17 



follows: "I hasten to make a correction on Ephesiia. I wrote 

 you October 27, [L892] that we had found larvse of E. kuehniella 

 here, but, although the larvae seemed to be indeed that species, 

 when the moths emerged they appeared different. So I sent some 

 to M Ragonot, in Paris, and I have just heard from him that they 

 are Ephestia desuefella Walker." 



Several articles on this pest have appeared in French publica- 

 tions. The first, by P. Brocchi (22), in 1888. It contains a 

 brief summary of the past history ot this insect, and gives several 

 methods, both preventive and remedial, for its arrest and destruc- 

 tion. Several papers on this subject have been written by Dr. 

 C. Decaux, of France, referred to in the bibliography appended 

 (41,42, 43). 



Mr. E. L. Ragonot (49) refers to the question of the origin 

 of Ephestia kuehnidla, calling attention to the fact that a species 

 of the family Phycitidse, discovered in the district of Wollombi, 

 New South Wales, and described by Mr. A. W. Scott, in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Z lological Society of London, 1859, under the name 

 of H y phantidium sericarium, belongs evidently to the genus 

 Ephestia, and, according to the description, closely resembles E. 

 kuehniella, but the plate shows two supplementary lines in the 

 basillary space and another in the middle of the space, the im- 

 perfect crossing being replaced by a round dot. This slight differ- 

 ence h« is inclined to lay at the door of the artist, and thinks 

 that the species miy prove to be identical with Ephestia kueh- 

 niella, the more pirticalarly as its larval habits are precisely the 

 same Fjr the present, however, he is content to let the species 

 remain as E. sericaria (Scott). 



The most important publication that has yet appeared on this 

 subject is by Mr. J. Danysz, of Paris, France, Director of the 

 Laboratory of Parasitology and of the Chamber of Commerce. It 

 is an illustrated article (54) of about sixty pages, and was pub- 

 lished in 189:^. It contains a summary of the more important 

 articles previously published on this subject, a careful review of 

 what has been said in regard to the origin and spread of the 

 moth observations on its life history, and a discussion of the 

 remedies used in various places for its suppression. As noted in 

 the articles to which reference has already been made, Euro- 

 pean authors, excepting Miss Ormerod, have hitherto regard- 

 ed this insect as of American origin, having been imported 

 into Europe with American cereals. It will also be remena- 

 membered that Dr. Riley and Mr.- Howard, in their article on this 

 moth which was published in "Insect Life" (Vol. IL, pp. 166-171), 

 protested against this haphazard conclusion, but with little effect 

 upon the European authors who have since discussed this matter. 

 Mr. Danysz concludes, after a careful review of the arguments 

 brought forth by European writers, that it is unsafe to point to 

 any one country as the original home of this insect. He is in- 

 clined to think that it was originally a very widespread species, 

 and that it comes into prominence as a pest in flouring-mills at in- 



-A. 2 



