BLACK CURRANT GALL MITE. 65 



little knobs of the trees. The result has proved as satisfactory as I 

 could expect, considering the condition of the trees last year, and I 

 have every prospect of securing a good half crop. Our neighbour's 

 trees, in this village, are utterly ruined, scarcely a leaf to be seen this 

 year, and the trees completely covered with the infected knobs." — 

 (J. B.) 



This note may be of some service, as also the observation of Mr. C. 

 D. Wise, sent to me on June 3rd, from the Toddington Fruit Grounds, 

 Winchcomb, Glos., that they had "certainly decreased the trouble" 

 by picking off the buds ; but I enter on the Phytoptus attack again this 

 year more particularly with regard to identification of two distinct 

 kinds of " co -lodgers " with the Fhytopti in the galls caused by these 

 Gall Mites. 



These are of two orders. We find a dipterous larva, that is, the 

 maggot of a two-winged fly (of which we have as yet not reared the 

 perfect insect) ; and also we find numbers of small hymenopterous flies 

 (that is, little four-winged flies), which, on investigation by a specialist, 

 have proved to be of the parasite family of the Chalcidida, genus 

 Entedon, but of these we have not yet secured the maggot and 

 chrysalis. 



With regard to the two-winged fly maggot, a specimen was sent to 

 myself last year, by Mr. Gibbon, of Seaford Grange, Pershore, which 

 from the disappearance of the Fhytopti, so carefully secured with it 

 that they could not escape, and other circumstances (given in detail at 

 pages 42 and 43 of my Report for 1891), there appears to me no reason 

 to doubt was feeding on the Phytopti. We could not be absolutely 

 certain, as we did not see the fly maggot feeding on the Gall Mites ; 

 still all circumstances appeared to point to it, and in the past season, 

 so early as the 14th of March, Mr. Gibbon again found the same kind 

 of maggot in a galled bud. 



Being very desirous to secure specimens of the perfect insect, I 

 requested Mr. Gibbon to secure some galls, and let me see what might 

 appear. The result of this was a numerous supply of minute four- 

 winged flies, which last year we advanced so far as to find were Chal- 

 cids, and knowing this family to be chiefly parasitic, I ventured to hope 

 that we had secured good allies. On more minute investigation, how- 

 ever, in the course of the present year, it appears that their parasitic 

 habits would be in all probability (or almost certainly directed) not 

 against the Phytopti, but against their fellow dwellers, and apparent 

 Phytoptus destroyers, the fly-maggots, which is somewhat disap- 

 pointing. 



This point being very important, on receipt of a good supply of 

 specimens early in the past summer from Mr. Gibbon, of Seaford 

 Grange, Pershore, I endeavoured to gain further information, and on 



