ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 



311 



not open. The beetles attack the expanded flowers as well 

 as those which are unopened, partly hiding themselves about 

 the base of the numerous stamens on which they are feeding. 

 They are seldom seen during the middle of the day, but work 

 chiefly during the early hours of the morning and evening. 

 They feed on the blossoms of the blackberry also, and are 

 said to eat the leaves of the raspberry occasionally. 



Where the flowers are injured, the fruit, if it forms at all, 

 is always imperfect; hence, should this insect become very 

 plentiful, it would prove a great hinderance to successful rasp- 

 berry-culture. Fortunately, it has never yet occurred in any 

 great numbers; should it at any time become numerous, its 

 ranks might be thinned by hand-picking. 



ATTAOKma THE LEAVES. 



No. 180. — The Raspberry Saw-fly. 



Selandria ruhi Harris. 



The perfect insect in this instance is a four- winged fly be- 

 longing to the order Hymenoptera, which appears from about 

 the 10th of May to the beginning of June, or soon after the 

 young leaves of the raspberry are put forth. Fig. 323 gives a 

 magnified view of this fly. 

 The wings, which are trans- 

 parent, with a glossy surface 

 and metallic hue, measure, 

 when expanded, about half 

 an inch across ; the veins 

 are black, and there is also 

 a streak of black along the 

 front margin, extending 

 more than half-way to- 

 wards the tip of the wing. The anterior part of the body is 

 black, the abdomen dark reddish. In the cool of the morning, 



