THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 123 



is intended here," evidently on the assumption that Brookins's first hear- 

 ing of the alarm on Long Island was coincident with the first alarm — an 

 assumption by no means necessary, and one which only complicates the 

 matter. If we grant Mr Brookins's statement to be reliable, there would 

 be nothing remarkable in it as an observation of 1786. But whether for 

 1776 or 1786 it were folly to overthrow prevailing record and belief by 

 one such unverified statement as this, where the chances are so great of 

 inaccuracy from mere hearsay, and Fitch was justified in stating the strong 

 probability that it was some other insect which was found by Col. Brookins. 



Mr. Phillips's statements, as the readers of the Canadian Entomo- 

 logist are aware, are of a very different character. In response to 

 Hagen's inquiries, made to Prof. J. P. Lesley, Mr. Phillips wrote as follows : 



" At the request of Prof. Lesley, I have examined our old minutes in reference to 

 the Hessian Fly, and append on next page the results of my search. I know positively 

 that before the revolution our newspapers were full of communications in reference to the 

 Hessian Fly eo nomine. I cannot call to mind any one paper, but I remember perfectly 

 frequently seeing these articles when reading for other purposes. I cannot find that the 

 committee ever reported." 



The following are the extracts from the minutes as furnished by Mr. 

 Phillips : 



1768, May 18. Com. on Husbandry to consider whether any method can be fallen 

 upon for preventing the damage done to wheat by the Hessian Fly. [N. B. — Mr. 

 DuHamel has written on the subject.] 



1768, June 21. Papers on the Hessian Fly read by Dr. Bond, ordered to be pub- 

 lished. See No. 4, original papers. 



1768, Oct. 18. Col. Landon Carter, Sabine Hill, Va., observations on the Fly 

 Weevil destructive to wheat ; ordered to be published. [Is published jn Vol. I, of the 

 Transactions of the Society. Cf. Harris, Injur. Ins., pp. 502. Dr. H. A. H.] 



And upon being again questioned by Dr. Hagen as to the possibility 

 of error Mr. Phillips writes : 



" 1. 1768 is not an error. It occurs in the proper place in the old M.S. Vol., and 

 there can be no doubt about the fact. Similiter the words Hessian Fly. 



"The term came in use in Pennsylvania from the early German immigrants long 

 before the revolution. I am sure the term occurs in our Pennsylvania gazettes long 

 prior to that period. 



" 2. Cannot say if that paper (of Bond) was ever published. Possibly in some 

 gazette pro bono publico. There is no clerical error as to the date and name." 



Since this correspondence was published by Dr. Hagen in the Can- 

 adian Entomologist, the early minutes of the American Philosophical 



