25 



die of May to the beginning of June the worms attract attention bv the innumerabl* 

 small holes which they make in the leaves. The colours of these worms are dirty yellow 

 and grey green, and when not feeding they rest on the under side of the leaf, curled up 

 in a s})iral manner, the tail occupying the centre, and fall to the ground on the slightest 

 disturbance. After changing their skin four times they become full grown, when they 

 measure about three fourths of an inch." 



" At this season (hey descend into the ground, and form a very weak cocoon of earth, 

 the inside being made smooth by a sort of gum. In this they soon change to pupae, from 

 which are produced a second brood of flies by the end of June or beginning of July. 

 lender the influence of July weather the whole progress of egg depositing, &c., is rapidly 

 repeated and tlic second brood of worms descend into the earth during the fore part of 

 August, and form their cocoons, in which they remain in the caterpillar state through thf 

 fall, winter and early spring months, till the middle of April following, when they be- 

 come [lupffi and flies again, as related. This fly has received the name of Empfiytus 

 2Iaculatus, by Norton, in allusion, doubtless, to the whitish transverse lines on the ab- 

 domen." 



"With the facts here given, it will be no difficult matter for anyone interested to 

 make war in his own way. The worm's habit of falling to the ground enables us to 

 destroy them with a solution of cresylic acid soap, or any other decoction, without neces- 

 sarily sprinkling the vines ; while knowing that they are in the earth during the fall and 

 early spring, \vhen there is no fruit, the ground may be stirred and poultry turned in 

 with good advantage." 



Doubtless, also, our well-known panacea for the gooseberry sawfly, powered hellebore 

 mixed with water, would do as good service here as it is known to do with that pest, as 

 they both belong to the same family and have similar habits. 



[Note. — Since the above was in type, I have heard of the occurrence of this insect 

 in Warwick, Ontario, and also in Brantford, Ontario, where they are said to be so numer- 

 ous, that thay soon strip a bed entirely of its foliage.] 



11. OsMiA Canadensis — Cresson. 



This is the name of a small hymero])terous insect, a sort of wild bee, which has 

 proved destructive to the foliage of some strawberry plants during the past season, in the 

 Township of Oxford. It was observed by Mr. Johnson Pettit, of Grimsby, who kindly 

 furnished me with specimens of the insect. For the accompanying Figure 15, which 



represents the female, I am indebted to my esteemed 

 friend, Mr. E. T. Cresson, of Philadel]diia, who very 

 kindly made the drawing from which the cut was en- 

 graved. I am also indebted to him for the determination 

 of the species. Mr. Cresson first described this species 

 in the Proceedings of the Enliimologkal Society of Phila- 

 delphia, vol. 3, p. 33. In tlic figure the fly is rejiresented 

 on an enlarged scale : the hair line at the side shows its 

 natural length. In both sexes, the head, thorax and 

 abdomen is green and more or less densely covered with 

 whitish down or short hairs, those on the thorax being 

 longest. The wings are nearly transparent, with blackish 

 * veins. The female is larger than the male. 



Mr. Pettit says, "The insects were taken in East Oxford, July 2nd, on a few straw- 

 berry jilants in my brother's garden. The plants, perhaps nearly 100 in number, had 

 been nearlv all denuded of their leaves, and a search in the evening having failed to re- 

 veal the authors of the mischief, I examineil them again in the heat of the day, and 

 found the little culprits actively engaged in nibbling away the remaining shreds of tht 

 leaves. They appeared to chew the fragments into a pulp and carry it away, but ths 

 little time I spent in observing them was insufficient to determine anytiiing further 

 respecting their habits." 



