WHEAT EELWORMS. 105 



till the rudiment of the future ear begins to form." Whilst 

 this is still so young that the future portions of the flower are 

 not yet distinct, and are still of soft cellular tissue, the worm- 

 lets introduce themselves within these portions, and the gall- 

 like growth of "Cockles," or "False Ergot," is the result. 

 The "young worms soon become perfectly developed males 

 and females. These vary in number from two to twelve in 

 each gall, and, after producing an enormous number of ova 

 [eggs] containing fully-formed young (which speedily liberate 

 themselves, though they afterwards undergo little change), 

 themselves die and wither at the time when the gall begins to 

 assume its characteristic black or brown appearance." 



The above is partially quoted, partially abridged, from Dr. 

 Bastian's account of his own observations, and those of 

 Davaine.* 



The figures (p. 104) give the mass of worms in a Cockle-gall, 

 and also the worms just escaping from the eggs, all greatly 

 magnified. It is difficult to convey any exact likeness of the 

 wormlet itself at this size on wood, but the figure gives the 

 general shape, and the upper end shows moderately the spear 

 or proboscis in the mouth-end, though not its three-lobed 

 base ; also the rounded muscular swelling just below, which is 

 one of the characteristics of this species ; and the coarse fat 

 granules in the intestine. The colour is yellowish white, and 

 the largest wormlets are from a seventh to even a quarter of 

 an inch in length. 



Prevention and Eemedies. — It is stated by Dr. E. L. 

 Taschenberg that these wormlets are destroyed at once by 

 the effect of acid or metallic salts, and it is mentioned that 

 the well-known steep of sulphate of copper, likewise of dilute 

 sulphuric acid, are of use in killing the wormlets in the 

 " Cockle "-galls, and thus preventing infection being sown 

 with the seed. Of course, as in all other cases, care must be 

 taken that the steep is not strong enough to injure the grow- 

 ing power of the seed. 



The method of application is to place the Corn in a vessel 

 with the steep so that the liquid shall be a little above the 

 surface of the Corn ; then stir the Corn gently, and skim off 

 the galls (" Cockles ") that rise to the surface. Thus, as Dr. 

 Taschenberg aptly remarks, " we kill two flies with one 

 blow."t 



It would be desirable to avoid use of manure for Wheat-fields 

 which had in it dung of fowls or other animals which had fed 



* " Monograph on the AnguilluUda3," by H. Chaiiton Bastiau. — ' Trans. 

 Linn. Soc.,' vol. xxv., pp. 87, 88. 



f ' Praktische Insektcn Kuiulc,' von Dr. E. L. Taschenberg, pL. v., p. 171. 



