436 Description of the Gooseberry Caterpillar, 
materially incorrect ; at least for the southern and:warm part of 
Devonshire, where the fly from which’ this destructive little ani- 
mals proceeds first appears about the latter end of March, or the 
beginning and throughout the month of April, just as the goose= 
berry leaves have attained a sufficient size for them to deposit 
their eggs on, and to supply their young with food ; which eggs 
are invariably placed on the inside rib of the leaf, and the flies 
always first select those leaves nearest the ground, which ‘pro+ 
ceed from the rank water-shoots in the middle of the bush (this 
is very material to be known, as will hereafter appear); and, 
when these interior leaves are consumed, the caterpillars then 
gradually ascend, until the whole bush is denuded, and, conse- 
quently, the fruit spoiled. 
To those who are unacquainted with the fly itself, a particular 
description of it may not be uninteresting. "The flies, if atten- 
tively observed, may be first seen in the latter énd of March and 
the beginning of April, as before remarked ; but the first notice 
that we have of the destroying caterpillar is the skeleton leaves, 
and, when it has done most of its mischief, then people set about 
picking them off; but this, though it.is a temporary relief, is a 
troublesome task, and an endless and ineffectual remedy; be- 
cause, though many adult caterpillars are removed, there are thou- 
sands still left behind in the egg, on the inside of the leaves, which 
cannot be discovered without turning every leaf upside down? 
the eggs are then easily discovered, like as many little pearls, 
from a dozen to twenty in number, about the size of pin’s heads, 
not round but oval, and whitish. It is seldom that the first stock 
of flies do much mischief; the leaves grow too rapidly for the 
caterpillars to destroy, and they are supplied with sufficient food 
until they drop into the ground; they are then formed into the 
pupa; from whence, after a short time, a second generation of 
flies are produced, who perform the same operativus of increase 
and mischief as their parents, and so on toa third, a fourth; and 
fifth, when the season is favourable, until the approach of wintet 
puts an end to their devastations. The last or autummal cater- 
pillars fall into the ground, where they remain in aureliw state 
until the succeeding spring. I have some now by me in a box, 
that I put aside in October last, which are not yet changed into 
the fly. In an unfavourable season, we seldom see any after the 
first appearance. DUpon the season, then, and other causes, de= 
pend all the first and successive operations of this pernicious 
little reptile, the name of which it is necessary to know before 
any remedy can be applied. 
Mr. Sturt seems to understand that the caterpillar first ap- 
pears; the fact is, that the fly first appears; as is agreeable to 
the nature of all insects which undergo the cominon transforma- 
tion 
