I IO 



the case of fallen fruit the larvae make their way back to 

 the trees and crawl up the trunk. In either case when 

 the trunk is reached they spin cocoons among loose bark, 

 moss or lichens, and there remain dormant until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when they turn to the pupa and shortly 

 afterwards give rise to the next generation of Moths. In 

 a few instances two broods have been noticed to occur in 

 one year. The attacks of this Insect cause the fruit to 

 fall prematurely or decay rapidy when stored. As a 

 remedial measure all loose bark, moss, etc., should be 

 scraped off the trunks, and artificial shelters in the form 

 of one or more bands of loose straw or old sacking should 

 be tied round the trees, not very far from the ground. It 

 is safest to do this in June, and the bands can be examined 

 at leisure during the winter and burnt. By this means 

 large numbers of the cocoons containing the larvae are 

 often destroyed. Fallen apples should be cleared away 

 as soon as possible. Lofts and rooms utilised for storage 

 should be well swept out, and the walls, floors, shelves, 

 and window frames lime-washed. In severe attacks spray- 

 ing the fruit-bearing portions of the trees with arsenate 

 of lead is advisable, and should be carried out a few davs 

 after the petals have fallen. The larvae have to eat the 

 coating of this mixture in order to make their way into the 

 calyx, and are poisoned thereby, if the application has been 

 successful. 



The order Hymenoptera is characterised by the presence 

 of (i) two pairs of transparent wings provided with rela- 

 tively few veins, (2) biting and sucking mouth organs, and 

 (3) complete metamorphosis. The Sawflies are the only 

 group that directly concerns us, and they may be easily 

 separated from other Hymenoptera by the absence of a 

 " waist/' or constriction of the body. The Gooseberry 

 Sawfly (Nematus ribesii] (4), (10), is very destructive to 

 red currants and gooseberries, but seldom harms black 

 currants. The perfect Insects appear in April and May; 

 they have yellow bodies marked with black, and measure 

 about fin. in wing expanse. The eggs are laid in neat 

 rows along the veins on the undersides of the leaves of 

 the host plant. They hatch into bluish-green caterpillars 

 spotted with black, and also marked laterally with blue 

 and yellow. Unlike Moth caterpillars they possess ten 

 Dairs of feet, and when fully grown measure about fin. 

 long. The bushes may be very quickly stripped of their 



