ef Com "s Edition of the Sy}. Nature, 79 
IN addition to the foregoing accurate and valuable obfervations 
of Mr. Markwick, it may not be improper to obferve, that the 
` larva of this fly was fent feveral months fince, with fome of the 
roots of wheat that were attacked, to Arthur Young, Efq. who 
being apprehenfive that they were the larva of the Hefífian fly, 
fent the roots of wheat to Sir Jofeph Banks, enclofed in a glats 
phial, for his opinion. Upon examination, it was found that the in- 
fe& was ftill in the ftem or principal fhoot of the plant, in its pupa 
ftate. Thefe being carefully preferved, the fly appeared in a few 
days; and Sir Jofeph Banks determined it to be the Mufca Pumi- 
lionis of Gmelin's Syftema Naturæ, and by letter communicated this 
information to Mr. Young, accompanied with an engraving of the 
fly, both of which were Rubens in the grft number of the Annals 
of Agriculture. 
The following CUR of the fly i is given by Gmelin, taken 
from the Swedifh. Tranfactions. 
Mufca Pumilionis—nigra, fubtus, capite, "fhoracti que duabus lineis 
flavis, halteribus albis, pedibus cinereis apice nigris. 
Habitat, larva, capite acuto apice nigro, in Secalis culmis adeo 
incremento eorum noxia, ut vix I, 2, 3 polli- 
cum altitudinem aflequantur. 
An account of this fly and its deftruétive properties was firft 
publifhed in the Tranfaétions of the Royal Academy of Sciences at 
Stockholm for the year 1778, by Mr. Ol. Bjerkander; who difco- 
vered it on the young fhoots of the rye in the month of May, at 
the lowermoft joint, which ftopped the growth of thofe fhoots, 
and made them appear as dwarfs; which circumftance fug- 
cefted the name Pumilionis. He defcribes the larva to be white, 
two lines in length, compofed of 10 rings, the Head pointed at the 
end, 
6 
