Insects, etc., Injurious to the Pear. 345 



fashioned kind called the " Honey " and Beurre Easter, whilst Glou 

 Morceau and Cornice are but rarely invaded. 



In some places it is only a tree here and there that is attacked ; 

 in others, as at Eeigate, Mr. Eagg informs me every garden in the 

 neighbourhood is similarly invaded, and that the pest appears to have 

 been enjoying itself in the neighbourhood for years, and in many 

 gardens there is scarcely a sound pear (7). 



The Pear Midge does not seem to have attracted much attention 

 until late years in this country. Notice was drawn to it by my old 

 friend the Eev. E. N". Bloomfield of Guestling who had a bad attack 

 of it in his garden in 1887 and 1888 (8). 



But Ormerod (6) says " since 1883 it has been a regular pest " ; 

 nothing, however, was written about it of any account until Mr. 

 Bloomtield's paper appeared. 



Kollar (9), quoting Schmidberger, refers to it in Germany in his 

 usual clear and precise way, and it seems Dr. Fitch was acquainted 

 with it in America in 1847, in spite of the supposed introduction in 

 1877 from France. 



As far as we know the pear only is subject to the attack of 

 this pest. 



LlFE-HlSTOKY, ETC. 



The midge varies from -fa to inch in length. The male is dark 

 blackish-grey to almost black in colour; the thorax has two faint 

 divergent grey stripes and yellowish hairs, which soon become pale ; 

 the antenna? are long and black and have dull hairs, but they 

 may be yellowish-brown; the abdomen is dark greyish-black 

 with pale hairs and terminates in a pair of sexual claspers ; wings 

 dusky black covered with black pubescence and 

 fringed with black hairs on the hind margin ; the 

 halteres are pale yellow, becoming white after death ; 

 legs yellowish-brown with dark hairs. The female 

 is much like the male, but is always paler and 

 with a very long extensile ovipositor, which when 

 fully extended is as long as or longer than the body. 



The midges hatch out in April about the time 

 the pear blossoms commence to show the first THE PE ^ MIDGE 

 signs of the white petals, and they continue on (Dipiosis pyrivora). 

 the wing until the second week in May. 



The earliest record I have is the 10th of April, the latest the 17th 

 of May. In the north of England this pest occurs much later than 

 in the south (22). 



