^^ *' vV '% .0^ c"-"* '^O '^^ "■' . . s' V'^ . '^rj. V A > 1 % •^^.A 'It'^ ^^ 1 A. o / • ^^•^^. .HO. V 0^ .V.!'. ^> ■^ V « « -^ o.'f- ^'^.^'^ .'^'^ ' V .^' -^^ ,0 ^-' V, • .,^ .*''' .• .-*■' . u :■ . 4 o v'' w' ^mM' ^--^^ ^■^'% v"^ *0^ ^oV ,0 "V, " o „ ^ <5,^ .>)^^ .<&-' 3 V 3 -Jv ,-^ t ' ^, ■* , -p i^. "oV vV .5'^-- .^^"V. 5^^^. - o "°o ,-?> /O " " ° " O 4 Ov «>^ ^-.^^■.•:#&. v,.*""' ^^ '■' "^ >^ 0° •^.""'' '^o ^-^^ .CJt^^ '^t. c '^x. ^^ "'^ .0 c ° " " * o "-^--0^ ^ * » - o .^ ■^> V - ' * o - ^ -^ "^iW^^ ,. A <. 'o.** .G G 'ir^ ^oV" V^ ^6^ :^ ^oV .: ^V -' /"H'" '■<^ c*^ * f^?h\. • "^ ^. ■ '■'' "^ "^ A^ * 'i -^^■0 V '-^ ^'.^^^^Z ^/'^^ .. ^' REPORT ON THE INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS, INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. PUBLISHED AGREEABLY TO AN ORDER OF '* THE LEGISLATURE, ,m BY THE COMMISSIONERS ON THE ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL SURVEY OF THE STATE. CAMBRIDGE: FOLSOM, WELLS, AND THURSTON, I'KINTEKS TO THE UNIVERSITY. 1841. »\ '5^ To George B. Emerson, Esq., Chairman of the Commissioners On the Zoological and Botanical Survey of Massachusetts. Dear Sir, Upon forwarding to me my commission, in the year 1837, you were pleased to request me to prepare a Report on the Insects of Massachusetts. The magnitude of the task, and various other motives deterred me from attempting to describe all the insects which might have been discovered by a careful and thorough survey of the whole State. A work of this kind, — much as it might promote the cause of science, if well done, — could not be expected to prove either interesting or particularly useful to the great body of the people. Some idea of the extent of such an undertaking may be formed from an examination of the Catalogues of the Insects of Massachusetts, drawn up by me for the first and second editions of Professor Hitchcock's " Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology," of this State. Believing that agriculture and horticulture, when aided by science, tend greatly to improve the condition of any people, and that these pursuits form the basis of our prosperity, and are the safeguards of our liberty and independence, I have felt it my duty, in treating the subject assigned to me, to endeavour to make it useful and acceptable to those persons whose honorable employment is the cultivation of the soil. Some knowledge of the classification of insects and of the scien- tific details of entomology seems to be necessary to the farmer, to enable him to distinguish his friends from his enemies of the insect race. He ought to be acquainted with the transformations and habits of the latter, in all their states, so that he ma^know how and when » most si^cpessfully to employ the means for prev«ntim| thei*' »avages. This kind #fMfnowledg^_wUl o.fitei* ^\^ J^ifi il» the sejection of the proper remedies, mnd may prevent him from falling into many mis- tall^.* Not (3i\l)^h€ farrii^r, however, Aut UiQg^\\'^o^are engaged^ in . other employments, would find some profit and pleasure in the study vi INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. of the natural history of insects, were the means for obtaining infor- mation on this branch of science more generally diffused. The plan of this Report, which I have now the honor of submitting, through you, to the people of this Commonwealth, was suggested by the foregoing considerations, by the want of a work on our native in- sects, combining scientific with practical details, and by the letter of instructions that accompanied my commission, wherein the economi- cal advantages to be derived from an investigation of the natural his- tory of this State, were particularly pointed out as objects of attention. A large amount of the materials, made use of in this work, was collected many years ago, at comparatively little cost ; but, after en- tering on my official duties, I was obliged to procure, at an expense far exceeding the compensation allowed me, a great number of books, in order to make myself acquainted with the discoveries and improve- ments in entomology therein set forth. In some cases I have had to rely on the recorded observations of others, for the want of an oppor- tunity to make the necessary investigations myself. The many ap- plications, which I have made to various persons, for information respecting our destructive insects, have rarely brought me any satis- factory replies. The greater part of my first report, which was pre- sented to the Legislature, in the year 1838, has been embodied in this, in order to afford a connected view of the whole subject. From among the numerous insects which are injurious to plants, I have se- lected for description chiefly those which are remarkable for their size, for the peculiarity of their structure and habits, or for the extent of their ravages ; and these, alone, will be seen to constitute a for- midable host. You have already looked over a considerable part of the manu- script, and have been pleased to express a favorable opinion of it. Should it prove as satisfactory to you and to the public, in its present form, the time and labor, bestowed upon it, will not have been spent in vain, By your friend and servant, THADDEUS WILLIAM HARRIS. Cambridge, December 1, 184 L CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION. The word Insect defined, — Brain and nerves, — Air-pipes and Breathing- holes, — Heart and Blood, 4. — Insects are produced from Eggs, — Meta- morphoses, — Examples of Complete Transformation, 5. — Partial Trans- formation, 6. — Larva or Infant State, Pupa or Intermediate State, Adult, or Winged State, 7. — Head, Eyes, Antennae, and Mouth, 8. — Thorax or Chest, Wings and Legs, — Abdomen or Hind-body, 9, — Piercer, and Sting, — Number of Insects compared with Plants, — Classification, Or- ders, Coleoptera, 10. — Orthoptera, Hemiptera, II. — Neuroptera, Lepi- doptera, 12. — Hymenoptera, 13. — Diptera, 14. — Other Orders and Groups, 17. — Remarks on Scientific Names, 19. COLEOPTERA. Beetles, — Scarabseians, 21. — Ground-Beetles, Tree-Beetles, 22. — Cock- chafers or May-Beetles, 23. — Flower-Beetles, 35. — Stag-Beetles, 38. — Buprestians, or Saw-horned Borers, 40. — Spring-Beetles, 46. — Timber- Beetles, 51. — Weevils, 53. — Cylindrical Bark-Beetles, 71. — Capricorn- Beetles, or Long-horned Borers, 77. — Leaf-Beetles, 94. — Criocerians, 95 — Leaf-mining Beetles, 97. — Tortoise-Beetles, 98. — Chrysomelians, 99. — Cantharides, 109. ORTHOPTERA. Structure and Transformations, 114. — Earwigs, 116. — Cockroaches, 118. — Mantes, or Soothsayers, 118. — Walking-leaves, Spectres, — Crick- ets, 119. — Mole-Cricket, 120.— Field-Crickets, 121. — Climbing-Crick- et, 123. — Cucumber Skippers, 125. — Grasshoppers, 125. — Awl-Bearer, or wingless Cricket, 126, — Katy-did, 127. — Locusts, or flying Grass- hoppers, 132. HEMIPTERA. Bugs, 15C.— Squash-Bug, 158. — Plant-Bugs, 160. — Harvest-Flies, 164.— Cicadas, 165. — Tree-Hoppers, 177. — Leaf-Hoppers, 182. — Vine-Hop- per, 183. — Bean-Hopper, 185.— Aphidians, 186 — Thrips, Plant-Lice, 187. — American Blight, 193. — Enemies of Plant-Lice, 196. — Bark-Lice, 198. viii CONTENTS. LEPIDOPTERA. Caterpillars, 206. — Butterflies, 209. — Skippers, 222. — Hawk-Moths, 225. iEgerians, or Boring Caterpillars, 230.— Glaucopidians, 236. — Moths, 237. — Spinners, 239. — Lithosians, 240. — Tiger-Moths, and Ermine-Moths, 242. — Tussock- Moths, 258. —Lackey-Moths, 265.— Lappet-Moths, 272. — Saturnians, 276. — Ceratocampians, 287. — Carpenter-Moths, 295. — — Psychians, 297. — Notodontians, 301. — Owl-Moths, 315. — Spindle- Worms, 318.— Cut- Worms, 321. — Geometers or Span- Worms, 330.— Canker-Worms, 332. — Delta-Moths, 343. — Leaf Rollers, 346. — Bud- Moths, 348. — Fruit-Moths, 351. — Tineae, 355. — Bee-Moths, 357.— Clothes-Moths, 360. — Grain-Moths, 363. — Feather- winged Moths, 368. HYMENOPTERA. Stingers and Piercers, 369. — Habits of some of the Hymenopterous In- sects, 370. — Saw-Flies, 371. — False Caterpillars and Slugs, 373. — Elm Saw-Fly, 374. — Fir Saw-Fly, 375. — Vine Saw-Fly, 378. — Rose-bush Slug, 380. — Pear-tree Slug, 382. — Horn-tailed Wood- Wasps, 386.— Four-winged Gall-Flies, 395. DIPTERA. Gnats and Flies, 401. — Maggots, and their Transformations, 402. — Club- footed Gnat, 404. — Snow-Gnat, 404. — Black Fly, Midges, 405. — Horse- Flies, 405.— Bee-Flies, 406. — Asilians, 407. — Soldier-Flies, 408.— Syrphians, 409, — Conopians, 410. — Parasitical Flies, Viviparous Flesh- Flies, 411. — Piercing Stable-Flies, Meat-Flies, and House-Flies, 412. — Flower-Flies, 414. — Two-winged Gall-Flies, and Fruit-Flies, 416. — Oscinians, 417. — Bot-Flies, 418.— Bird-Flies, and Spider-Flies, 420. — Flea, 421. — Gall-Gnats, 421. — Hessian Fly, 422. — Barley-Fly, 433. — Wheat- Fly, 437. — Wheat-Thrips, 444. — Wheat- Worm, Grain- Worm, or Wheat-Caterpillar, 445. INDEX, 449. C ORRECTION S. Page 18, line 16, for Phryaneada read Phryganeadce " 28, " 27, " pailsful " pailfuls " 48, " 4, " states «■ state " 92, " 29, " Democerus " Desmocerus « 97, « 8, « its " their " 140, " 28, " of '« and " 240, " 11, " Glaucopsis " Glaucopis " 269, " 5, " no " not " 328, «' 28, " yellow " black " 392, " 7, omit the before orange. REPORT INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. THADDEUS WILLIAM HARRIS, M. D. INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. INTRODUCTION. Insect defined. — Brain and Nerves. — Air-pipes and Breathing-holes. — Heart and Blood. — Insects are produced from Eggs. — Metamorpho- ses, or Transformations. — Examples of Complete Transformation. — Partial Transformation. — Larva, or Infant State. — Pupa, or Inter- mediate State. — Adult, or Winged State. — Head, Eyes, Antenna, and Mouth — Thorax or Chest, Wings, and Legs. — Abdomen or Hind-body, Piercer, and Sting. — Number of Insects compared with Plants. — Classification. Orders. Coleoptera. Orthoptera. Hemip- TERA. Neuroptera. Lepidoptera. Hymenoptera. Diptera. Other Orders and Groups. — Remarks on Scientific Names. The benefits which we derive from insects, though neither few in number, nor inconsiderable in amount, are, if we except those of the silk-worm, the bee, and the cochenille, not very obvious, and are wholly beyond our influence. On the contrary, the injuries that we suffer from them are becoming yearly more apparent, and are more or less within our control. Before suitable remedies can be discovered, and effectually applied, it is necessary that our insect enemies should be recognised, and their habits generally known. The instructions of His Excellency Governor Everett seemed to point to the economical advantages to be derived from natural history, as the most proper objects of our consideration. These instructions, together with the nature and extent of the branch of natural history assigned to me, have led me to think that some account of the inse#s injurious to vegetation in Massa- chusetts would be acceptaole and satisfactory to the governor, and to the people of this Commonwealth. 4 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. While I have not thought it expedient to avoid the use of a scientific classification, and have even been at some pains to point out the characters on which this classification is founded, and the peculiarities of the various groups of insects under consideration, it has been my endeavour to treat the subject in a plain and familiar way. No more of the technical language of entomology has been introduced, than was absolutely necessary to define and discrimi- nate the different insects, whose transformations are described, and in most cases the scientific names and terms have been ex- plained whenever they occurred. As this repprt is designed for the use of persons who may not have elementary and other works on this branch of natural history at their command, it may be proper to begin with some brief remarks on insects in general, in order to show how they are formed, and wherein they differ essentially from other animals. The word Insect^* which, in the Latin language from whence it was derived, means cut into or notched, was designed to express one of the chief characters of this group of animals, whose body is marked by several cross-lines or incisions. The parts between these cross-lines are called segments or rings, and consist of a number of jointed pieces, more or less movable on each other. Insects have a very small brain, and, instead of a spinal mar- row, a kind of knotted cord, extending from the brain to the hinder extremity ; and numerous small whitish threads, which are the nerves, spread from the brain and knots, in various direc- tions. Two long air-pipes, within their bodies, together with an immense number of smaller pipes, supply the want of lungs, and carry the air to every part. Insects do not breathe through their mouths, but through little holes, called spiracles, generally nine in number, along each side of the body. Some, however, have the breathing-holes placed in the hinder extremity, and a few young water-insects breathe by means of gills. The heart is a Jong tube, lying under the skin of the back, having little holes on each side for the admission of the juices of the body, which are prevented from escaping again by valves or clappers, formed to . T- "^ • Insectum is an abbreviation of intersectum ; and from the same source we have the word intersect, to cut or divide. INTRODUCTION. 5 I close the holes within. Moreover, this tubular heart is divided into several chambers, by transverse partitions, in each of which there is a hole shut by a valve, which allows the blood to flow only from the hinder to the fore part of the heart, and prevents it from passing in the contrary direction. The blood, which is a colorless or yellowish fluid, does not circulate in proper arteries and veins ; but is driven from the forepart of the heart into the head, and thence escapes into the body, where it is mingled with the nutritive juices that filter through the sides of the intestines, and the mingled fluid penetrates the crevices amOTg the flesh and other internal parts, flowing along the sides of the air-pipes, whereby it receives from the air that influence whiclPl-enders it fitted to nourish the frame, and maintain life. All insects are produced from eggs, and none are spontaneously generated from putrid animal or vegetable matter. A few insectSj such as some plant-lice, do not lay their eggs, but retain them within their bodies till the young are ready to escape. Other insects invariably lay their eggs where their young, as soon as they are hatched, will find a plentiful supply of food immediately within their reach. Most insects, in the course of their lives, are subject to very great changes of form, attended by equally remarkable changes in their habits and propensities. These changes, transformations, or metamorphoses^ as they are called, might cause the same insect, at different ages, to be mistaken for as many different animals. For example, a caterpillar, after feeding upon leaves till it is fully grown, retires into some place of concealment, casts off its cater- pillar-skin, and presents itself in an entirely different form, one wherein it has neither the power of moving about, nor of taking food ; in fact, in this its second or chrysalis state, the insect seems to be a lifeless oblong oval or conical body, without a dis- tinct head, or movable limbs ; after resting awhile, an inward struggle begins, the chrysalis-skin bursts open, and from the rent issues a butterfly, or a moth, whose small and flabby wings soon extend and harden, and become fitted to bear away the insect in search of the honeyed juice of flowers and other liquids that suffice for its nourishment. 6 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. The little fish-like animals that swim about in vessels of stag- nant water, and devour the living atoms that swarm in the same situations, soon come to maturity, cast their skins, and take an- other form, wherein they remain rolled up like a ball, and either float at the surface of the water, for the purpose of breathing through the two tunnel-shaped tubes on the top of their backs, or, if disturbed, suddenly uncurl their bodies, and whirl over and over from one side of the vessel to the other. In the course of a few days these little water-tumblers are ready for another trans- formation ; theffekin splits on the back between the breathing- tubes, the heaoV body, and limbs of a mosquito suddenly burst from the qj|Bning, the slender legs rest on the empty skin till the latter fills with water and sinks, when the insect abandons its native element, spreads its tiny wings, and flies away, piping its war-note, and thirsting for the blood which its natural weapons enable it to draw from its unlucky victims. The full-fed maggot, that has rioted in filth till its tender skin seems ready to burst with repletion, when the appointed time arrives, leaves the offensive matters it was ordained to assist in removing, and gets into some convenient hole or crevice ; then its body contracts or shortens, and becomes egg-shaped, vvhile the skin hardens, and turns brown and dry, so that, under this form, the creature appears more like a seed than a living animal ; after some time passed in this inactive and equivocal form, during which wonderful changes have taken place within the seed-like shell, one end of the shell is forced off', and from the inside comes forth a buzzing fly, that drops its former filthy habits with its cast-off" dress, and now, with a more refined taste, seeks only to lap the sohd viands of our tables, or sip the liquid contents of our cups. Caterpillars, grubs, and maggots undergo a complete transfor- mation in coming to maturity ; but there are other insects, such as crickets, grasshoppers, bugs, and plant-lice, which, though differing a good deal in the young and adult states, are not subject to so great a change, their transformations being only partial. For instance, the young grasshopper comes from the egg a wingless insect, and consequently unable to move from place to place, in any other way than by the use of its legs ; as it grows larger it INTRODUCTION. 7 is soon obliged to cast off its skin, and, after one or two moult- ings, its body not only increases in size, but becomes proportion- ally longer tban before, while little stump-like wings begin to make their appearance on the top of the back. After this, the grasshopper continues to eat voraciously, grows larger and larger, and hops about without any aid from its short and motionless wings, repeatedly casts off its outgrown skin, appearing each time with still longer wings, and more perfectly formed limbs, till at length it ceases to grow, and, shedding its skin for the last time, it comes forth a perfectly formed and matured grasshopper, with the power of spreading its ample wings, and of using them in flight. Hence there are three periods in the life of an insect, more or less distinctly marked by corresponding changes in the form, pow- ers, and habits. In the first, or period of infancy, an insect is technically called a larva, a word signifying a mask, because therein its future form is more or less masked or concealed. This name is not only applied to grubs, caterpillars, and maggots, and to other insects that undergo a complete transformation, but also to young and wingless grasshoppers, and bugs, and indeed to all young insects before the wings begin to appear. In this first period, which is generally much the longest, insects are always wingless, pass most of their time in eating, grow rapidly, and usually cast off their skins repeatedly. The second period, wherein those insects, that undergo a partial transformation, retain their activity and their appetites for food, continue to grow, and acquire the rudiments of wings, while others, at this age, entirely lose their larva form, take no food, and remain at rest in a death- like sleep, — is called the pupa state, from a slight resemblance that some of the latter present to an infant trussed in bandages, as was the fashion among the Romans. The pupae from caterpillars, however, are more commonly called chrysalids, because some of them, as the name implies, are gilt or adorned with golden spots ; and grubs, after their first transformation, are often named nymphs, for what reason does not appear. At the end of the second period insects again shed their skins, and come forth fully grown, and (with few exceptions) provided with wings. They thus enter upon their last or adult state, wherein they no longer increase in size, and during which they provide for a continuation of their 8 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. kind. This period usually lasts only a short time, for most insects die immediately after their eggs are laid. Bees, wasps, and ants, however, which live in society, and labor together for the common good of their communities, continue much longer in the adult state. In winged or adult insects, two of the transverse incisions, with which they are marked, are deeper than the rest, so that the body seems to consist of three principal portions, the first whereof is the head, the second or middle portion the thorax, or chest, and the third or hindmost the abdomen, or hind-body. In some wingless insects these three portions are also to be seen ; but in most young insects, or larvae, the body consists of the head, and a series of twelve rings or segments, the thorax not being dis- tinctly separated from the hinder part of the body, as may be perceived in caterpillars, grubs, and maggots. The eyes of adult insects, though apparently two in number, are compound, each consisting of a great number of single eyes closely united together, and incapable of being rolled in their sockets. Such also are the eyes of the larvae, and of the active pupae of those insects that undergo an imperfect transformation. Moreover, many winged insects have one, two, or three little sihgle eyes, placed near each other on the crown of the head, and called ocelli^ or eyelets. The eyes of grubs, caterpillars, and of other completely transforming larvae, are not compound, but con- sist of five or six eyelets clustered together, without touching, on each side of the head ; some, however, such as maggots, are totally blind. Near to the eyes are two jointed members, named antenna^ corresponding, for the most part, in situation, with the ears of other animals, and supposed to be connected with the sense of hearing, of touch, or of both united. The antennae are very short in larvae, and of various sizes and forms in other insects. The mouth of some insects is made for biting, that of others for taking food only by suction. In biting-insects the parts of the mouth, which are variously modified to suit the nature of the food, are these : an upper and an under lip, two nippers or jaws on each side, moving sidewise, and not up and down, and four or six little jointed members, called paZpi or feelers, whereof two belong INTRODUCTION. 9 to the lower lip, and one or two to each of the lower jaws. The mouth of sucking-insects consists essentially of these same parts, but so different in their shape and in the purposes for which they are designed, that the resemblance between them and' those of biting-insects is not easily recognised. Thus the jaws of cater- pillars are transformed to a spiral sucking-tube in butterflies and moths, and those of maggots to a hard proboscis, fitted for pier- cing, as in the mosquito and horse-fly, or to one of softer consist- ence, and ending with fleshy lips for lapping, as in common flies ; while in bugs, plant-lice, and so.oie other insects resembling them, the parts of the mouth undergo no essential change from infancy to the adult state, but are formed into a long, hard, and jointed beak, bent under the breast when not in use, and designed only for making punctures and drawing in liquid nourishment. The parts belonging to the thorax are the wings and the legs. The former are two or four in number, and vary greatly in form and consistence, in the situation of the wing-bones or veins, as they are generally called, and in their position or the manner in which they are closed or folded when at rest. The under-side of the thorax is the breast, and to this are fixed the legs, which are six in number in adult insects, and in the larvae and pupse of those that are subject only to a partial transformation. The parts of the legs are the hip-joint, by which the leg is fastened to the body, the thigh, the shank (tibia), and the foot, the latter consisting sometimes of one joint only, more often of two, three, four, or five pieces (tarsi), connected end to end, like the joints of the finger, and armed at the extremity with one or two claws. Of the larva? that undergo a complete transformation, maggots and some others are destitute of legs ; many grubs have six, namely a pair beneath the under-side of the first three seg- ments, and sometimes an additional fleshy prop-leg under the hindmost extremity ; caterpillars and false caterpillars have, be- sides the six true legs attached to the first three rings, several fleshy prop-like legs, amounting sometimes to ten or sixteen in number, placed in pairs beneath the other segments. The abdomen, or hindmost, and, as to size, the principal part of the body, contains the organs of digestion, and other internal parts, and to it also belong the piercer and the sting with which 2 10 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. many winged or adult insects are provided. The piercer is some- times only a flexible or a jointed tube, capable of being thrust out of the end of the body, and is used for conducting the eggs into the crevices or holes where they are to be laid. In some other insects it consists of a kind of scabbard, containing a central borer, or instruments like saws, designed for making holes wherein the eggs are to be inserted. The sting, in like manner, consists of a sheath enclosing a sharp instrument for inflicting wounds, con- nected wherewith in the inside of the body is a bag of venom or poison. The parts belonging to the abdomen of larvae are vari- ous, but are mostly designed to aid them in their motions, or to provide for their respiration. An English entomologist has stated, that, on an average, there are six distinct insects to one plant. This proportion is probably too great for our country, where vast tracts are covered with forests, and the other original vegetable races still hold possession of the soil. There are above 1200 flowering plants in Massachu- setts, and it will be within bounds to estimate the species of insects at 4800, or in the proportion of four to one plant. To facilitate the study of such an immense number, some kind of classification is necessary ; it will be useful to adopt one, even in describing the few species now before us. The basis of this classification is founded upon the structure of the mouth, in the adult state, the number and nature of the wings, and the transfor- mations. The first great divisions are called orders, of which the following seven are very generally adopted by naturalists. 1. — CoLEOPTERA {Beetles^. Insects with jaws, two thick wing-covers meeting in a straight line on the top of the back, and two filmy wings, which are folded transversely. Transfor- mation complete. Larvae, called grubs, generally provided with six true legs, and sometimes also with a terminal prop-leg ; more rarely without legs. Pupa with the wings and the legs distinct and unconfined. Many of these insects, particularly in the larva state, are very in- jurious to vegetation. The tiger-beetles (CicindeladcB*), the preda- * See the Catalogue of Insects appended to Professor Hitchcock's Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology of Massachusetts. 2d edit. 8vo. Amherst. 1835. INTRODUCTION. 11 ceous ground-beetles {Carabidce), the diving beetles (Dyf.iscidce), the lady-birds {Coccinelladce), and some others, are eminently serviceable by preying upon caterpillars, plant-lice, and other noxious or destruc- tive insects. The water-lovers {HydrophilidcB), rove-beetles (Staphy- linidce), carrion-beetles (SilphadcB), skin-beetles {Dermestadce, Byr- rhidcB, and Trogidcs), bone-beetles (some of the Nitiduladce and Cle- ridce), and various kinds of dung-beetles {Sphceridiadce^ Histeridce, Geotrupidcs* , Coprididce*, and AphodiadcB*), and clocks {Pimeliadce and BlaptidcE), act the useful part of scavengers, by removing car- rion, dung, and other filth, upon which alone they and their larvae subsist. Many Coleoptera (some Sf.aphylinidce and Nitiduladce, Dia- perididce, some SerropalpidcB, MycetophagidcR, Erot.ylidcB, and En- domycliidce) live altogether on agarics, mushrooms, and toadstools, plants of very little use to man, many of them poisonous, and in a Slate of decay often offensive ; these fungus-eaters are therefore to be reckoned among our friends. There are others, such as the stag- beetles (LucanidcB), some spring-beetles {Elateridce), darkling beetles (TenebrionidcE), and many bark-beetles {Helopidcs, Cisf.elad<2, Serro- palpidce, CEdemeradcz,' Cucujadcs, and some Trogosif.adcB), which, liv- ing under the bark and in the trunks and roots of old trees, though they may occasionally prove injurious, must, on the whole, be consid- ered as serviceable, by contributing to destroy, and reduce to dust, plants that have passed their prime, and are fast going to decay. And, lastly, the blistering-beetles (Cantharididce) have, for a long time, been employed with great benefit in the healing art. 2. — Orthoptera (Cockroaches, CricJceis, Grasshoppers, fyc). Insects with jaws, two rather thick and opake upper wings, overlapping a little on the back, and two larger, thin Wings, which are folded in plaits, like a fan. Transformation partial. Larvae and pupae active, but wanting wings. All of the insects of this order, except the camel-crickets (Manti' dee), which prey on other insects, are injurious to our household pos- sessions, or destructive to vegetation. 3. — Hemiptera [Bugs, Locusts, Plant-lice, ^c). Insects with a horny beak for suction, four wings, whereof the up- permost are generally thick at the base, with thinner extremi- * All the Scarabffiidfe of my Catalogue, from Meuchus to Geotrupes inclusive to which may be added many included in the genus Scarabceus. 12 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. ties, which lie flat, and cross each other on the top of the hack, or are of uniform thickness throughout, and slope at the sides like a roof. Transformation partial. Larvae and pupae nearly hke the adult insect, but wanting wings. The various kinds of field and house bugs give out a strong and dis- agreeable smell. Many of them, (some Pentatomadce and LygceidcB, Cimicidce, Reduviad(2, HydrometradcB, Nepadce, and Notonectada)^ live entirely on the juices of animals, and by this means destroy great numbers of noxious insects ; some are of much service in the arts, affording us the costly cochineal, scarlet grain, lac, and manna ; but the benefits derived from these are more than counterbalanced by the injuries committed by the domestic kinds, and by the numerous tribes of plant-bugs, locusts or cicadse, tree-hoppers, plant-lice, bark-lice, mealy bugs, and the like, that suck the juices of plants, and require the greatest care and watchfulness on our part to keep them in check. 4. — Neuroptera [Drngon-Jiies, Lace-winged Jlies ; May- jiies, Ant-lion, Day-Jlij, White ants, fyc-)- Insects with jaws, four netted wings, of which the hinder ones are the largest, and no sting or piercer. Transformation complete, or partial. Larva and pupa various. The white ants, wood-lice, and wood-ticks ( Termitidce and Psochi- dcB)^ the latter including also the little ominous death-watch, are almost the only noxious insects in the order, and even these do not injure living plants. The dragon-flies, or, as they are commonly called in this country, devil's needles {LihelluladcB), pi'ey upon gnats and mosquitos ; and their larvae and pupae, as well as those of the day-flies (jEp/temerac?«), semblians [SemhlididcB) , and those of some of the May-flies, called cadis-worms [Phryganeadm), all of which live in the water, devour aquatic insects. The predaceous habits of the ant- lions (Myrmeleontidce) have been often described. The lace-winged flies [HemerohiadcE), in the larva state, live wholly on plant-lice, great numbers of which they destroy. The mantispians (Mantis- padce)^ and the scorpion-flies {PanorpadcE), are also predaceous insects. 5. — Lepidoptera {Butterflies and Moths). Mouth with a spiral sucking-tube ; wings four, covered with branny scales. Transformation complete. The larvae are caterpillars, and INTRODUCTION. 13 have six true legs, and from four to ten fleshy prop-legs. Pupa with the cases of the wings and of the legs indistinct, and sol- dered to the breast. Some kinds of caterpillars are domestic pests, and devour cloth, wool, furs, feathers, wax, lard, flour, and the like ; but by far the greatest number live wholly on vegetable food, certain kinds being exclusively leaf-eaters, while others attack the buds, fruits, seeds, bark, pilh, stems, and roots of plants. 6. — Hymenoptera {Saw-Jiies, Ants, Wasps, Bees, fyc). Insects with jaws, four veined wings, in most species, the hinder pair being the smallest, and a piercer or sting at the extremity of the abdomen. Transformation complete. Larvas mostly mag- got-like, or slug-like, of some, caterpillar-hke. Pupse with the legs and wings unconfined. In the adult state these insects live chiefly on the honey and pollen of flowers, and the juices of fruits. The larvae of the saw-flies ( Ten- thredinidce.), under the form of false-caterpillars and slugs, are leaf- eaters, and are oftentimes productive of much injury to plants. The larvae of the xyphydrians (Xiphydriad<2), and of the horn-tails ( C/roce- ridcB), are borers and wood-eaters, and consequently injurious to the plants inhabited by them. Pines and firs suffer most from their attacks. Some of the warty excrescences on the leaves and stems of plants, such as oak-apples, gall-nuts, and the like, arise from the punctures of" four-winged gall-flies {Diplolepidid(x), and the irritation produced by their larvae, which reside in these swellings. The injury caused by them is, comparatively, of very little importance, while, on the other hand, we are greatly indebted to these insects for the gall-nuts that are extensively used in coloring, and in medicine, and form the chief ingredient in ink. We may, therefore, write down these insects among the benefactors of the human race. Immense numbers of caterpillars and other noxious insects are preyed upon by internal enemies, the larvae of the ichneumon-flies {EvaniadcB, Ichneumonidce, and ChalcididcE), which live upon the fat of their victims, and finally destroy them. Some of these ichneumon-flies (Ichneumones ovulo- rum*) are extremely small, and confine their attacks to the eggs of other insects, which they puncture, and the little creatures produced * Now placed among the Proctotrupidce. 14 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. from the latter find a sufficient quantity of food to supply all their wants within the larger eggs they occupy. The ruby-tails {Chrys- ididce), and the cuckoo-bees {Hylcsus, Sphecodes, Nomada, Melecta, Epeolus, CcBlioxys, and Stelis), lay their eggs in the provisioned nests of other insects, whose young are robbed of their food by the earlier hatched intruders, and are consequently starved to death. The wood- wasps (Crabronidce), and numerous kinds of sand-wasps (Larradce, Bemlicidce, SpegidcB, Pojnpilidce, and ScoliadcB), mud-wasps (Pe- lopczus), the stinging velvet-ants {Mut.illadcB), and the solitary wasps {Odynerus and Eumenes), are predaceous in their habits, and pro- vision their nests with other insects, , which serve for food to their young. The food of ants consists of animal and vegetable juices ; and thou^i these industrious little animals sometimes prove troublesome by their fondness for sweets, yet, as they seize and destroy many insects also, their occasional trespasses may well be forgiven. Even the proverbially irritable paper-making wasps and hornets (Polistes and Vespa), are not without their use in the economy of nature; for they feed their tender offspring not only with vegetable juices, but with the soft parts of other insects, great numbers of which they seize and destroy for this purpose. The solitary and social bees {Andre- nadcB and Apidcs) live wholly on the honey and pollen of flowers, and feed their young with a mixture of the same, called bee-bread. Various kinds of bees are domesticated for the sake of their stores of wax and honey, and are thus made to contribute directly to the com- fort and convenience of man, in return for the care and attention afforded them. Honey and wax are also obtained from several spe- cies of wild bees, {Melipona, Trigona, and Tetragona), essentially different from the domesticated kinds. While bees and other hymen- opterous insects seek only the gratification of their own inchnations, in their frequent visits to flowers, they carry on their bodies the yellow dust or pollen from one blossom to another, and scatter it over the parts prepared to receive and be fertilized by it, whereby they render an important service to vegetation. 7. — DiPTERA {Mosquitos, Gnats, Flies, ^c). Insects with a horny or fleshy proboscis, two wings only, and two knobbed threads, called balancers or poisers, behind the wings. Transfor- mation complete. The larvae are maggots, without feet, and with the breathing-holes generally in the hinder extremity of the body. Pupse mostly incased in the dried skin of the larvse, some- INTRODUCTION. 15 times, however, naked, in which case the wings and the legs are visible, and are found to be more or less free or unconfined. The two-winged insects, though mostly of moderate or small size, are not only very numerous in kinds or species, but also extremely abundant in individuals of the same kind, often appearing in swarms of countless multitudes. Flies are destined to live wholly on liquid food, and are therefore provided with a proboscis, enclosing hard and sharp-pointed darts, instead of jaws, and fitted for piercing and suck- ing, or ending with soft and fleshy lips for lapping. In our own per- sons we suffer much from the sharp suckers and blood-thirsty propen- sities of gnats and mosquitos ( CulicidcE), and also from those of certain midges [Ceralopogon and Simulium)^ including the tormenting black- flies (^Simulium molestum) of this country. The larvae of these insects live in stagnant water, and subsist on minute aquatic animals. Horse- flies and the golden-eyed forest-flies (TabanidcB), whose larvae live in the ground, and the stinging stable-flies {Slomoxi/s), which closely I'esemble common house-flies, and in the larva state live in dung, attack both man and animals, goading the latter sometimes almost to madness by their severe and incessant punctures. The winged horse- ticks [Hippoboscce], the bird-flies {Ornithomi/ice), the wingless sheep- ticks (Melophagi), and the spider-flies (Nycteribice), and bee-lice (^Braulce), which are also destitute of wings, are truly parasitical in their habits, and pass their whole lives upon the skin of animals. Bot- flies, or gad-flies, (CEstridce), as they are sometimes called, appear to take no food while in the winged state, and are destitute of a pro- boscis ; the nourishment obtained by their larvae, which, as is well known, live in the bodies of horses, cattle, sheep, and other animals, being sufficient to last these insects during the rest of their lives. Some flies, though apparently harmless in the winged state, deposit their eggs on plants, on the juices of which their young subsist, and are oftentimes productive of inunense injury to vegetation ; among these the most notorious for their depredations are the gall-gnats (Cecidomyics), including Uie wheat-fly and Hessian fly, the root- eating maggots of some of the long-legged gnats (Tipu/a), those of the flower-flies {AnthomyicB), and the two-winged gall-flies and fruit- flies (Ortalides). To this list of noxious flies, are to be added the common house-flies {Muscce)^ which pass through the maggot state in dung and other filth, the blue-bottle or blow-flies, and meat-flies {Lucilicz and CalUphorce), together with the maggot-producing or 16 INSECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. viviparous flesh-flies {Sarcophagce and CyiiomyicB)^ whose maggots live in flesh, the cheese-fly (Piophila), the parent of the well-known skippers, and a {ew others that in the larva state attack our household stores. Some flies are entirely harmless in all their states, and many are eminently useful in various ways. Even the common house-flies, and flesh-flies, together with others, for which no names exist in our language, render important services by feeding while larvse upon dung, carrion, and all kinds of filth, by which means, and by simi- lar services, rendered by various tribes of scavenger-beetles, these offensive matters speedily disappear, instead of remaining to decay slowly, thereby tainting the air and rendering it unwholesome. Those whose larvae live in stagnant water, such as gnats {Culicidce), feather-horned gnats {Chironomus, &c.), the soldier-flies (Slrati- omyadce), the rat- tailed flies [Helophilus, &c. &c.), tend to prevent the water from becoming putrid, by devouring the decayed animal and vegetable matter it contains. The maggots of some flies {Myce- tophilcE and various MuscadcB) live in mushrooms, toadstools, and similar excrescences growing on trees; those of others {Sargi, Xylophagidcz, Asilidce, T/ierev