174 ORDER nirTRRA. 



A» rrannlt iU i>rii;in, it npjH-iipt from tin- miiiiiTi>ii»iioc.»iuit> pul)liHlu-<i nt .iii»«nnt iinni 

 during thr lu^l halfriiitur) , thut tin- li«voMin lly it ii"t JiiiliK«n<.ii> tuthi»r<>iiiitn, Imt wii» 

 iiU|N>rtf<i ill .'♦truw fn»iii Kun>|f l>>' ihc Henaiam in llif ciuiilo) uf (he Kiik)i>Ii u'"*'nmu-iu 

 nlx>ut till' \«nr 177«;. Th«' liwl" whirh >;<> t>» Mi!>liuii llii-s vii» of iln- tjvuMi..« uu , thut iin 

 InsiTt liAti njHH'«r«>d in t;«Tiinui>, utul r«>ijiiiiitt«<l rnvnKo ii|i«>ii tin- »li«al croj. jiht to tt» 

 apjK'nnuico in tliis rountrj ; JUid thut Qiv hiilats lUiU <lu»ri»ct»-n. <.f this gfimiui lustct agree 

 with those ..f the uiu- luunwi in this articlt-. It \s furthir sh.-wn l.y tlu- hlhtnry «.f its j-n*- 

 pwM in thi?< ountrj-, thnt it wo-s flritl hIimtvwI ujx.n the western extremity of Luiin Island, 

 and on Stateii Islan«l, in the imnie«Uate neighUirlxMKi of the gn»unds ocruiiied l»y tills 

 brnneh of the Kiinlish army ; ami tJuit fn.ni this r«-ntre it !-i.rea<l in all dinrtioiis, truvel- 

 ling slowly o\er the eiiltivatnl jjirts of the eoiiniry. ami ilrstn^jinp the wl.rat m-p in its 

 c«>unM«. Its tuarrli, and the conM'iuent destntrtion of the wheat er«>|>, wiis luarkixl l>y an 

 Increase in its niimlK*rs,and in the amount of its injury for an uncertain numU-r of years, 

 when It f^radiuilly di.sjii'|«eur«-«l from the country it had occupied and wa.'-ttd. Alter loug 

 inter\als of fret-doiu fn-iu the ravages of this Uy, it grailually returns ami renews its at- 

 larks uiM>n the wheat crop, running aUait the sauie course in its K-cttiid as in its tir»t 

 visitation. It has very recently pasiA-d over jiorts i.t Mainland and Virj;iuia. 1 oI-mtmU it 

 in the former State in 1819. I think we may infer from its history and prv>gre.vs that in all 

 parts of the luitrd Slates where wheat is cultivatitl us a staple product, it will continue 

 its injurious raretr hereafter ils in times pu.-t. 



The sjK'cies of Uy which has recciv»<l the name CVfiJctayiu dtttructor from the di.-tin- 

 gulshetl entomologist Sav, iM(ss<'sses the following siKciUc characters : FiiiiAH^ head black, 

 flattened, globular ; antenna? alniut half the length of the liody, and com|>o!>«d of sixteen 

 oval joints furnishetl w ith a w horl of minute hairs, the two basal joints clos*- and globular, 

 terminal joint the K>ngest ; palpi thre-e-jointed, hairy ; thorax black, oval, broadest behind 

 the winRS«)cket.s ; scutel black ; jxii.sers only dusky ; al>domen black above ; sutures 

 tawny fulvous, elon:^ate ovate, scarcely equalling the thorax in width; ovi|>ositor rose-re-*! ; 

 wings dusky, fulvous ut their base ; legs equal, j»allid brown; torsi black, equalling the 

 legs in length. Mali. : antenna' three finirths the bngth of the W«\\ ; joints globular, 

 and furnishinl w ith hairs as thos*- of the feniah- ; lilanunls s< parating the joints, nUiut as 

 long as the joints : nl«lomen brownish black, cylindrir, seveu-jointeii and slightly ta]iering, 

 the extremity armed willi two robust processes having incurved hooks at their tips. 



It appears fnnu Dr. Fitch's statement, that in the sj'ring the perfect insect remains but 

 about a wwk, iluriiig which time it dei>osits it,s eggs for the summer bro^nl. The first brood 

 appears aN)Ut the first of May in Northern .\ew-York,and of course is hatched from egus 

 that were laid the prerciing autumn ; the in.s«cl having subsistetl u|N)n the juices of the 

 herluige, or lain in a dormant sUte from that time. Early in May. then, ihe lly <i«pi«its 

 its eggs, in the same field, uix'ii the more succulent leav«'S, ni-ar th«ir insertion with the 

 stem of the plant, which it may readily reach after beiiig hatched. Alter a time the wonu 



