72 On the Hessian Fly. 
about the Ist of September, and on examination, I discovered, that it" 
was uniformly throughout the yard, loaded with the chrysalids of the 
“Hessian Fly”: I dug up a small sod of the wheat, without regard 
to selection, and placed it in a fower pot, under an inverted glass jar, 
on the mantle piece of my sitting room, where it might have a warm 
temperature, adapted to its early development; in a few weeks, the 
insects began to exhibit themselves in their parental robes: and I have 
frequently and diligently, with the aid of a good microscope, exam- . 
ined them, in their various stages of progression; and obtained the 
following results. 
The “Hessian Fly” belongs to the order ‘‘ Hemiptera,” genus, 
“ Aphis”: and I take the liberty to characterize it, by the specific 
name “ Aphis Tritici,” in place of the vulgar one, which is founded 
in the erroneous opinion of its origin. 
The fully matured insect is about the size of the “ flea” (‘pu- 
lex”;) its head is armed with an inflected rostrum, about one half 
the length of the antenne, which are long: the thorax, and a trian- 
gular scutellum are black, and. separated by a slight but distinct 
spinous ridge: tergum, light yellow; posterior segment of the abdo- 
men, has a bright yellow band from which issue two small horns, 
which latter, indeed, are found in all the varieties of aphides as or- 
gans of excretion, for the honey dew; wings short and deflex; ex- 
terior portion of the superior, rich black, with yellowish macule ; 
breast, belly and legs, very black. nee 
Some specimens which came under my observation, (I presume 
the most fully matured, by frequent castings,) were the most splendid 
insects, T ever beheld; excelling in the disposition, and brilliancy of 
colors, the much extolled “ Buprestis,” or, the beautiful “Cicindela.” 
These insects frequently cast off their exuvie ; perhaps indefinitely 
under circumstances : the wings are not unfolded to view, until the ex- 
uviz are cast ; in this respect, agreeing with another family of the same 
order, the ‘“Gryllus,” (grasshopper ;) and like this, too, obviously 
at no period, is it capable of a long flight: every casting which I 
observed, gave a more intense hue to the colors of this insect; the 
three which I could identify, were performed in eight or ten days: 
-in its infant stage of maturity, if I may use the apparent solecism : 
or, when it has first emerged from its chrysalis, it is wholly of a 
whitish color, having the appearance of some aurelias 3 except, that 
its legs are developed ; its inchoate wings are distinctly indicated, but 
tied down, as with a fine web. ; 
