40 Fowler: Presidential Address to Lincs. Naturalists’ Union. 
during the current year, which cannot fail to be interesting to 
(Diplosis destructor L.), but that Corn Aphis (Szphonophora) was 
prevalent, and the damage caused by its absorbing part of the 
sap on the way to the ears was shown by the dwarfing of 
the individual grains. The Wheat Midge (Cectdomyia triticr 
Kirby) was answerable for about an average amount of injury. 
_ Feeding within the glumes the maggots, where three or more 
are present, distort and shrivel the grain, and in some cases, 
ere numerous, destroy it. The injury caused by these two 
pests is readily disbuigtished from the complete abortion of the 
grain due to non-fertilisation, of which there has been too much 
this year. This is probably due to a few frosty nights at flower- 
ing time. The Wheat Sawfly (Cephus pygmaeus Curt.) was not 
noticed, and barley suffered very little from gout, the bulging 
unemerged ears, the work of the Ribbon-footed or Gout Corn 
Fly (Chlorops teniopus Curt.) being very rarely seen. A few 
Hessian Flies made their appearance rather late, but practically 
no damage was done by this or the preceding species. Oats 
had about the usual number of side shoots occupied by the larva 
of Oscinis frit L. or an allied species. In spite of the dry 
weather nothing was noticed of the presence of the usual moth 
larve (Mamestra, Agrotis, etc.) in the young turnips just thicken- 
ing for the bulb. This report is certainly an encouraging one, 
and bears out my opinion that the scares regarding these 
pests are, except so far as concerns the particular season, quite 
unjustifiable. The Hessian Fly, for instance, is always with us, 
and has probably never been introduced at all; it is only at 
times that it becomes very destructive, and soperbanty at long 
intervals; hence the scare about ten years ago when it was 
thought to be a new plague altogether and the last straw 
that would break the farmer’s back. This irregularity of appear- 
ance in large numbers is common to many insects. In the 
case of harmless species like the Clouded Yellow Butterfly it 
simply rouses curiosity and admiration, but in the case of 
noxious insects it immediately causes a panic. Perhaps the 
worst of all these panics was the one created by the appearance 
of the Colorado Potato Beetle in America some twenty years 
ago; we have heard very little about it since, but when the 
favourable circumstances for its enormous. multiplication again 
occur history will repeat itself. 
“Naturalist, 
