2144
ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.
PART III.
to the Entomological Society of London, discoveredin a living state, at the end of the month of March,beneath the bark of a foreign fir tree, which was beingprepared at Southampton for a mast; several of theinsects being at the time just emerging from thepupas, and others still larvae. The perfect insect issmall (about 1 line long), pitchy black, with cas-taneous elytra, retusely truncate behind, with threeteeth on each side. The galleries made by the fe-male are horizontal, like those of the genus Hylesinus(not vertical, like those made by the Scolyti), thoughvery often more or less curved or oblique. (See.fig. 2015.; in which a represents the insect of thenatural size.)
Dr. Heer has described another species belong-ing to the same genus, under the name of Bostri-chus cembrse, which is found beneath the bark of Pinus Cembra. In themonth of July, 1835, this species, in all its states, was discovered in theabove-mentioned situation, at an elevation of 5700 ft. above the level of thesea, “in valle Beversiana.” ( Oberv. Entomol., p. 28.)
I 'ps ferruginea is another coleopterous insect, of small size and depressedbody, which is found beneath the bark of the fir.
The external Feeders consist, for the most part, of the caterpillars of variousspecies of lepidopterous insects, together with those of a few of the saw-flies.Amongst the .Sphingicte is to be noticed the iSphimr pinastri of Linnaeus, afine, but in this country very rare, species, the caterpillar of which feedsupon A'bies excelsa, and on Pinus sylvestris, P. Mrobus, &c. This cater-pillar is smooth, and at first entirely yellow; but it finally becomes of afine green, with a brown dorsal line. The upper side of the body is terminatedby a curved, black, and horny tail. The perfect insect is of an ashy colour;the fore wings being marked with three short, longitudinal, black lines. It isnearly 3J in. in expansion of the wings. Bouche ( Garten Ins., p. 63.) statesthat it is sometimes very destructive, when it abounds to a considerableextent, occasionally entirely stripping the Weymouth pine of its leaves.
Amongst the Linnasan Pombyces, Eutricha pini is often, on the Continent,a perfect land scourge, entirely stripping many of the pines, especially theWeymouth, of their leaves. This large moth is of a greyish colour, with anirregular reddish bar across the fore wings, and a small white discoidal spot.The caterpillar is hairy, and varied with white, brown, and grey; with theanterior segments ornamented with two blue transverse stripes, and some redspots on the sides. The moth and caterpillar are beautifully figured by Curtis('Brit. Ent., pi. 7.), who observes, in his new edition, that the hairs withwhich the latter are clothed cause excessive irritation when handled. Thecaterpillars were found at the end of June; and the moths appeared at the endof the following month. Rossmiissler gives old trees of Pinus sylvestris as thehabitat of this species. The irritating powers of this insect are, however,far surpassed by the celebrated pityocampa of the ancients, which is regardedas the caterpillar of the Pombyx Pityocampa Fabr. (genus CnethocampaStephens'), which resides upon the fir, the hairs of which are said to occasiona very intense degree of pain, heat, fever, itching, and restlessness. By theCornelian law, “ De Sicariis,” the punishment of death was inflicted uponthose who should, with malice prepense, administer either the pityocampa orthe buprestis:—“ Qui buprestem vel pityocampem, tanti facinoris conscii, autmortiferi quid veneni ad necem accelerandam dederit, judicio capitali et pasnalegis Corneliae afficiator.” This moth belongs to the same modern genus asthe processionary moth, before described. (See p. 1820.) The moth is of agreyish colour, with three darker transverse bars; and the caterpillars aredark or dusky grey, with a white lateral line. They are processionary intheir movements, but not so regularly so as the Cnethocampa processidnea.
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