GOOSEBERRY AND RTT RED SPIDER. 95 



serious as in the two preceding years, and has not since 

 (as well as before) these three years been reported as of 

 importance. But as an infestation which in favourable cir- 

 cumstances of drought and heat may suddenly develop into 

 a cause of much loss to growers, it may well take a place 

 amongst "bush-fruit" pests. 



This Acarus, or "mite," propagates by laying eggs ; when 

 first batched it has only six legs; when full-growai it has eight. 

 The length cannot be distinguished without a magnifier, but 

 at full growth this is about the thirty- second of an inch (that 

 is, about a quarter of the eighth of an inch). The colour is 

 variable, commonly of different shades of red from bright 

 brick to duller tints, or sometimes of a bright brick or 

 vermilion along the back, and darker at the sides. 



This Ivy and Gooseberry "Eed Spider" is distinguishable 

 from the Hop "Eed Spider" by the greater length of its two 

 front legs (see figure, p. 94), and on submitting specimens to 

 Mr. Albert D. Michael, F.L.S., that we might be perfectly 

 certain as to the species, he was good enough to examine 

 them, and to reply : — " They belong to the genus Bryohia, 

 and are the Bryohia pnetiosa of C. L. Koch, but I very much 

 doubt this species being different from the Bryohia speciosa 

 of the same author ; you might really call them by either 

 name; but this variety is Koch's ' prcetiosa.' The creature 

 swarms in millions on Ivy in gardens at this time of the 

 year." At the heading of this paper a magnified figure is 

 given of B. pratlosa (taken from life), together with a copy of 

 Koch's outline figure of B. speciosa. These give the general 

 form, and especially the great length of the front pair of legs, 

 which is a characteristic of the Bryohia (Koch). 



The prevalence of the Gooseberry " Eed Spider " was re- 

 ported in 1893 from localities over a large area of country ; 

 from various places in Kent and Sussex, and from near 

 Lymington, in Hants ; in Hertfordshire it was present in m}' 

 garden at St. Albans, and also at Watford. Special observa- 

 tions of the "mite" as a most destructive pest were sent from 

 various places in Cambridgeshire, notably from near Wisbech, 

 Histon, Meldreath, and Great Eversden, near Cambridge, and 

 from grounds of growers up to as many as three hundred 

 acres. More westerly, it was noticed as troublesome at Per- 

 shore, also at Evesham, in Worcestershire, and was observed 

 as being present in great quantities near Cirencester by Prof. 

 Allen Harker, of the Eoyal Agricultural College, and (passing 

 on to the most northerly locality noted) it was present to a 

 great amount up to the early days of June in the neighbour- 

 hood of Perth, N.B. 



The following notes give a few observations of appearance 



