168 



being the name by which I have always known and spoken of it, and by which it is 

 known in England, at the Cape of Good Hope and in Australia. 



John Curtis, in his "Farm Insects" (1860), treats of it as The Turnip Diamond- 

 back Moih {Cerostoma xylostella, L.) and states that in Europe it lives principally 

 upon the upright honey-suckle, Lonicera xylostettm, and attacks a great number of 

 culinary plants; but seems to prefer the cabbage and turijip. 



The Mediterranean Flonr Moth [Ephestia kiihniella, Zeller). 



Fig. 6. — The Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuhniella,): a, larva; b, pupa; c, adult enlarged; 

 d, head and thoracic joints of larva ; c, abdominal joints of same — still more enlarged ; /, moth fi'om side- 

 resting ; fj, front wing, showing more important marking ; k, venation of fore-wing ; i, venation of hind- 

 wing — somewhat enlarged ; (a, b, o and e, (RUey) d, f, g, h, i, (Snellen). 



Attack. — Slender white or pinkish, cylindrical, caterpillars. "When full grown 

 from J to f of an inch in length, with reddish brown heads, and having four con- 

 spicuous, and two smaller, dark bristle-bearing dots on each side of every segnnent. 

 These caterpillars are found feeding in flour and manufactured foods prepared from 

 wheat, rice and Indian corn, through which they burrow, spinning silken tunnels and 

 threads wherevci- they go. They also infest the mills where these grains are ground, 

 doing much harm by clogging the apparatus and by destroying the fine silk gauze 

 of the machines. 



In my last report I drew attention to the occurrence of the Mediterranean Flou 

 Moth in Canada as an injurious insect, and in such numbers as to have already caused 

 at the time of discovery considerable pecuniary loss to the firm into whose premises 

 it had been introduced. 



Mention was also made of the thorough investigation which was undertaken 

 by the Ontario Government undei- the direction of Dr. P. H. Bryce, as Secretary of 

 the Provincial Board of Health, and the vigorous measures which were adopted to 

 ensure the eradication of a pest which it was justly surmised might materially affect 

 one of the most important products of the whole North American Continent. 



The gravity of the case demanded the full treatment which I gave it in my 

 last annual report, and in order that the identification, of the moth by millers and 

 those most concerned might be facilitated, the above excellent figure, showing the 

 moth in all its various stages, was lent to me by Prof Riley, the United States 

 Kntomologist. 



The official bulletin, prepared with great care by Dr. Bryce, illustrating the 

 insect in all its stages and also giving full instructions as to the course to pursue 

 should the insect appear in any mill, was widely distributed and noticed in the 

 public press, " and was also sent to Boards of Health, members of the Ontario 

 Millers' Association, and to such other persons as it was known would be interested 

 in the matter." A particular request was made that the Board of Health might be 

 notified of any occurrence of the pest, and promises were made of buch practical 

 assistance as the great interests at stake demanded. 



