THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 147 



Entomologist of New York, specimens of parasitized eggs of the Goose- 

 berry Sawfly, Nematiis ventricosus, which he kindly sent me for the purpose 

 of enabling me to introduce the parasite into Canada. This parasite is a 

 very minute four-winged fly, probably Trichogamma pretiosa, with very 

 delicate fringed wings. Some of these I placed while still unhatched near 

 to eggs of the Sawfly recently laid on currant leaves. It is sincerely hoped 

 that the effort for their introduction into Ontario will be successful, as they 

 seem to do their work very thoroughl}^, every egg in the examples sent me 

 being parasitized. The presence of the parasite may be detected by the 

 discoloration of the egg, which becomes brown. 



Recently I have received from a correspondent in Oakville, Mr. M. 

 Felan, some examples of the destructive work of Systena frontalis on 

 grape vine leaves. This beetle, although very generally distributed, has 

 not, as far as I know, ever been recorded before as destructive or noxious. 

 In this instance it seems to be quite local in its abundance, as my corre- 

 spondent informs me that they are not found on his neighbor's vines, 

 although very abundant and destructive on his own, eating the green 

 tissues of the leaf on the upper side and causing it to wither. 



Examples of what appears to be a new disease on the pea have lately 

 been brought to my notice from several localities, under the impression 

 that it was caused by an insect. The disease manifests itself in a series 

 of white fleshy swellings at short intervals along the fibrous roots, varying 

 in size from one-sixteenth of an inch to one-eighth of an inch or more in 

 diameter, irregular in form, and of a solid fleshy structure. Microscopical 

 examination has convinced me that it is a fungus growth in the production 

 of which insects play no part. It appears to have the effect of stunting 

 the growth of the plants and lessening the crop. 



The short fruit crop this year, after the abundant promise of the 

 spring, has been by many attributed to the work of insects, but this I am 

 satisfied is an error, for while in many instances a small amount of injury 

 has been done by insects, the main causes of the failure must be looked 

 for elsewhere. Insects are important agents in the fertilization of fruit 

 blossoms, and at the time of the abundant blossoming of the past season 

 wet weather prevailed with an unusually low temperature, which prevented 

 the insects then on the wing from visiting the flowers ; the lov/ prevailing 

 temperature may have also interfered with the proper maturing of the fer- 

 tilizing agent, while the frequent rains washed away from the opening 



