100 STORED GRAIN AND FLOUR. 
brownish patch. The jaws are brown. The caterpillars turn to 
chrysalids in the flour in which they feed, from which the moths may 
come out in three weeks. The time required for the whole life cycle, 
that is, through condition of egg, larva, and pupa, up to the perfect 
insect, varies with circumstances. It may be from two to two and a 
half months, or, in the most favourable circumstances as to warmth, 
about five weeks is estimated to be sufficient. 
Application for advice as to best methods of extirpation of this pest 
show the constantly increasing amount of spread in this country ; but 
it is only in the past season that I have received definite observation 
of it as being transmitted in flour from the south and east of Europe. 
I therefore give the matter of the two communications, but for obvious 
reasons without the addresses of the importers. The following obser- 
vation was sent me on October 31st :— 
‘‘T lately received from an Adriatic port two shipments of flour, 
which, on landing, were both found to be thickly infested on the 
outside of the sacks with maggots and cocoons, some full, some empty, 
showing that they must have been the produce of some moth.” 
In order to be certain of the nature of the infestation as (in the 
experience of many years) my correspondent mentioned he had never 
seen it before, he collected a number of the insects in their various 
stages of development, as far as they could be discovered, from the 
sacks of flour, which he forwarded, with the note: ‘‘ Box A represents 
the flour, and contains a few larvex, various cocoons, inhabited and 
empty, some containing the shell of the pupa after the imago had 
escaped, and one moth, the only one I succeeded in obtaining, and it 
unfortunately too much injured to allow of thorough examination” ; 
but, consequently on his study of the subject, my correspondent stated 
that he arrived at the conclusion that this insect is the Ephestia 
kithniella, and from my own examination of the specimens I saw no 
reason to doubt such being the case. 
The other observation was incidental, and occurred in the course 
of examination of flour sent me by one of the Hast London firms, 
which involved sieving eighty-five barrels of flour, and examination at 
least of about thirty-five more. In the course of search as to nature 
of beetles which were or might be present, I came on the clotted-up 
flour, which is a sign of Ephestia presence, and on reporting my 
observation, my correspondents replied :—‘‘ With regard to the Medi- 
terranean maggot we have written the Hungarian mill, calling their 
attention to its presence, and asking if they can explain.” 
In the wide distribution which has occurred of this infestation 
during the past twenty years, it is probably of little practical impor- 
tance to connect its presence now with imports from any country; but 
in connection with its common name of the ‘“ Mediterranean Mill 
