106 



orchards a large proportion of leaves were lost. In the sprayed 

 orchards plant-lice were also very much less troublesome than in those 

 unsprayed. 



The following paper was then read : 



THE PARSNIP WEB-WORM. 



{Depressaria heracUana DeG.) 

 By E. B. SouTHWiCK, Neiv York City. 



In the year 1887 I first began to make observations on this insect, but 

 had for many years before noticed it working upon the wild parsnip in 

 the field and along the fences and ditches. 



On the farm where I spent my vacations in the summer, at New Bal- 

 i}imore, l!^. T., the wild parsnip grew in the greatest perfection, and 

 here the Web-worm was found, but on an island in the Hudson Eiver 

 opposite this farm I never saw one of these insects, although there were 

 acres of wild parsnip, even more luxuriant in growth than upon the 

 upland. 



In meadows that were annually producing hay and along the ditches 

 and fences of the farm they were very abundant and afforded a fine field 

 for the collector of Hymenoptera and Diptera, and while collecting and 

 studying these forms of insect life, my attention was directed to this very 

 destructive insect working upon the umbels and other parts of the 

 plant. In this case, however, they were doing no especial damage, for 

 the wild parsnips were considered a curse among the farmers. Had 

 these parsnips, however, been cultivated for their seed, the damage 

 would have been very great, and a different aspect would have been 

 given to the case, and a cry of alarm raised. 



In that year I made many notes as to their habits and manner of 

 working, but it was not until the next year that I bred them and obtained 

 the imago. 



In 1889 I again bred numbers of them, but not until 1890 did I suc- 

 ceed in obtaining parasites from them. I then collected a barrel of the 

 stalks and brought them to E'ew York City, as I had before done, and 

 placed them in my glass breeding cages. From this lot I obtained 

 many moths and three species of a Hymenopterous parasite and one 

 Dipterous. 



The Hymenoptera, Mr. Ashmead said, were species of Limneria, but 

 lie could not at that time quite determine what particular species they 

 were. This breeding of parasites was quite interesting to me, for Dr. 

 ^iley, in Insect Life, had said that no parasites, as far as he knew, 

 Iiad everbeen bred in this country, and Dr. Bethune also stated that he 

 knew of none, and both Dr. Riley and Dr. Bethune had given this insect 

 some attention. Other parasites have, however, been bred from it in 

 other countries, for which see the article in Insect Life, some of these | 



