272 INSECTS 



experiment, fencing in a portion of his wheat as a sanctuary for the parasites. 

 Here they must have made good use of their time, for during the past 

 season, in company with Mr Hessey, I captured over a dozen of this 

 particular species in a very short time, and this, too, in a paddock fully 

 a hundred yards away from the nursery or depot. 



Mr Howes informs me (1919) that in a sample of oats sent from 

 Balfour, Southland, more of these parasites emerged than Hessian 

 flies. This is probably the species found on the Hessian fly at Lincoln, 

 of which from two to five per cent, of the pupae hatch out parasites. 

 (See Appendix B, p. 558.) 



Ichneumon sp. 



Kirk writing in 1894 says that in Britain a parasite is found on 

 Phytomysa nigricornis, the cineraria fly, "but this does not seem to 

 have yet reached Wellington." 



The species has certainly been detected since, for in 1906 Captain 

 Broun reported its discovery in Auckland. 



Ichneumon sp. 



This species, which is parasitic on the diamond-back moth (Plutella 

 maculipennis or P. cruciferarum), appears to be fairly common. Hilgen- 

 dorf states that at Lincoln, about five per cent, of the caterpillar 

 pupae hatch out ichneumons. 



Ichneumon sp. 



A species which is parasitic on Aphis brassicce, the green fly of 

 the turnip. Hilgendorf states that in February and March, aphides 

 on cabbage leaves are commonly found with holes in them, which 

 have been made by the escaping parasite. 



Trichogramma pretiosa, Riley 



In 1900 a parasitic ichneumon was found in the pupae of the 

 codlin moth in Mr Parr's orchard, at Waikumete, near Auckland, and 

 Mr T. W. Kirk hatched out a number of them. Specimens sent to 

 Professor L. O. Howard, of Washington, were identified as above. 

 Mr W. A. Boucher reported on this parasite in 1902, that "while 

 the percentage of moth-infected fruit of early and mid-season varieties 

 remains much the same, a percentage of the fruit of the later varieties 

 will apparently be saved from the moth." 



Zele sp. 



During 1908, Mr Simms, one of the Inspectors of Orchards in 

 the Department of Agriculture, found this species under "some 

 bandages " placed there to prevent the codlin moth from getting up 

 the stems of apple trees. The investigation of this species was never 

 carried out by the Department. 



