that the ploughing under of infested stubble would rarely be prac- 

 ticable ; and it is also questionable if the burning of the stul)ble 

 could be thoroughl}' done without destroying the young grass. 



It seems probable, therefore, that if this insect becomes a very 

 serious pest it will be necessary, in badly infested regions, either to 

 sow grass seed with oats and burn or plough under all wheat stub- 

 ble ; or to suspend the raising of wheat for one year, in order to 

 destroy the insects by starvation. I purpose to continue my ex- 

 periments in the direction of ascertaining in what plants, other 

 than wheat, the insect can develope, as bearing on the starvation 

 method of combating it. 



John Henry Comstock. 



NOTES. 



Undet this head are included the more technical descriptions, and 

 the details of certain observatiofis that I desire to put on record, but 

 which zvould not i?iterest the general reader. 



Note I. Description of the adult of Cephus pygmaeus. — The 

 adult is of a shining black color, banded and spotted with yellow ; 

 the male measures 8 mm. in length, the female lomm. The body 

 and appendages are clothed with numerous microscopic hairs, 

 these are somewhat longer and denser, especially in the male, on 

 the ventral aspect of the abdomen and at the caudal end of the 

 body. The head is large with prominent eyes. There are three 

 ocelli, forming a triangle near the summit of the head. The 

 antennae are inserted on the front nearly opposite the middle of 

 the compound eyes. They are about 5 nun. in length, slightly 

 clavate, and are composed of nineteen or twenty segments. The 

 two antennae of the same insect sometimes differ as to the number 

 of segments. The first .segment is ovate with a well marked bulb 

 at the base, which appears like a distinct globular segment. The 

 second segment is short, being only about as long as broad. The 

 three succeeding segments are "elongated ; after which the segments 

 become successively shorter until the middle of the club is reached ; 

 where their length is less than their width. Beyond this there is 

 but slight variation in the length of the segments. The la.st, 



