14 
The eggs are of an oblong, cylindrical form, with rounded ends. 
They are pellucid and nearly colorless at first, but acquire a yel~ 
lowish tinge ere they are hatched, which is in rather over a week 
after they are deposited. 
The larva has two distinct stages in its existence : an active or 
growing state, which is passed through in about a month; and a 
dormant state, which then supervenes, and continues through the 
winter. This latter has been generally but incorrectly regarded as 
its pupa state by writers. 
When it comes from the egg, the larva is a minute oblong soft 
worm, without feet or hairs, and transparent or of a whitish tinge 
at first, but soon changing to a bright amber or orange yellow. It 
moves but slowly, and with difficulty, by a wriggling motion of its 
body. It remains within the particular floret in which it is hatched, 
until it attains its full growth. Mr. Kirby says it feeds upon the pollen 
of the anthers ; and perhaps it does so at first, but certainly whilst 
they are yet quite small, all the worms within the floret cluster 
upon the sides of the germ, and generally towards its base (Plate 5, 
fig. a). I apprehend they chiefly subsist and attain their growth 
there, upon the fluids destined for the nourishment of the germ, 
and which, for want of these fluids, becomes shrivelled to a greater 
or less degree, and does not attain that plump form on which the 
value of this grain so much depends. The amount of injury received 
by the individual kernel of grain varies according to the number of 
worms that have been nourished in the chaff in contact with it. If 
mature worms grow from all the eggs deposited by the fly at a 
single puncture, the kernel is doubtless rendered worthless ; but a 
single worm, as is occasionally found, would scarcely produce a 
perceptible effect. 
Having attained its growth, and in its dormant state, it does not 
differ sensibly, as I have been able to discover, from its previous ap- 
pearance ; and the only reason for marking this as a distinct stage, 
is, that the insect now remains for a long period (probably two- 
thirds of its entire term of existence) without increasing in size or 
undergoing any other perceptible change. The texture of its body 
seems to have acquired rather more firmness than it possessed while 
it was growing, and its motions are more sluggish. It is less than 
the tenth of an inch long: a measurement of several specimens 
gives 0.07 as their average length. It is of a rich orange color, and 
ee 
