ANT 



40 



ANT 



a black stripe halfway down the middle ing towards the head, which is pointed, 



of the thorax, and a curved one on each and armed with two short, black claws 



side ; the body has a more decided black at the nose. 



stripe down the centre, and the seg- " These maggots live in the involucra 

 niCMts are marked by a lineofthe same of different varieties of Lettuce, feeding 

 colour; legs and antenna; blackish; wings upon the grains and receptacle; and 

 a little smoky. The female is pale ashy when these are consumed they wriggle 

 grey; the eyes remote, with a dark themselves out backward, either to en- 

 chestnut-coloured stripe on the crown; ter another seed-vessel or fall to the 

 the wings are similar in tint to those of' ground and become pupse. 



the foregoing species, but the insects are 

 considerably smaller." — Gard. Chron. 



" When the seed-stems are gathered 

 and dying, the larvae change to pupae. 



A. ceparum, Onion fly. For the fol- ! called shucks in Surrey, being bright 

 lowing particulars I am indebted to the chestnut-coloured, oval cases, which 

 work of M. Kollar. ] are rough when viewed under a lens, 



" The fly lays her eggs on the leaves with two minute tubercles at the head. 



of the onion, close to the earth. 



and two hooks and a few other tubercles 



"The newly-hatched maggot bores , at the tail, 

 through the first leaf and then descends I " In the second week of May a few 

 between the leaves into the onion to its of the pupte hatch ; they have, however, 

 base, when it entirely destroys the bulb, ' been observed as early as April, and as 

 which soon becomes rotten. It leaves late as July. The male is intense black, 

 the onion to undergo its transformation clothed with short hair and bristles; the 

 in the earth, and becomes an elliptical, eyes reddish-brown and meeting above ; 

 reddish-brown, wrinkled pupa, out of face inclining to chestnut colour, with a 



which the perfect fly is developed in 

 summer in from ten to twenty days. 

 The later brood pass the winter in the 

 pupa state. 



" The perfect insect or fly is entirely 



bright spot of the same on the crown 

 the fore part of the trunk bears four 

 varying whitish stripes ; the body is ashy 

 grey, the segments blackish, at the base 

 a deep black ; wings two, stained with 



of an ash grey colour in the female, or [ black, and beautifully iridescent; the 

 with black stripes on the back of the I base and poisers ochreous, the nervures 

 male; the wings clear like glass, with ; of the wings pitchy. 



broad iridescent reflections, and yellow- 



The female is entirely ashy grey. 



ish-brown veins. It is found through- I and less bristly; the eyes not meeting 

 out the summer in several generations. ' on the crown, with a bright chestnut- 

 " The larva lives during that season coloured stripe between them; body 

 singly, and also gregariously, on the dif- i oval, the apex cone-shaped; horns and 



ferent sorts of leeks and onions, and doei 

 great damage among the white onions." 

 The maggot is conical, white, and 

 smooth. It will never make its appear- 

 ance, if, at the time of sowing, a little 

 of the lime from the dry purifiers of the 



egs blackish; wings and nervures lighter 

 than in the male, which it equals in 

 size." — Gard. Chron. 



ANTHONOMUS. 



.4.pomorM//!, Apple weevil. Mr. Curtis 

 truly observes, that "this insect corn- 



gas-works be dug in and a less quantity ' mits great devastation in apple orchards, 

 raked in with the seed. This may now by destroying the stamens, pistil, and 

 be obtained almost in every district of receptacle of the flower. As soon as 

 GreatBritain; but should itbe neglected, the blossom buds begin to swell, the fe- 

 or not obtainable, soot applied in the male beetle begins to deposit her eggs. 

 same mode, with the addition of one or In calm weather she selects a good bud, 

 two plentiful waterings, during April and makes a hole in it with her pro- 

 and the present month, with strong | boscis ; she fixes herself at the hole, 

 soapsuds, will generally prevent the , lays one egg, and goes on till she has 



evil. — Johnson's Gard. Almanack 



A. lactuctE, Lettuce fly. Mr. Curtis in separate buds. 



deposited a considerable number of eggs 



says, " The larva; first make their ap 



•The bud continues to swell and the 



pearance in August, but they are abund- petals nearly expand, when suddenly 

 ant in September; they closely resemble ' the growth ceases and the petals wither 

 those from the Cabbage and Turnip, and assume a shrivelled appearance. If 

 being of a yellowish-white colour, taper- one of these flower buds be examined 



