For the bencfit of those interested, I append the following descriptions of the several stages of the insect, adapted from my notes. in "Insect Life," Vol. V, p. 155, and Bulletin No. 30, U. S. Dep't of Agr., p. 51. Eggs-In irregularly shaped masses of from 20 to 50, circular, flat, pale-yellow, each with a delicate, semi-transparent, membranous bor. der, over-lapping each other, fish scale fashion. As the embryo develops, each egg acquires two minute black lines or marks. Larva-Newly hatched one-twentieth of an inch long, almost transparent greenish-white-in second and third ages becoming more opaque, but still with a very glassy-looking surface, and showing a sparse dotting of black. Full-grown larva from eight to nine-tenths of an inch long by about three-twentieths inch in diameter when crawling, somewhat contracted and broadened in repose. The form is subcylindrical, tapering slightly toward either end. The color at this stage is variable, in some specimens translucent pinkish, in others dull green, and again of the gray-brown shade of the bark of the older wood, always obscurely striped on the dorsum and sides, with a darker shade of the ground color, and having a narrow but distinct ivorywhite stigmatal band. Piliferous dots black, surrounded with a paler ring, largest just above the stigmatal band, four in sub-dorsal spaces on eleventh segment being in the hollow of conspicuous crescents convex toward the sides. Head narrower than thoracic joints; cordate, with rounded lobes of a pale-brown color, with irregular stripes in a somewhat darker shade; mouth parts dark-brown; legs and prolegs same color as general surface. Cocoon Of various shapes, rather loose and baggy, of fine texture and thin, but very strong; pinkish or brownish-white, spun against some flat surface or among crumpled leaves. Pupa-From one-half to six-tenths inch in length; very slender, with slight corrugations, and teeth on the posterior edge of the joints, and of a bright brown color. Moth-Expanse of wings seven-eighths inch; fore-wings satiny in texture, of a pale, brownish-gray, sometimes, when the insect is perfectly fresh, faintly tinged with green or roseate, and always crossed by three curving, wavy lines of a more dusky shade-the outer margin, back of the very short white fringes, being also dark; hind-wings similar in color to the fore-wings, but thinner, without the dark cross lines, but with dusky shadings on the lower edges; body long and slender, brownish-gray above, satiny-white beneath, with long terminal joint, which is upturned and tufted; head narrow, with projecting, beaklike palpi, margined with white, very long tongue, large hemispherical eyes of a mottled dark-brown color, and slender, tapering antennæ three-fourths the length of the wings; legs long and of a satiny-white color. Dr. Riley's more technical characterization of the species may be found in the volume of "Insect Life" referred to above. The Bag-worm or Basket-worm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraformis, Haw.) The singular and destructive insect named and figured here has been attracting very general attention during the past two summers. So far as Missouri is concerned, a very large b a d FIG 5. Ꮽ proportion of the entomological inquiries addressed to me last summer related to the habits and remedies for this insect, while visitors from the country frequently brought specimens with accounts of its extremely destructive work on Bag-worm in different stages of development. a, caterpillar (larva) taken out of case; b, pupa; c, legless and wingless fe- evergreens and other male moth; d, winged male moth; e, case filled with eggs; f, full-grown larva in case; g, newly-hatched larvæ in tiny trees. conical cases (after Riley) Besides the very appropriate names of Bag-worm and Basketworm, it is also called the Case-worm, Evergreen Cone-worm and Drop-worm-the latter from its habit, when full-grown, of dropping from the trees on which it fed, upon the passer-by. It was also dubbed last season, by newspaper reporters in some of the interior towns, the "Missouri Silk-worm.' The Bag-worm occurs in all parts of the United States east of the Rocky mountains, except in the extreme north, but finds its most congenial climate between latitudes 30° and 40°. Until recently it was considered the especial pest of the shadetrees of cities, and was often the most serious obstacle to the thrift and beauty of those planted for ornament and shade of parks and avenues. But from the cities it has slowly spread country ward to the grounds of suburban residents and farms, until it is now to be found in many of the forests, especially those intersected by railways-the latter having been, no doubt, the unconscious means of its dissemination. While its marked preference-where it has opportunity for the exercise of preference is for the foliage of evergreens, especially of Red cedar, it feeds and thrives upon almost all variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, and often proves a serious orchard pest. The development and habits of the insect are peculiarly interesting. During the month of May, in the latitude of St. Louis, tiny dark caterpillars appear from many of the bags that may be seen in winter hanging from the twigs of trees. Almost their first activity is to begin the formation of a case or cover for the hinder part of the body. The process is described by Dr. Riley, in a popular account of the insect in his first Missouri report, as follows: "They crawl onto a tender leaf, and, attached by their anterior feet, with their tails hoisted in the air, they spin around themselves a ring of silk to which they soon fasten bits of leaf. They continue adding to the lower edge of the ring, pushing it up as it increases in width, till it reaches the tail and forms a sort of cone, as represented at g in the figure. As the worms grow they continue to increase the size of their bags from the bottom, until they become so large and heavy that the worms let them hang instead of holding them upright as at first." The silk which forms the foundation of the case is of a dingy pale brown, and is so closely woven as to be almost as firm as parchment, and so strong and tough that it cannot be pulled apart with the fingers. The outside is always ornamented with bits of leaves, twigs or whatever substance is convenient, partly as a disguise. In spite of their voracity the worms grow quite slowly and do not, attain their full size until the latter part of July or the first of August. During the four molts or changes of skin they cease feeding for two or three days, retiring within and closing up their bags, after first attaching them in some secluded position. When shed the old skin is pushed out through the small end of the bag, which is always left open for the voiding of the frass. The head and thoracic joints of the larva, which are the only parts ever exposed, are of a horny texture and marked in brown and white, as represented in the cut. The part enclosed in the case is of a dingy white color, somewhat bristly and with a faint stripe along each side. There are none of the pro-legs, or false legs, under this part of the body that most caterpillars possess. Until full grown the bag-worms wander but little, and do not leave the tree or shrub on which they were hatched unless the supply of food fails; but as the time arrives for the first transformation they become very active-crawling from branch to branch, not infrequently dropping upon the clothing of the passer-by, or upon animals, by whom they are unknowingly transported to different localities. As Prof. Riley says, a wise instinct urges them to do this, for did they remain on one tree, they would soon multiply beyond the power of that tree to sustain them, and would in consequence become extinct." The "wise instinct " also teaches them that they have no other means of reaching "fresh 66 fields and pastures new," because the mother insect never acquires wings or any organs of locomotion, and has no choice but to deposit her eggs where she transforms. After a few days of wandering the worms attach their bags firmly to twigs, never to leaves or leaf-stalks, which might be detached by the winter winds, and securely closing the opening with silk, transform to a brown, shelly chrysalis or pupæ (Fig. 5, b), of which that of the male is much smaller than that of the female. Between two and three weeks thereafter the final transformation takes place, the insect reaches its perfect state. The male issues from the bag as an exceedingly active, hairy black moth, with clear wings and feathered antennæ (Fig. 5, d). The female, on the contrary, is a mere bag of eggs, without head, legs or wings (c). She wriggles herself out of the pupa shell to the bottom of the bag, where she is sought by the male. After pairing she returns to the chrysalis and fills it full of eggs, intermixed with some fibrous matter, and closes the lower end with the remains of her body. The eggs, thus doubly protected with chrysalis case and bag, have no difficulty in surviving the winter, and from each bag from 150 to over 200 young worms will, under favoring circumstances, escape. Of natural enemies this insect has very few. Birds do not seem to feed upon the larvæ, nor be able to penetrate the cocoons to extract the eggs. It has, however, three insect parasites which bear the somewhat formidable names of Catolaccus thyridopterigis, Hemiteles thyridopterigis, and Pimpla conquisitor. The first named of these, a small, dark, four-winged fly, is the most important of the three, destroying quite a considerable portion of the eggs. The conspicuousness of the Bag worm, and the wingless condition of the perfect female, render it a comparatively easy task to keep it in check by collecting and burning the bags and their contents during the autumn or winter. On deciduous trees there is no difficulty in securing every one, but on evergreens much more care must be taken that none escape observation. When this preventive measure has not been taken, spraying during June and July will be efficient for the destruction of the caterpillars. For this purpose Paris green is said by those who have tried both to be preferable to London purple for use on both evergreens and deciduous trees. It has been considered somewhat hazardous to spray evergreens, but Prof. Keffer, Horticulturist of the State Experiment Station at Columbia, claims to have saved choice specimens of Colorado Blue spruce and Irish juniper by two applications of a strong solution of Paris green-one ounce to five gallons of water and gives it as his experience that the foliage of evergreens will stand a much stronger solution of arsenic than will fruit-tree leaves. It is strongly urged that during the coming season earnest and persistent effort be made to obtain control of this destructive tree pest, which threatens not only the beauty and thrift of the trees on our lawns and in our parks and orchards, but the safety of all our native evergreens, and many of the most valuable deciduous trees that compose our forests and timber belts. APPLE-TREE BORERS.-Next to the Apple-root louse, borers are the most insidious enemies of the young orchard. Of these there are six or seven, some of which bore the roots exclusively; others work Round-headeded Apple-tree Borer. Parent beetle on the right; a, boring in the branches or twigs, or just beneath the bark; but the two species most to be dreaded are the ones figured above, which bore more especially in the lower part of the trunk, and the Flat-headed Borer, which works in all parts of the trunk and primary branches. The parent beetles appear in the spring and live through the summer, placing their eggs at their convenience on the bark of the trees they affect. This extended period of oviposition necessitates that the trunks of the trees be kept protected either by shields or repellant washes from the first of June until the last of August. The perfect beetle of the Round-headed species (Saperda candida) is very rarely seen after it has emerged from the tree, as it hides during the day, and feeds, flies and lays its eggs only at night. It is a handsome beetle of a cinnamon-brown color above, with two broad, milk-white stripes and silvery-white beneath, and has long, backwardcurving antennæ. The eggs are, as a rule, placed within six inches of the ground, each in a little slit cut by the jaws. When the little grub hatches it at once gnaws its way into the sap-wood, where it feeds in one spot, over which the bark will often appear somewhat tightened and blackened, until the approach of cold weather, when it burrows downward, sometimes beneath the surface of the ground, especially in cold climates, and rests until spring. The second summer it feeds |