The Canadian &nTomoLo&is1\ G ( J 



which have eaten their way out through the skin of their victim (as 

 Fm - '-"■'■ shown in tig 29), from which, in about a week, 



the little flies escape, bent on their errand of 

 mercy to the vine-grower. Discriminate here 

 between friends and foes, and never destroy an 

 infested larva. 



Should all tilings work smoothly with the caterpillar, its life-history 

 not being interfered with by either parasites or vine-growers, then, when 

 full-grown, it descends to the earth and constructs a slight cocoon, by 

 drawing loosely together a few leaves or other material and binding them 

 with silken threads, in which in three or four days the change to chrysalis 

 (see fig. 26) takes place, and which finally gives birth to the beautiful 

 green moth shown in fig. 27. For further details regarding this insect in 

 all its stages, the reader is referred to " The First Annual Report on the 

 Noxious Insects of the Province of Ontario,"' which appeared iii the Re- 

 port of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 1870. 



THE FALL WEB WORM. 



A serious pest just now affects the apple tree—] refer to the "fall 

 web worm," Hyphatitria textor, an insect which has found its way into 

 this Province from the Eastern States within a few years past, and is 

 rapidly spreading. It is by no means confined to the apple, but is 

 equally destructive to the cherry — we have also occasionally found it 

 on the blackberry as well as on several different kinds of forest trees. 

 At a distance, it appears as if the tree or branch infested had been 

 suddenly blighted, the leaves have such a scorched and withered look : 

 but on closer inspection you find the branches enclosed in a slight silken 

 web. by means of which many of the leaves are drawn towards the stem. 

 The upper surface and pulpy portion of the withered leaves have already 

 been consumed by this spoiler ; and here and there, where some green 

 portions still remain, groups of ever-hungry, hairy caterpillars are busy at 

 work. In June or July, a small, pure white moth, or miller, has laid a 

 cluster of eggs on 'a leaf near the extremity of one of the branches, and 

 from this has originated the host of mischief-makers. Before attaining 

 full growth they give up their social characteristics, and scatter far and 

 wade, feeding singly on almost anything they meet with. When mature, 

 they are a little more than an inch long, of a bluish black color, with a 

 wide band of a paler hue along each side, and a few clusters of whitish 

 or reddish hairs arising from little knobs or tubercles, which are arranged 



