60 



of it over the country. The facts given b}^ him in his report are unlike 

 what has been observed farther south, but these ditferences are not 

 sufficient to indicate that it was not this species that caused the injuries 

 mentioned. Even if we assume that the insect reared in Kentucl^y by 

 Professor Garman belonged to this species, we find that adult flies 

 have been reared })y others in Ma}', late June, and early July, and 

 again in Septemlier, thereby indicating three broods in the vicinity of 

 latitude 40 % the species wintering as larva> or pup», probably the 

 latter, the flies emerging from these ovipositing in Mav, the adults 

 from these appearing in June and Juh% these in turn giving origin to 

 a fall brood in September, whose progeny winter over as stated. In 

 more northern and inland sections of the country it seems that the 

 fall brood may drop out and the one occurring farther south in 

 midsummer pass the winter as puparia and the adults emerge the 

 following spring. 



FOOD PLANTS. 



Either this has a greater range of food plants than Oscmis cm'ho- 

 naria, or else we have not learned much about those of the latter. As 

 it is, the food of this species is so varied as to almost incline one to 

 the suspicion that it stands accused of ravages that should be placed 

 to the credit of another but for the facts supplied by Doctor Lugger. 

 However, this variation in its bill of fare gives the farmer a still 

 better opportunity of fighting it outside his grain fields. 



DIFFICULTIES IN STUDYING HABITS. 



The fact that maggots taken from wheat plants in a field develop 

 these flies does not necessarily prove that other maggots attacking 

 wheat in the same field will produce the same species of flies; there- 

 fore, descriptions drawn up from such collections may or may not be 

 correct, and for the same reasons observations on the habits of such 

 larvffi are liable to be incorrect. It is only ])y placing flics on plants 

 known to be free from all other infestation and studying these that we 

 shall be able to get at the truth in relation to anatomical and biological 

 facts. An investigator will then know just which species he is dealing 

 with, and whatever descriptions are drawn up from material secured 

 in this manner and whatever observations are made upon them will be 

 sure to be accurate so far as the species under observation is concerned. 

 In no case has this been done, and as a consequence we have only a 

 general knowledge of these insects, and any descriptions of the larvBe 

 may or may not prove correct in future. Though there is a noticeable 

 difierence between the adult figured by Doctor Lugger as this species 

 and the one figured b}'^ Professor Garman as Oscmis variabilis Loew ? 

 the figures of the larva and puparia are exceedingl}' alike. For the 

 same reason an}- recommendations looking to the control of the pest 



