100 DESTKUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



divisions of the segments of the body are plainly seen ; it 

 then descends to the earth and crawls beneath the sur- 

 face from 1 to 4 inches, and forms a cocoon, where it 

 undergoes its metamorphoses, or changes, and in about 

 fifteen days the perfect insect appears." (See Plate XI., 

 Fig. 4.) In America, according to Harris, "the first 

 brood appears late in April or early in May, the second 

 early in July. When the larvae of the second brood are 

 full grown they enter the earth, and remain unchanged 

 until the folloAving spring. It seems that all of them, 

 however, do not finish their transformations at this time ; 

 some are found to remain in the ground unchanged till 

 the following year, so that if all the slugs of the last 

 batch in any one year should happen to be destroyed, 

 enouo'h from a former brood would still remain in the 



O 



earth to continue the species." 



Larvae, when full grown, five and one-half lines. Perfect 

 insect, body shining black, nearly three and one-half lines 

 long, expanse of wings six lines, wings transparent. 



This scourge of the fruit-grower is a somewdiat recent 

 introduction from either Europe or America, it matters 

 not which ; ])ut, according to the most reliable information 

 at my disposal, I find that it first made its appearance in 

 Victoria at a private garden at East St. Kilda, near Mel- 

 bourne, and is said to have come from a nursery near 

 Auckland in New Zealand. The specimens of the perfect 

 saw-fly, from which our drawings have been made, were 

 taken by Mr. Knight, Government fruit expert, who, at 

 my request, undertook to watch and wait for this destruc- 

 tive little brute, and although no one here had previously 

 seen the "fly" I felt quite certain that we had the much 

 dreaded European pear slug amongst us, and after several 

 days of patient Avatching in the orchard of Mr. C. Allen, 

 junr., of Cheltenham, Mr. Knight was fortunate enough to 

 capture three specimens, tAvo females and one male, these 

 being, I believe, the first specimens of the perfect insect 

 taken in Victoria, the difficulty of obtaining fresh food 

 for the larvae to feed upon being the principal cause of 

 my having failed to rear them. 



