Jd 
only was caught in this about one hour after dusk. Never before dur- 
ing my fourteen years of collecting moths with lights, sweeps, ete., 
have I, within my memory, collected a single Carpocapsa. 
THE HESSIAN FLY. 
(Cecidomyia destructor.) 
This insect has been quite abundant and destructive to grain in the 
central part of the State during the season. A Mt. Kden correspond- 
ent wrote to the Oakland Engineer, May 2, as follows: 
The Hessian fly has done irreparable damage to the grain in this vicinity. There 
has been hardly a field that has not been attacked. The prospect for a large barley 
crop is very good. The wheat crop will be a comparative failure. What is left from 
the Hessian fly is being destroyed by the rust. 
Personally, until this spring, I have had no opportunity of making 
any observations upon this insect. On May 26, while in the Santa 
Cruz Mountains, it was noticed that some of the barley had fallen 
to the ground. On examination, puparia of the Hessian fly were found 
in places where thestraw was fallen. The insect was found at the time 
in all stages from young larvze to puparia, and some of the latter had re- 
cently hatched. From puparia collected at the time, flies made their 
appearance until the beginning of July. Other puparia coilected 
about July 1 have not hatched up to date, and the insects are still in 
the larval state within the puparia. A few specimens of parasites 
(Merisus destructor) were bred from these, and from the same straws 
several specimens of an Jsosoma. 
During September, 1887, I found puparia, which I took to be those of 
the Hessian fly, on two species of grasses near here. These were for- 
warded to Washington, where they arrived in good condition, as stated 
in letter of October 3d, and the grasses were determined as Hlymus 
americanus and Agrostis sp. Again during the summer I found the 
puparia upon several species of grasses in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 
I shall be prepared next season to give a list of grasses upon which the 
Hessian fly is found, and also more accurate notes as to the habits of 
this insect, which, as it would appear, is a very old resident of this coast. 
JOINT-WORMS. 
(Isosoma sp.) 
These insects have been abundant and destructive in most wheat- 
growing sections, and they will continue to be numerous until stricter 
measures are employed for burning the straw and stubble. 
LOCUSTS. 
These did not appear in any large numbers except in the northern 
part of the State and, from some accounts, in Oregon. On my visit to 
Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County, at the end of July, locusts were no- 
