PLUM SAWFLV. 83 



The larva was rarely present in any of the fruits which I opened 

 sent me by Mr. Slater, but, where present (either amongst these or 

 amongst the specimens sent me from Toddington), I found them to be 

 twenty-footed caterpillars. That is to say, they were furnished with 

 three pairs of claw-feet ; six pairs of ventral sucker-feet ; and one pair 

 of sucker-feet at the end of the tail ; ten pairs in all. 



The general colour of the larva or caterpillar was whitish ; head 

 chestnut, darker in front or on the jaws ; eyes dark or black. In such 

 specimens as I examined, the caterpillar lay curled in the injured fruit, 

 somewhat in the manner of a Cockchafer grub, but when disturbed and 

 placed on the hand, it walked swiftly along it. On further examination 

 a few days later, I found the length of the specimen (exactly measured) 

 was five-sixteenths of an inch, — the head pale chestnut, general colour 

 yellowish, the shape somewhat pointed towards the tail, and also it 

 emitted a strong smell. 



About the 22nd of June some Plums, similarly infested by Sawfly 

 caterpillar, were forwarded to me from Toddington (Gloucester), by 

 Mr. C. D. Wise. He mentioned, " We picked the Plums and destroyed 

 them " ; and on the 14th of July he further observed : — " I am sorry 

 we could not let you have any more fruit of the Plum with the cater- 

 pillar still in, as after your letter we were unable to find any more ; by 

 this you will see our attack was not severe, and the grub must have 

 been about full grown when we sent it to you. I do not find 

 that the Plum Borers attack any special kind of Plum more than 

 another." The infestation was also stated to be bad in the Evesham 

 district. 



Presumably the plan mentioned above by Mr. Wise would answer 

 excellently for preventing recurrence of the attack, as thus the cater- 

 pillars would be destroyed before they had the opportunity of burying 

 themselves, and going through their changes to the perfect Sawfly. 

 These good results are shown in the following extract from a letter 

 sent me on the 29th of June, from Seaford Grange, Pershore, by Mr. 

 W. F. Gibbon (Chairman of the Evesham Fruit Growers' Experimental 

 Committee) : — " Regarding the Sawfly larvae in the young Plums. 

 Last year I noticed a lot of them, and had all the dropped Plums daily 

 gathered up and burnt. This year I find a bored Plum dropped only 

 here and there."— (W. F. G.) 



In the case of this infestation, I have merely distinguished it by 

 the name of *' Plum Sawfly," as I have only had the opportunity of 

 studying the larvfe during a short part of their lives ; in all points, 

 however, which I had opportunity of observing, the condition of the 

 Plums and the appearance of the caterpillars corresponded with the 

 long and full accounts of Plum Sawfly given respectively by Dr. 

 Taschenberg, Dr. Eitzema Bos, and also by Canon Schmidberger, 



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