320 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE 



that this lly Avas parasitic on the insect in question. Conse- 

 quently we find that our late Walsh, in his report as Acting 

 State Entomologist, rather ridicules the idea of its being a 

 Curculio parasite, and endeavors to prove that it is parasitic 

 instead on the larva of his Plum-moth {Seniasia priinivora). 

 But I have this year not only proved that poor Walsh was 

 himself Avrong in this particular iuference, but that he was 

 equally wrong in supposing his little Plum-moth, so-called, to 

 be confined to plums ; for I bred it from galls {Querciis fron- 

 dofisa, Bassett); from haws, from crab apples, and abundantly 

 from tame apples. 



To be brief, Dr. Fitch's tSigaljjJins is a true parasite on the 

 Plum Curculio, and I have bred hundi'eds of the flies from 

 Curculio larva?. The first bred specimens gave me much 

 pleasure, for as soon as I saw they belonged to the same genus 

 as Dr. Fitch's fly, I felt assured that another disputed question 

 was settled. But, to make assurance doubly sure, I repeatedly 

 half filled large jars with pure earth, finely sifted so that no 

 living animal remained in it. Into these jars I placed Curculio 

 larva3 from day to day as they issued from peaches that were 

 thrown into another vessel, and in due time the parasitic flies 

 began to issue from the ground along with the perfect Cur- 

 culios. Nay, more than this, I soon learned to distinguish 

 such Curculio larva3 as were parasitised, and after they had 

 worried themselves under the ground — seldom more than half 

 an inch — I would uncover them, and on several occasions had 

 the satisfaction of watching the gnawing worm within reduce 

 its victim until finally nothing was left of him. As soon as 

 the Curculio larvas is destroyed by the parasite, the latter (Fig. 



[ Figure 0.] 



fiigalphas (/UrcuUo Parasite ; («) larva ; (b) cocoon ; (c) pupa. 



