270 [Senate 



Hvorm, without feet or hairs, and transparent or of a whitish tinge 

 at first, but soon changing to a bright amber or orange yellow. It 

 moves but slowly, and with difficulty, by a wriggling motion of its 

 body. It remains within the particular floret in which it is hatched, 

 until it attains its full growth. Mr. Kirby says it feeds upon the pol- 

 len of the anthers ; and perhaps it does so at first, but certainly 

 whilst they are quite small, all the worms within the floret clus- 

 ter upon the sides of the germ, and generally towards its base 

 (Plate 5, fig. a.) I apprehend they chiefly subsist and attain their 

 growth there, upon the fluids destined for the nourishment of the 

 germ, and which, for want of these fluids, becomes shrivelled to a 

 greater or less degree, and does not attain that plump form on which 

 the value of this grain so much depends. The amount of injury re- 

 ceived by the individual kernel of grain varies according to the num- 

 ber of worms that have been nourished in the chaff in contact with 

 it. If mature worms grow from all the eggs deposited by the fly at 

 a single puncture, the kernel is doubtless rendered worthless ; but a 

 single worm, as is occasionly found, would scarcely produce a per- 

 ceptible effect. 



Having attained its growth, and in its dormant state, it does no^ 

 differ sensibly, as I have been able to discover, from its previous ap- 

 pearance ; and the only reason for marking this as a distinct stage, 

 is, that the insect now remains for a long period (probably two-thirds 

 of its entire term of existence) without increasing in size or under- 

 going any other perceptible change. The texture of its body seems 

 to have acquired rather more firmness than it possessed while it was 

 growing, and its motions are more sluggish. It is less than the 

 tenth of an inch long : a measurement of several specimens gives 

 0.07 as their average length. It is of a rich orange color, and of an 

 oblong-oval form (Plate 5, fig, b) , being broadest in the middle and 

 rounded at each end : it is slightly depressed, the under side being 

 considerably flattened ; thus in form somewhat resembling the leech 

 when contracted. Its joints are indicated by slight transverse im- 

 pressed lines, by which it is divided into twelve segments of about 

 equal length. Sometimes a brownish cloud is perceptible near the 

 middle of the body on its underside, which is probably caused by 

 alimentary matter. If these worms are placed for some days on a 

 plate in a dry room, the outer skin of the body becomes so dry and 



