40 



and on the 3d of June, flaxseeds were sent me from Macoupin 

 county. June l'2th, flaxseeds occurred in rye near Granville, Put- 

 nam county, and on the 26th they were found upon the bases 

 of fallen stalks of wheat in fields near Warsaw, in Hancock county. 

 On the i29th and 30th flaxseeds still unhatehed, containing living 

 larvae, occurred in fields at Godfrey, in Madison county, and near 

 Jerseyville ; and on the 4th of July they were found in the ripened 

 fields of wheat and in stubble at DuQuoin, in Perry county. 



Careful sweeping of the infested fields at Warsaw, Jerseyville and 

 DuQuoin. yielded no adults. At Effingham, on the 7th, great num- 

 bers of the flaxseeds, some of which were demonstrated to contain 

 living larvae, were found on the stubble, and also upon the stand- 

 ing grain where harvesting was in progress. In badly infested fields 

 they collected upon the platforms of the harvesters in surprising 

 numbers. At Anna, in Union county, on the 9th, the flaxseeds 

 were also noticed in the stubble, and at Villa Eidge, still further 

 southward, specimens were obtained at the same date, which after- 

 ward yielded the adult insect in our breeding cages. On the '20th 

 July I made an examination of flaxseeds collected at DuQuoin on 

 the 4th of that month, and found the larvae in them still living, and 

 not yet pupated. Some of these living larvae were dissected, and it 

 is certain that they had not been parasitized. On the second of 

 August, at Anna, careful and long continued sweeping of the fields 

 failed to procure any of the imagos. On the 5th August flaxseeds 

 were again obtained from fields in DuQuoin, and on the 7th of that 

 month others were sent me from the same locality which contained 

 living larvae, although many of them were empty shells, from which 

 parasites had already escaped. 



On the 6th September I received from an assistant in the field 

 about fifty flaxseeds collected at Centralia, which I carefully exam- 

 ined. All but six of these were empty shells, and only one con-' 

 tained a demonstrably living and active larva. Three at least of 

 the other five were dead, while the other two were soft and possi- 

 bly living, but if so, dormant. 



In sweepings sent from wheat stubble near DuQuoin, which had 

 been previously infested by the fly, the adult insect was at this time 

 found very sparingly indeed. Our next observations in this year 

 were made Dec. 9, at Anna, where larvae and flaxseeds were abund- 

 ant, and on the 27th of that month their occurrence at Albion, in 

 White county, was noted by a correspondent of the office. 



1884. 



Commencing April 9 of the present year the occurrence of flaxseeds 

 was reported from Marshall county by a correspondent of the office, 

 and on the 19th of May young larvae, some of which were but a few 

 hours hatched, were found by Mr. John Marten, a former assistant of 

 my predecessor. Dr. Thomas. On the 21st of this month, larvae 

 were collected at Marshall by an assistant, which, kept in breeding- 

 cages at the ordinary temperature of the air, yielded adult files on 

 the 20th of June. On the 25th of May both larva3 and flax- 

 seeds were obtained at Eobinson, Crawford county, and on the 27th 

 at Mount Carmel. Flaxseeds were found at Carmi and Eldorado 



