. Report on the injurious and other insects of the State of New York . f oneof the sticks is a cross-cut, made by the worm, the woody part beingneatly severed, while the outer covering or bark was left intact. It is apeculiar feature characterizing the work of this worm that it firstenters the wood at the junction of a twig or limb with its larger parentstem. Having reached the heart, it turns and follows this until satis-fied with the length of the tube bored out, and is then ready to cut thelimb off. The reason for selecting a knotty point wherewith to com-mence business is known only to the
. Report on the injurious and other insects of the State of New York . f oneof the sticks is a cross-cut, made by the worm, the woody part beingneatly severed, while the outer covering or bark was left intact. It is apeculiar feature characterizing the work of this worm that it firstenters the wood at the junction of a twig or limb with its larger parentstem. Having reached the heart, it turns and follows this until satis-fied with the length of the tube bored out, and is then ready to cut thelimb off. The reason for selecting a knotty point wherewith to com-mence business is known only to the instinct which prompts it toinjure the tree at all. The work of cutting off the limb is done fromits resting place in the heart of the wood, the cut thus radiating out-wardly in continually enlarging circles until all is detached exceptingthe bark. There is, apparently, no aversion to attacking at any pointother than a knot at this stage of the work,— the clear wood of theinclosed specimens being squarely cut off at an intermediate pointbetween a growth of 358 Forty-sixth Report ox the State Museum Nature seldom commits the error of an absolute waste of energy, so itmay be assumed that this operator has a mission of some sort, and means busiries-^. A little study into the pos-sible object this fellow may have intree chopping, I fancy reveals an efforton his part simply to reach the groundwithout exposure, and the boring andcutting is merely a means to an two specimens of worms which Fig. 29-Elaphidion parallelum: a, accompany the pieces of wood, I hopelarva; 6, pupa, in burrow; c, the beetle; may reach you lively enough to afford «,/. head and mouth parts of larva; . ,. t, • -i , ,i , t,ba9aijoinisof antenna of beetle;;, tip an examination. It IS evident thatof wing-cover; A-, section of cut-off twig, while abundantly able to act on the cm ley.) aggressive, they have no means of defense, and are doubtless toothsome morsels to any prying wood-l^ecker.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbenefic, bookyear1882
