69 



Mr. James Hammond, of Hammond P. 0., Perth Co., writes under date of 7th of 

 August as follows : " I noticed some time ago that something was doing considerable 

 damage amongst my fall wheat (silver chaff variety). I mentioned the fact to some of my 

 neighbours, telling them that it appeared to be cut at, or near the ground, but they 

 appeared to be equally ignorant with myself as to the cause, and I thought little more 

 about it until I saw your letter in the last issue of the Weekly Globe, when I examined 

 some stalks, and find from your description that it is the genuine Hessian Fly. I enclose 

 herewith samples of the insect in stalk, from which you will be able to judge of the cor- 

 rectness of my conclusion." These stalks from Mr. Hammond contained the insects in the 

 flax seed state. 



J udging from these letters which may be taken as fair samples of the correspondence, 

 the estimate formed was, I think, rather under than over the mark, and the aggregate 

 loss to the farmers of Ontario from the depredations of this insect during the past season 

 must be a very large sum, as the area of land under wheat was very extensive. 



Through the kindness of Mr. John Wallis, I have been enabled to compare the 

 weight and appearance of the grain in the ears of the injured stalks with that of those 

 of the healthy ones. I find that 100 of the kernels from the healthy plants which pre- 

 sented a plump appearance and a firm structure weighed 120 grains, while the same 

 number taken from diseased stalks present a shrivelled appearance and a structure much 

 less firm, and weighed only 59 grains, a difference of a little more than 100 per cent. By 

 late sowing as recommended in my annual address to the Entomological Society in August 

 last, Mr. Wallis now has a field of fall wheat in excellent condition, occupying the same 

 ground as that on which the wheat was most injured last season. In order to test the 

 value of this recommendation, he has departed from his usual course of rotation of crop 

 so as to give the insects a fair chance, and judging from appearances at the present time 

 it promises an abundant yield. 



HOMOPTERA. — THE HARVEST FLIES AND THEIR ALLIES. 

 By James Fletcher, Ottawa, Oxt. 



The Cicadae or Harvest Flies belong to that order which is known to Entomologists 

 under the name of Hemiptera, (from two Greek words ^u = half, and 7rrepdy = a wing). 



It is to this order of insects, alone, that the name — bug — properly belongs. 

 Although now generally applied to all kinds of insects, it appears formerly to have been 

 used for any object of terror, real or imaginary, and also as a term of contempt for some- 

 thing disagreeable and hateful ; we have a remnant of its original meaning in the word 

 " bug-bear." Perhaps the name was applied more distinctively to the Hemiptera on 

 account of the disgusting odour which many of the Heteropterous members of the order 

 have the power of emitting when disturbed. 



In their earlier stages the Hemiptera have what are known as Incomplete Metamor- 

 phoses — that is, they do not entirely change their conditions during each of the different 

 periods of their existence, as the Lepidoptera and Coleoptera do, where there is first of 

 all the egg that hatches into an active larva which when full grown passes into a quiescent 

 pupal state, previous to the fully developed imago condition. 



The pupae of the Hemiptera are active and very similar to the larva? ; in fact the only 

 noticeable change which takes place in the form of these insects, from the time the egg 

 hatches until they attain the perfect shape, is a gradual development of their wing covers 

 and wings, and the growth of their bodies which makes it necessary for them to frequently 

 cast their skins. When all the transformations have been completed, the imagines (perfect 

 insects) generally possess four wings ; the superior pair or hemelytra which are attached 

 to the mesothorax, have the basal part or corium opaque and of a leathery consistence 

 and the apical portion membranous and transparent ; the inferior pair are attached to 

 the metathorax and are entirely membranous and generally transparent and capable of 

 being folded when the insect is in repose. 



The whole of these insects are Suctorial — that is, live on fluids. To enable them to 

 do this their mouth parts consist of a more or less slender beak or promuscis, which varies 



