THE WHEAT-MIDGE. 123 



about the ears of wheat, for the purpose of finding the 

 caterpillar of the wheat midge in which to deposit their 

 eggs which, with a marvellous instinct on the part 

 of the ichneumon fly, are adjusted in number nicely pro- 

 portioned to the size of the caterpillar; so that just as 

 many ichneumon caterpillars will be produced as the size 

 of the wheat-midge caterpillar is calculated to maintain. 

 By this fine and beneficial adjustment the wheat midge 

 which would otherwise probably be such a scourge as would 

 ultimately destroy our wheat crops is kept down. One 

 writer, while mentioning the fact that in one year the loss 

 sustained in the wheat crop of one district was equal to one- 

 third of its whole amount, and observing that all the cat- 

 erpillars had descended into the earth by the 1st of Au- 

 gust, counselled means to be taken under like circumstances 

 for destroying them while in that situation. If, as seems high- 

 ly probable, these caterpillars which do drop from the chaff 

 scales of the ear to the ground are ichneumonized caterpil- 

 lars, this counsel was the very worst which could be given ; 

 for if followed, the farmer's best friend would be thus 

 destroyed. Does not this fact show the importance of the 

 habits of all our farm insects being thoroughly studied and 

 known; and is it not, moreover, a remarkable instance of 

 the fine provision made by our All-wise Creator to pre- 

 serve the fruits of the earth, while at the same time he 

 demands the exercise of care on the part of the husband- 

 men, that the pests of the crop should be left in the chaff- 

 scales where they can be most easily destroyed ; while 

 their natural enemies or destroyers should drop to the 

 ground, where they are best preserved to resume in the 

 following season their saving office. 



Professor Hind, in the paper already alluded to, gives 

 much information as to the means employed to prevent the 

 attacks of the "wheat midge" as adopted in North Amer- 

 ica. From this we take the following, which may be sug- 

 gestive to some of our readers : " The remedial measure 

 which appears to be immediately suggested by a study of 

 the habits of the wheat midge, is of the simplest descrip- 



