Prof. Riley asks Prof Cook to state more particulars about this 

 larva \vhi< h injures stored grains. 



Prof. ( '< nils says they came with the samples of injured grain, looked 

 like a Noi tuid, and were i of an in< h long. They ate the kernel, as the 

 samples plainly showed, but how they did it he could n6t tell, though 

 he had tried his besl to bring them to maturity. 



Prof. Riley 'lues not sec how a Noctuid larva could damage stored 

 grain. It is so contrary to the ordinary habits of the species that he can- 

 not understand it. A.fennica has taken on much more ol the arm) 

 worm habit than messoria, but this ma) be because onions are planted 

 in rows rather widely apart, and it would be impossible for such large 

 numbers to subsist there for even .1 short time. In reference to injury 

 done to glain in bins, a species of Ephesiia had probably done a greal 

 part id it . 



lie also said that he had this vear succeeded in raising in consider- 

 able numbers the pear Cecidomyid which Prof. Cook had mentioned in 

 one of his recent reports. lie speaks ol this insect to illustrate the greal 

 difficulty there is in determinations in this genus, lie could not find 

 that it differed in any respect from the descriptions of Cecidomyia pyri ol 

 Europe but to make sure he sent a series to that country and Mi'. Trans- 

 it r\ .-< ould not find any differences from the description, bill the de- 

 scriptions were so poor, and there were no existent types, so that there 

 could be no certainty. Prof. Mig suggests describing it as a new 

 pei ies with good figures and then there could at least be no doubt as to 

 what was intended. This however was rather a violent remedy, and if 

 generally applied would necessitate a great man) redescriptions. 



Mr. Smith states, in reference to the abundance of Ag. messoria 

 larva that onion rows are about 18 inches apart, and 111 1 ft. square be 

 Lween the rows he picked up between 40 and 51 larva just under the sur- 

 face of the soil. 



Prof. Lintner says there seems to be a general belief, and older 

 authors ha\c stated, that Noctuid larva are very difficult to raise. He 

 lias during the past year raised Agrotis saucia without am; difficulty on 

 plantain. 



Prof. Riley says saucia is very easily raised and stands any amount 

 of bail treatment — of messoria on the contran of which hundreds of larvae 

 were sent to the Department, ver) few reached maturity This difference 

 often occurs — Pcedisca scudderiana, or more properly J', saligna Clem, is 

 very easily raised. Another species of the same genus, Miss Murtfeld, 

 Prof Kellicotl and he himself had tried their besl to bring to maturity, 

 for 4 or 5 years, but with very little success. 



Prof. Westcott says that he has had the same experience with these 

 species feeding on solidago. 



