﻿[26] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  therefore, 
  adhere 
  to 
  the 
  iUnetrations 
  and 
  descriptions 
  given 
  hy 
  Asa 
  Fitch. 
  Here 
  I 
  

   find 
  already 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  diiference 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  t^e 
  brown 
  shell 
  surrounding 
  the 
  

   pupa 
  proper 
  ; 
  its 
  case 
  is 
  less 
  cylindrical 
  and 
  comparatively 
  broader 
  than 
  in 
  our 
  rye 
  gall- 
  

   gnat, 
  also 
  more 
  pointed 
  on 
  the 
  taperiug 
  end, 
  while 
  in 
  our 
  species 
  it 
  is 
  blunt, 
  conical. 
  

  

  Special 
  reference 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  description 
  and 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hessian 
  i]y, 
  and 
  I 
  take 
  the 
  opportunity 
  to 
  tender 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  my 
  thanks 
  

   for 
  his 
  meritorious 
  work. 
  Fitch's 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  Hessian 
  fly 
  is 
  indisput- 
  

   ably 
  a 
  highly 
  important 
  one, 
  being 
  intelligent 
  and 
  attractive, 
  exhib- 
  

   iting 
  great 
  learning 
  and 
  accuracy 
  in 
  this 
  matter. 
  Everybody, 
  in 
  

   })erusing 
  the 
  same, 
  must 
  assent 
  to 
  this 
  judgment 
  regarding 
  the 
  disser- 
  

   tation 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  Entering 
  into 
  the 
  details, 
  however, 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  

   so 
  fully 
  satished. 
  I 
  may 
  instance 
  but 
  one 
  point: 
  In 
  our 
  maggot, 
  as 
  in 
  

   all 
  gall-gnats, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages, 
  we 
  can 
  very 
  plainly 
  distin- 
  

   guish 
  14 
  body-segments. 
  Whoever 
  follows 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  mag- 
  

   got 
  pace 
  by 
  pace 
  through 
  all 
  [)hases 
  will 
  always 
  find 
  14 
  segments, 
  and 
  

   will 
  even 
  see 
  in 
  the 
  puj^a 
  shell 
  in 
  the 
  punctured 
  transverse 
  lines 
  the 
  

   formerly 
  distinctly 
  sei)arated 
  segments. 
  Fitch 
  counts 
  on 
  the 
  maggot 
  

   before 
  attaining 
  full 
  growth 
  but 
  12, 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  later 
  stages 
  even 
  only 
  9 
  

   body-segments. 
  I 
  cannot 
  understand 
  how 
  he 
  obtained 
  this 
  result, 
  even 
  

   if 
  he 
  had 
  but 
  a 
  closely 
  allied 
  form 
  to 
  study. 
  Let 
  us 
  now 
  return 
  to 
  our 
  

   theme. 
  

  

  Fitch 
  calls 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  that 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  encased 
  (mag- 
  

   got 
  and 
  pupa) 
  shortly 
  '^ 
  flaxseed." 
  This 
  term 
  should 
  doubtlessly 
  rem 
  i 
  i 
  i 
  d 
  

   us 
  of 
  a 
  similarity 
  with 
  this 
  well-known 
  seed.j 
  This 
  results 
  froui 
  a 
  cita- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  Herrick, 
  concluding 
  : 
  '' 
  In 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  weeks 
  (varying 
  with 
  the 
  

   season) 
  the 
  larva 
  begins 
  to 
  turn 
  brown, 
  and 
  soon 
  becomes 
  of 
  a 
  bright 
  

   chestnut 
  color, 
  bearing 
  some 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  flax 
  seed." 
  In 
  another 
  

   place 
  the 
  author's 
  own 
  words 
  are 
  : 
  ^' 
  Though 
  much 
  less 
  flat 
  than 
  a 
  flax 
  

   seed, 
  its 
  resemblance 
  in 
  color, 
  sizi 
  , 
  and 
  form, 
  to 
  that 
  familiar 
  object, 
  is 
  so 
  

   striking 
  as 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  be 
  remarked 
  by 
  every 
  one." 
  To 
  what 
  in 
  the 
  Amer- 
  

   ican 
  species 
  does 
  the 
  whole 
  similarity 
  of 
  the 
  pupa 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  flax 
  

   seed 
  relate! 
  It 
  relates 
  only 
  to 
  color 
  and 
  size, 
  Fitch 
  meaning 
  perhaps 
  

   only 
  its 
  length 
  ; 
  the 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  definition 
  "form" 
  by 
  the 
  words 
  

   " 
  much 
  less 
  flat 
  " 
  perfectly 
  neutralizes 
  and 
  nullifies 
  it. 
  If 
  we 
  now 
  apply 
  

   the 
  comparison 
  to 
  the 
  shell 
  of 
  our 
  gall-gnat, 
  we 
  must 
  acknowledge 
  that 
  it 
  

   does 
  not 
  agree 
  either, 
  since 
  the 
  similarity 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  to 
  a 
  flax 
  seed 
  

   relates 
  only 
  to 
  color 
  and 
  perhaps 
  also 
  to 
  length. 
  That 
  difference 
  is 
  

   £>reater 
  : 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  scarcely 
  half 
  as 
  broad 
  as 
  a 
  flax 
  seed, 
  never 
  on 
  

   either 
  side 
  so 
  flattened 
  as 
  that, 
  the 
  pointed 
  posterior 
  end 
  in 
  no 
  case 
  

   beaked 
  like 
  that 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  flax 
  seed 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  radicle 
  comes 
  

   forth 
  in 
  germination. 
  From 
  this 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  shell 
  of 
  our 
  insect 
  has 
  

   neither 
  a 
  greater 
  nor 
  a 
  lesser 
  similarity 
  to 
  a 
  flax 
  seed, 
  as 
  attributed 
  to 
  

   the 
  American 
  species 
  by 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  two 
  authors. 
  

  

  Fitch, 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  his 
  paper, 
  puts 
  the 
  expression 
  flax 
  seed 
  

   always 
  in 
  inverted 
  commas. 
  Mi^ht 
  he 
  not 
  by 
  this 
  have 
  indicated 
  a 
  

   popular 
  term, 
  which 
  he 
  retained 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of^asier 
  comprehension, 
  as 
  

   a 
  concession 
  to 
  his 
  countrymen 
  in 
  his 
  paper? 
  Finally 
  we 
  will 
  also 
  com- 
  

   pare 
  the 
  illustrations 
  o 
  and 
  n 
  given 
  with 
  this 
  description. 
  How 
  little 
  do 
  

   they 
  agree 
  with 
  it, 
  or 
  even 
  with 
  flax 
  seed 
  ! 
  One 
  might 
  think 
  the 
  fruits 
  

   of 
  (Jarex 
  vesicaria 
  L. 
  were 
  pasted 
  to 
  the 
  wheat 
  stalk. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Loew 
  says, 
  further 
  on 
  ; 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  perfect 
  insect 
  the 
  antennjB 
  are 
  said 
  by 
  Fitch 
  to 
  be 
  sixteen- 
  

   jointed, 
  while 
  in 
  all 
  my 
  specimens 
  ( 
  5 
  ) 
  of 
  the 
  rye 
  gall-gnat 
  they 
  are 
  eightecn-jointed. 
  

  

  The 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  given 
  by 
  Fitch, 
  says 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   an 
  tennal 
  joints: 
  "The 
  antennse 
  (Fig. 
  e) 
  are 
  about 
  half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   body, 
  and 
  composed 
  of 
  10 
  joints, 
  each 
  of 
  a 
  cylindric-oval 
  form." 
  But 
  

  

  