﻿THE 
  HESSIAN 
  FLY 
  IN 
  EUROPE. 
  235 
  

  

  liable, 
  effectually 
  disproves 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  Hessian 
  troops 
  could 
  

   have 
  carried^ 
  the 
  fiy 
  to 
  America. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  phice 
  Wagner 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  characters 
  of 
  

   Loew's 
  Eye 
  Maggot 
  agree 
  ''even 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  minute 
  details" 
  with 
  his 
  

   observations 
  on 
  C. 
  destructor^ 
  which 
  occurred 
  at 
  Fulda, 
  in 
  Hesse 
  Casseb 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1860. 
  Then, 
  after 
  referring 
  to 
  Dana's 
  observations 
  of 
  

   the 
  insect 
  on 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  coast, 
  he 
  confidently 
  expresses 
  the 
  opin- 
  

   ion 
  that 
  Loew's 
  Eye 
  Gail-Fly 
  is 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  Hessian 
  Fly, 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  species 
  from 
  Southern 
  Europe 
  agrees 
  — 
  i. 
  e,^ 
  the 
  German^ 
  

   southern 
  European 
  and 
  North 
  American 
  species 
  are 
  altogether 
  nothing" 
  

   but 
  Cecidomyia 
  destructor. 
  Wagner 
  then 
  discusses 
  from 
  historical 
  data 
  

   the 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  into 
  America 
  by 
  Hessian 
  

   troops, 
  and 
  the 
  historical 
  facts 
  seem 
  to 
  warrant 
  his 
  opinion, 
  that 
  the 
  

   packing 
  straw 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Hessians 
  was 
  grown 
  the 
  year 
  previous, 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  long 
  time 
  occupied 
  in 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  transports, 
  

   which 
  left 
  Germany 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  April, 
  not 
  arriving 
  until 
  August, 
  the 
  

   flies 
  must 
  have 
  all 
  emerged 
  from 
  the 
  wheat 
  before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  

   and 
  have 
  perished 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  troops 
  reached 
  America. 
  Moreover, 
  

   Wagner 
  shows 
  that 
  Cecidomyia 
  destructor 
  was 
  not 
  known 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  

   Kurhesse 
  before 
  1857, 
  records 
  running 
  back 
  for 
  eighty 
  years 
  containing 
  

   no 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  insect. 
  Hence 
  he 
  claims 
  that 
  

   this 
  insect 
  was 
  not 
  originally 
  a 
  Hessian 
  Flyj 
  that 
  this 
  name 
  should 
  be 
  

   dropped, 
  and 
  the 
  name 
  "wheat 
  destroyer'' 
  should 
  be 
  substituted 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  Having 
  denied 
  that 
  this 
  fly 
  is 
  indigenous 
  in 
  Hesse 
  (and 
  for 
  that 
  

   matter 
  in 
  Germany), 
  he 
  suggests 
  that 
  it 
  was, 
  like 
  some 
  other 
  insects, 
  in- 
  

   troduced 
  into 
  Germany 
  from 
  southern 
  Europe, 
  and 
  that 
  as 
  wheat 
  was 
  

   *' 
  distributed 
  from 
  the 
  Orient 
  over 
  southern 
  Europe," 
  Cecidomyia 
  de- 
  

   structor 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  eastern 
  origin. 
  He 
  then 
  quotes 
  Loew's 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  'Hh 
  at 
  a 
  Cecidomyia, 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  manner 
  of 
  life 
  and 
  metamor- 
  

   phosis 
  cannot 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  C. 
  destructor, 
  does 
  great 
  injury 
  to 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  of 
  Asia 
  Minor," 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  this 
  

   fact 
  favors 
  the 
  assumption 
  of 
  its 
  eastern 
  origin. 
  

  

  Wagner 
  then 
  remarks: 
  

  

  When 
  and 
  from 
  what 
  shore 
  the 
  insect 
  came 
  to 
  America 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  accurately 
  

   determined. 
  Probably 
  it 
  was 
  introduced 
  several 
  times 
  and 
  at 
  different 
  times. 
  

   That 
  it 
  happened 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  an 
  European 
  state 
  previously 
  possessing 
  colo- 
  

   nies 
  in 
  North 
  America 
  must 
  be 
  accepted. 
  It 
  cannot 
  have 
  occurred 
  from 
  England^ 
  s 
  

   when 
  Banks 
  reported 
  its 
  non-ocGurrence 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  Europe; 
  this 
  may 
  apjjly 
  to 
  Eng- 
  

   land. 
  Holland 
  and 
  Belgium 
  we 
  may 
  justly 
  omit. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  not 
  only 
  th& 
  

   long 
  existing 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  southern 
  France 
  speaks 
  for 
  the 
  introduction 
  

   from 
  the 
  French 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  once 
  so 
  extended 
  possessions 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  in 
  North 
  

   America, 
  but 
  also 
  the 
  comparatively 
  short 
  distance, 
  which 
  facilitated 
  the 
  introduction 
  

   of 
  infected 
  straw, 
  thus 
  enabling 
  the 
  insect 
  to 
  issue 
  alter 
  arriving. 
  

  

  Wagner 
  then 
  quotes 
  the 
  statement 
  made 
  by 
  Fitch, 
  which 
  we 
  will 
  

   quote 
  direct 
  from 
  Fitch 
  himself, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  nowhere 
  met 
  with 
  but 
  one 
  statement, 
  which 
  goes 
  directly 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  

   the 
  insect 
  is 
  indigenous 
  to 
  this 
  country, 
  or 
  existed 
  here 
  anterior 
  to 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  