No. 6. 



Hessian Fly. 



205 



closed from the egg, feeding securely within 

 the body of the larva [pupa], at length kills 

 it. Protected by this indurated covering, the 

 parasite undergoes its change ; and appears 

 in the perfect state about the latter part of 

 June." 



This little fly belongs to the order Hy- 

 menoptera, — insects which resemble the bee 

 or ant. It is shorter and thicker than the 

 Hessian Fly ; and when its wings are pluck- 

 ed, has great resemblance to a minute black 

 ant; as the Cecidomyia without any mutila- 

 tion, much resembles a little water-spider or 

 Tipula. According to Mr. Say, the Ceraphron, 

 after its eggs are deposited, throws off its 

 wings, and crawls like an ant. This strange 

 and wonderful process is said to occur in 

 several analogous animals. The Ceraphron 

 has been mistaken for the Hessian Fly be- 

 cause it has been found buzzing about the 

 roots of the wheat, and piercing the sheaths 

 of the leaves with its ovipositor; while, in 

 fact, instead of placing its young so as to feed 

 on the wheat, it was enabling them to feed 

 on the Hessian Fly in its flaxseed form. We 

 copy Mr. Say's description. 



"Order HYMENOPTERA. Genus Ce- 

 raphron. (Latreille.) 



AntennsE infracted, moniliform, 10 or 12- 

 jointed, basal joint long, cylindrical. Abdo- 

 men subovate. Inferior wings without appa- 

 rent nerves. Superior wings with a costal 

 nerve, and a single branch, forming an in- 

 complete radial cellule. 



Ckraphron destructor. Black, granu- 

 lated; abdomen glabrous, polished; feet and 

 base of the antennaj whitish. 



In the larva [pupa] of Cecidomyia de- 

 structor. 



Head black, opaque, sometimes brassy, 

 granulated over its entire surface ; eyes not 

 prominent, rounded in compliance with the 

 curve of the head, and, with the stemmata, 

 red-brown ; antennce pale brown, furnished 

 with short, cinereous hairs, the two basal 

 joints pale yellowish; the terminal ones in 

 the male a little dilated and approximated, 

 Bo as to form an obvious ovate [obovate?] 

 acute C?) mass. Thorax with the granula 

 equal to those of the head ; black, usually 

 brassy before the line of the base of the 

 wings ; nerve of the wings pale brownish ; 

 feet whitish, with black apophyses. Abdo- 

 men ovate-acute, perfectly black, highly po- 

 lished, and furnished with a few short hairs ; 

 the segments of the base are sometimes pale 

 yellowish or testaceous. 



Length one tenth of an inch." 



Ceraphron, from keras or ceras, a horn, 

 and aphron, froth or sweat, means " frothy 

 horn" or " sweaty horn ;" and the reason for 

 gfiving the name does not appear from Mr. 

 Say's description. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Farmers' Visits. 



Mr. Editor, — I am just returned from a 

 short sleigh tour amongst my brother farmers, 

 which I have taken at the suggestion of a 

 writer in one of the late numbers of the Cabi- 

 net, and have verified the truth of the posi- 

 tion, that " the best money which a farmer 

 can expend is in visiting his neighbours at a 

 season of leisure," for I am returned 50 per 

 cent, wiser than when I went, and 100 per 

 cent, more contented with the lot that Provi- 

 dence has assigned me, and all at compara- 

 tively a trifling cost; for I may truly say, I 

 did not visit a house where I did not find a 

 home, even amongst strangers, who, on be- 

 coming acquainted with my business, entered 

 heartily into it ; and I am much mistaken if 

 this bo not the best mode, after all, by which 

 an infinity of good is to be given as well as 

 gained ; and often, indeed, had I to admire 

 the application of the scripture sentiment, 

 " Iron sharpeneth iron — so doth the counte- 

 nance of a man his friend," for I am amazed 

 when I reflect upon the quantity of valuable 

 information which I have acquired, and, if I 

 may believe my friends, they have not benefit- 

 ed less by my visits than I have — a very plea- 

 sant reciprocity of generous sentiment and 

 kind feeling. 



But to tell the truth, one object, and in- 

 deed the main one with me, was to ascertain 

 how far my neighbours were provided with 

 provender for a winter, which, from its early 

 presage, seems likely to be one of the most 

 severe that we have experienced for many 

 years, and I tell you at the outset, I have 

 witnessed scenes which have given me the 

 heartache — indeed it would not be difficult for 

 me to make a picture-book of the " lights and 

 shades" of character, and circumstances cor- 

 responding therewith ; but to be able to do 

 this, it is necessary to see and judge for one's 

 self, for it is not easy to conceive the differ- 

 ence between good and bad management, 

 which is as wide as that of summer and win- 

 ter — by the bye, not a bad illustration — the 

 plenty, warmth, light and summer sunshine 

 of one establishment, contrasting most re- 

 markably with the hunger, cold, poverty and 

 winter darkness of another, rendering the 

 light and shade palpable, even to a blind man ; 

 for I declare, the voices of the animals on 

 these respective farms were unlike, depicting, 

 in a remarkable manner, the difference point- 

 ed out in the Dialogues, at page 27 of the 

 67th number of the Cabinet, between ob- 

 servation and reflection — the cheerfulness 

 of the morning and the gloominess of the 

 evening; the voices of the poor and wretched 

 animals, in many cases unsheltered and un- 

 fed, being in the minor key even to the 

 roosters ! 



