67 



Fig. 26. 



They are about two-fifths of an inch long, and are of a pale, yellowish colour, with the 

 back greenish. The head and last segment are black, and there is on each side a row of 

 black spots, eleven in number. Upon the back and on each side are two rows of small 

 tubercles, bearing long, white hairs. Specimens which I collected on 26th June, spun 

 (between 1st and 3rd July) transparent yellowish cocoons of light texture, which were 

 attached to leaves in the breeding-jar, and in which the larvae could be plainly seen. A 

 few days later they transformed to pupa?, and the winged insects appeared on 19th to 

 24th July, or a month after the larvae were full grown. 



The genus Pristophora contains several species, of which P. grossularice is known as 

 our native currant saw-fiy. It has been figured and described in one of our early reports, 

 as well as by Mr. Saunders in his " Insects Injurious to Fruit," in which useful and 

 beautiful book several other saw-flies are also treated of. It is never so abundant or 

 injurious as the imported currant-worm {Nematus ventricosus) hereafter to be mentioned, 



nor is it so large an insect. The larvse, shown 

 at Fig. 26, a, are of a pale green colour, without 

 black spots, and are scattered over the bush 

 when feeding. Although generally few in 

 number and doing comparatively slight injury, 

 they have been found at times so numerous in 

 some places as to entirely strip the plants, 

 gooseberry or currant, on which they fed. The 

 flies (Fig. 26, b,) are black, with yellowish 

 markings. A closely allied species found in 

 the United States, is the Cranberry Saw-fly 

 {Pristophora identidem), which sometimes com- 

 mits serious injuries in the cranberry marshes of Cape Cod. 



The genus Euura contains small species, of which the larvae form galls on willows, 

 or inhabit galls formed thereon by other insects. Euura orbitalis, the only species 

 apparently recorded from Canada, is one of the former. It is a shining black species, 

 one-eighth of an inch long, with pale head and legs. The larvae, of a greenish-white 

 colour, feed in the lateral buds of the willow twigs, causing them to become much 

 enlarged, and eating the increased growth internally so as to leave but a mere shell, from 

 which they bore out, and descending to the ground spin a thin whitish cocoon. 



The genus Craesus contains a single species (C. latitarsus) of which the larvae are 

 known to feed upon wild cherry and birch. The perfect insect is one-third of an inch 

 long : the body shining blue-black, legs and antennae black, wings hyaline. 



Nematus is a very extensive genus containing small or medium-sized species, the 

 operations of which are often extremely destructive. 



Nematus ventricosus, introduced from Europe, is so familiar to everyone, and has 

 been so frequently mentioned in previous reports that, 

 were it not such an important species, it would not 

 merit further description. My remarks on it will, 

 therefore, be as brief as possible, giving merely the 

 leading facts. The winged insects are from two-tenths 

 to three-tenths of an inch long, the male, as is usually 

 the case, being the smaller, and the ample wings 

 expand about one-half of an inch. The sexes differ in 

 colouring, the female (Fig. 27, b,) having the brightest 

 dress. She is mostly yellow, but her head is black, 

 her antennae brown-black, and her thorax more or less 

 spotted and striped with black. The male (Fig. 27, «,) 

 has the head, antennae, thorax, and most of the upper 

 surface of the abdomen black, the lower side being 

 yellow. The females which appear in early spring 

 deposit their eggs in rows upon the under surface of 

 the leaves (Fig. 28), and from these hatch, in about 

 ten days, the worms which so speedily destroy the 

 young foliage. At first a number are found upon 



