THE HESSIAN’ FLY. 
The insect which we are about to consider, has for a long 
period been, at times, a severe scourge, in every district of our 
country. It is more formidable to us, says Dr. B.S. Barton, than 
would be an army of twenty thousand Hessians, or of any other 
twenty thousand hirelings, supplied with all the implements of 
war. Hence it has forced itself prominently to the notice both 
of agriculturists and men of science. No other insect of the tens 
of thousands that teem in our land, has received a tithe of the 
attention, or been chronicled with a tithe of the voluminousness 
that has been assigned to this species. Our scientific journals, 
our agricultural magazines, and our common newspapers, have 
each accorded to it a conspicuous place in their columns. As 
may well be supposed, almost every point in its history, has by 
one and another of its observers, been closely investigated, and 
laid before the public. Very little that is new, can therefore at 
this day be embodied in an account of this species. The most 
that an observer can accomplish, is to add his testimony in con- 
firmation of facts that have been already announced. The most 
that a writer can aim at, is to gather the various papers that are | 
scattered through volumes sufficiently numerous of themselves to 
form a library, sift from them whatever they contain of impor- 
tance, and arrange the facts thus acquired, into a connected and 
symmetrical memoir. Such is the object of the present essay; to 
carefully review the various accounts that have been hitherto 
published, extract from each the items of value which it contains, 
compare these with personal observations made under favorable 
circumstances during the past twelve months, and with the mate- 
rials thus acquired, write out a history of this species, more am- 
ple in its details than any that has been hitherto attempted, and 
containing a complete summary of all that is known of this in- 
sect down to the present day. 
