NEiMATOCERA. 57 



in 1776 in America, and was said to have been imported by the 

 Hessian troops, but this is most improbable. On the American 

 continent it has flourished far more than in Europe, where it was 

 first detected in 1834 in the Island of Minorca. According to Dr. 

 Lindeman* it appeared in Russia in 1880. 



It is found also in Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Italy, and 

 Sweden. 



In England its first recorded occurrence was in i886,t when in 

 July of that year "flax-seed" puparia were sent to Miss Ormerod 

 from Hertford. Since then the attack has been shown to range from 

 Cromarty to the Moray Firth and down the east coast'of England to 

 Kent. In Scotland it has been discovered in Lothian, Perthshire, 

 Haddington, and Berwickshire ; attacks have also been recorded from 

 Northumberland. As we pass in a southerly direction the attack 

 widens out. Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Bed- 

 fordshire, and in some places in Northamptonshire it has been 

 prolific. In Hertfordshire and some of the eastern counties very 

 heavy attacks have also been recorded. 



In Hampshire it has appeared at Petersfield and Lymington ; 

 at Goring Heath, in Oxfordshire ; at Salisbury, and in Kent and 

 Surrey. This is a somewhat curious distribution, it seems, to keep 

 to the sea-coast as much as possible. Perhaps Cambridgeshire and 

 Lincolnshire have suffered from the worst attacks. 



In Ireland it has not yet appeared, and not farther north in 

 Scotland than Cromarty, no records coming from Caithness or 

 Orkney. 



This fly is subject to a number of parasites, and by their study we 

 can safely assume that the Hessian-fly was imported into England 

 from Russia, or is at least of European origin. The study of these 

 parasites has been ably worked out by Lindeman j and Riley, j The 

 latter entomologist expressed an opinion that the parasites in England 

 would be shown to be of Russian or European origin, and such is 

 the case. 



The following are Russian parasites : 



Merisiis intermedins, Tctrastichius Hiieyi, Eupeliiius karscliii, Plaly- 



* Bulletin de la Societe Impcriale des Naturalistes de Moscow, 1SS7. 



J " Hessian - Fly in Britain: Life - History." Entomologist, 18S7. Mr. 

 Verrall does not consider the Hessian-fly a recent introduction, but had probably 

 been here for a great number of years. — Prof. Riley considers that it has been re- 

 cently introduced. It was not recorded by Banks, Curtis, Westwood, or Kirby, 

 and by no economic entomologists — vide Ent., 1887, p. 327 — but noticed by the 

 founder at least eleven years ago, in the February number, 1876. 



X Die Pteromalion der Hessenfliege von Prof. Lindeman. Moscow, 1887. 



§ Proc. of U.S.A. National Museum, 1885 (Parasites of the Hessian-Fly). 



