CLOVER-LJEAF OSCINIS. 885 



rious harm, and unless it change its habits will never be a serious 

 pest. We hardly need then to discuss remedies for its ravages. 

 Oscinis trifolii Burgess. Cloyer-leaf Oscinis. 



Order Diptera. Family Oscinidce. 



Burgess, Ann. Kept. Comm. Agrl. 1879, p. 201. 



Comstock, Ibid, pp. 200, 201. 



Lintner, Kept. N. Y. Ag. SOQ. 1882, p. 205. 



Fitch described a species of this genus, 0. tibialis, which at- 

 tacks the wheat stem. See Fitch's Kept., 1st and 3d, p. 300, 

 and for illustration PI. 1, Fig. 5th. Dr. Riley describes Oscinis 

 brassicse, which attacks the cabbage, Kept. Oomm. Ag. 1884, p. 

 322. which is fully illustrated PI. VIII., Fig. 5th, which cut 

 would answer in a general way for the Clover Leaf Oscinis. 

 There are several European species which give our friends over 

 the sea some anxiety. 



The clover Oscinis is quite like our Anthomyia in habits and 

 general appearance. The eggs are very small and white. The 

 larvae greenish-white, slender, tapering towards the head. They 

 are 1.7 m m long. The puparium is shorter, oblong, and of 

 a brown color. The fly is yellow, with the dorsal surface of its 

 abdomen and thorax black. It is quite hairy. The length is 

 1.3 m m, about .05 of an inch. The eggs are probably laid in 

 May or in early June. The larva mines the leaves and stems 

 of white clover, possibly red as well, much as the radish mag- 

 got gouges out the plant on which it feeds. Late in June the 

 maggot crawls from its tunnels and falls to the earth, which it 

 enters to form the puparium. The flies appear about two 

 weeks later. There are two and may be three broods a season. 

 If these little sappers and miners ever become so numerous as 

 to do serious injury we will have to resort to feeding our clover 

 down and use ensilage for winter. 



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