94 



"the Curculio Parasite" {tiigalphus ciircidionis) of which he asserts 

 that "each one of these Flies punctures and destroys probably more 

 than a hundred Curculio worms." (Addr. Curcul. p. 26.) But the 

 only proof that he gives of such parasitism is, that he received the 

 Parasites from a Canadian correspondent, who had bred it from 

 Black-knot from which he bred at the same time a certain number of 

 Curculios. Now it so happens that my Plum Moth {Semasia pruniv- 

 ora, Walsh,) of which I shall have more to say in Chapter 13th, also 

 breeds in Black-knot as well as in Plums; and it belongs to a group 

 of small jVioths, {Tortricidce,) whicli I know to be infested by Ich- 

 neumon-^ies very closely allied to the so-called "Curculio Parasite." 

 Nay, farther. Prom the lot of plums gathered July 27th, from which 

 I bred 51 Curculios, I also bred about the same time no less than 13 

 specimens of this Plum Moth, and, on August 23d, 1 specimen of the 

 identical "Curculio Parasite" described by Dr. Fitch. But from the 

 lot of plums gathered June 24th and subsequently, which produced 

 the very large number of 134 Curculios, besides a number that died 

 in the larva and pupa state, I bred no Plum Moths at all and no 

 Parasites at all. Taking all these facts into consideration, I have 

 every reason to believe, that this so-called "Curculio Parasite" preys 

 upon the Plum Moth, and not upon the Plum Curculio. And if we 

 are to subdue the Curculio by the aid of either Cannibal or Parasitic 

 insects, we must probably look in some other direction than that to 

 which Dr. Fitch has called our attention. 



Dr. Trimble, in the first volume of his work on "Fruit Insects," 

 (pp. 77 and 85,) asserts that the Baltimore Oriole or Hanging-bird 

 {Icterus Baltimorensis, Linnaeus) — an animal very obnoxious to some 

 most intelligent Illinois fruit-growers — preys upon the Curculio. I be- 

 lieve that this is a mistake. Dr. Trimble has an unfortunate crotchet 

 in his head, that every true I'lum Curculio has got exactly 147 facets 

 or louses in each of its compound eyes, never more and never less; and 

 a veritable Curculio which I once sent him he would not allow to be 

 a true Plum Curculio at all, because it happened to have either a 

 greater number or^ a smaller number — I forget which — of facets to 

 its eyes, than the orthodox number of 147 prescribed in the Gospe! 

 according to St. Trimble. To what species it did really belong, ho 

 did not undertake to say; but perhaps he would like to grind out of 

 his Scientific Mill a new and hitherto undescribed and unnamed 

 species, for every deficient or additional facet in the eyes oi a large 

 lot of veritable Curculios. Be this as it may, his only reason for 

 thinking that this wicked, cherry-stealing, grape-devouring bird, the 

 Baltimore Oriole, does really feed upon the true Plum Curculio is, 



