THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



When some of the affected stems had been pointed out, we had no difficulty in 

 picking others out for ourselves, They were distinguished by the fact that 

 whereas the healthy stalks held their heads aloft, the long beards waving 

 in the breeze, those, attacked seemed slightly stunted in growth, the ears re- 

 mained wholly or partly enclosed in the haulm or sheath, and bore a distorted 

 appearance ; frequently the central part of the ear projected, but the two 

 ends remained embedded. On carefully removing the ear from the haulm, 

 a light brown or fulvous flattened pupa was found, sometimes two or more, 

 but so loosely adhering, if at all, as to become dislodged by the most 

 delicate movement, either falling lower down the plant, or being in- 

 stantly carried away by the wind, which blew rather stiff at the time. Find- 

 ing it impossible, in consequence of the breeze, to examine them satisfactorily 

 on the spot, I obtained permission to bring away a few heads for closer in- 

 spection, and later on obtained a further supply. The ear was partly em- 

 bedded in its waddling clothes, and the basal grains often appeared abortive. 

 I may observe that in some such samples we examined on the spot we could 

 find no pupse, but a closer observation showed that by selecting those stalks 

 which showed a slight external discolouration, extending from the base of 

 the ear to about three inches down the stem, the percentage of finds was 

 materially increased. On closer observation of some of the pupae (which by 

 the way were locally denominated " eggs they appeared to be of a boat- 

 shape, about a quarter of an inch in length, semi-transparent (the fly had 

 emerged in all I examined), and pointed at both ends, the lateral margins 

 parallel for more than half the length. Two larvse were sent with the supple- 

 mentary samples received, but they were certainly not Dipterous. I made a 

 rough sketch of one, but judging from their form I believe they were one of 

 the Tortricina. 



Kirby and Spence, in their "Introduction to Entomology/' under the 

 heading " Indirect injuries caused by Insects," give a tolerably full account 

 of the injuries usually arising from the attack of C. destructor ; and so also 

 does Dallas in his " Elements." The Chamber of Agriculture has also issued a 

 report on the subject, at which I have had but a passing glance. Our Sec- 

 retary kindly sent me a notice on the subject, cut out of some periodical, but 

 as it bears no indication whence it was extracted, I am unable to refer to it. 

 A pamphlet, however, by Miss Ormerod, entitled "The Hessian Ely in 

 Great Britain," and published by Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1886, price 6d., 

 contains the fullest and most reliable account of everything pertaining to 

 this insect, and even to its parasites, and ought to be in the hands of every 

 British farmer. 1 will not take up space now by entering into all the 

 minutiae that Miss Ormerod's clever little pamphlet deals with, as it is within. 



