THE OREGON NATURALIST. II 



lines that give it its name, decern- lineata. of wheat has been recoinended, on the suppo- 



It is dift'icult for the CTSual observer to follow sition that the insects' eggs are all deposited 



the caieer of many of oar most common insects, before the 20th. of September, which is not 



ami fully understand their habits, on account always the case. Pasturing sheep upon the 



of the many changes I hey undergo, and this is wheat field has been tried to some advantage, 



douiily true of the Hessian fly, It is said that the shee; , turned in late in the fall and early 



this insect made its iirst appearance in America in the spring, cropping the jilants close enough 



about the time of the Revolution, and travelled to destroy many of the e^gs and larvae, 

 westwards with the star of empi -e. However Salt sprinkled over the field, about one barrel 



that m;\y be the flies are with us, and in vast to the acre, is said to be good, but although salt 



numbers. Uurin^i the first warm weather in will doubtless improve the soil, enough of it to 



the spring,assoo.ins t' e whiat ha? b gun togrjw destroy the flies could not fail to be 



tlie flies appe 11'. The female alights u| on the injurious to both soil and crops. Farmers 



|-!ant, and standing with her head toward the sometimes p'ant an early strip of wheat near 



extremity of the leaf deposits her eggs in the their main fields to attract the flies and serve as 



minute depressions or fui rows in the stalk, or a trap, hoping to check their increase in this 



in the shelter afforded by ihesheaih, where the way, but with no marked success, for the flies 



leaf branches fiom the stalk, or sometimes in will lay their egg^ in the grass and keep up the 



\.\\: creases in the blades. When the weather suf-ply, no niatur how many are destroyed, 

 i^ favorable these eggs will sometimes hatch in Angus Gaines. 



four days, though the hatching is sometimes de- Vinrennes, Indiana. 



layed to fifteen days. The larvae, curiently 



termed maggots, feed upon the wheat until The annual meeting of the Kent Ornithological 



they are fully grown, and then become pupae. Club was held at Grand Rapids, Michigan 



in which state they look very much like flax December 12th. 



seeds, and from this rescm!>!ence are said to be At this meeting the name was changed to 



"in the flax seed state". At this stage of its de- Michigan Ornithological Club and the foUow- 



velopement the insect is hidden in the sheathing ing were elected to active memberhsip: Prof. C. 



of the leaf where it clasps the wheat stalk near A. Whittemore and Hatiie M. Bai'ey of Grand 



its base. In due time the larva tears open its Rapids, Dr. Morris Gibbs of Kalamazoo, L. 



puparium, crawls upwaids through the straw, Whitney Watkins of Manchester, T. L. 



which by this time is dead, and when it reaches Hankinson of Hil'slale and W. A. David.sonof 



an o]iening it discards its larval skin, unfolds Detroit. 



its wings, and after "pluming" them a moment. The following officers were elected for 1896: 



to prepaie them for use, flies away, the imago President, A. B Durfee, Vice President R. R. 



or perfect insect. The first brood of the flies Newton; Secretary W. E. Mulliken; Treasurer 



issue early in tlie spring, the second late in the Prof. C. A. Whittemore and Librarian Leon J. 



spiing or summer, and if the weather continues Cole. 



warm until late, a thud brood is sometimes All Michigan ornithologists should address 



hatched, The injuries they have done to the the Secretary at 191 First x\ve. Grand Rapids, 



wheat crop may be discerned in the fall and Mich, for particulars. 



winter by the yellow color of the leaves, and 



in the summer by tiie undeveloped head and By special arrangement with the publishers 



shrunken stalks. wecansend the "Nidologi.st" and the "Oregon 



Innumerable devices for destroying the flies Naturalist," both one year for $1.00 only, 



or escaping from their ravages have been tried. Address, OREGON NATURALIST, 392 Morrison 



but with little or no success Late planting Street, Portland, Oregon. 



