138 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Atomaria linearis a Mangold Enemy.— I send you a brief 

 note of an insect enemy, new to this district, which has attacked 

 the mangold plants which early in the spring were planted for 

 seed. The plants had come up and were growing well, when the 

 young leaves were observed to die off, and become brown and 

 withered. On examination it was found that each withered 

 bunch of leaves contained a number of small beetles. The 

 specimens Mr. E. A. Fitch has kindly sent to Dr. Power, who 

 has confirmed his identification of the species as Atomaria 

 linearis, Steph., and he also says in his letter to me : — " Curtis 

 notices it as a mangold enem)'^ in ' Farm Insects,' p. 395. It does 

 not content itself at a later period with attacking the root, but 

 when it is fine weather it comes out of the ground, ascends the 

 stem, and devours the leaves. These little creatures often appear 

 in families on a small plant, of which in a few hours nothing 

 remains but a leafless stalk, which presently withers and dies. 

 M. Bazin first observed this insect in 1839 at Mesnil-St.-Firmin, 

 and some years later M. Macquard stated that it devoured the 

 fields of red beet in the neighbourhood of Lille to such an extent 

 that the cultivators were obliged to replough and resow the 

 fields" (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1847). It is difficult to say what 

 is the cause of the sudden appearance, in any particular district, 

 of a destructive insect. In this instance, although mangold-seed 

 has been grown on this farm for upwards of twenty-five years, 

 this little beetle has not been observed to attack the plant until 

 this year. It may, however, have been introduced with the seed, 

 which was from another district ; but until the life-history of the 

 species be known it is not possible to say if this could be so or 

 not. — Herbert Fortescue Fryer ; The Grove, Chatteris, 

 May 8, 1882. 



Gall-making Trypetid^. — I have lately identified two more 

 British gall-making Trypetidce, by the help of H. Loew's fine 

 work, ' Die Europaischen Bohrfliegen.' The species referred to 

 by Mr. Moncreaff as "reared on September 14th, from galls in 

 the receptacle of Inula ci'itJimoides ; the receptacle becomes 

 thickened and enlarged, and has a hard woody texture ; about 

 seven cells in one flower-head ; the larva forms a cocoon " 

 (Entom. V. 450), was named by Mr. Walker " Tephritis signata, 

 Meig.," but is, as I suspected. Myosites inulce, v. Roser {op. cit., 

 p. 65, pi. vi., figs. 3, 4). Walker received eight specimens from 



