80 CORN AND TrllASS. 



attacks bad not been recorded agriculturally ; nor had the 

 fly, the Cccidomyia destructor, Say, been entered in the lists 

 of British insects. 



Cccidomyia destructor (Hessian Fly) : nat. size and magnified. 



On July 27th the first specimens of the flax-seed-like 

 puparia or chrysalis-cases were forwarded to me by Mr. G. E. 

 Palmer, from his Barley-fields at Eevell's Hall, near Hert- 

 ford, and I went as soon as possible to examine the nature of 

 the infestation in the field. The peculiar form of the pu- 

 paria, and also the peculiar nature of the injury to the 

 infested Barley- straw, showed clearly the nature of the 

 attack ; and on the 8th of September the first imago deve- 

 loped from my specimens, and proved to be the true Cecido- 

 mijia destructor, Say, commonly known as the "Hessian Fly." 



The presence of an infestation which in other countries was 

 known to have caused in some instances the most serious 

 results, was a fact which it was necessary to make public at 

 once, and which attracted enormous attention. 



In 1886 the Hessian Fly attack was reported to me, with 

 specimens accompanying, from localities near Hertford, Ware, 

 and Eomford, in England, and from near Inverness and near 

 Crieff, in Scotland. These infestations were almost entirely 

 to Barley, though in one case to Wheat. 



In 1887 the area of its presence increased to a more or less 

 broad band, sweeping with occasional intervals up the eastern 

 side of the kingdom, from Kent, in England, to Cromarty, in 

 the north of Scotland ; and was also present at some 

 localities in the south of England. Both Wheat and Barley 

 were attacked, but the infestation could not be heard of (on 

 special enquiry being made) as having reached so far north 

 on the mainland of Scotland as Caithness, nor as being to be 

 found in the Orkney Islands. Altogether, the localities of 

 infestation which I could speak to with certainty in 1887, 

 — from reports sent to myself by contributors conversant 

 with the subject, — or with specimens accompanying, amounted 



