WHEAT MIDGE. 109 



plants have promised to yield the most healthy 

 produce, and all his prospects have been as 

 bright as possible. Harvest, however, and the 

 threshing season, have disappointed him, and 

 the reason of the defect in the corn has been 

 completely T^apt in mystery. The researches 

 of the entomologist here come to aid him in the 

 discovery of his hidden unsuspected enemies, 

 and demonstrate to him that the defect is fre- 

 quently due to an insect which, though myriads 

 of them may have existed in his fields, he has 

 never seen or heard of. It is a true parasitic 

 fly of singularly beautiful formation, and its 

 scientific name is cecidomyia tritici, or wheat 

 midge. The time to see these midges is in the 

 month of June, from seven till about nine 

 o'clock in the evening, when they often swarm 

 amongst the then blossoming ears of corn. 

 They may be discovered busily engaged about 

 the flowers, and their occupation is laying 

 their eggs in them. Here the eggs produce 

 little yellow maggots, or larvse, which injure 

 the young ovary, and consequently prevent the 

 grain from attaining its due growth and swell- 

 ing to its natural dimensions. These maggots 

 are easily found in the ears when the grain is 

 formed, by pulling back the chaff scales. The 



