121 



cially bad in Marie Louise pears. However, no iuiagos were obtained 

 until, in 1887 and 1888, iMessrs. R. H. Meade and Peter Incbbald suc- 

 ceeded in breeding the iuiagos. Mr. Meade carefully compared them 

 with our description, and finds the English insect absolutely identical 

 with the American form. He has recently published a very careful 

 and independent description of the imago, giving at the same time a 

 full account of the life-history of the insect as hitherto observed in Eng- 

 land.* In view of the uncertainty regarding the names given to the in- 

 sect by the older authors, viz: Cecidoniyia nigra of Meigen and Schmid- 

 berger, and C. pyricola of Xordlinger, Mr. Meade proposes to drop these 

 names and to accept Diplosis pyrivora Riley, which we had provision- 

 ally given and by which it can be identified with certainty. 



THE ORCHID ISOSOMA AND A REMEDY FOR ITS INJURY. 



Some years ago Professor Westwood described a phytophagous 

 species of the Ohalcid genus Isosoma {I. orchidearnni) which is injurious 

 to Orchid plants belonging to the genus Catleya. These are ornamental 

 and highly-prized plants, the pride of owners of greenhouses, and the 

 injury by the Isosoma larvie infesting the stems and the leaves is very 

 annoying. M. Kiinckel d'Herculais announces (Ann. Soc. Ent. de 

 France, 1888, Bull., p. 23) that he, in connection with M. Gazaguaire, 

 is studying this Isosoma which has appeared in some greenhouses in 

 Paris, and that he is preparing a paper on the subject. M. Gazagnaire 

 proposes to kill the Isosoma larvoe in their burrows by means of a tri- 

 angular dissecting pin. The larvae do not need to be extracted, and 

 the wound inflicted on the plants by this botanico-surgical operation is 

 insignificant. 



The insect has been quite common in some of the Paris conserva- 

 tories lately, and in view of the skepticism which yet prevails among 

 some of the English entomologists as to its phytophagic nature, we 

 may add that from specimens submitted to us by Dr. L. Felix Henneguy 

 while we were in Paris last October, we had an excellent opportunity 

 of rearing both sexes and of watching the larv?e in all stages. We 

 repeatedly saw the larva feeding on the orchid substance, and the cavity 

 made is at first only just large enough to contain it and its vegetal 

 frass.— C. V. R. 



FALSE REPORT OF PHYLLOXERA IN AUSTRALIA. 



Australia has just recovered from a Phylloxera scare. The Adelaide 

 Garden and Field for July, 1888, states that rumoi-s had been current for 

 a few days that the phylloxera had been discovered at a Mr. Hardy's 

 vineyard at McLaren Vale. The report arose from the fact that some 

 vine cuttings recently planted showed a peculiar enlargement of some 



* Diplosis pyrivora Riley, the Pear-gnat, by R. H. Meade. The Eutotuologist, Vol. 

 XXI, No. :jOO, May, 1888, pp. 123-131. 



