212 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 84 



and they elaborated these views in the most convincing way. Many 

 important points were brought out by them that hung around the 

 consideration of the danger from insects. They seem, for instance, to 

 have elaborated at this early date the " balance of nature " idea which 

 has become so important in discussions of late years either by the 

 name just given in quotation marks or by the somewhat wiser sound- 

 ing " biocoenotic equilibrium." To whoever may be reading these 

 words I suggest that he will probably improve his time and enjoy 

 himself much better if he will lay this aside and take u]> the first 

 volume of Kirby and Spence. 



THE PHYLLOXERA OF THE GRAPE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON 

 EUROPEAN APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY 



The grapevine Phylloxera occurs upon the roots of the grape in 

 one form, and in galls on the leaves in another form. It is an insect 

 apparently of American origin. It was first described in 1854 by Asa 

 Fitch from the gall form on the leaves, and he named it Pemphigus 

 vitifolii. 



It seems probable that it made its first appearance in France in 

 1863, but its first appearance is generally attributed to 1867. In Eng- 

 land it was found at Hammersmith near London in 1863, and was 

 descril^ed by Westwood as Perityiiibia intisana. 



In 1868 a French commission was appointed to investigate the 

 trouble, which was though to be a disease. J. E. Planchon was one 

 of the commissioners. lie found the insect and gave it the provi- 

 sional name of RliicapJiis vastatrix. Specimens were sent to Signoret 

 in Paris, who decided that the insect belonged to the genus Phyl- 

 loxera. 



In the meantime Westwood had continued his observations in Eng- 

 land and had studied insects both from France and the United States. 

 Valery Mayet states that the English author announced at the meet- 

 ing of the Entomological Society of London, February i, 1869, that 

 he recognized the identity of the American and the French insects. 

 It is interesting to note, however, that the published proceedings of 

 the London Society of that date do not report Westwood as having 

 made this statement. 



It is ])erfectly obvious that the grapevine I'hylloxera should be 

 known as Phylloxera vitifolii ( l-'itch). Nevertheless, the name Phyl- 

 loxera vastatrix given it by Planchon 14 years after Fitch's descrip- 

 tion was the one used in all of the literature for many years. Valery 

 Mayet justifies his own use of the latter name on the ground of the 



