0003 to .0004 broad; sporophores short. » Cone scales of arbor vite, Thuja te ea Keene, Essex county. June. This species is readily distinguished from others inhabiting cone scales by its large spores. PHOMA LEGUMINUM, West. Legumes of locust, Robinia pseudacacia. Piftard. August. 7 7 PHOMA OLERACEA, Sacc v. DIPSACI Sacc. Dead stems of teasel, Dipsacus sylvestris. Wallington, Wayne county. September. : PHOMA EUPYRENA, Sacc. 7 _ Dead potato stems. Menands. October. . PHOMA POPULI, N. sp. +-Perithecia minute, .003 to .004 inch broad, epiphyllous, grega- ‘ rious, black, opening by a large pore; spores cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, .0006 to .0008 inch long, .00012 broad. Dead leaves of poplar, Populus tremuloides. Elizabethtown. -. September. — PHOMA HERBARUM, West. Dead stems of wormwood, Artemisia vulgaris. Port Henry. June. PHOMA CASTANEA, N. sp. Perithecia numerous, surrounding the branch, .011 to .014 inch broad, erumpent, black; spores minute, oblong or cylindrical, 00025 to .0003 inch long, .00006 to .00008 broad ; sporophores short. Dead branches of chestnut, Castanea vesca. Sandlake. May. 60. APOSPHZERIA CONICA, Sacc. Decaying oak wood. Piffard. August. ets) - CYTOSPORA GRANDIS, N. sp. BAY vais sh o Pustules large, two to three lines broad, ellipsoid or suborbicular, scar-like, ferruginous from the ruptured bark; loculi numerous; speres minute, curved, .0002 inch long. . . Dead bark of sumach, hus typhina. Gansevoort. September. _ HAPLOSPORELLA PINI, N.sp. Si Perithecia valsoid, caespitose, three to five in a cluster, sunk in the inner bark, erumpent ; spores globose or snbelliptical, colored, B .0005 to .0006 inch long. | a Dead bark of white pine, Pinus Strobus. Elizabethtown. Tune. 4 DIPLODIA PAUPERCULA, B.& Br. ; 4 Dead branches of elder, Sambucus Canadensis. Adirondack mountains. June. , | a DIPLODIA ASPARAGI, N. sp. _ ae GLGOSPORIUM ROBERGEI, Desm. ‘a a Living leaves of water beech, Carpinus Americana. Gansevoort. September. MELANCONIUM BETULINUM, Schm. Dead bark of white birch, Hens populares Menands. September. a Distinguished from J. bicolor by its longer spores. to MELANCONIUM DIMORPHUM, N. sp. ; *« | Pustules small, subcutaneous, slightly prominent, subconical, 4 black, containing a small white stroma; spores of two forms, one a narrow, cylindrical, straight or curved, .0003 to .0004 inch long, | .00008 haga the other oblong, elliptical or subfusiform, colored, | .0004 to .0005 inch long, .0002 to 00025 broad, oozing out in 4 aa peculiar purplish tint. In ashort time the white Hloceulent threads - ae of the fungus appear on the cut surface, soon to be followed by the © ' more waxy .and colored patches of spores, thus showing that the — mycelium has permeated the diseased flesh of the tomato. The affected tomatoes become very watery and any surface on which a diseased tomato lies, soon becomes wet from the exuding juices. From the constancy with which this fungus appears in connection with the disease, it would appear that it might be regarded as the’ cause of the decay, but there are circumstances that point to some more subtle agent of the mischief. Further investigation is neces- . sary to determine satisfactorily the source of the disease. PEZIZA TRUNCICOMES, Ger. Decaying prostrate trunks of deciduous trees. Knowersville, Albany county. May.. PEZIZA ALBOVIOLASCENS, A. & S. Old chestnut rails. Conklingville. September. HELOTIUM EPISPHZRICUM, N. sp. “Rasancaels minute, .012 to .02 inch broad, gregarious, subsessile, at first subhyaline, then reddish-yellow, the disk: ‘nearly plane, ascl subcylindrical; spores oblong or lanceolate, SEU to .00025 inch long, .0001 to .0G012 broad. On old Hypoxylon Morser. Elizabethtown. September. It resembles H. cetranum in habit, but is very much smaller. | ASCOMYCES LETIFER, N. sp. Indefinite, hypophyllous, often occupying the whole lower sur-* face of the leaf and suffusing it with a glaucous bloom; asci eylin- drical, obtuse or subtruncate, .0016 to .002 inch long, .0006 to — .0008 broad; spores minute, varying from narrowly elliptical to subglobose, .00016 to .0002 inch long, .00008 to .00012 broad. Living leaves of mountain maple bush, Acer spicatum. Eliza- bethtown. June. bo The species is very distinct from A. polysporus, which forms definite spots. The attacked leaves soon turn black, wither and die. Sometimes all the leaves on a branch are affected and the tungus then causes a veritable blight. \ No. 115.] aes 67 ASCOMYCES RUBROBRUNNEUS, N. sp. Spots definite, variable, small and suborbicular or large and gy irregular, sometimes confluent, usually concave above, convex below, dull reddish-brown above, paler below; asci oblong, tran- cate at the apex, .002 to .003 inch long, .0006 to .0009 broad; spores minute, subelliptical, .00012 to .00016 inch long, .0006 to 1 .0008 broad. | Be Living leaves of red oak, Quercus rubra. Sandlake. September. In some respects this approaches A. alutarius, from which the color of the spots, larger asci and different shape of the spores will distinguish it. ERYSIPHE HORRIDULA, Lev. Abundant on corn gromwell, Lithospermum arvense. Port Henry. June. | Our specimens were too young when collected to show the spore characters, and are to this extent doubtful. \, CALOSPH RIA CILIATULA, Karst. ’ Dead trunks and branches of white birch, Betula populifolia. Menands. September. VALSA THUJZA, N. sp. : a Pustules scattered, slightly prominent, closely covered by the epidermis ; perithecia nestling in the inner bark, subcircinate, five to ten in a pustule; asci oblong-clavate, .0014 to .0016 inch long ; spores allantoid, .0004 to .6005 inch long, .00008 to .0001 broad. | Dead branches of arbor vite, ZThwja occidentalis. Elizabeth- town. September. i. VALSA EXUDANS, N. sp. q Perithecia collected in a cortical stroma, thin, crowded, angular, 1 closely covered by the pustulately elevated, irregularly ruptured 3 epidermis, ostiola obscure or concealed beneath the defiled epider- 4 mis; asci very slender, cylindrical, .0016 inch long, .00016 broad; | spores minute, oblong, straight, colored, .0002 inch long, oozing _ out and staining the surface of the matrix. __- Dead bark of alders, Alnus incana. Elizabethtown. September. 1 This is an anomalous species and does not agree well with the generic characters. The straight, colored and oozing spores are unusual and peculiar features. \ | ; | ‘ 68 ) [ASsSEMBLY, VALSELLA ADHERENS, Fckl. ei Corticated trunk and branches of white birch, Betula populifolia. a a: Sandlake. September. : ) ee In our plant the disk is often whitish or starsat trom the waherete me remains of the epidermis; the perithecia are five to twelve ina pustule and the spores are colored in the mass. It is apparently a variety of the species and may be called var. Americana. - +" a VALSELLA LASCHII, Sacc. Dead whitened twigs of Acer spicatum. Port Henry. J une. In our specimens the black stroma is apparent through the | translucid epidermis, and the white disk, though small, is plainly seen by contrast. The asci are very broad, .6016 to.002 inch long, a -0005 to .0006 broad. This form may be designated var. acerina. 3 a DIATRYPELLA QUERCINA, Nits. th! Mi September. Although occurring on thorn branches, there does not appear to be any good characters for separating this fungus from the species to which IJ have referred it. “, a Dead branches of thorn, Crategus tomentosa. Elizabethtown. ee? SPHARELLA MINUTISSIMA, N. sp. et Perithecia very numerous, occupying the whole lower surface of the leaf, very minute, .002 to .0025 inch broad, veiled by the epider. mis, black; asci oblong or slightly narrowed toward the apex, ~ .0016 to .002 inch long, .0008 to .0004 broad; spores crowded, . oblong, straight, obscurely septate in the middle, .0006 to .0007 a inch long, .00016 broad. . a Dead leaves of alder, Alnus encana. Adirondack mountains. June. eae | The perithecia are scarcely visible to the naked eye. The affected leaves remain on the branches through the winter. They had not yet fallen in June. ar SPHZRELLA ANLICOLA, N. sp. ! ; - Perithecia small, .0085 to .0045 inch broad, hypophyllous, clus- — 4 tered or scattered, naked, black ; asci oblong or subclavate, .002 to” -0025 inch long, .0005 to .0006 broad; spores crowded, lanceolate, No. 115.] 69 3 uniseptate, often slightly curved, .0009 to .0011 inch long, .00016 broad. . Dead leaves of alder, Alnus viridis. Mt. Marcy. June. The a The spores are narrowed toward one end and septate in the middle. ; The species is evidently distinct from S. Alni viridis in its larger exposed perithecia, in the shape of its Spores and in wanting a __ dematiaceous stroma. — Apparently the same species was found near Elizabethtown, but without fruit. a SPHHRELLA PONTEDERLA, N. sp. Spots rather large, six to ten lines long, oblong or elliptical, | sometimes confluent, brown above, blackish brown or grayish brown below; perithecia minute, .003 inch broad, hypophyllons, _ black; asci oblong or subfusiform, .002 to .0025 inch long, .0005 | broad; spores crowded or biseriate, oblong-clavate, uniseptate, sometimes quadrinucleate, .0006 to .0008 inch long, .0002 to .00025 broad. | | Languishing leaves of pickerel weed, Pontederia cordata. ; Whitehall, Washington county. September. Apparently related to S. Caladiz, but with longer spores. and - different spots. — | SPHZERELLA PINSAPO, Thum. Fallen leaves of arbor-vite. Port Henry. June. ee ee Le ey ee “wil | * DIAPORTHE SULPHUREA, Fckl. Dead stems and branches of hazelnut, Corylus rostrata. Ganse- voort. September. | This species is easily recognized by the beautiful yellow spurious Stroma that extends everywhere under the epidermis of the affected branches. a DIAPORTHE (CHOROSTATE) FARINOSA, N. sp. Stroma somewhat pulverulent or mealy, dull buff color, formed of the slightly changed inner bark, erumpent in a minute slightly Me exserted disk; perithecia valsoid, irregularly circinating, generally q four to ten in a circle, the clusters subconfluent, ostiola black, dotting the prominent pulverulent buff colored or at length brownish disk; asci subcylindrical, .0024 to .003 inch long, .00035 _ to .0004 broad ; spores crowded or biseriate, oblong or subfusitorm, __—— uniseptate, generally quadrinucleate, .0006 to .0008 inch long, 00016 to .0002 broad. a 70 July. This species approaches D. furfuracea in its pulverulent ae stroma, but it differs in its prominent disk, which renders the affected branches rough to the touch, and in its smaller quadri-. nucleate crowded or biseriate spores. From D. velata it is easily separated by the entire absence of any black circumscribing line © | or blackened surface. It evidently belongs to the subgenus Chorostate, but the clusters of perithecia are so numerous and so closely and almost confluently placed that they form an almost continuous stratum which surrounds the branch and extends long distances under the epidermis. MELANCONIELLA DECORAHENSIS, Ellis. Dead bark’ of white: birch, Betula populifolia. Gansevoort. September. In the typical form the disk is described as “sordid gray.” In our’ specimens, both it and the stroma are yellowish green and pulverulent. On the smaller branches the disk is smaller and the ~ ostiola are less‘ prominent than on the larger ones. When the epidermis is torn away the perithecia adhere to it. The young spores are colorless and subacute at each end. The mature ones are colorled; obtuse and constricted at the septum. The conidia ooze out and form orbicular black patches one to two lines broad. These are very conspicuous by reason of the con- trast between their color and the white color of the matrix. VALSARIA NIESSLII, Sacc. Dead bark of white birch, Betula populifolia. Menands. September. LEPTOSPH ZRIA ASPARAGI, N. sp. Perithecia broadly conical, .01 to .014 inch broad, at first covered by the pierced epidermis, then naked, black; asci clavate or cylin- © drical, short pedicellate, .003 to .004 inch long, .00045 to .0006 broad; spores oblong or subfusiform, crowded, .0008 to .0012 inch long, .0003 broad, at first colorless and triseptate, then slightly colored and five-septate, constricted at the septa. Dead stems of asparagus. Menands. October. MASSARIA PYRI, Otth. Bark of pear and apple trees. Albany. May. Dead branches of basswood, Tilia Americana. Argusville. a ai. 115 : TR PLEOSPORA SHEPHERDIAZ, N. sp. | Perithecia scattered, small, .014 to .018 inch broad, covered by © _ the epidermis, erumpent, black ; asci cylindrical, .006 to .008 inch long, .0006 broad ; spores uniseriate, oblong, generally triseptate, ' _ rarely five-septate, with one or two longitudinal septa, constricted in the middle, colored, .0008 to .001 inch long,,0003 to .0004 broad. Dead branches of Shepherdia Canadensis. Port Henry. June. DOTHIDELLA ALNI, N. sp. Stroma orbicular, one to three lines broad, thin, convex and black above, concave, brown or grayish-black and _papillosely rugulose below ; asci cylindrical ; spores ovate-elliptical, obscurely - uniseptate near one end, colorless, .0006 to 0008 inch long, .0003 to .00035 broad. Dead leaves of Alnus viridis... Mt Marey. June. _ __ The spores are very unequally divided, the smaller cell appearing like an umbo. ‘LOPHIOTREMA VESTITA, N. sp. Perithecia closely gregarious, small, .014 to .02 inch broad, sunk in the wood, erumpent, conical, clothed with a slight tawny- ferruginous pulverulent tomentum, ostiola naked, black, subterete or compressed ; asci clavate, .006 to .007 inch long, .0006 to .0007 _. broad; spores crowded, subfusiform, at first biconic and uniseptate, then triseptate or quadrinucleate, constricted in the middle, color- less, .0012 to .0016 inch long, .0003 to .0004 broad. Decorticated wood of poplar, Populus tremuloides. Gansevoort. _ September. Readily distinguished by the tawny, pulverulent tomentum of the perithecia. . i LOPHIOTREMA PARASITICA, N. sp. - Perithecia crowded, subsuperficial, .014 to .02 inch broad, _ clothed with a minute subcervine pulverulent tomentum, becoming blackish-brown with age, the ostiola prominent, subterete or com- pressed, clothed like the perithecia ; asci subclavate, .005 to .006 inch long, .0006 to .0007 broad; spores crowded, at first biconic, then triseptate, constricted in the middle, colorless, .0012 to .0016 inch long, .0003 broad. On old Hypoxylon Morsei. Elizabethtown. September. _ This and the preceding species appear to be peculiar by reason of _ the pulverulent tomentum of the perithecia. They would seem to ' — constitute a distinct section of the genus. (D.-) NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. THALICTRUM PURPURASCENS, L. wy A singular Thalictrum was found on the shore of Lake Cham- \ plain, near Port Henry. Its leaves were thin and delicate, quite — small, and five to seven-lobed, resembling those of Thalictrum — dioicum. Some had a general petiole, others had none. The’ flowers were almost dicecious, the anthers resembling those of — Thalictrum purpurascens, though perhaps they were a little more | slender and more strongly mucronate. The plants had the general — aspect of 7. purpurascens, except the leaves, which resembled more those of 7. diotcum. T. dioicum in the same locality was past flowering, it being now the middle of June, and had developed its fruit to full size. Whether this plant is a hybrid between T. diowcum and T. purpurascens, or a variety of the latter, or a distinct species, is the question to be solved. Similar forms have ~ been regarded by Prof. Trelease as hybrids. NASTURTIUM LACUSTRE, Gr. Black creek, near Bergen. ARABIS DRUMMONDII, Gr. Port Henry. A form with spreading pods, GEUM RIVALE, L. A form with pale yellow or cream-colored flowers was collected in the Adirondack mountains. It is not rare in that locality. RIBES CYNOSBATI, Ti A very lax form of this plant occurs at Cascadeville, in the Adirondack mountains. The branches are long and slender, and the flowers are much scattered and very long pedicelled. It is — associated in this locality with Rzbes rotundifoliwm, L. lacustre and &. prostratum. All were in flower at the same time. The. last species occurs abundantly at Lower Ausable pond, where ; nearly ali the young fruit of a large patch was found infested by 7 Spherotheca Mors-uve Schw., which fungus is probably a mere variety of Sphwrotheca pannosa Lev. hae ASTER SAGITTIFOLIUS, Willd. Sa This fine aster has not hitherto been represented in the herba- rium. It is recorded in the New York State Flora as a rare plant in New York. Fine specimens were found near Piffard, Liv- % ingston county, and it occurs in great abundance along the railroad between that place and Rochester. - ASTER ACUMINATUS, Mx. Glen Cove, Long Island. J. A. Bisky. A very noticeable station for this mountain-loving plant. SOLIDAGO ULIGINOSA, Nutt. Bergen swamp. A very slender form, with unusually narrow and entire leaves, and a rather short panicle, sometimes slightly , recurved. yt SYMPHORICARPUS RACEMOSUS, Mx. Near Canajoharie. The variety pauciflorus in rocky places, ____near Port Henry. | | POLYGONUM TENUVUE, Mx. - Summit of Cobble hill, near Elizabethtown. SALIX CANDIDA, Willd. Occurs sparingly near Guilderland Station. 4. C. Gordinier. 4 . ’ ABIES ALBA, Mx. _Newcomb, Essex county. It also occurs in North Elba, but in all the localities observed by me the trees were growing in cleared land, and had evidently sprung up since the forests were cut. ORCHIS SPECTABILIS, L. A form with white flowers. Schaghticoke. HA. C. Gordinier. | Mr. H. L. Griffis also sends a white-flowered form of the flowering __ wintergreen, Polygala paucifolia, from Binghamton. CLINTONIA BOREALIS, Raf. . This plant grows almost everywhere in the Adirondack moun- tains, and in some places it is exceedingly thrifty and vigorous. oP ve ~ 74 “4 J Sesame It is not uncommon to find plants with one or even two lateral umbels in addition to the terminal one. The number of flowers | in the lateral umbels is generally less than the number in the — terminal umbel of the same plant, and when there are three umbels the lowest one has the smallest number of flowers. They — vary usually from three to six in the lateral umbels. In one specimen there were six flowers in the lateral and twelve in the : terminal umbel. One plant had five large leaves. - | SCLERIA VERTICILLATA, Muhl. ° A small form with but three clusters of flowers is common in Bergen swamp. 3 CAREX ALOPECOIDEA, Tuckm. This species is rare in the eastern part of the State. It -oceurs near Lansingburgh. £. C. Howe and Z. C. Gordiner. CAREX FLAVA, L. An extremely variable species, even in the same locality and apparently surrounded by the same circumstances and influences. At Hewitt’s pord in the Adirondack mountains, specimens were collected which were but four or five inches high and which bore but a single small fertile spike each. Near these, others were found which were fifteen or sixteen inches high and bore five fertile spikes each. Another form, intermediate in size, had three fertile spikes, two approximate and a lower distinct one. CAREX LONGIROSTRIS, Torr. Rocky places. Keene. A rare species with us. a \ fALOPECURUS GENICULATUS, L. Green Island. H. 0. Gordinier. Lansingburgh. Z. C. Howe. These specimens are nearly erect, not geniculate at the base. — On the other hand specimens of Alopecurus pratensis, a species described as erect, were collected by myself near Albany, in which the stems were decidedly geniculate at the base, thus agit reversing this character as given in the descriptions. AGROSTIS VULGARIS, With. aa A form with very many of the flowers developed into leafy buds. Hewitts pond. | PANICUM CRUS-GALLI, L. _ The form with dense panicles of awnless flowers is common in __-wet places about Warsaw, Wyoming county. Bea BOTRYCHIUM LANCEOLATUM, Angst. _ Caseadeville, Adircndack mountains. June. i, \ OMPHALIA UMBELLIFERA, L. - ~Not rare in the Adirondack mountains. Variety abregnus grows on soft decayed wood of coniferous trees, and has a pale ' yellow pileus. Variety alpinus grows among mosses and on ___ muck soil composed of decomposed vegetable matter. It usually occurs at high altitudes. It was plentiful in June on the summit of Mt. Marcy. Init the pileus and lamelle are bright yellow. ia PHOLIOTA MYCENOIDES, Fr. In thin woods at Conklingville a form was found having the . pileus rugose. LENZITES SEPIARIA, Fr. A resupinate form, var. dentifera, occurs on spruce in the _ Adirondack mountains, in which form the lamelle anastomose, _.- and are more or less toothed or lacerated, resembling an Irpex more than a Lenzites. POLYPORUS VOLVATUS, Pk. This singular species developes in May and June in the Adiron- dack mountains. When young it is slightly viscid. It is especially subject to the attacks of insects. In July most of the specimens will be found to be infested by them. 4 CREPIDOTUS HZERENS, Pk. __ Fine specimens of this rare species were found on ash and but- ternut near Sprakers. The pileus is sometimes slightly floccose- squamulose. The tough viscid pellicle is separable, and in drying the moisture disappears from the disk first, from the thin margin last. HYDNUM GRAVEOLENS, Delast. A singular Hydnum was found at Elizabethtown, in which the pileus was very uneven and everywhere coated with a whitish villosity or tomentum. It has the peculiar odor of H. graveolens, to which species we have referred it as variety inwquale. lingville. September. A thin cream-colored form corresponding : ae 76 | (au [AsseMBLy, i PHLEBIA RADIATA, Fr. aa Dead bark of wild bird cherry, Prunus Pennsyloanica. Conk- | nearly to variety pallida Fr. It sometimes forms extensive patches - by the confluence of many individuals. eae a ODONTIA FIMBRIATA, Pers. : Decaying wood of poplar. Conklingville. September. A form with the subiculum thicker than usual and finely rimose. Variety om rimosa. ; ~ a PENIOPHORA NEGLECTA, Pk. . Aa A wholly resupinate form occurs on red maple, Acer rubrum. Bergen. ~ a CORTICIUM MARTIANUM, B. & C. | es When well developed this is a highly colored and very shows a species. At first a small orbicular tuft of strigose radiating hairs ag appears. The center of the tuft soon assume a reddish tint, which again changes to bright-red or scarlet and becomes waxy. The hymenium is now covered with irregular ruge or folds giving the plant the appearance of some species of Phlebia. With advancing _ age the hymenium loses its brilliancy and becomes tinged with brownish, grayish or olivaceous tints, but the margin retains fora i longer time its bright-red color, which fades to gray on the extreme _ 4 4 fimbriate edge. The mycelium is yellowish. Metuloids have been, seen in some specimens, but they are rare. SPHZEROPSIS MALORUM, Pk. This has occurred on leaves of apple trees, but in this case with | “at perithecia rather smaller than in the type. : @ MARSONIA JUGLANDIS, Sacc. i The species is quite variable, being both ny oneal and — epiphyllous, and occurring on small or large spots and with few or 4 many nuclei. . a SEPTOCYLINDRIUM RANUNCUOULI, Pk. This has occurred on radical leaves of Lanunculus abortivus: Helderberg mountains. May. | 7 wae RAMULARIA PLANTAGINIS, E. & M. Variety nigromaculans Pk. Spots with a small grayish center | and a broad blackish or blackish-brown margin. The fungus | occurs on this blackish margin. Menands. October. wie es ae PEZICULA ACERICOLA, Pk. | ae Pie Receptacles small, cregarious. Bark of naple,. Acer rubrum. Karner. September. _RHYTISMA SALICINUM, Fr. : Mt. Marey. June. Fertile ‘ REPORT \ OF THE ‘ ‘ ? . = . | ; : TO THE F REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEWYORK, = OG a . For the Year 1886. ey ’ . : od oe . - » = > > et SAEs ~ *~ a no = a} & + <= ~ t ’ ~ # ae Z i ete rset, Miah 44 Soh & ‘* ‘ ‘ j 7 * * Ma r= 4 ha 7 = - “ . - ay ly ge 2 ’ 7" ts er ie SRT SS Pica pe) ee SPO ee a ee ne 83 =) A new attack on Wheat by a Saw-fly latva..........2. 0.0.0.0 ceeeceeeee 87 _ The Red-humped Apple-tree caterpillar and Parasite — Cdérandia concinna ae’, (Sm.-Abb.), aud Limneria fugitiva (Say). .-.....6.0ce cece cece cece cceeeee 90 --‘The Forest Tent- caterpillar — Clisiocampa Dr ed ELUNE EU TE 6 ad See 91 The Spring Canker-worm — Anisopteryx vernata. (Peck) BY acl; Hohe ae tea ee 93 RUMMMONU PE CBEIAR UE OBE. Std PEP Sk Sarde 2d lain ied ye ee ee os as ants owen Rees 96 ~ A New Strawberry Insect — Bembidium quadrimaculatum (Zann.)......... 98 4 _ A Meal Insect — Lemophleus alternans #r...... ...... Bilas cahad a hott Cape 100 % A Grass-Burrowing Insect — Cebrio bicolor (Fubr.)....0 0 ....ce.eeececeeeee 100 © A Dung Beetle —'Aphodius inquinitus (Herbst).......... teat fe aras eae oe 102 q a The Sugar-miple Borer — Glycobius speciosus (Say)............202 eeeneee 103 Be The Potato-stalk Weevil — Trichobaris trinotata (Say)... .....-....6..000- 106 aa “ An Ugly Bee-slayer””— Phymata erase: Her “Sg... 5.6 os eed eee. 2 bs 5 cae 107 ay Melon vines attacked by the Squash-bug, Anasa tristis De Geer... .......... 110 ge _ The Grain Aphis— Siphonophora avene (Mabr.) ..... ..... He EN RN Pe Bi 112 . to The Hop-vine Aphis — Phorodon humuli (Schrankh)..............00 cee eee 115 ' ——- The Apple-tree Aphis — Aphis mali Linn..............6...00. ann ete eer sit, q Potato plants attacked by Aphides................. PRESS S stan Vat ge ea ry 121 a __ Aphis attack on Carrots and Parsnips........ -- 2+... ss sees eee e eee eee 123 | ‘The Beech-tree Blight — Pemphigus imbricator (Fitch) .............0260-6- 123 _. The Cockscomb Elm Gall of Glyphina ulmicola (Fitch).............2. 00055 126 meme enotinrecognized Insect Attack, ....(..0...6), 20. 0.....ccsadeces waclacees 128 A Grass-infesting Mite— Trombidium ?bicolor Herm..... bh Peete BS Foe 128 _ A Mite infesting Smoked Meats — Tyroglyphus siro (Zinm.)................ 130 a A Severe Attack on Potatoes by Myriopoda, etc................200- Pee 131 (ay URES Mate PR kOe. a ee ee EE 135 _ Contributions to the Department during the Year.................+....-.. 140 _ List of Publications of the Entomologist during the Year....... .......... 142 [Assemtly, No. 115.] 6 -, ; 4 or ye Z t 4 ei ee SR Ls ON = ss Ree cee c REPORT. Orricr oF THE State Enromotogist, } Axupany, December 15, 1886. To the Honorable Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York: GrntLEMEN.—I beg leave to present herewith a report of some of the operations of my department and results of some of my studies during the current year, 1886. _ The report is necessarily brief} owing to the discovery during the present month of a provision in a statute of the last legislature _ which is construed as a requirement that the reports of the State - officers shall be placed in the hands of the State printer by the fifteenth of December of each year. I may, therefore, desire later to present a special report, and to ask its publication at your hands, or your consent for its transmissal directly to the Legislature to be issued as the third of the series of legislative reports. ‘The present year has been signalized by a remarkable abundance of aphides, or, as more commonly termed, plant-lice. About the twentieth of April, the first report of the appearance of the newly- hatched apple-tree aphis, ApAzs madd, clustering upon and cover- ing the terminal buds, was received. Other reports from various localities in the State of New York and in the New England States, followed. The operations of the aphis upon the young leaves as they developed greatly alarmed the orchardists, as the loss of the apple crop was threatened. To the requests made for the best method of destroying the insects, washes were recommended for use in the event of the attack not being speedily arrested by a heavy rainfall such as we often have during the early spring. g Fortunately, the desired rain followed, destroying myriads of the aphides, and preventing any serious injuries from them later in the season. But the apple crop had already been greatly reduced by the early demonstration of the insects. 84 | ee, [Assmarmer, * “ Black and white aphides ” on n plum and cherry trees were very fi 7 destructive in western New York. The new shoots were attacked - Na by myriads, distorting and destroying the foliage and the fruit. ae Scarcely a tree in the vicinity of Rochester had escaped injury. (Country Gentleman tor July 8, 1886, page 525.) In the month of July, a far more serious aphis attack than that upon apple trees was made by the hop aphis, Phorodon humuli: “ Hops throughout the State suddenly became infested by the aphis | to an extent far exceeding any demonstration of the kind for many years. The leaves and buds dried and fell off; the vines assumed a woody appearance and their roots upon examination showed a pulpy condition. Entire yards were destroyed. Others hardly paid for the gathering, As a result, the hop crop throughout the State of New York the present year has proved almost an entire failure. It is estimated that only about eight per cent of anaverage crop has been secured — 12,000 bales in lieu of 150,900. During the same month, a severe attack of an aphis upon potato : plants was reported to me from localities in Pennsylvania and. 4 Massachusetts. The examples received were in too poor condition toadmit of comparison with our known species, and it therefore . remains at the present unidentified. Ae Plant-lice were also reported as injuring carrots and parsnips in Massachusetts —in some instances completely destroying entire beds and fields. No injury to these crops by aphides had been recorded in the United States, and it will be of interest to detent ine the species now for the first time infesting them. . During the autumn the grain aphis, Siphonophora avenw, made its appearance under circumstances that gave ground for the fear that its ravages upon some of our grain crops experienced in fe former years would be repeated the coming year. Large numbers of thespring canker-worm, Anisopteryx vernata, — appeared in several localities in New York, inflicting considerable injury, and indicating a steady increase of the pest among us. — Mr. C. M. Hooker reports it as steadily gaining ground in Monroe county, and very destructive last year, but that Paris green and water would free an orchard from it very cheaply and easily. Mr. E. ©. Pierson reports that it had occurred in many orchardsin __ the northern part of Seneca county, but a timely and liberal spray- — is aw =, yp ee” ee aw te GY Pio ot igh Ae sla eae s Sit eee hag ¥ fy ; Ren Ms ce ‘ r ON. 115.) 85 ; z Bo of the trees, with London purple, had the desired effect and prevented much damage. ~ In Mailbrook, Bialtehisas county, the presence of canker-worms was reported May seventeenth, but they were not proving very destructive. _ At Easton, Washington county, at the same date, fruit trees were suffering from the ravages of the apple-tree tent caterpillar, Clzsdo- campa Americana Harris. A month later, the currant worm, _ Nemaius ventricosus Klug, had invaded every garden and was _ rapidly consuming the foliage of the currant, bushes. A letter from Middletown, Orange county, of June twenty- ninth, to the New York Times, asserts a loss, the present year, of one-third of an average crop of 400,000 bushels of onions, as caused by the onion- ly, Phorbia ceparum Meigen (for an account of which see my First Report, pp. 171-181). The same letter states that “the fly had also attacked the leaf of the beet, depositing its egg beneath the epidermis, where the grub feeds upon the green matter until it reaches maturity and seeks a hiding place in the ground.” This latter attack was not by the onion-fly, but by one of the beet-leaf miners, probably Chortophila-betarum or Pegomyia vicina, described, and habits given by me; loc. czt. pp. 203-211. The “ grapevine beetle,” probably the small chrysomelid, which often proves a great trial to grape growers, Graptodera chalybea Illiger, was reported, in May, as injuring some vineyards on Lake Keuka by eating the buds before the leaves expanded. The beetles, which had hibernated in their perfect stage, after feeding as above, deposited their orange-colored eggs in clusters upon the under side of the young leaves, from which larve shortly hatched, to : _ continue the attack by riddling or entirely devouring the foliage. In Kingston, Dutchess county, the curevlio, Conotrachelus nenuphar Herbst, was more injurious than usual to plums. As an illustration of the concealment under which the early ‘stages of the lives of some of our insects are passed, some observa- tions made by me upon the preparatory stages of a fly, whose exist- ence in this country was previously unknown, were of peculiar interest to me. Catkins of the white birch, Betula alba, were sent to me with the i inquiry, what insect deposits its eggs in the seeds? The first _ “examination disclosed no insect presence, but close observation 86 [AsseMBLY, . showed that, in several instances, a seed had been transformed from its normal alate shape into a globose gall, and displayed on its side around spot where the shell had inwardly been eaten to a thin pellicle to admit of the escape of the contained insect. The insect within was found to be a mature larva, apparently nearly ready for its pupation. It was- evidently a Cecidomyian. In May, examples of the perfect insect emerged from the galls, and were referred to the genus Cecidomyia. No United States species cor-— responding to it was known. It was given a manuscript name of C. betule, but before publication it would be proper to compare it with the European forms. It was accordingly sent to Baron Osten- Sacken, of Heidelberg, Prussia, our authority in North American Diptera. Answer was returned by him, that careful comparison _ showed it to be absolutely identical with the Cecidomyia betula, of Europe, as described by Winnertz. My principal collections of the year were made during a two- week’s sojourn at Keene Valley, in the Adirondack mountains, in the month of August. The locality proved quite unfavorable to large collections. The Lepidoptera and Coleoptera were but few in number. The Hymenoptera and the Hemiptera, constitut- ing the bulk ot the collection, were almost entirely confined to the golden-rods, for the spirseas which in the previous year I had found so attractive to these forms, were not in bloom ‘at “ Beede’s,” at the upper end of the valley, although it was met with in full flower on my return at three hundred feet lower of elevation. As there has not yet been the opportunity for studying the insects obtained at the time, I am unable at the present to offer any special’ report upon them. It is believed, however, that many interesting forms have been secured, a few of which may prove new to science. The additions to the Department by contribution will be given © in the concluding pages of this report. 7 With the above general remarks, the following notices of several insects and insect attacks, which it is hoped will be of interest and value to our agriculturists and others, are Respectfully submitted, } J.A.LINTNER.. area. No. 115.) 87 A New Arrack on Wurat sy A SAw-FLY LARVA. “An insect, with habits hitherto unrecorded, made its appearance in wheat fields in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the early part of June, which, from the character and extent of its injuries, caused considerable anxiety. A gentleman from Salem, New York, sent this note of inquiry: I enclose a green worm, with brown head, taken to-day from my wheat field. These worms do not eat the blade or the head; they crawl up the stalk, strip off the head, and feed on the headless stalk. The ground is strewn with the heads —I suppose a loss of ten per cent of the crop. The worms do not travel, are found singly, and always eating the headless stalk. You haveto look pretty close to see them, as they are usually the color of the wheat. Will you say what its name is? How long does it stay in one locality? (We have had it two years.) Can any remedy be suggested ? Several of my neighbors have them. From another correspondent from Slab, York county, Pennsyl- _vania, the following note, with examples of the larva, was received : Tenclose a worm that has appeared in this vicinity this spring for the first time. The full-grown worm is about an inch long, of greenish color, with brownish head; body tapering trom head back; no tail; ten pairs of feet. It is found on the wheat, cutting it off about one inch below the head, and then eating the soft green straw. Some fields here are strewn with wheat heads cut off by this worm. It may be an old enemy to wheat in some States or other countries, but it is new to us. Can you give us any light as to name, habits, and whether and where it has proved very destruc- tive to wheat or any other crop ? A correspondent of the Philadelphia Weekly Press of June 30, 1886, wrote as follows: A worm which is anew enemy to the growing wheat has appeared in many fields in portions of the county. It is armed witha pair of strong nippers at its head, is reddish-gray in color ~ when first seen and about half an inch in length, but afterwards becomes green; when of full size, an inch in length, and of the thickness of a wheat straw. It attacks the upper portion.of the stalk of wheat, just below the head, and by sucking the sap there- from, around the stalk at the same level, gradually cuts it off as if done with a sharp blade. In this respect it resembles the “army worm”’ by which the eastern counties of the State were visited several years ago, but it does not congregate and move in bodies as that insect was described as doing. In fact, but few can be seen at the same time, one worm doing its damage over a considerable Karly in the season occasionally a headless stalk could be seen. Now the ground is thickly scattered with cut-off headin and (i :v at the same rate of progress by the time the grain is ripe a consid: erable reduction in the yield per acre must be the result. Many farmers seem to know nothing of its presence. Itsdamaging work will escape the notice of any who do not enter their fields fora close inspection. Last year its damage in reported cases was very slight. This year, in some fields, a loss of one bushel in yield per acre to | date SF be a fair estimate. ~ Editorial mention is also made in the “ Weekly Press,” that the insect is reported in the “ Wilmington Every Evening ” as ravaging the wheat fields of Delaware. _ The above inquiries and notice refer to the same insect. I think a that I am safe in designating it as a new insect attack, for nothing of the kind has before been brought to my observation. [ find no reference to ‘it in any of our entomological writings; nor is it noticed in such European works as I have been able to consult. oe.’ The chief interest of the attack, next to the injury that appears to be resulting from it —a loss of ten per cent in the fields attacked — — lies in the fact that the depredator is the larva of a saw-fly, holding a family relationship to our well-known currant saw-fy, Vematus ventricosus. None of our saw-fly larve hitherto known to us, possess this cutting habit, or attack the wheat; thus, the honey- suckle saw-fly, the gooseberry saw-fly the currant saw-fly, the strawberry, raspberry and ash saw-flies, all eat the leaves, making incisions into the margins; others eat the surface of the leaves, as the rose-slug; some produce galls. A species occurring in Europe, known as the corn saw-fly, Cephus pygmeus, eats into the stalk Se ; the wheat, and then burrows downward in the stem. Curtis, in his ‘‘ Farm Insects,’ has given an interesting acconnt of the sudden appearance of a saw-fly larva, in large numbers rest- ing upon the heads of the wheat or fastened in the awns. They were nearly dead when ‘seen and had probably come there to die, _ 5 ~ but where they came from could not be discovered. His description of the larva corresponds so closely with an example of this new wheat _ depredator above noticed, that it may possibly prove to be the same. The mature insect was not obtained by Curtis, but judging from the larval structure, he thonght that it spat be a species of © Tenthredo. The larva now before me is quietly feeding upon a tender stalk of grass given it, stretched out to a length of an inch and a tenth gS SS ghey ot | (Assmann, Mee i ~ noe ware ah 115.] 89 f q i upon the stalk, with which it nearly agrees in color, holding firmly by its three pairs of long legs and eight pairs of conspicuous pro- legs, with its flattened, round, large head, which is white in front _ black on the sides and brown above, busily plying its quadrate black mandibles as it bites from the tip of the stalk, and turns its head and part of its body about the stalk tor that purpose. If disturbed, it simply draws its head inward without curling side- ways, or elevating its terminal end, or emitting a liquid after the manner of so many of the saw-fly larvee. _ The number of legs that this larva has — twenty-two — will at once serve to distinguish it from the caterpillars of our moths and butterflies, which never have more than sixteen legs. The general resemblance to a caterpillar in most of its other features has given to the group the name of ‘‘ false caterpillars.” | would be very glad, if this attack is observed elsewhere, par- ticularly in the State of New York, that the information be sent _me, together with a number of the larve for rearing the perfect insect that the new depredator may be ascertained. Until we know what the insect is, and its habits and transformations, the information asked for in the above commu- nication cannot be given. Effort was made to rear the larve that were sent me, but they came in so poor condition that but one made its cocoon, and that will probably not mature. Mr. L. O. Howard, of the Division of Entomology, Dopariiveyt of Agriculture at Washington, in a communication made to me based upon publications of this insect attack in the Co ountry Gentleman of June twenty-fourth, writes: I beg to call your attention to pages 387, 388 of Prof. Riley’s report for 1884. One of the lJarvee described by Mr. Webster is identical with the species which has done so much damage this season in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. We have reared and figured at the department three distinct species feeding on wheat, and the one which you have is probably Dolerus arvensis Say. I had previously examined the larval descriptions of Prof. Webster and could not reconcile either of them with the examples before me. In Bulletin No. 4, Division of Entomology of the Department of Agriculture, 1884, page 76, mention is made of some larve - discovered in inconsiderable numbers on wheat heads in Minerva, Ohio, which “take a portion of the grains out a the heads aed they attack.” : The same larva was reported by W. 8S. Chamberlain, senelade of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, as occurring on wheat at Columbus. No mention was made of its severing the heads. ~ An example of the larva was sent to Washington, but from the condition in which it was received it could only be identified at Washington as one of the Zenthridinine, none of which at that’ time had been recorded as injuring wheat in this country. Tar Repv-HumPEeD APPLE-TREE CATERPILLAR AND PARASITE. From Mr. G. W. Duvall, of Annapolis, Md., some caterpillars were received July first which were infesting his apple trees at that date, and had also been injurious the preceding year. They are of the species known as the red-lhumped apple-tree caterpillar, or Gdemasia eoncinna (Sm.-Abb.). They have a prominent red hump on the top of the fourth segment; the head is coral-red, the body is striped in yellow, black, and white lines and bears above two rows of short, black spines and shorter ones upon the sides. The hind end is elevated in walking. The cat- erpillars usually congregate on a single limb, and are sometimes quite destructive, particularly to small trees. — The specimens sent presented a very curious appearance. Each had been preyed upon by a parasite, which had eaten out the entire contents of the caterpillar and had used the outer skin for itscocoon. The cocoons were seen as white oval forms, between three and four-tenths of an inch long, impressed with six or eight — more conspicuous rings (the larval segments), each of which is ringed with a row of short, black spines. The head of the larva, now changed to shining black, marks one end of the cocoon and the black terminal prolegs the other. The parasite, which is a small wasp-like creature, with vellow legs and the tibial joint of the hinder pair banded with black and white, eats its way out.of the cocoon through a large round hole invariably placed near the — larval head. Altogether it is one of the most peculiar looking cocoons that we have met with in the large family of Ichneumonide. The parasite is known as Limneria fugitiva (Say). 90 | , [Assumpny, 239 No. 115.] re 91 _ The same curious cocoons (transformations of the same cater- pillar) were also sent to me during August by Mr. A. S. Fuller, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, he having received them from a friend in Virginia, with the statement that the caterpillars had eaten off all the leaves of his apple trees. It is interesting that this Limneria parasite manifests a special fondness for the cocoon-spinning moths of the silk-worm family — the Bombycide. It is known to infest Huchetes egle (Drury), (demasia concinna (Sm.-Abb.), Hemileuca Maia (Drury), Anisota stigma (Fabr.), A. senatoria (Sm.-Abb.), Dryocampa rubicunda (Fabr.), and Clistocampa sylvatica Harris. Dr. Fitch has recorded it as infesting the larva of one of our butterflies, — Pyrameis cardur. Toe Forest Trent-CaTERPILLAR. Clisiocampa sylvatica Harris. Although the insect above named has long been known, and much has been written of it, yet the following note received from Mr. H. Babcock, of St. Albans, Vt., gives some particulars of its habits that have not been recorded. I find on my apple trees colonies of caterpillars, unlike the common apple-tree worm. They are found en masse anywhere on the trunk or limbs, and when disturbed will drop and spin a silken thread like a spider, but have no nests. They are of different sizes, evidently not full-grown. ‘The head is large, and of a dark blue color. The backs ot the largest ones are jet black, with a _row of bright yellow spots extending the whole length. On the side is a dull blue stripe, bordered by very minute orange-colored lines. There seems to be not much hair on the backs, but the belly is covered with long yellow-brown hairs. They are alike on cherry, plum, and apple trees. Last year I saw such colonies on two or three plum and cherry trees, and supposed them to be full-sized common apple-tree worms that had crawled from some neglected nest, and swept them down and put them in the stove. This year the same worms are thick on my apple trees, and knowing that I had thoroughly tought the common worms, I examined and found them to be a different species. There is also a species that in late summer or early fall build nests on the ends of the limbs, inclosing leaves i in their nests. The caterpillar described and its habits given in the above communication, is the Clisiocampa sylvatica of Dr. Harris, named . | 92 ctl | [Asseumer, eas also by him the ‘Forest tent-caterpillar,” in aeiucia from the common apple-tree tent caterpillar. The two species in appearance closely resemble one another, the principal difference being that ‘ while the latter is marked eh its back with a white line, the former has a row of somewhat oval spots, which are either white or yellowish. Their habits are quite different, for while the apple-tree species spins large and conspicuous web-nests in the forks of the limbs in which it congregates at night, the webs of — the other are seldom seen, as they are usually placed upon the sur- face of the trunk of the tree, and covered and concealed by the _ larvee, which use it merely as a resting place and not’ for a shelter. The common name of this insect is an unfortunate one, for it is probably observed as often upon apple trees as upon forest trees. Although Dr. Harris gave as its habit, ‘living in communities under.a common web or tent made against the trunk or beneath some ot the principal branches of the trees,’”’ yet this so seldom occurs that it has been questioned. Prof. Riley, however, records (Third Report Insects.of Missouri p. 126) that he has seen excep- tional instances of their collecting within or beneath their web, especially when young. I do not find that Dr. Fitch confirms Dr. Harris by stating that “the worms live under a large cobweb nest,” as quoted by Prof. Riley (doc. cct.), but that ‘“ these caterpillars build their nest against the side of the tree instead of in a fork of the limbs” (F%rst and Second Reports on the Insects of New York, p. 198). The statements upon page 199 that “a few of the caterpillars remain upon the tree and continue to occupy the nest, ” and, also, ‘‘ many of the cocoons found in the old nests,” ~ etc., obviously refer to Cleszocampa Americana, 1 in continuation of — its history as given on page 194. In reply to a request made to Mr. Babcock for some additional information upon this insect, as it was evident that he had observed it with more than ordinary care, he has written me under date of May twenty-fifth, as follows: At the time of sending my first communication, there was not a nest in sight; now they have nests much flatter than those of the apple-tree worm. One that I saw this morning encircled a limb — of four inches in diameter for over half a yard. When I first saw the caterpillars they were in patches on the trunks and larger limbs, about eight or ten inches long by two to four inches wide | _all lying parallel to each other. The patches were generally in Dw tt Be OE Ae a eae two parts, and the stragglers seemed to be moving to reach the _ other cluster — the whole evidently advancing upward. The clus- ters that I have found have been on apple, plum, cherry and inaple trees. They seemed thicker on the maples. I was plowing in a f ay garden under an apple tree, when, having been disturbed by my horse, I suddenly found myself in a cloud of them, dropping down on their silken thread like spiders. I had swabbed out the nests of ‘the common kind with kerosene, when they were not a half-inch long, for. several days in succession, until there was not a nest in either orchard, when all at once we were overrun with this species. This statement of Mr. Babcock contains items of interest in the history and habits of this species, and therefore deserves record. The species referred to in his communication as building nests on the ends ot the limbs and inclosing leaves, in the early autumn, is the *‘ fall web-worm,” Hyphantria textor Harris. Temedies — The remedies for the forest tent-caterpillar are the following: Hunt for and destroy the eggs late in the season after the leaves have fallen, which will be found encircling twigs in short rings, like the well-known egg-clusters of the common apple-tree BS caterpillar. These are distinguished by terminating flatly at the ends instead of being rounded, and in not being covered with a thick coating of a varnish-like substance. Or, jar the tree sud- denly upon which they occur, and as they drop and hang suspended by their silken threads, sweep them off and destroy them. Another way: Search for the colonies in the early morning or late in the day, when not scattered for feeding, and crush them upon the limbs or trunks. Tue Spring Canxer-Worq. Anisopteryx vernata (Peck). The inquiries received for information concerning this pest of _ our apple orchards have been quite frequent, and among them have been several from different sections of the State of New York, showing an increase of its depredations and a lamentable lack of __ knowledge respecting its natural history and means for preventing its ravages. Mr. Henry D. Barry, of Dutchess county, N. Y., has — - written of it as follows: The past two years my apple orchard has been stripped of leaves by a worm which comes the last of April or first of May and dis- appears the last of June or first of July. The worm is three- fivw ti nad 94 | - [Assempey, ree quarters of an inch to an inch long when it has its growth, ot dark: color, travels like a measuring-worm, and on jarring the tree spins down on a fine single web. The trees look as if they had. been scorched by fire after the worms get through. Please give me what information you possess as to the name and characteristics of — the worm; also, what will prevent their coming, or drive them — away when here # The spring canker-worm and its characteristic depredations are ~ described in the above note of inquiry. : The increase and spread of this apple-tree pest throughout our State should arouse our orchardists to the importance of employing — active measures against it upon its first notice. If operations are commenced in time, it can be exterminated with comparatively — little labor. The insect — one of the moth family —is not distrib- — uted by flight, as are nearly all our insect pests, as the female mothis _ destitute of wings. Fora year or two, or for a longer time, its attack may be limited to a single tree in an orchard. Whenever it appears in a new locality its introduction is prone through. human agency. The following brief description of the insect will aid in its recog- nition by those who are unacquainted with it: The caterpillar, when its operations disclose its presence, is about half an inch in length. It is a slender creature, which travels by arching its body after the manner of the other “ measuring-worms,”. to which class it belongs. At first of a dark olive-green or brown color, it becomes darker with age, as it approaches maturity, when it changes to a dark brown color —in some cases almost black. It is marked longitudinally with several pale or yellowish stripes, particularly upon its sides. When full grown it measures about ah inch in length. , ; The female moth is without wings, clothed with grayish hairs, which are sprinkled with black, and with a black stripe upon the back of its abdomen. Its general appearance is spider-like and the — ordinary observer would not suspect its being a moth. The male — moth, which rarely comes under notice, has an expanse of about —_ one inch. The wings are large in proportion to the body, thin, gray in color, with usually three crooked, transverse, dusky lines — upon the front pair. The hinder pair are without markings. | The remedies to be used against this pest have been so often published in our agricultural papers that it hardly seems necessary _ _ ‘OB Wordtay: (:-~/. 95 to repeat them as often as inquiry is made. The best approved pre- -ventive and remedial measures have been given by me in detail in the Country Gentleman for May 18, 1882, page 393, and for July 10, 1884, page 577. A reference to these will furnish the information asked for in the above note of inquiry. My Second Report on the Insects of New York, pages 7-9, may also be consulted. It may be well to state that at the time when the frost is leaving the ground myriads of the pup of the insect may be destroyed by breaking up the ground beneath the trees to the depth of six inches. Swine have often been found of service in this work and for feeding at the same time on other apple insects. Almost entire protection has been obtained by the use of bands about the trunks of apple trees, of tar and molasses, of printers’ ink, of special mixtures sold for the purpose by dealers in agricultural ‘supplies, of tin bands prepared after instructions given, of tin troughs containing kerosene oil, etc. All of these are used for the _ purpose of preventing the wingless moth, after hatching from her pupal case in the ground beneath the tree, from climbing up the trunk and depositing her eggs upon the limbs. Probably a less laborious and expensive method is to poison the caterpillars very soon after they have commenced to feed and before they have had time to injure to any serious extent the foliage. The poison may be arsenic dissolved in boiling water to the strength _ of one pound to 200 gallons of water, Paris green, or London purple. The last will be found the easiest in preparation and in use. To be told just how to do z¢ will perhaps lead many into doing it. A correspondent has given the method as follows: I placed three empty coal-oil barrels, having a capacity of about fifty gallons each, in a wagon and filled them with water. I then took a pound of London purple for each barrel, first mixing it well in a pail of water and pouring it into the barrel. The wagon was driven along the windward side of the row of trees, if there was much wind; and with a fountain pump with’a fine rose, the liquid was thrown over the tree. The water in the barrels must be con- stantly stirred during the operation to prevent the poisun from settling. Great care should be taken not to breathe any of it, nor to allow the wind to carry the liquid toward men or horses. With two teams and four men three or four hundred trees could be sprayed inaday. The entire cost, including pumps, barrels, poison and labor, was about three cents a tree for twice spraying. In rainy weather _ the application should be repeated, two or three times. The above proportion of the purple would not be needed for killing the young and -tender larvee, and might possibly brown the — newly opening leaves. Of course no greater strength should be used than necessary. As the eggs hatch unequally a second spray- ee: ing after the lapse of a week may be important, even in the” ve absence of rain. oe An apparatus has been lately devised by Messrs. Moody & Seas eet nurserymen, of Lockport, N. Y., by means of which the power tor. Sg the agitation of the liquid and ‘dhe working of the force ‘pump is obtained from the revolution of the wheels of the wagon holding ae the tank, as it is driven through the orchard, and the dischenes i pipe is held and directed by the driver. , Ra tS tee . 4 An -Unxnown Grass Pest. : | a An attack upon grass which has long been noted, but never investigated, has recently been bronght to my notice through speci- mens of the injured grass sent to me from Emmett, Ohio, with “A inquiry of its cause. The communication states that more than > thirty per cent of the stalks of the June grass have been dead since the tenth of May. ' The same attack occurs in specimens of June grass sent tome from Union Springs, N. Y., by Mr. J. J. Thomas, who had : _ observed it for many years. id also find it in a small grass plat in me my own garden, at the present time (last of June). Examination | fails to disclose the presence ot any insect, either within the sheath — 4 or the stalk itself. The stalk, in most examples, appears to have — _-been eaten after the manner of the wheat-stem maggot, which pro-— duces the fly described by Dr. Fitch, in his second New York ~ report, as Meromyza Americana, an account of which is given at Ja f some length in my First Report on the Insects of New York ~~ (pp. 221-227), together with a figure showing the manner in which the larva preys upon’the stem. The operations of the grass-stem insect may be supposed to be similar to this; and if it be looked for oa about the middle of May, it should be found working upon the. “4 stem in the same manner. It is not unlikely that it is some emall i : fly belonging to the family of Oscinidea, which contains many 1 species injurious to grain crops in Europe and in this Coney is ae | 97 The following note probably refers to the same attack : a At the commencement of the past summer, an early species of grass, called June grass in this vicinity, was in several localities prematurely destroyed soon after flowering, the stalks, from some _one of the joints, upward, withering and turning to a straw color, and to such an extent that one person informs me, on casually approaching his‘meadow one morning, it presented so white an _ appearance that his first thought was that it was covered with hoar- frost. The connection of the stem immediately above the joint seemed to be entirely destroyed, so that the slightest force withdrew it from its sheath, by which it alone continued to be sustained in an upright position. From the analogy of this affection to that produced by the Hessian fly in wheat, I infer it to have been caused by a kindred species of Cecidomyia. (Quarterly Journal of Agriculture and Science, 1,.1845, p. 263.) In some examinations made by me, I have found the stem not roughened and eroded, but simply shriveled almost to a thread, but its outer surface unbroken. If this is also the result of insect - attack, it must be from another species, which enters the stem and _ feeds within it. Possibly this is a later attack than the preceding, _ for in some of the stalks of grass sent to me by Mr. J. J. Thomas, showing apparent external erosion directly above the two upper joints, one contained, just within the sheath of the grass blade, a half dozen globular, transparent, rather large eggs, which have subsequently hatched, and the young larve are now being fed by “me within sections of grass stems which I have giventhem. These Jarvee are of some species of moth, and when observed, in changing their food to fresh stems, show themselves as remarkably active % - loopers or measuring worms. (They failed to reach maturity.) Under another sheath were found some dark-colored eggs, shaped _ like a banana, which apparently belong to some bug of the order of Hemiptera. | It would seem from the above that there still remains much to be learned of our grass insects. Prof. Peck, State Botanist, has expressed his opinion that the shriveling of the stem, as above noticed, is not the result of any diseased condition of the grass. He thinks that in former years he has observed small larveé associated with the eroded condition of the stem. 4 An editorial notice of the attack in the Vew England Farmer for June, 19, 1886, ascribes it to “‘a species of thrips.” This may | Assembly, No. 115.] fi “= , Pins 29'S ay ohio 7 Sees } y e dh AS “ " - : q a, \ 98. » [AssEMBLY, — prove to be correct, but as it is unsupported by any statement of observation and identification, we fear that it is based mainly upon a percent” to refer many obscure attacks to the operations — of “ thrips,”’— a family of insects of which we really know very little. — Whatever the insect may be, the recommendation made for its destruction in the notice which we quote, will probably prove of thaterial value. In many localities June grass, Poa pratensis, is being much — injured by a minute insect, a species of thrips, which inhabits the stalk just above the upper joint, and by sucking the juice of the grass causes that part above it to wilt and die. In some old fields and door yards where the grass has been mowed many years, more than half the heads of the June grass will be found white and dead, causing quite a depreciation in the value of the hay. The insect in its larval state is scarcely large enongh to be seen readily by the naked eye, being not more than a tenth of an inch long and very slender. Where it is not desirable to plough the ground, as in yards about the buildings, we would advise cutting the grass as soon as the heads begin to turn white. Feeding it out green immediately will destroy the insects, and probably if the grass is _ made into hay very early it will tend to prevent the thrips from coming to maturity. We should judge that the transformations occur in the field and near to the place of birth. A field that was badly infested last year is found equally so this year, while an old pasture that has been kept fed down close for several years, but not pastured this year, is almost free from the insect. Except in lawns, we should recommend ploughing and planting a Cape of years to — clear the land pueeely of this little pest. A New Srrawserry Insect. Bembidium quadrimaculatum (Linn.). Mr. J. P. Little, of Columbia, Conn., has sent the following note — of inquiry of an irisect attack upon his strawberry plants: — A new enemy to the strawberry plant has appeared on my newly-set plants; at least itis new to me. It is a small brown bug which eats the leaves of the newly-set plants, and thus entirely destroys them. I send samples of the pest herewith. The beetles received are Bembidium quadrimaculatum (Linn.). Their occurrence, as at present found, is quite interesting, for, although the insect has long been known, and is referred to by Dr. Fitch as “very common in our garden” (Eleventh Report, p- 504, Transactions of New York State Agricultural Socvety), ipd oe ‘No. 115.) ee | it has never, so far as known’ to me, been recorded as feeding upon vegetable material. Dr. Fitch remarks of it, after pointing out its resemblance to the four-spotted variety of the striped flea-beetle, Phyllotreta vittata: “Its motion will readily distinguish it from this beetle. It never hops, ‘but sparkling like a diamond in the bright sunshine, it runs briskly in a very serpentive or zig-zag track, a few inches, till it gains some crack in the ground or other covert, in which it abruptly disap- pears. It feeds on other insects — its strength and agility enabling it to overpower those that are much larger than it in size.” Notwithstanding the ascription of carnivorous habits to this beetle by Dr Fitch and others, yet from the circumstance under which it has been brought to notice, it is quite probable that it is ' guilty of the charge made against it, of injury to strawberries. True, it belongs to a blood-thirsty family, the Carabidae, which ’ embraces a large number of our eminently predaceous beetles, most __ of the species of which are insectivorous, and of essential service in diminishing the number of the injurious pests of our garden and fields. They are not, however, exclusively carnivorous, for, according to Westwood, some of the species in Europe are known to feed upon growing grain. Thus Zabrus gibbus occasionally destroys entire fields of corn by eating off the young shoots at night ; and species of the genus Amara find their chief support in the pith and stems of grain and succulent roots, while they also eat the larve of other insects ( Westwood’s Introduction i, pp. 62, 63). As features of the attack of this insect, Mr. Little states that in a bed of five rows of strawberry plants near a stone-wall, the first row was entirely destroyed; the second, nearly so; the third, badly injured, while the fourth and fifth were eaten but little. Another bed, twenty rods from this, had not been injured at all. The explanation of the greatest injury nearest the wall may be found, probably, in the known habit of the Bembidium eiair of hiding beneath stones and in crevices of walls. The slight doubt that still exists of the Bembidium being the real depredator upon the strawberry will be settled by the experi- ments to be made of confining it with uneaten leaves. Its carnivor- ous tastes will also be tested by inclosing small insects with it. [The insects needed for the above tests could not be obtained when application was made for them. | .- A Mxau Insror —Lemophleus alternans. / A barrel of “Arlington wheat meal ” was found (in Massachusetts) S, to be infested — to what extent not stated — with a small insect, which, as near as could be determined from the examples regeived, was Lemophleus alternans Er. Upon inquiry of the manufacturers of the meal, reply was made that the insect was entirely new to them, and no complaint of its occurrence had previously been received by them. | With our limited knowledge of these insects, we are unable to 100) : [AssemBr Yar say when. they were introduced in the meal or what drew them thither. Most of the members of the family of Oucujide, to — which Lemophieus belongs, are carnivorous in their larval stage. Many live under the bark of trees where they subsist upon other insects, acari, etc. The Lwmophleus larva may possibly have been present in the mea: for feeding upon the flour-mite, Zyroglyphus stro (Linn.), with which the meal may have also been infested with- out their minute forms having been noticed. Perhaps the mature beetle may feed on meal, but of this nothing as yet is known? It will be difficult to name a remedy for this beetle when infest- ’ | ing meal. It is so small—less than one-twelfth of an inch in length —that it could not be removed through sifting. The experiment might be made of placing in the flour a small package — of gum camphor, naphthéline or some other substance of strong — odor that may prove disagreeable to the insects, and thus drive them out. If but a few are present, and the natural prejudice against éating insect-food could be overcome, no harm would follow | if some of them should. happen to be served up with the cooked meal. A GRASS-BURROWING BEETLE. Cebrio bicolor (Fabr.). A beetle sent from Nashville, Tenn., was accompanied with the statement that in a grass-plat, which bad been sodded late in the preceding year, whenever it rained, this insect threw up small mounds of earth, and bad filled ie ground with holes of about one-fourth of an inch in diameter. A remedy for its defacement of the grass-plat was desired. a No. 115.) 2 101 The beetle was identified as Cebrio bicolor (Fabr.). It is a very oy interesting species, belonging to the extensive tamily of Hlaterida, 2 or snapping beetles, and to the sub-family of Cebrioninw (formerly regarded as of family value), which has but few representatives in- our country, and those confined mainly to the Southern States. In the eastern continent they inhabit the south of Europe and the north of Africa. The females are destitute of wings, which, indeed, would be useless to them from their habit of living beneath the surface of the ground. They usually carry their burrows to the surface after or during heavy rains, at which time they are found by the males —a more slender insect, with longer antennz a and fully developed wings— and copulation takes place. ay’ Westwood relates (Lntroduction to the Classification of Insects, vol. 1, pp. 244, 245), that in Europe, C. gzgas appears only during. the early autumnal showers; at which period, if the weather be fine, few only are to be found; but if very wet, great numbers of males are observed creeping about the ground (from which they have recently emerged) and eagerly searching for the females. At the time of coupling, the female protrudes from the ground a long horny tube, the extremity of which contains the organs of generation. _ : Judging from the ‘habits of other of the Hlateride or snap- ping beetles, most of the popular remedies employed against the ravages of the well-known larve, “the wire worms” would be efficacious with these. In a grass-plat, the frequent plowing or turning over of the surface soil, so generally recommended, could | not be conveniently resorted to. An effective method of destroying 3 the beetles might be, ifthe burrows were not very numerous, to pour 1 hot waterinthem. An equally efficient method of destruction, and one which would better subserve the purposes of science, would be to dig up each female when the burrow appears, drop it in a small bottle of spirits, and send the bottle, packed in sawdust, to the New York State Entomologist,who would gladly place the specimens in various collections in the Northern States, where the species, from its subterranean habits, is a rarity. If this were faithfully done for one season, from the first indication of the presence of the insect, the infeeted grass-plat could furnish but few, if any, additional specimens the following season for further distribution. A Dune Brette.. Aphodius inquinatus (Herbst). Insects are sent for name and history from Annapolis, Md., which, in the month of October, are represented as filling the air with their numbers. Farmers in the vicinity know it as “the young tumbler bug.” Ducks are very fond of them, and con- sume a great many. The insect is a small beetle about one-fifth of an inch in length. Its antennz are club-shaped, terminating in three lamelle or flat _ lobes, showing it to belong to the lamellicorn beetles, of which the sacred Scarabeeus of Egypt is a well known representative. Its head is black and two-thirds as broad as the thorax, which is also shining black and nearly as broad as the abdomen. The abdomen ‘ is oblong, depressed and rounded behind. The wing-covers have about nine rows of minutely pitted stripes and are of a brown a, “ ' color, with longitudinal black markings on the anterior, posterior — and lateral portions. The legs are hairy and armed with several teeth. , The beetle is known as Aphodius inquinatus (Hb.). It isa European species, which, with other of its congeners, has been introduced into this country. It has two annual broods, occurring both in the spring and in the autumn, and has often been observed in immense numbers, as in this present instance. Its eggs are depos- | ited in the excrement of animals, upon the partially decomposed portions of which the young, when hatched, subsist. The: tribal group of Aphodiinz to which it belongs, follows next in system- atic arrangement to that of the Coprinz, in which is contained the common tumble-dung beetle —- Canthon levis (Drury). It is there- fore probable that its habits are so closely allied to that species as to have suggested the name which has been given to it, as above © stated — “the young tumbler-bug,” but I do not know that it — deposits its eggs in a pellet of excrement, and rolls it about until it finds some suitable place for its burial, after the manner of C. levis. All the species of the genus are of small size, rarely exceeding a quarter of an inch in length. They are usually black, but in some instances have red or brown wing-covers, or marked in these colors. . No less than seventy North American species of the genus are : : 4 ¢ S ad * : i a 102 : [ AssEMBLY, | Re ~ No. 115.) 103 recorded in Henshaw’s check-list of the Coleoptera. A. fimetar- ius (Fabr.), is also a common species which has been observed abundantly, according to Dr. Packard, on the carriage road of Mount Washington. A. fossor (Linn.), has also been introduced from Europe. — . These species pass the winter in the larval and pupal states, to appear in the spring as perfect beetles, which are readily attracted to the newly dropped excrement of horses and cows, and may often be observed swarming over it. Tue Suear Marre Borer. Glycobius speciosus (Say). A lady writing from Canajoharie, New York, complains with much feeling of the ravages of a borer which is rapidly destroying | some highly valued maples which shade and adorn her home. From the account given of its operations, it is undoubtedly the maple borer above named, which was first described by Say in 1824, in Long’s Second Expedition to the Source of St. Peter's River (ii. p. 290), as a rare insect. In addition to the specimen taken on the Wisconsin river during the expedition, one other only was known, which had probably been taken in Pennsylvania and was in the possession of the Philadelphia museum. It was subsequently illustrated in Say’s American Entomology Dr. Harris has noticed and figured it in his Znsects Injurious to Vegetation giving at the 3 _ same time one of those popular and graphic descriptions which enable his readers to recognize the insect unaided by illustration, and have lent such a charm to his invaluable report. Of later years the beetle has become comparatively abundant, being found in nearly all collections, and having been frequently written of and figured. It is one of our most beautiful species, as its specific name of speciosus, meaning beautiful, imports, being a member of the family of longicorys (Cerambycide), measuring over an inch in length, marked with the strongly contrasting colors of orange and black, and bearing conspicuously a W-like character on ‘the front part of its wing-covers. __ Despite its beauty, it is a highly pernicous insect. Not content, - as are most of it associates, with burrowing in dead or sickly vegetation, its attack is usually made on perfectly healthy trees. ~ 104 [AssEMBLY, It was my privilege several years ago to follow an attack of - this , insect on a row of maples at Schoharie, New York, which I passed . daily, and had for years observed with pleasure their vigorous and healthful growth. As adding to the testimony of Dr. Packard of the attack of healthy trees (Jnsects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees — Bulletin No. 7 of the United States Entomological Division, p. 103, 104), I herewith copy the record made under date’ of November 30, 1859: ao “T have noticed this autumn, for the first time, that our sugar maples, which we have always regarded as our most valuable shade tree, from the almost complete immunity which they have enjoyed , in trunk and leaf from insect depredation, have been attacked by a borer so pernicious in its work as to threaten their destruction unless some means shall be found to check its ravages. In its simplest form it reveals itself by the bark parting longi- tudinally and breaking away, disclosing the wood of the treein a narrow strip for some five or six inches in length. On the sur-. face of the wood can be seen the furrow of the grub, cut to a slight depth, gradually increasing in its dimensions as it descends, and at the lower end entering the trunk of the tree. Over the © borders of the groove the growth of sapwood. made since the injury, impinges. This, I: presume to be the work of a grub pro- | ceeding from an egg deposited late in the season and compelled to seek an early refuge by approaching winter. A wound no more serious than this, would close over in two or three years and no permanent injury result. But when the grub has had full. time allowed it for its work the injury is far more important. In several instances I have traced the furrow, packed tightly with fine powder tor two feet or more in extent, with an average | breadth at its lower portion of over half an inch and nearly one- fourth of an inch in depth. ‘To render it the more serious the grub almost invariably before entering the tree, leaves its downward _ path and winds nearly horizontally around the trunk until it com- pletes about half a circuit. It then enters the trunk an ineh or thereabouts back from the end of its burrow, ascending at an angle of about ten degrees. The perfect insect emerges from the tree above through an opening which can be probed horizontally for three of four inches, the mouth of which is smoothly cut and- somewhat elliptical, the broadest diameter being about .35 of an inch. t *’One maple which I have examined, of some ten inches diameter at the base, which has been more seriously affected than others, and probably the first to be attacked, has been nearly destroyed. Several of the grubs have commenced their ravages side by side, and by their united cuttings have in places exposed the trunk for over a hand’s breadth. The tree has been attacked in various J * ar ea ‘No. 115.) : 105 ~ places from above its first limbs nearly to its base, extending _ beneath the surface of the ground. The entire circumference of the tree has been grooved, although not continuously. Circula- tion is still maintained by winding arated and among the burrows, but one more season’s work, will, it seems, take the life of the tree.. In a row of maples bordering a lawn scarcely a single tree is entirely exempt from injury — all apparently the work of this grub. _ If these injuries are to continue and increase, and I see nothing to prevent it, our maples, which we prize so highly, will share the tate of the locust .and be abandoned to the borer as too unsightly a tree for ornamental use.” The “ beautiful Clytus” is a difficult insect to control, and very many of the fine old maples, which have ornamented our streets and afforded us so agreeable shade, have been or are being killed by it. A few years ago it was a source of mnch pain to me to see at Benrington, Vt., the large number of old maples that were standing dead upon the street or rapidly dying from the merciless burrows of this borer that had scarred and excavated their trunks. Recently the same ravages, although not as yet to the same extent, were observed by me at Glens Falls, N. Y. Probably the best method of arresting the ravages of this per- -nicious borer would be to watch for the commencement of the operations and kill the young larva. The eggs are laid in July and August. It is said that the place where the egg has been _ deposited upon the bark of the trunk may be detected “ by a rusty discoloration of the bark about the size of a cent: and especially by the frass or castings which, to the length of an inch or more, are attached like a broken corkscrew to the bark.” The larve upon hatching burrow upward, remaining in the bark until the ~ following spring, when they leave the bark and burrow into the solid wood. At this season of the year [October] the larve may be found beneath or not far from these discolored spots of ege deposit. If by cutting into these the burrow is found to have extended too far to follow it with the knife without injury to the tree, a flexible wire may ‘be used as a probe for reaching and destroying it, as is done for the notorious apple-tree borer, Saperda candida Fabr. 106 Tar Potato Starx’ WEEVIL. / Trichobaris trinotata (Say). A communication to the American Rural Home, of July 24, 1886, ‘ gives information of a severe attack of the above named insect — upon the potato crop in Arizona, from which it will be seen that — it is a more serious evil in that region than it has thus far been ine 1 Pie i Ne ae i “| ag 4 RB, ev ig — = ae - ~¥ Pon aii aes tee the Eastern States. This may, in part, be due to the larger form 74! that the beetle assumes in its western distribution —in Upper and Lower California and in Arizona, according to Dr. Le Conte (Rhynchophora of North America, 1876, p. 288): To the Editor : S1z.— I send inclosed, specimens of a bug that has alnodeh entire e A destroyed the potato crop in this section this season. I never saw it before, nor have any of my neighbors. It bores into the heart of the stalk at the top of the ground while small, in the larva stage, _ and, completing its growth, passes the chr ysalis stage and emerges the specimens inclosed, leaving the plants in a shriveled and dying condition. There are from one to six or eight worms in almost every vine. sometimes boring the entire inside out of the stalk for. a from three to ten inches of its length. Can you tell me what it is? Is there any remedy or preven- tive? By answering the above you will greatly oblige the readers of your paper in this place. We plant our potatoes in this climate — in February, and theyripenin June. Some of the earliest escaped, as the potatoes were sufficiently matured not to be much affected, but the later ones are almost a total failure, as the tubers remain in whatever stage of growth they are when the worms begin on the — vines. ; GEO. P. DYKES. Zenos, Maricopa County, ARIZONA. The above communication gives us some additional knowledge of the destructive habits of the larva of a snout beetle (one of the — Curculionide), popularly known as the potato stalk weevil, and scientifically as Trichobaris trinotata (Say). It is about three- twentieths of an inch long; oval, with the characteristic projecting curved beak of the curculios, of an ash-gray color from its cloth- ing of short gray hairs, and with three small black spots (whence its specific name), one on each hind angle of the thorax and another behind its middle angle. It is figured in Dr. Harris’ Zreatise on Insects Injurious to Vegetation, as Baridius trinotatus, and referred to as not known in New England, but occurring in the Middle ~ \ meenanringe S 107 _ States. I have heard no complaint of its injuries in the State of _ New York, nor is it mentioned in the Fitch New York Reports, but it has proved quite destructive in Pennsylvania and in some of the Western States. It appears to be more abundant and injurious in the south-western portion of the United States. The injuries inflicted by the beetle are correctly stated in the accompanying communication, while the attack seems to be more _ formidable than hitherto reported. Prof. Riley, in his notice of the insect (Yirst Report on the Insects of Missouri, 1859, pp. 93, 95, where description and illustration are given), states that the female deposits asingle egg in an oblong slit about one-eighth of an inch long, which she had made with her beak’; but in this attack, from six to eight eggs are said to be placed in each vine. Fortunately, the remedy for this destructon of the vines in suc- cessive seasons, is found in the habit of the insect changing to its pupal and perfect stages within the vines. As soon as the plants begin to wilt, pull them up and burn them, with the insects con- tained in the stalks or roots. If this be done by all potato growers, as the insect, so far as known, confines itself to the potato, the con- tinuance of the species in the infested locality will be arrested. “An Uarty Brr—SLayeEr.” Phymata erosa Her.-Sch. Mr. G. W. Duvall, of Annapolis, Md., to whom we are indebted for many valuable observations on insects, has contributed to the Country Gentleman the following account of the habits of the carnivorous insect above-named — a member of the order of Hemip- tera, comprising bugs proper, and a common species of general distribution in the United States: I send by this post a bottle containing an Sie bee-slayer, on a twig of golden-rod, their favorite bloom, in which they conceal themselves, so as to spring upon ‘the unwary honey-gatherer; also two of its victims—a small butterfly and a bee. They secrete themselves in the yellow bloom (which is nearly their own color) of the golden-rods, false sunflower (7. autwmnale), and others of the Composite which yield honey and have a white or yellow bloom, and are so tucked away among the thick efflorescence, that they are not perceived by the busy and unsuspecting honey-seeker, until he actually crawls into their deadly embrace. They suck the res a 108 3 | \ [Assmann ' blood and juices of their prey, which is accomplished in a fer ’ moments, through their proboscis, when they leave it hanging — among the bloom, and ensconce themselves in their fragrant and cozy retreats for fresh ones. Their victims are killed instantaneously, without a struggle; and are grasped by their powerful sickle-like | claws, drawn in and stabbed with their proboscis. as are as: e ; fierce looking as the fabled dragons. The interesting account above given relates to the x stinging bug,” asit is sometimes called, the scientific name of which is Phymata erosa. In the American Entomologist (vol. ii, p. 25), the following: account is given of it in reply to a correspondent : ‘*Tt is a singular, craggy-looking bug, about 0.38 of an inch long, of a yellowish-green color, variegated with brown, with the legs green and a transverse deep brown band running superiorly across from one side to the other of the dilated abdomen. The genus is characterized by the immensely swollen front thighs, and by the — last joint of the antebne being also swollen. The statement that one of these bugs stung you does not surprise us. The stinging was, of course, done by the beak, which is three-jointed and some- what resembles that of Zarpactor cinctus (Fabr.). The plant on — which you found these bugs we take to be Parthenium integri- jolium. We have noticed them ourselves in the latter part of © summer lying quietly in wait for their prey upon a great variety of wild flowers, but mostly on such as like themselves are of a yellowish color so as to conceal them from view. We have also often seen this bug with its beak inserted into a small bee ora’ small wasp, which it is wideawake enough to hold at arms ~ length with its prehensile forelegs, so that the poor unfortunate captive has no chance to sting it.” The butterfly sent with the bug as one of its victims is an example of Chrysophanus Americanus D’ Urban — a common species through@ut the Middle and Northern United i and | British America. Prof. Glover, in his Manuscript Notes on the Hemiptera, states that a specimen of the bug was taken near the Maryland Agri-— cultural College as it was lying concealed among the petals of a rose busily engaged in sucking out the juices of a small blue butterfly which it had caught and killed, and that many others were observed apparently lying in wait in various flowers for the insects attracted to them. Nos 115.) 109 g Mr. F. G. Sanborn is quoted in the American Naturalist (vol. 1, p. 329), as ascribing much smaller game to this insect than bees, wasps, and butterflies. He states of it: ‘‘ These insects have been taken in great numbers upon the linden trees in: _ the city of Boston, and were seen in the act of devouring the _aphides which have infested the shade trees of that city for several; years past. They are described by a gentleman who watches their operations with great interest, as ‘stealing up to a louse, coolly seizing it and tucking it under the arm, then inserting _ the beak and sucking it dry.’ They are supposed to feed also on _ other vegetable-eating insects as well as on the plant-louse.” A Rs "figure of the bug accompanies this statement, and one is also given by Prof. Glover (op. cit., plate iii, fig. 18). Its beneficial character, in mitigation of its destruction of honey bees, is also confirmed. by the observations of Dr. Uhler, of Baltimore, who represents it as very useful in Maryland in destroy- ing caterpillars and other vegetable teeding insects, but he is com- _ pelled to state that it is not very discriminating in its taste, as it would as soon seize the useful houey-bee, as the pernicious saw-fly. Its hiding place has at times been observed to be in the axil of, a leaf or stem — probably on flowerless plants or when they are not in bloom. Mr. B. D. Walsh refers to this species (American Entomologist, vol. 1, p. 141) as common everywhere in the Northern States, and _ found even in the streets of New York city. It was met with by me abundantly in my collections in Keene valley, in August last, upon golden-rod, as also in Long Lake (both Adirondack localities), the preceding year. Prof. Riley, in his report to the Department of Agriculture for _ . 1883, records the insect as destroying the imported cabbage butter- _ fly, Pieris rape. See, also, a notice of its habits by Prof. A. J. Cook, in the Canadian Entomologist (xi, 1879, pp. 17-20), as “a bee enemy,” in which he describes the structural peculiarities of _ its formidable raptorial claws and proboscis, by means of which it so readily seizes and sucks the juice of the various species ot insects upon which it preys. _. Prof. Barnard has also given an interesting notice of it in the _ Broceting of the American Association for the Advancement of _ Science, for 1880. ln gs ce —— Po) ee ee ee oe > 5 Ss et oe ana oh the Hemiptera Heteroptera of North America, it would appear a that the familiar name under which we have so long known this am me form (of its back) somewhat kite-shaped. They girdle the main | isin the critical revision to which our Hemiptera have ‘ena subjected by Dr. Uhler, in his recently published Check-List of insect, viz., erosa, and so descriptive of its appearance of having — a had its aes eaten out or eroded, will have to be abandoned for an sy : unmeaning proper name —that of Woljii, given to it by Stal. ie In the Ohad: List referred to, erosa is reserved for a Mexican form. he ic In Stal’s Hnumeratio Hemipt. (part 5, p. 183) the author has F used the name evosa Linn. for a species from Surinam, the erosa a ot Her-Sch. for a species from South America (Mexico, Uhler), and a the erosa of Guer. for a species from the West Indies. 4 Stal cites as synonymous of Wolffti, “Acanthia erosa Wolf a (Icones Cim. 3, p. 89, f. 88), Phymata erosa A..& SB. (om of teres, 1843, p. 290, 2)? q For the above citations I am indebted to Mr. E. P. Van Duele a 7 of the Grosvenor: Library at Buffalo, N. Y., who is: devoting — 4 special attention to the collection and study of our greatly neg Hemiptera. Merton Vines ATTACKED BY THE SquasH Bue. lo! aa Anasa trisiis De Geer. A correspondent writes: “My melon vines for the past two | years have been nearly destroyed by a long-legged bug, from one- half to three-fourths of an inch Jong, of a dark brown color, and in stalk of the vines, and later I find that the young ones have partly : ’ burrowed about the root-stalk, the younger of which are “Oby a Mg semi-white color.” | | | The bug above described as destroying melon vines is probably the notorious squash bug, Anasw tristis of De Geer. Although accounts of its injuries have been for the most part confined to the | squash and the pumpkin, yet it also attacks others of the Cucurbita- cee. , We find no mention of its injuries to melon vines in the — writings of any of our economic. entomologists, yet that it is injurious at times appears from the above statement, and also from 4 ; that of Miss Murtfeldt that its eggs occurring very sound upon some melon vines under her observation had been paras ‘s Be, ‘wad oa Ss P De 1 va Ss Seg 1 Sie Sie i ieee St _ to an extent of ninety per cent by a small chalcid fly, in July, a bs species of Telenomus (American Naturalist, 1882, page 915). This is a very injurious species, at times, when allowed to _ prosecute its depredations unmolested. Fortunately, much can be done to mitigate its injuries. First, the parent bugs that, after _ passing the winter as perfect insects, come forth from their hiding places during the latter part of June or early July should be captured and destroyed betore they have deposited their eggs. As they do not lay their eggs all at one time, for several days at _ this season a search for them, where they are abundant, will be _ repaid. They are usualiy to be found upon the plants near the ground, or upon the ground adjacent, where they pass the day _ hiding quietly, to come abroad at night tor oviposition. Later the “S patches of their eggs which are round and flattened on two sides, may be found on the under side of the leaves and crushed. When © first hatched the young bugs have a green body with the head, thorax, and antenne pink. At this time they are usually associated in little companies. Two days after hatching the body becomes _ ash-gray and the other portions black. ‘During the fore part of July the vines should be inspected daily for the egg patches and clusters of young, and if this be faithfully done, most of the future damage from the insects will be prevented. The bug molts four times before it obtains its wings and the color and torm which is so familiar to most gardeners during the months of September and October. A figure of it may be found in _ Dr. Harris’ Znsects Injurious to Vegetation, edition of 1862, page a + ‘ : | Z a : ag methods above indicated) by drawing away the ground from the 194, together with an interesting account of it. Another method of reducing the number of the bugs is to trap them by laying pieces of board on the ground near the hills and examining them morning and evening. Still better success is said to attend trimming off the lower leaves that touch the ground and spreading them under the plants. As the bugs display a special fondness tor wilted leaves they may often be found in numbers beneath them, teeding on their juices. (American Ento- mologist, li, 1870, p. 91.) The avienplant made of the girdling of the main stalk of the vine, which is effected by the bugs congregating there to suck its juices, is best to be met (when they have not all been killed by the iin. eee £ wh 112 | [A SSEMBLY, roots and putting in a mixture of dry ashes and salt. Without! this Y | precaution it is said that the bugs will at times burrow in the ground out of sight to feed upon the sap of the stalk. Fertilizing _ freely is an excellent preventive of injury from this insect and, indeed, from most all others. ' Tur Grain APHIS. " Siphonophora avene (Fabr.). The grain aphis, which has borne several different names, as Aphis avenw Fabr., A. granaria Kirby, A. cerealis Kalt., and — A. hordei Kyber, is an introduction from Europe, which has — been very destructive in some years in portions of the United States, as recorded by Dr. Fitch in. the year 1861, when “ over all the New England States, over all the State of New York except — its western section, through the north-east portion of Pennsylvania, and in several parts of Canada, every grain field was invaded, and most of the fields literally thronged by it.” No subsequent attack of this insect has approached this in severity, nor has it — since been very destructive over broad districts. But it is not at all improbable that the coming year it will become numerous in our grain fields, and the. occasion of unusually severe injuries. The past summer has been very favorable to the multiplication of aphis life, as shown in the almost entire failure of the hop crop in ~ the State of New York from the ravages of thefhop aphis, Phorodon humuli, upon the unfolding leaves and blossoms. Early in the month of September last myriads of minute insects, — which almost filled the air in the streets of Albany, were identified by me as this grain aphis; and in-a note addressed to the Albany Evening Journal, and contained in the issue of September ninth, the fear was expressed, based upon the remarkable abundance of the insect at this time, that the coming year might bring with it a repetition of the memorable demonstration of’the summer of 1861, — above referred to. | The opportunity escaped me of examining more than a few ff these insects, but it is not improbable that the flight consisted very largely, if not entirely, of females—all.of the summer broods, of which there are several, being produced without the presence of the male sex— and that, having just deserted the grain fields, _| Be AD j i Ma 3 Ht Pi | Gi “ | ae No. 115.] | 118 ee where they had been feeding until the matured grain could give them no further sustenance, they were now seeking or waiting the fall-sown wheat or rye upon which they could deposit eggs, and _- thereby provide for the new life-cycle of the coming year, the ___ present cycle being upon the point of completion. _ es; It is proper to state that the canse and purpose of the flights, as outlined. above, is simply conjectural, based on our knowledge of other species, for the full life-history of the grain aphis is still P unknown, and in several particulars it is proving quite enigmatical to us. No description of the male appears in any writings to _ which I have access, and in 1862 Dr. Fitch wrote as follows of it: | I have watched the grain aphis this year round so closely that Iam perfectly assured that no eggs were laid and no males were q _ produced. When and onder what circumstances males occur, if they ever do occur, is yet remaining to be discovered. At present - it seems as if these insects might go on forever producing young, without any intercourse of the sexes. (Zvransactions N. Y. St 7 Agricul. Soc., xxii, 1862, p. 36.) ier: year sublier (in 1861, in Sixth Rept. hack WN ¥ 3) Des Patch: b>. . had stated that the eggs remain through the winter to be hatched by the warmth of the following spring. Subsequent observations failed to sustain this conjecture, as it was found that some of the a insects hibernate under the ground to lay their eggs the following _ spring; or, that the eggs laid in the autumn hatch soon after they | _ are deposited and that the annual round, to be continued through most of the ensuing twelve months, is then commenced. This appears trom observations of Dr. Thomas, formerly State Entomolo- . gist, of Illinois, who, in 1878, published the following as additional contributions toward the life-history of the species : When the winter wheat appears above tbe ground in the fall it passes [to it] from its hiding place at that time, wherever that may be. * * * Here they work upon the leaves and stalks singly while the weather is not too cold; but when winter appears they move down toward the ground —'some of them, at. least, entering the soil and feeding upon the sap of the roots. ‘At any rate I find the apterous ones at this time working upon the roots, but, at the a same time, I find a winged individual above ground. I have.also | __ observed them heretofore at the root of the wheat late in the | —s- winter, while the snow was on the ground; and, what somewhat. _gurprised me, [ found them busy at ‘work under the snow and the apterous females bearing well-formed larve. Iam therefore led [Assembly, No. 115.] BON, 114 | [Assempiy, ae to believe that in this latitude the species passes the winter in othue than the egg state. This willalso probably be found true wherever © winter wheat is grown. ce hurd Feport on the Ege ih Lllinots, — p. 53.) @ A species of aphis, so exceptional in its habits as to continue ite: _ feeding and propagation throughout the winter in northern locali- ties, might also surprise us by depositing autumnal eggs, to hatch - the same season. This grain aphis is a very pernicious species as it feeds on wheat, rye, barley, oats and various kinds of grain and is extremely prolific. Dr. Fitch has shown that “the wingless ones come to maturity in three days. A single one producing four young daily, and these becoming equally prolific when they are three days old, her descendants in twenty days will number upward of two millions ‘and will be increasing at the rate of a million daily.” Preventives. — We can do nothing of importance to save fae destruction a grain crop which is badly infested with this aphis. A field of winter grain, in which its presence to any considerableextent is unmistakably ascertained, should at once be sacrificed by some method that would arrest its continued multiplication through the winter, such as heavy salting, application of gas-lime, dragging out the plants, or any other means through which the insect could be deprived of its food. A deep plowing under of the grain would hardly accomplish this. English writers have recommended dust-— ing with lime or soot, and probably some pened would result from — ~ such measures. In acommunication to the Country Gentleman of November 25, . 1886 (page. 893), Mr. W. A. Stewart, of Denton, Maryland, notes that in a field of rye sown September seventh, which had made a vigorous growth, he discovered many places in it that were turning yellow. Later, upon taking up for the examination of the roots some of the supposed sunburned plants, he found that the appearance ‘‘ was caused by millions of parasites” feeding thereon. The “‘ parasite’ beyond doubt is the grain aphis, and its autumnal presence may be regarded as indicating serious injury from. its ~ multiplication the coming year, in accordance with the fear expressed in the communication made by me to the ca Hvening Journal above referred to. | No. 115.] yee tht ash Tat Hop-vinr APHis. mete Phorodon humuli (Scbrank). = _ The following notice of the above-named insect was sent to the editor of the Waterville Times, of Waterviile, N. Y., under date of July 19, 1886, in response to a note of Inguiry from him: Dear Siz.— Yours of the sixth instant, making inquiry of the hop aphis, accompanied with specimens of the leaves of the hop covered with “‘ honey-dew,” was duly received. Your communi- cation states : I send you by this mail a box containing hop leaves, upon which you will find honey-dew, lice and black flies (said to be the English __ aphis and breeders of the lice). Vines all over the State are covered with this sort of vermin. Lice appeared about June _ fifteenth, and have increased steadily since. For the benefit of my g numerous hop readers I would like to have your ideas on them,’ briefly or at length, as to origin, nature, life, and connection with honey-dew. I regret that I cannot possibly, in consideration of my other engagements, give you at this time a full notice of this insect pest, such as I would like to send you. It would be too late to be of much service at the present time, but I hope to have it in readiness _ for my next report. | _ The leaves when received were found to be thickly covered with honey-dew, which had already, perhaps from inclosure in the box, -. commenced to assume the black appearance which, when further | __—s advanced, is known as “ black blight.” This blight, as it is called, | i is simply a later stage of the honey-dew, when, from exposure, it has undergone decomposition. The honey-dew was thickly sprinkled with little white bits of matter, which are the cast-off skins of the young lice at their moltings. } , _ The lice upon the leaves were the young and older forms of the hop-louse, Aphis Awmuli, known by our later authorities as _ Phorodon humuli, which, is identical with the European species, | for many years very destructive in Europe, but first noticed in this | country about the year 1862. Upon the leaves were also some = yellowish worm-like forms, of one-quarter of an inch long or less, q holding to the leaf by their hinder extremity, and reaching out ; their head in different directions in search of the lice upon which (116 ; Acree they teed. They are the larval forms fat one of the o Sypine flies, and as they render most excellent service in killing myriads of the lice, their presence should always be welcomed. | Another form fastened to some of the leaves, which may. be the f black flies” to which you refer, is the pupa of a lady-bug, Anaitis wee . Pee. 1," & 2") s s > cn, J ~ ks Fi 4 ee a - ‘J 4 “ 1 yk , al ¢ , A ‘ i bs ? *| 1 $ . ' ae | et Chix i] vy 4 15-punctata Oliv. It is about one-tenth of an inch in diameter, Bae almost round, fastened by its narrower end, of a dark cream — color, with some paler markings on the back. The larvee of these are slate-colored, and travel rapidly over the leaves, eagerly catching and devouring the lice. A black species, common in England, is known by the common name of “nigger.” The more numerous that the lady-bugs and their larvee occur the fewer are the lice. As to the origin of the hop lice, the latest observations seem to _ “ ao i ee indicate that.in the spring the winged fly makes its appearance on — the upper leaves of the plants, upon the borders of the fields, and commence bringing forth the young lice: in England this has been seen about the twenty-eighth of May. It is believed that the winged flies at this season come from plum trees. But in an instance where a free, clean hop plant was protected by a fine muslin covering from all outside attack, it was found covered ~ thickly with the aphides (lice), which must have come up from the ground, or from crevices in the sticks or roots where they may have hibernated. (Miss Ormerod’s Report of Observations on Injurious Insects for the Year 1883, Appendix, p. 10-11.) The lice have been reported several inches under ground in the t: autumn, after the removal of the crops, as if they had retired for the winter, but the most diligent search has failed to find them in the spring. The lite-history of this insect is not fully known. | Thus we do not: know why it is so rarely seen in June, and then why about this time it appears so suddenly in immense numbers. Its history is being more carefully studied, and when we have full knowledge of it we shall probably be able to do much toward the prevention of its ravages. [See note appended. | The present year promises to be unusually favorable for its. increase and destructiveness. Aphides have been remarkably abundant thus far as the result of atmospheric conditions. I have never known them so numerous upon apple trees, rose bushes, cur- rants, and several other plants. Their injuries to hops might have — been predicted. 7) No. 115.] rane SY 117 4 With our present knowledge it seems that hops, when badly infested, can only be saved at the cost of considerable labor, by ee: the methods frequently resorted to in England, viz. : washing them @ fee By. means of a hand engine and hose with some liquid that will kill q ( the lice. The best wash for the purpose is said to be: 100 gallons F Be, Kot water (if hard water, with soda added); 4 to 5 pounds of soft- q ie soap; 6 to 8 pounds of quassia. This is to be thrown, as far as 4 possible, on the under surface of the leaves. BS.” The efficacy of this bi ae has been clearly shown. Planters using it in England grew crops of from seven to nine hundred pounds per acre, while those not using it grew nothing, or next to nothing. Tt must be used as soon as the lice make their appearance, and continued until they are all removed. -It is now too late for this remedy in our New York yards. Judging from the reports made, the crop is doomed for this year, unless favorable weather and heavy rains come to its rescue. Much may be done in preventives early in the season. a .., As to the cause of the honey-dew coating the leaves, it was thus _. explained by Dr. Fitch: ‘* Each aphis has two little horns project- ing from the hind part of the back, which horns are termed the honey-tubes. From these tubes the fluid called honey-dew is ejected, in the form of minute drops, like particles of dew, which, falling upon the leaves beneath them, the upper surface of the leaves become coated over with ‘this nid, more or Liat copiously as the aphides producing it are more or ies numerous.’ _ This opinion is pretty generally accepted, as giving also the explanation of the honey-dew on our elms, which, at the present time, is blackening the sidewalks’ beneath these trees in many of our cities. Others believe that the leaves, from some diseased condition, give out the honeyed substance. As lending color to this opinion, we have in the report of Mr. J. B. Smith, agent of the United States Department of Agriculture, in an examination | made of some hop-yards of our State, the following statement : * July twenty-first, saw honey-dew for the first time. The current belief is that this is caused by the lice, but there certainly are not Fs lice enough now to produce all this ‘ honey-dew.’ Mr. Eastman and | Mr. Fuess think the lice have nothing to do with it. They say i they have seen lice without’ honey;dew, and honey-dew in abund- ance where there were no lice.” a alka es _——. 118 " ‘[Assemer a. ur Mr. Wm. Trelease, a iotapiat of note, referring to honey-dew as sometimes secreted by aphides, adds: “ But insome cases this sub- F stance is an excretion from the leaves, apparently due either to the be ae climatic conditions obtaining at the time, or to a diseased state of the plant. Small glands are found at the tips of the serrations on - : the leaves of many plants, and some of these produce a plentiful supply of nectar.” (Report of Cotton Insects, 1876, p. 326.) | . if [Norr. — Appended to the above, November 28, 1887.— Since the above tes, was written, the life-history of this interesting insect has been worked out, com pletely, it is claimed, by Prof. Riley, Chief of the Entomological Division at Washington, and the assistants under his direction. The following isa brief ~— summary: The eggs are deposited on the twigs of plum trees in the autumn (October). They hatch at the putting out of the leaves the following pe “3 Three generations follow on the plum, of which the last only is winged, which — at once migrates to the hop-yards. The fourth and succeeding generations on — the hop to the eleventh inclusive, are wingless females. The twelfth genera — tion consists of winged males and females — the latter, agamic, and these return to plum trees in September. Here, the thirteenth generation is composed of sexual wingless females, which, after mating, deposit the eggs which are to hatch the following spring in continuation of the species. . For a detailed state- ment of the above see a communication made by Mr. L. O. Howard, of the Division of Entomology, under instructions from Prof. Riley, in the Country Gentleman, for November 17, 1887, p. 875, giving also, the latest studies _ of Prof, Riley upon the insect, made in England during the present autumn. + Tue APPLE-TREE APHIS. Aphis mali Linn. | i The unusual abundance of this insect the present year, as pre- i viously noticed, brought with it from many localities in the Middle and Eastern States inquiries of its character and how it best could be destroyed. To an inquiry from St. Albans, Vt., accompanied with specimens which the writer had never ‘seen before, which _ ; an old tree-pruner could not tell what they were, and which were _ represented as having been at first observed on the leaf-buds but | were then traveling over the trees—reply was made through the ~~ New England Homestead, as follows: ; The insects infesting the apple trees are the common me aphis, sometimes popularly known as the apple-louse. They belong to a class of insects named aphides or plant-lice and have long been No. 16. ~~ 119 - noted for their injuries upon almost every known plant. There is scarcely a vegetable growth that is free from their attack and many of the long list of species known confine themselves to a single species or genus of plant. They belong to the order of hemipterous ‘insects which take their food through a beak or proboscis which _ they insert into the tissues and feed upon the sap. They are exceed- ingly prolific, multiplying with marvelous rapidity, so that, as has been computed, from a single egg, 729,000,000 may be produced in seven generations, and some of the species have twenty generations in a year. It is difficult to cofapute such multiplication — and impossible to comprehend it. It will be readily seen that a multi- plication even approaching the above would inevitably be fatal to the vegetation upon which it depends for subsistence, entirely con- suming all the sap of the young and first developing leaves. But fortunately the young plant-lice are quite delicate and very suscept- ible to certain meteorological conditions. Cold is destructive to them, frost is fatal, as are also severe and continued rains. _ The myriads of the apple-tree aphis now upon the trees are from the young which were hatched three or four weeks ago (the middle of April) from small, shining black eggs which were deposited last autumn in the crevices of the bark. When first hatched they resort to the opening buds, which they frequently injure to an extent that prevents their unfolding. Later they may be found distributed over all the leaves, the under surface of which they puncture, causing them to twist and curl and shrivel in the manner characteristic of an aphis attack. At this season of the year all the aphides are females and destitute of wings. They mature very rapidiy and in ten or twelve days are capable of producing young, which are. brought forth alive, about two daily, it is stated, for the period of two or three weeks, when the female dies. Her progeny con-/ tinues to multiply with even greater prolificacy and rapidity as’ with the advancing season the temperature increases. All this occurs without the interposition of the male sex. It is not until the approach of cold weather in the autumn that the males are pro- duced, when, uniting with the females, the eggs above noticed are ~ deposited for the spring brood. During |\the month of July winged females will be found associated with the wingless ones, both of which produce living young. The winged females have the head, antenne (horns), with few veins anda single black spot near the tip. ~ Monroe counties, and caused serious injury to the apple crop. i In the event that the cold and heavy rainfall, which at the date — 4 this aphis has abounded during the past three weeks and justly through such a rain, should we be favored with it, as that which is. | 120 : 7 [AsseMBLy, ie and body between the wings, black, with a erass-green body. dotted a Me with black on the sides, and yellowish lege with black feet and knees. The wings are long, green next the body, transparent, It is probable that these aphides are not newcomers in the orchards where they are now abounding. It would be difficult any- me, where to find an apple tree entirely free from them. Yet it is only © oceasionaliy that they abound to such an extent as to arrest attention at this season of the year. In 1882 they were very abundant ines i several portions of New York “State, as in Wayne, Oswego and | of the present writing (May eighth) we have been experiencing for the last twelve hours in Albany, with no indication of its speedy — cessation, shall extend into Vermont, there is every probability that — it will arrest this aphis attack and its threatened injury. If so, it will not be one of the least benefits to result from its coming at this time. Throughout a large portion of the State of New York alarmed our orchardists. To those who have made inquiry of me for instruction how best to destroy the pest, I have promised relief now visiting us. In localities which it does not reach, the trees infested should be thoroughly showered with the aid of a force pump. Water alone has been found to be efficient when not thrown asaspray — . 7 | but in a stream. Soap-suds could be applied in spray to admit of its more general distribution ; or a still better application would be ? a tobacco solution, made by pouring boiling water upon tobacco, " in the proportion of a gallon of water to a quarter pound of tobacco. Experiments have been made which are reported as having been successful, of washing the bark of infested trees with a solution of — “4 sal-soda. The aphides were killed or driven away, it is believed, by the alkali having been taken into the circulation, and the sap proving poisonous or distasteful to them. Soft-soap or a very . strong suds has also been used in the same manner and with good are effect. As in the control of all insect depredations prevention is preferable to cure, it is very desirable that where the apple aphids’ attack is continued throughout the year its recurrence the follow- ing year should be prevented by the destruction of the autumnal No. 115.) mos 121 _ deposit of eggs. Their black color will reveal their hiding places q in the crevices of the bark, in the fore part of the month of » . November, when they may be destroyed by a thorough application of the alkaline washes mentioned above. The earnest effort that is being made in various quarters for the ____ protection and encouragement of our insectivorous birds may find - _ astrong argument in its favor, in the great service rendered by a several of the species in their destruction of plant-lice. A number eB _ of our smaller birds, among the warblers and finches, as the Ten- - nessee warbler (Helminthophaga peregrina), the purple finch (Carpodacus purpureus), and others, feed quite largely upon these a minute insect pests. Their presence should theretore be encouraged q in apple orchards for the service they may render us. Porato Piants ATTACKED By APHIDES. a Potato leaves badly infested with plant-lice were received in the ‘s early part of the month of July, from Springfield, Mass., with the statement that, some fields of potatoes in the vicinity had been = almost destroyed by the insect. It attacked the leaves upon their . under side, where it was difficult to reach them by spraying, | _ although tobacco water had been thrown upon them with some gq effect. ; g _ Later (under date of July nineteenth) the same insect was 7 received from Wyoming, Pa, where it was proving more destruc- ___ tive than in Massachusetts. It threatened to prove to the potato 3 growers of that portion of the State a greater pest than the Colo- rado potato beetle. Entire fields had been ruined, and little hope was entertained of securing a remunerative crop. | No plant-louse attack on potato had previously come to my notice, | nor do I find, in any of the entomological literature at my com- | mand, mention of a potato-feeding aphis. Dr. Thomas, formerly | State Entomologist of Illinois, in the Eighth Illinois Report (1879), | to him, names and describes a species found by him on tomato _ __-vines, as Megoura solani. The potato aphis may be identical with a this tomato one, but all the examples of the former that I received were in too poor a condition to admit of comparison with the description (quite brief) of the latter. Before the reception of the q in which he records all of the North American Aphididw known AOD AN , (ns Be _ Springfield examples, I had heard of an aphis attuok on tomato plants in Albany, which was curling and otherwise injuring the foliage, but the specimens which were promised me were not brought. It is quite probable that the present year, in its favo able condition for an unusual multiplication of aphides, has multi 3 : plibd the tomato species, and caused it to overflow on the potato, — where it has found conditions still more propitious to its increase. That the two are the same finds some support in the observa- tions of Mr. A. W. Cheever, agricultural editor of the Mew England Farmer, who has written me, under date of July twenty- ninth, that both were occurring with him. Upon potatoes they had been very abundant for the preceding two weeks, but his chickens, which were the first to discover their presence, had been efficient in reducing their numbers. Not so many occurred on the tomato plants; these were much lighter-colored than the others, _ but would feed readily on the potato leaves if transferred to them, — ; as would also those of the potato when placed on the tomato. M. Lichstenstein, in “ La Flore des Aphidiens ” of. the world, published in 1884, records, in addition to Dr. Thomas’ species — above mentioned, but four other species known to feed on Solanum z.: Aphis nerii Kalt., A. silybt Pass., A. solannina Pass., and Siphonophora solani Kalt. To these may be added Szphonophora solanifolit Ashmead, described in the Canadian Entomologist (xiv, 1882, pp. 92, 93), from examples found in Florida (?) feeding 4 on Solanum jasminordes, or “ pepper vine ”— according to Gray, a woody-stemmed house-plant from Brazil. 4 In loealities where the potato aphis abounds, I would recom- mend for its destruction, as preferable to the tobacco water, oe use of the hop-wash Capereps in England for the hop-aphis, viz. 100 gallons of water \soft water it possible), four to five pounds a soft-soap, and six to eight pounds of quassia, well boiled to extract the strength. In applying the liquid the plants should be turned downward, so that the under side of the leaves can be reached” ' where the insects congregate. It is not probable that this aphis will continue, in future years, ~ to be a serious potato pest, but it will be but a proper precaution if all the dead stalks and leaves, together with such other garden — a refuse as might furnish winter harborage for the eggs or the — mature inseet, be gathered and burned. A 4 a 1 y * oral i, r 5 f ' ~ why | ak gr ‘| ey o . \ . + 2 Es ¢ No, 115.) | 123 Apuis ATTACK ON CARROTS AND PARsnips. ‘ From Oakley Park, Massachusetts, report is made that the carrot and parsnip crops of the vicinity had been nearly destroyed by plant-lice. No particulars were furnished nor examples sent for - examination. ‘ The unusual prevalence of plant-lice the present year has caused them to attack a number of plants upon which they had rarely . -been noticed before and had not previously proved injurious. Thus they have been destructive to potato vines in some localities have injured tomato plants, and in the above communication are reported as having been quite harmful to carrots and parsnips. We have also noticed statements in some of our agricultural papers of injuries to these two last mentioned crops. No mention of injury to either of these crops by plant-lice is to be found in the writings of any of our economic entomologists at hand. They do not appear to-be known in this country. No men- tion is made of them in the reports of Miss Ormerod, from which we infer that they are not serious pests of these crops in England. Curtis, however, mentions as a species preying upon carrots in England, Aphis dawci (Fabr.); while in M. Lichtenstein’s list of _aphides seven other carrot-feeding species are recorded as known, three of which also attack the parsnip, in the same family — the parsley family, Umbellifera. Dr. Thomas, in his volume on the Hempitera, describes the European parsnip plant-louse, Siphocoryne pastinace (Linn.), as, with little doubt, existing in this country, but not having been detected by him. It is said to infest the underside of the leaves and the tender stems of the plant. S. caprew (Fabr.) and Aphis carote Koch., are also recorded as Kuropean species. Tur Brercu-TrEee Buiagat. Pemphigus imbricator (Fitch). Mr. James T. Whitaker, of Penn Yan, N. Y., makes request through Dr. E. L. Sturtevant, of the New York Agricultural Experi- ment Station at Geneva, for some note of the peculiarities and capability for harm of a species of insect which he finds covering the under side of beech leaves. He states of them that they are “about } | 124 — -[AssEMBLY, — one-sixteenth of an inch long, oun: a Ladiclike down attached to “a ‘ the end of the body. They are found in large numbers in the woods, _ a but only on the beech. The limbs are so thickly covered .with them that in their continual swaying motions back and forth they all keep time. Underneath, the leaves and ground are covered ‘ with a blue or drab-colored substance, undoubtedly the offal from /6 them.” The inseet is one of the aphides (Aphididw, commonly known as plant-lice), having the scientific appellation of Pemphigus imbri- — cator. Popularly, it is known as the beech-tree blight. It was first described by Dr. Fitch in 1851, in the Fourth Annual - Report of the New York State Cabinet of Natural History, and — a as that publication is almost inaccessible, the description is here- with transcribed : “ Briosoma imbricator. Black ; three last caged of the bane men blue-pruinose ; stigma reat longitudinal nerve and a line | on the: middle of the inner margin black. Female (?) winged ; abdomen fulvous, with a black spot on the disk; legs pallid. Larva - pallid, with two fuscous dorsal stripes; posterior half-of the abdo- men covered with a tuft of cotton-like down, from which proceed © two longer and coarser filaments. Length, 0.22 inch. On the under side of the branches of the beech tree, covered with snow- white down. Onthe slightest jar of the branch, a shower of tiny — | 4 drops of a water-like fluid falls from these insects.” This species has been noticed by but few of our writers. Dr. Thomas, in the Highth Report on the Insects of Illinois (p. 189), refers to it, quoting from Dr. Fitch, and assigns it placein the genus Schizoneura. It does not, however, belong to this genus, as its third discal vein is not forked. Dr. Packard, in his Jnsects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees (p. 181), cites it among beech. _ 4 insects, also designating it as a Schizoneura. . A peculiar feature of this insect and of its allied species, which — so often draws attention to them, is the white substance in which | they are enveloped, resembling threads of cotton or wool, and which has given to them the name of ‘woolly aphides.” It appears in the form of threads or fibres, which are sometimes long and flattened, as in the beech-blight, and sometimes in the form of a fine powder. The substance is secreted by glandular ; | organs in the abdomen and thorax, and is of a peculiar character, — Woel¥5,};. < a, 1 128 Bate being insoluble in water, alcohol, or solution of potash, and is not melted by the application of heat. The purpose which it serves in the economy of the insect is not known. _ The allied species of woolly aphides above reterred to are those of the apple (Schizoneura lanigera), of the elm (S. Riley2), of the oak (S. guerct), of the pine (8. strobz), of the hickory (8. cary), of the alder (Pemphigus tessellata), and a tew others less frequently met with. Of these the last-named species is quite common, and often occurs in great abundance, completely enveloping in its white -——s coating the branches of the alder. | 4 The “ blue or drab-colored substance upon the leaves and ground ” underneath the insects, is the powdery secretion that enveloped the __ various sized globules of excreta given out from the anal extremity ' . ~ of the aphis, which fall to the ground “in a shower of tiny drops | on the slightest jar of the branch.” Numbers of these little meal- _ coated globules may be seen within the galls of some of the gall- _ making Pemphigine, the coating of which prevents the fluid from attaching itself to the plant-lice that move about freely among them. — : A large portion of the white substance fastened to the under surface of the beech leaf received, consisted of the cast skins (ewuvia) of the plant-lice at their different moltings., packed upon one another in a half-dozen or more layers. Of course, all the aphides are injurious to the vegetation that | _— they attack—the amount of their harm depending upon their numbers, and the consequent quantity of the sap that, by means of their beaks inserted into the bark or leaves, they are able to divert from the circulation. q As the peculiar coating of these woolly aphides protects them ' from most of the insecticides that could be applied to them in a liquid form —shedding the fluid without absorption — perhaps the best remedy for them is crushing them with a cloth, stiff brush or broom, as they occur in their conspicuous masses upon» q the trunks and branches. \ These woolly aphides, in some localities, find a formidable enemy in the larva of one of our butterflies, Heniseca Tarquinius (Fabr.). | ‘The butterfly deposits her eggs upon the twigs of beech, alder, ete., in the midst of a colony of the aphides. The larve, upon hatch- ing, shelter themselves beneath a thin web, and, feeding voraciously / \ } ‘ = ht » 196 _ [AsseMBLY, = © upon their natural food so conveniently at hand, they mature and — ans assunie their chrysalis stage within the shortest period known for Tee any butterfly larva—thirteen days. For the full life-history of this interesting butterfly, which has only been learned during the present year, see “ The History and Preparatory Stages of Feni- seca Tarquinius (Fadr.)” in the Canadian Entomologist, for August, 1886. sere | ee ee. Ns Tue Cocxscoms Etm GAL ‘| ‘4 Glyphina ulmicola (Fitch). Leaves taken from two elms, in Mercer county, New Jersey, were covered with the above gall. Other elms in the: immediate _ vicinity ot these were not affected. Without doubt they were ot — different species trom the infested trees, although not so stated in the communication. . | aps: _ These peculiar elevations upon the leaves, which have been figured in several entomological reports, are the cockscomb elm gall. As described by Dr! Fitch, they are “an excrescence or folliclelikea = cock’s comb, arising abruptly from the upper surface of the leaf, usually about an inch long and a quarter of an inch high, com- pressed and its sides wrinkled perpendicularly, and its summit. i" irregularly gashed and toothed, of a paler green color than the leaf and more or less red on the sae: exposed to the sun,; opening on the under side of the leaf by a long, slit-like orifice ; inside wrinkled perpendicularly into deep plaits.” The gall is located between the - veins of the leaf, and usually parallel with them. About the first of May these galls may be discovered forming on the leaves as slightly elevated ridges on their upper side. Soon x after this, opposite to these, may be seen elongate openings to the fs interior of these ridges, upon the spreading apart of which the g author of the gall may be seen within the cavity as a glossy plant- a louse of an olive-brown color — the progenitor of the colony which is to people it. During the month of June, four or five weeks after the com- mencement of the gall, an examination of its interior would show SS ree ees a : Pa Sa nea carey. 42 SS SPP Sees ——— Sr e the “‘stem-mother” to have completed her reproduction and sur- a rounded with an abundant offspring in different stages of growth. ‘ . Distributed within the gall, among its occupants are many little oS ' ON A a - No. 115.] - 197 balls or globules, of various sizes, of a sweet liquid which have _ been excreted by the aphids. As the young emerge through the open- ing, which spreads apart for their egress, the excretion of the , “honey-dew” continues, and, when the trees are badly infested, '. falls almost in showers to the leaves beneath and to the ground. _ When the elm is a shade tree upon our streets, the honey-dew may _ often be seen covering and blackening the pavement beneath it. _ All the members of this second generation are females and winged. - A third generation follows these, which do not produce galls and from which we have, later in the season, sexual individuals and ___ the deposit of the eggs in sheltered places beneath the bark, destined | to survive the winter and give forth the “stem-mother” the following spring. The scientific name of this aphis is Glyphina ulmicola (Fitch). _ So far as known, its galls are formed only upon the white elm, Ulmus Americana, and upon the younger trees of the species — seldom over twenty-five feet in height. The best account of the species that we ‘have is that of Messrs. Riley and Monell, cited below. Remedy.— Nothing could be done to check the operations of this aphis during its gall stage. Later, when it deserts the gall and is distributed over the tree, its numbers may be reduced by 4% spraying with soap-suds and quassia water, or with tobacco water. Ss Fortunately it seldom becomes very abundant or destructive. — ——- Babliography.—As with many other of our aphides, this species has been obliged to submit to so many changes in name since its _ original description by Dr. Fitch, in 1859, that it would be difficult to recognize it under its various appellations without the aid of a synonymical table, such as is herewith given: + Bryoscripta ulmicola Firon: Trans. N. Y. St. Agr. Soe., xviii, 1859, pp. 843-4; 5th Report Ins. N. Y., 1859, pp. 63-4, No. 347. Thelaxes ulmicola. Watsn: Proce. Ent. Soc. Phil., i, 1862, p. 304 ; Amer. Entomol., i, 1569, p. 108, f. 90, p. 224. Pemphigus ulmicola. Pacxarp: Guide Stud. Ins., 1869, p. 524, f. 525; Ins. Inj. Forest and Shade Trees, 1881, p. 68 (Colopha). | — Colopha ulmicola. Monetx: Canad. Entomol., ix, 1877, p. 102. zz Thelaxes ulmicola. Liyryzr: Count. Gent., xliii, 1878, p. 455. . Colopha ulmicola. Rinuy—Mowneri: Bull. U. 8. G.—G. Surv, _ Terr., v, 1879, pp. 9-18, pl. 1, f. 2. | SS ee er er ome re sar. | nail 128. Glyphina ulmicola. Tuomas: 8th Report Ins. IL, 1879,” Hid 142-144, figs. 21, 22, p. 204. Colopha compressa Koon. Cstlund: G.-—N. H. Surv. Minn, ae 1886, p. 55. An Unrecoenizep Insect ATracxk. x / A peculiar insect injury to the leaf-stalk of Norway maples wars ¥ sent to me by Mr. George T. Lyman, of Bellport, N. Y. Itcon- sists of an elongated (slit- like) puncture, which had healed over, on the upper side of the stem, at a point distant from the base of the - leaf-stalk about three-fourths of an inch. Directly opposite the puncture the stalk breaks and the leat bends over at an obtuse angle, splitting the stalk by the flexure at several points on its diameter for the space of perhaps a half-inch or less. The injury causes the leaves to separate from the twigs at their point of attach- ment and fall to the ground. A careful microscopic examination of several of the broken stalk | failed to show the presence of any egg or remains of an egg, larva or larval burrowing within the stem. It would rather appear as if the puncture had been made by some haustellate insect for the purpose of feeding on the sap. But, if so, why then the remark-_ able uniformity shown in the location of the wound — the range of | variation not exceeding a fourth of an inch. in a stalk- Bee ce of about four inches. The attack was not recognized, nor had it been observed, by some — of my entomological friends to whom examples were submitted. Specimens have been placed in the State collection. A GRass-InFESTING Mire. Trombidium ? bicolor (Herm.). Specimens of a mite were received from Mr. William Trimble, of Concordville, Pa., under date of April twenty-eighth, which” were very destructive to timothy fields in that neighborhood. The infested places looked as if they had been scalded. June grass, — Poa pratensis, was untouched, as were also all the other grasses except timothy. They were first noticed about a year ago, and — seemed to be increasing rapidly. . d em yo rN oN | - The _Acarina, or mites, have not been made a special study in this country, and tor that reason comparatively little is known of our species. Prof. Riley has described several species which are parasitic on other insects, and others have been described and illustrated by Dr. Packard in the American Naturalist, and else- where. Recently Prof. Herbert Osborn, of the Iowa Agricultural - College, has taken up their study, and we hope soon to know more of these minute but interesting and often quite injurious creatures. In the Canadian Entomologist of the present year, Prof. Osborn, in connection with Prof. Underwood, of the Syracuse University, has given a ‘Preliminary ‘List of Acarina of North America.” Ninety-nine species are recorded in the list, and their literature given. The common “red spider,” which is such a serious pest to gar- deners, and especially obnoxious in the green-house, is a mite, known scientifically as Tetranychus telarvus Many of the species of this genus are quite injurious to plants, shrubs, and trees. The lice” that infest canary birds are also mites, known as Dermanys- sus avium. Other examples are the cheese mite, the itch mite, the sugar mite, the “jigger”’ of the South, etc. Many of our species are identical with those of Europe, and have _ probably been introduced from thence. Not being able to find any notice among our writers of a mite injurious to grass, some of the examples above referred to were sent to Dr. Hagen, of the Cambridge Museum, for such information as he might give of them, he having at his command, in the exten- sive entomological library of the museum nearly all the foreign literature upon the subject. The mites were dead and dried when _ received, and consequently in very unfit condition for study; but after undergoing maceration for two days, Dr. Hagen was able ' to send me the following information in regard to them: “This species is very similar to Zrombidium bicolor (Hermann, Mem. Apieres, p. 2, pl. 2, f. 2); and Koch (Fase. 151, No. 28), from Alsace and Germany. The only related species soul be Trom. assimile (Koch, ibid, No. 19), but, after all, the species seems to be 7. bicolor, or very near to it. Ido not know if these species have since been put in another genus, perhaps in Zetrany- |. ehus ; the claws agree, but the legs are six-jointed.” [Assembly, No. 115.] 9 — ‘ a > ‘ ; . " 7 ’ s : oat Furs “Js : : . ¢ : ewoely a hs? x ~t. Virus « s - . ————— ll t— The body of these mites is black, and the legs red, from wh we have the specific name of dzcolor. I shall endeavor to lear more of the ee of the species, as its attack, as above. a quite interestin g. ae A Mrre inrestinc Smoxep Mxrars. ; Tyroglyphus stro (Linn.). The well-known cheese-mite has. been honored with quite a — number of names, popular and scientific, as the result of the different conditions to which it has displayed a readiness to adapt itself. A correspondent from Everett, Pa., has sent a piece Of meat infested with living forms which were abounding on some ~ hams and shoulders. He had washed them off a few weeks pre- a viously with hot soap-suds, but they had become as numerous as ever. The inquiry is made — what do they come from, and would - the use of the meat be hurtful 2 : - The meat was found infested with, and to show the operations i“ of, the common cheese-mite, Tyroglyphus stro (Linn.). This species a is far from being confined to cheese (where it occurs more fae 3 and more abundantly than elsewhere), for it is also found in flour, 4 trom which it has been described as 7. farinw and also in Stee ee when the additional name was given it of 7. sacchari. _ Of late it has been quite frequently heard from as infesting smoked hams. Last year pieces of ham were sent to me by a pro- vision broker in New York city, with the statement that the hams | ; : in store so swarmed with the mites as to resist all efforts made to — arrest the attack, and rendered them unsuitable for sale. Some Western pork-packing houses had previously been found to be = infested with it and with an associated species of somewhat larger — a . size, Z'yroglyphus longior (Gervais). It had also been recorded by — a European entomologist, De Geer, as infesting smoked meats in 4 3 Europe. (See the Zhirty-ninth Annual Leport New York State Museum Natural History, 1886, pp. 114-116.) ie The question is asked, from what does the mitecome? When it is a discovered in hams purchased in market, the infestation may have v originated in the packing-house from which they came, as some of v : | the Western establishments have been known to abound with them =~ in immense numbers. In the instance of the New York attack, “i a” beat i 9d OF tw kh ee CO or eas aes for no known species has this habit of cutting off the heads that it may feed downward on the stalk. Cepheus pygmeus, of 4 _ Europe, burrows into the stem. Curtis describes a saw-fly larva Besa which appeared suddenly on the heads of wheat, the description PC of which nearly accords to this species. The habits of the larva a = \-are given. ~ An Unknown Grass Insect. (The Country Gentleman for July 1, 1886, li, p. 503, c. 1-2 — 27 cm.) | An injury of thirty per cent of the stalks of June grass, reported from Emmett, Ohio, in which the tops turn white and the stalks, readily pulled from the sheath, eaten at the end — a ae 148 ! — [Assempry, is a common attack of wide distribution and long observed. No insect is found in the examples sent, but it is believed to be pro-. duced by a small fly, one of the Oscinide, having habits similar to the wheat-stem maggot. A notice of the same attack in Ohio in 1845 is quoted. Of eggs found within a sheath of grass sent some seem to be Hemipterous, and others, which __ have hatched and are feeding, are of some species ot moth. ee [Gortyna nitela destroying Tomato-plants.] (The Orange County Farmer for July 1, 1886, p. 4, c. 7— 21 cm.) : a A larva sent as boring downward into the stems of tomato- ~ plants, in Port Jervis, N. Y., and destroying numbers of them, is the “ stalk-borer, a9 Gortyna nitela Guenée. Its tood- -plants i and habits and the appearance of the moth are stated. Cutting out the larva with a knife is the best remedy. For further informa- tion reference is made to the First Report of the New York State Entomologist, pages 110-116. Hop Vine Insects— Origin of Honey Dew. (The Waterville Times [N. Y.] for July 16, 1886, p. 2, c. 2-8 — 73 em.) he In reply to inquiries of the hop aphis, ‘‘ black-fly,” and honey- dew, answer is made that the aphis, Phorodon humuzlz, identical with the European species, was first noticed in this country in 1862. The “ black-fly ” may be the larva of the lady-bug. “The | life-history of the aphis is not completed; it is not known how | it hibernates; is believed to come from’ the ground in the early spring, but has not been found in the ground at that time. The hop crop of this year is doomed to destruction. The formula for the wash used in England is given. Honey-dew is generally supposed to be secreted by the aphides, but there are reasons (given) for believing that it is also secreted by the leaves. Prof. Trelease is quoted on honey-dews. Honey Dew of the Hop Vine. (The Country Gentleman ‘de : July 22, 1886, li, p. 553, ¢. 4— 20 em.) | To jnquiries made from. Waterville, N. Y., of honey-dew and character of the “nigger” that preys upon the hop aphids, answer is made that the honey-dew is secreted by the aphids, and is given out by the two honey-tubes. In its occurrence upon some plants, it is regarded by some botanists as a trne nectar. The ‘‘nigger” or ‘'devil” is the larva of Adalia bipunctata (Linn.), which abounds this year PED various plants and is very active in destroying plant-lice. A New Attack on the Potato. (The New England Hoesen for July 24, 1886, xx, p. 273, c. 1 —15 cm.) Potato plants in some gardens in Springfield, Mast:, have been almost destroyed by an aphis attack — not before, so far as No. 115.] 149 known, recorded in this country. No mention of it is found in any of our entomological reports. The specimens sent were not in condition for study. The aphis may prove to be the Megoura solanv of Thomas, recorded as feeding on tomato. The wash used in England for the hop-aphis—100 gallons water, five pounds soft soap, eight pounds of qnassia, might be used for this aphis. The dead stalks and leaves, and other garden rubbish which might afford hibernating shelter, should be burned. Potato-Stalk Weevil — 77ichobaris trinotata (Say). (The Ameri- can Rural Home for July 24, 1886, xvi, No. 30, p. 8, ¢. 4-5 — 22 cm.) Beetles sent from Maricopa county, Texas, as having almost destroyed the potato crop in that section, by boring the stems, are recognized as Trichobaris trinotata, ot which a description is given. It occurs in the Middle States, but is seldom very injurious except in the Southern States. As the transformation to the perfect stage takes place in the stalks, a preventive of future attack is found in pulling up the plants as they commence to wither and burning them. No other food-plant is known for it. A Plant-Louse on the Potato. (The Country Gentleman for July 29, 1886, li, p. 569, c. 1-2 — 23 cm.) A plant-lonse received from Wyoming, Pa., where it is destroying entire fields of potatoes, is identical with examples received from Springfield, Mass., two weeks previous. They were in too poor condition, when received, for study or identifi- cation. No potato-feeding species is recorded. They may be the same as reported from Albany. as infesting tomatoes the present year, and possibly the Megoura solani of Thomas. The English hop-wash of water, soft-soap and quassia, is recom- mended for their destruction. As a preventive, stalks and all garden refuse should be burned. [Notice of Dr. Walker’s communication on ‘‘Experiments in _ Gapes.”] (The Country Gentleman for July 29, 1886, li, p. 576, ce. 1—6 cm.) No evidence adduced of identity of the parasite in earthworms with the Syigamus. Earthworms not the only media by which the gapes can be communicated—the media serve no purpose for development. The experiments cannot set aside those of Dr. Megnin. The Stalk Borer. (The New England Homestead for July 31, 1886, xx, p. 277, c. 1 — 20 em.) A borer damaging corn in Hampden county, Mass., by burrow- ing in the stalk from the blossom downward, is Gortyna nitela A Maple-Tree Pruner — Elaphidion sp. (The Country Gentle- man for September 9, 1886, li, p. 677, c. 2-4 — 76 cm.) ss Twigs of maple cut off in a transverse section by an internal a PLO F | [AssEMBLY, Guen. The caterpillar is described, and its injuries in Wiscon- — sin, its habits, the transformation of the insect, and the general features of the moth, stated. As the best remedy for the attack, — ay cutting out the borer is recommended, and as a preventive, not permitting the insect to mature within the withered stalks. borer, at Pawling, Dutchess county, N. Y., are sent with the statement that some ornamental maples are being seriously dis- figured by the attack. The borer, from its operations, is recog- nized as an Hlaphidion, and probably villosum or parallelum. The former, the ‘‘ oak pruner,”’ usually attacks oaks. Elaphidion attack on maples is mentioned only by Dr. Le Baron. The method of burrowing of the larva is stated and reference is made to Dr. Fitch’s account and to figures. Speculations on the object for excising the twigs. Destruction of the larvae by — its enemies. The burrowed twigs received, described. Trans- formations of the insect. Remedy for attack — collecting and burning fallen twigs with their contained insects. [Proves to be Hlaphidion parallelum Newm.]|~ [Myriads of Minute Insects in the Air.] (The Albany Evening Journal for September 9, 1886, p. 4, c. 1—10 cm.) | The insects were not observed in flight by the writer, although they attracted so.much attention, but from examples received — they are identified as Aphis granaria, the species so destructive to grain crops in New York and New England in 1861. Their present appearance may be explained by the unusual prevalence of plant-lice, this year, in New York. The hop crop has been destroyed, the apple crop reduced three-fourtns, potato fields attacked, and other crops not previously infested: have been injured by them. | Apple-Tree Pest and Parasite. (The Country Gentleman for September 16, 1886, li, p. 695, c. 1 — 18 cm.) Caterpillars submitted from Annapolis, Md., are the red- humped apple-tree caterpillar, Zdemasia concinna (Sm.—Abb.). All the larve received are infested with a parasite, Lemneria fugitiva (Say), which uses the outer skin of the caterpillar for — its cocoon, changing it to a white color, and otherwise present- ing a very strange appearance. The same parasitic cocoon was also received from Virginia. This parasite displays a fondness for the Bombycide l\arvee—seven other species of Bombycids are mentioned which it infests. : | oe RRC ea a ba . B ... No. 113.) 151 Carrot and Parsnip Aphides. (The Country Gentleman for Sep- tember 16, 1886, li, p. 695, c. 1-2 — 22 cm.) The tpiiania prevalence of plant-lice this year has caused attack of crops which had before escaped, as the potato, tomato, » __ and now the above mentioned. No mention of injury to these _ is recorded by our writers; is probably unusual in England. Curtis mentions Aphis dauci (Fabr.) on carrots, and Lichtenstein records seven other species. Dr. Thomas describes Siphocoryne i. pastinace as likely to occur on parsnips in this country, but not mx yet detected ; two other European carrot-feeding species known. ee Some remarks are made upon the cherry aphis, ?d/yzus ceraso, reported with the above, as limited to one row of trees in the garden. Winds may not have been favorable to its general distribution. A Ham-infesting Mite. (The Country Gentleman for September 16, 1886, li, p. 695, c. 2-8 — 28 cm.) A piece of smoked ham, from Bedford county, Pa., is infested with a mite, recognized as the cheese-mite, Zyroglyphus. siro (Linn.), identical with 7. farine and T. sacchari, trom flour and sugar. The same mite recently infested hams in a New York City provision store, received from a western packing house. De Geer has recorded it as infesting smoked meats in = Europe. The mite, unless very abundant, would become innocu- By ous in cooking the ham. The attack fails to be arrested through _ -—s washing with hot scap-suds or by re-smoking. A remedy would cee be a wash of one part carbolic acid dissolved in ten of alcohol, diluted with ninety of water. - The Cockscomb Elm Gall. (The Country Gentleman for Sep- _ tember 23, 1886, li, p. 713, c. 3-4 — 35 em.) The vetlts. tleied from Mercer county, N. J., are described, and their growth, with the life-history of their occupant, Glyphina ulmicola (Fitch), given. The honey-dew that the | a; galls contain is noticed. The gall is believed to be confined to a young trees of the white elm, Ulmus Americana. The aphis is > only vulnerable after leaving the gall, when it may be sprayed with — _ __ soap-suds and quassia or tobacco water. The synonymy and > bibliography of the species is given, under Bryoscripta, Thelaues, — Pemphigus, Colopha and Glyphina. 4 U.S. Entomological Report. (The Country Gentleman for Sep- 4 tember 23, 1886, p. 715, c. 2-8 — 20 em.) Notice of Prof. C. V. Riley’s Annnal Report to the Department of Agriculture for 1885, mentioning articles on silk | culture, silk-worm diseases, the periodical Cicada and several other insect pests, and reports on various repises by special agents of the Entomological Division. 152 - : . [ AssEMBLY, 3 : e s A New and Destructive Borer to be Conquered. (The New | ne England Homestead for September 25, 1886, xx, p. 841,e4— 16cm.) (Copied in the Country Gentleman for November 11, 1886, li, p. 853.) | A borer stated to have killed cherry, peach, and plum trees, at : Se Philadelphia, Pa., of which the appearance and habits are given, is probably (no examples are sent) Scolytus rugulosus (Ratz.). Its history in this country is detailed. Trees attacked in force by it cannot be saved. They should be cut down and - burned. A soap and carbolic acid wash would act as a prevent- ~~ ive of attack. Phleotribus liminaris (Harr.) may also concur- a in the above attack. a Honey-Dew on Maple Leaves. (The New England Homestead a for September 25, 1886, xx, p. 344, c. 2—18 em.) a Maple leaves are sent covered with honey-dew, which bees 3 were collecting... Its value to bees is asked. The leaves show ‘no indication of plant-lice. They are not always present. The 4 honey-dew may be conveyed a short distance by wind and deposited on uninfested leaves, as in an instance related. Itis — ‘not usually desirable for honey purposes, but this on the maple is doubtless wholesome. Bees are known to collect from Pem- phigus imbricator (Fitch), on beech, and Lachnus dentatus — . (Le Baron), on willow. An occurrence of abundant honey-dew, on willows in California, is quoted. : | The Gapes in Fowls. (The Country Gentleman for September — 30, 1886, li, p. 731, ¢. 4— 31 em.) : ee In comments upon a letter from Dr. Walker, the author of a = paper under the above title, it is shown by quotations from the paper that the parasites found in the earth-worm have not been shown to be syngami. The paper does not invalidate the studies and published observations of Dr. Megnin, as it is — © claimed by its author to do, and attempted to be shown through a imperfect quotations. Dr. Walker’s investigations of the gapes, = have resulted in little of scientific value, and some of the q conclusions drawn therefrom are clearly erroneous. =| The Muskmelon Worm. (The Country Gentleman for September ; iy a 30, 1886, li, p. 733, c. 83-4 — 50 cm.) Larve received, with good descriptions and habits, from ‘ Albemarle county, Va., are identified as Phakellura nitidalis (Cramer), with reference to C.-G. of July 23, 1885, for descrip- tion of the young caterpillar, the moth, and for the best remedies. It is becoming a great pest of muskmelons and extending its =~ ravages. It is not known in New York. Its transformations g No. 115.] 153 noticed — those received are preparing (Sept. 13), for pupation. Said to feed also on squash and potato. Its literature given. The reported presence otf the carnivorous Chauliognathus marginatus in the infested melon patch indicates its preying on the muskmelon larve. The Coleoptera sent for name are Hippo- damia convergens. Silk-Culture. (The Country Gentleman for September 30, 1886, li, p. 785 — 12 cm.) Notices “The Mulberry Silk-Worm—a Manual of Instruc- tions in Silk-Culture,”* by C. V. Riley, as issued by the Division of Entomology of the United States Department of Agriculture, in a pamphlet of sixty-two pages and two plates. The subjects of the several chapters are named, and the manual commended as a full treatise upon the silk-worm and silk-culture and indispensable to all engaged or about to engage in the industry. A Queer Bug and Other Insects. The Country (Gentleman for October 7, 1886, li, p. 753, c. 4 — 18 em.) Leptoglossus oppositus (Say), occurring in large clusters in Charlottesville, Va., upon the grape and corn, is characterized with remarks upon its supposed carnivorous habits, like those of L. phyllopus, while Metapodius femoratus (Fabr.) is reported as injurious to cherries. Observations on its food-habits are desired. Other insects from the same locality, viz.: Huschistes sp., Arctia Phylira (Drury) and Lygranthecia marginata, are remarked upon, in their features and distribution. A Severe Attack on the Potato. (The Country Gentleman for October 14, 1886, li. p. 773, c. 3-4 — 46 cm.) A potato sent from Cooperstown, N. Y., as a specimen of a half-destroyed crop, harbored within large cavities eaten into it, Julus ceruleocintus Wood (perhaps 200 in number), a species of Polydesmus, probably complanatus Linn., in large number, many minute mites of Gamasus sp. and probably undescribed, and a few Staphylinid beetles of an undetermined species. As remedies, gas-lime or alkali waste would destroy the myriopods. Salt, applied as suggested, might prevent attack and also repel leaf-eating insects of the potato plant. The Beech-Tree Blight. (The Husbandman [Elmira, N. Y.] for October 27, 1886, xiii, No. 636, p. 1, c. 1-2 — 38 em.) Plant-lice, covered with flocculent matter, occurring on beech- trees in woods, and covering the ground beneath with a blue or drab-colored substance, are Pemphigus imbricator (Fitch). Its original description by Dr. Fitch is given, with notice of reference to it by other writers. The flocculent matter upon the insect is pst Sites, [Asomrsz, No. 115) ee noticed, also its allied species. The babeuante abaanied upon jes the ground beveath them is the remains of their excreta, dropped __ in meal-coated globules. Their exuvia occur thickly on the . leaves. Injuries of aphides noticed. The best remedy for the woolly aphids may be found in erushing them as they occur massed on the branches. | nN ae The ean Aphis in Maryland. (The Country Gentlemen for — ‘fb November 25, 1886, li, p. 898, c. 2-4—44 em.) 1a “Millions of parasites’? reported in rye-fields in Maryland, causing the young grain to appear as it sunburned, are probably == the grain aphis, Syphonophora avenw (Fabr.). The insect was | very destructive in the United States in 1861, but not seriously =| so since that time. The abundance of aphids the present year * | and an extensive aphis flight, observed in Albany early in .. September iast, identified as this species, indicate that it “a may occasion serious injury the coming year. Portions of its | life-history are not yet known. Extracts from Drs. Fitch and | Thomas upon it are given. Its food- plants and rapid increase are referred to. The best preventive of its increase would beto destroy infested crops in the autumn. ; Annual Address of the President of the Boceioted Club of the e A. A. A.S., at the Buffalo meeting, August 17,1886. (Ento- = mologica Americana for October and November, 1886, ii, — | pp. 143-160.) . a Gives the evidences of the progress in entomology during — the year, as shown in publications made in the several orders, _ of which a list is given — in the rapidly increasing lists of North — American insects (about 25,000 species at present described)— — and in some of the entomological events of the year. , A Sweet-potato Pest. (The Albany Express for December 8, ee 1886.) Sonal Abstract of remarks made before the alate Institute at fan meeting on the seventh of December, on the sweet-potato weevil, Cylas formicartius (Fabr.), examples of which, in its larval, pupal and perfect stages, together with an infested potato, were exhibited. The insect threatens to prove in Texas a more serious pest than the Colorado potato beetle. ‘ se, f ) : a. ZEPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Tekh ORT. To the Honorable the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York: GentLemen.— The duties of the State Geologist at the present time are chiefly confined to the preparation and publication of the Paleontology of the State. This work has heretofore been carried on in private working rooms, connected with abundant museum facilities, in private buildings of the State Geologist. During the past year (1886) the offices and working material have been princi- _ pally transferred to the State Hall, where the work will hereafter be carried on. ! Considerable delay occurred in completing the second volume of the Lamellibranchiata, owing to causes heretofore stated, and which were beyond the control of the author. After the publication of this volume a considerable time was occupied in properly labeling the large collection of duplicate specimens which occupied about 800 drawers. Thirty-five series or sets of these fossils were selected for distribution to museums, colleges and normal schools. This _work of ‘labeling occupied a considerable time, and was not com- pleted till the month of May. Such work, however, is necessary and unavoidable at the close of each volume, cr otherwise we should become overburdened wit!i a mass of duplicate specimens in an unorganized condition. While the preparation of this volume - is in progress it is absolutely necessary to accumulate large collec- tions for study and comparison, and for which the necessary material may be selected for the required illustration. After the completion of each volume a considerable proportion of the first accumulation in any department of the work can usually be classed as duplicate material, and it becomes desirable to find means of disposing of the same. After having been carefully studied during the progress of such work, and finally authentically labeled, such specimens acquire a value as typical forms of the species, and are Lae: | ‘[Assmasny, prized in all museums where scientific investigation is carried on as well as in colleges and schools where studies are made in paleson- tology. I would, therefore, recommend that the matter of the disposition of our duplicate collections be carefully considered, and — that they should be bestowed only where we have a reasonable assurance that they will be useful and will also be preserved. | To have arrived at a point where we can distribute a hundred species __ of authentically labeled fossils has cost much money, time and | earnest labor, and they should only be bestowed with due care and consideration. The extensive collections of fossils: made by the State Geologist and his assistants from the years 1856 to 1866, for the illustra- tion of the Paleontology of New York, have, for want of space elsewhere, remained in private buildings belonging to him. The law of 1883 authorized the incorporation of these collections with - those of the State Museum proper, and at the same time provided that the whole should be transferred to the State Hall as the rooms — in that building should become vacated by the removal of the State _ officers. Pursuant to this plan a portion of the upper story of the State Hall was fitted up for the reception of the collections of corals and other fossils, and during the present year (1886) the greater part of all the specimens have been removed from the premises where they had been kept, and are now arranged in the State Hall. For this purpose additional drawers were required, and these were supplied from the stock of drawers which the specimens occupied while in the custody of the State Geologist. — a There are now more than 3,500 drawers arranged in the State Hall — and occupied or to be oecupied by the collections. Three rooms on the second flcor of the building have been fitted up as offices tor the director of the museum and assistants and for the State Botan- ist, with the library and herbarium. Owing to the necessity of removing these large collections to the State Hall and their arrangement in a systematic order, the time | of the author and his assistants in the paleontology was given to this work for several months, and this, with other duties connected with this transfer of material, has seriously interfered with the progress of the paleontology. The greater part of the time of a Mr. C. E. Beecher since the beginning of May, 1886, has been taken up with the work of rearranging the collections in the State > 2 No. 115.} 159 Hall, and with pecs museum duties and the fitting up of - the offices. Through the liberality of the committee upon the State Museum the services of Mr. J. M. Clarke have been secured for the special work on the crustacea, which constitute the chief subject matter for volume VII of the Paleontology. Mr. Clarke having spent some time in the field in the collection of additional material has since been at work preparing these collections for study and illustration. The printing of volume VI of the Paleontology was begun in August last, and about fifty pages put into type, when it became neces- ‘sary to suspend this work in order to give my time to the removal of the collections to :he State Hall, and it has not since been resumed. In the meantime, however, Mr. Simpson has been engaged in preparing material and completing the drawings for that volume. Of the sixty-five plates authorized for volume VI, sixty have already been lithographed and the drawings for the remainder will soon be coinpleted. The printing will be resumed as soon as we can take possession of our new working rooms and remove thither the material upon which we are at work for that volume, which _ will be during the month of January, 1887. The following memoranda were made on the 26th of Novem- ber, 1886, in regard to the material which had been transferred to the State Hall, and of that still remaining in the private buildings. The work of transferring these collections is now going on. Memoranpa oF Marertat Broveur into tHe Strate Hatt FRoM THe Private Burpines oF THE Drrecror. _Fossils of all classes, systematically arranged, occupying 1,646 drawers. Several large tables and pyramids of shel ¥ee occupied by corals and other fossils. One large glass-fronted case extending across the north-west room, a length of thirty feet, filled with corals. One hundred and two boxes filled with fossils stored in the south-west corner basement of the State Hall. Sixty-seven boxes sent down, and now in the third story of the building awaiting arrangement in drawers. ~~ . On the same floor twenty-one large boxes filled with fossil corals. 160 to the State of New York, now in custody of Professor James Hall, a (November 26, 1886) : “oh : and arranged in buildings owned by him. Lamellibranchiata, types and typical specimens, Geonpyimg Ly Lk a Ne Pied Ce Ne ee, tere : Brachiopoda, types and typical specimens, occupying, Gastropoda, types and typical specimens, occupying, Pteropoda, types and typical specimens, occupying, Cephalopoda, types and typical specimens, oe Sponges, types and typical specimens, occupying. . Corals, types and typical specimens, occupying. Towa collection, including types, occupying....... Warren eéunty, Pa: collection 7.''0. 29h. s So ae Crustacea, occupying..... LEM? DAT eo fa ast Cephalopoda, duplicate collections............... Gastropoda, duplicate collectious....... Pade ie EET Brachiopoda, duplicate collections................ | Graptolites, duplicate collections................. Corals, duplicate collections..............2..005- Portage and Genesee slate.-..... SAPRSAL Ae seeing a Bryozoans, inclnding typical specimens and duplicates Miscellaneous, occupying ...... SS ie te PNM * 654 drawers. — The present condition of the forthcoming volumes is essentially as given below. The work of drawing and lithography will, of © course, change from day to day. Vor. VI. CoRALS AND Bryozoa. é 76 dvaweun 45 drawers. Ae 20 drawers. 10 drawers. 15 drawers. 5 drawers. 16 drawers. 13 drawers. 11 drawers. — 3 drawers. — 30 drawers. 20 drawers. 40 drawers. 60 drawers. 40 drawers. 30 drawers. — 200 drawers. 20 drawers. This volume is to comprise 300 pages of text and sixty-eight = © plates; sixty plates are already lithographed ; in type. The description of the species are essentially all written, and only require revision to be ready for final publication. The descriptions of the figures on plates 1 to 23, and 25 to 49 * All the material here enumerated has been delivered at the State Hall, the delivery being completed in the early part of July, i887. eight plates: still remain to be lithographed. About fifty pages of the text are now No. 115.] 161 (except 31 and 32), in consecutive order, together with plates 44, 45, 49, 50, 51 and 53 have all been written out and put in type. This work has occupied much time, and is an important element in forwarding the final publication of the volume. _ Recent investigations among our own collections and the great amount of literature recently published upon this class of fossils have shown the necessity for re-examining the generic relations of the species, and the establishing of new genera. To this end many specimens have been cut, and photographs of structure have been made. This work, while it hinders the present or immedi- ate progress of the work, will facilitate the final publication of the ~ volume. Vout. VII. To InctupE THE CRUSTACEA AND THE SUPPLEMENTARY Martrrer upon PreropopA AND CEPHALOPODA. _ This volume is to comprise 325 pages of text and sixty-six plates. Twenty-two plates are lithographed and printed; two other plates are in the hands of the lithographer, and one of these is completed. At present one lithographer will continue at this work, while the other one will complete the few remaining plates of the bryozoa. Drawings are already made for about thirty plates, leaving fourteen to be provided for. A considerable amount of manuscript, has beep prepared for this volume, but none of it has yet been put in form for the descriptive text. The greater part of the species have been heretofore described and the explanations of a considerable number of the plates have been written and printed in the volume of Illustrations of Devonian fossils, The volume in all its preliminary work is in fair and satisfactory progress. Vou. VIII. Bracutopopa. This volume is to contain 300 pages of text and fifty-seven plates. Of the latter, twenty-seven plates have been lithographed and printed, and the explanation of the figures also printed. Pho- tographs for illustrating the microscopic structure of the shell have been prepared for about six plates, and more are yet to be made. No manuscripts, except the explanations of plates, is in form for the printer. [ Assembly, No. 115.] 11 - 162 This volume was originally intended to embrace a revision of the genera of the class Brachiopoda, with illustrations of the generic and structural features, together with the microscopic shell struc : ture of all the genera. There is still much work to be done in the collection and preparation of material and its illustration before the . volume can be regarded as in a forward state toward comple I have heretofore called attention to our deficiencies in this respect, and the nevessity of making farther collections for this work. As soon as volume VI shall be published, the work on volume VII will be pushed rapidly forward. yA While the removal to the State Hall has been accepted as a most gratifying result of the past efforts to secure the occupancy of work- ing rooms and museum facilities, there are some considerations which should not be lost sight of in our felicitations, or in our estimate of 4 what may be accomplished in the future. , The buildings and working rooms, which were originally pro- ae vided at my own personal cost, and at first fitted up, and for along time maintained, from the same source, were located so far from e the busy part of the town that we were free from interruption and pursued our work in a quiet way. For many years my own work _ began as early as six o’clock in the morning, often earlier, and was continued late at night. The rule for ee assistants was eight o’clock in the morning. | It was this system of earnest and unremitting labor of my assist ants, draughtsmen, lithographers and myself through so many years prior to 1881 that accomplished an amount of completed and pre- paratory work in lithographed plates and manuscript which in 1883 a made it possible to define the limits. of the work, and to promise — the completion of these volumes of paleontology within ae definite period of time. | In the later years conditions have changed, the syste of work broken in 1881 will never be revived. My assistants wish to ei recognize public office hours, my own energies are not equal to what they have been in years ‘past; and therefore an allowance in time must be made for the completion of this work. Beyond — these things there remains the fact that we shall now be located in — public offices, subject to many interruptions, and it will be quite impossible to carry on our scientific investigations in the que and z seclusion of past years. ) - =~ No. 115.) 163 With these changed conditions there will finally and inevitably come a deterioration in the quality of the work produced in every stage. This change is already especially apparent in the character of the lithographic work produced under the contract of 1883. I estimate that fully one-third more time will be required to complete the work in hand in our present offices than would have been required had we remained in our former quarters. While I have no doubt that every one will try to do his duty, he will find interruptions which he cannot anticipate or provide against. From the end of April of last spring, my own time bas been almost entirely given to the direction and supervision of the pack- ing and removal of the collections from my own premises to the State Hall. At the time of communicating this report, we are not established in our new offices and working rooms. While I am glad to see all this accumulation of collections, which will aftord means for study and investigation for many years to come, arranged in a public building during my life-time, I cannot help feeling that more retired quarters, especially adapted for such work, would have greatly facilitated progress in scientific research. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES HALL, January, 1887. State Geologist. Pe LING es . Nene 7 e q ; oo we nA | ' 4 a ; ror NY ics } ef 4 iil Pi) | Uy, » uy a) 4 aon | roy fe paeues : eeeeonet hia : . jn : fie ! | | “4 \ | i tell: Gil : ( | 4 the i st | { Mi “a —< Tae i ! rae a, ig 4 | Or i 2 Co Sy = ite a ae ee TT a Pate in 4 Lhe a Oar yae* ain | I ifn ‘on we a “% f < rag = SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES “HARTI TA 3 9088 01300 5590