596 
The Diamond-hade Moth. 
Tare Midge Gnat (?sp.). — By the help of plentiful specimens 
sent me from a locality in Surrey, I have ascertained that the 
stxinted and deformed growth of the flowering heads of tares, which 
sometimes does a good deal of mischief, is caused by a small maggot 
of the same nature as the red maggot of wheat ; that is, by the 
maggot of a small two-winged midge gnat, or scientifically a cecido- 
myideous larva. The full history of this, which I hope to procure, 
may possibly throw some light on that of the clover seed maggot. 
Turnip Sawfly. — A single report has been sent from a district 
in Lincolnshire of a turnip attack, which I found to be that of 
the turnip sawfly, Athalia sphiarum. This infestation is quite as 
destructive in its nature as that of the caterpillars of the diamond- 
back moth, but from the different habits of the grubs is far more 
easily checked. These sawfly grubs are at first white or greenish- 
white with black heads, and, when nearly full grown, are slate colour 
with some paler stripes, &c. They may be A'ery easily distinguished 
from the diamond-back caterpillars, which have only four pairs of 
sucker feet, by having seven pairs of sucker feet or prolegs beneath tlie 
body (as well as the tail pair and the claw feet, which the moth- 
grubs possess also). As these sawfly grubs devour the leaves, and 
do not hide under them, there is no difficulty in reaching them. 
All the ordinary treatment of dressings or mechanical measures 
of sheep driving, or passing scufflers with boughs on them, (fee, may 
be used with every hope of success. Also the fact that the sawfly 
caterpillars moult every six or seven days helps us greatly, as during 
this operation it is necessary for them to hold on by the kind of 
sucker feet at the end of the tail to something firm, to enable them 
to draw themselves out of their old coat. If they cannot do this 
they perish ; therefore any measures, such as those above mentioned, 
which will dislodge the caterpillars are of service. 
Fruit Insects. — Observation by the Evesham Fruit Committee 
and other fruit growers both of the histories, and of practical 
methods of suppression of various kinds of fruit insects, has taken 
place during the last two months, but time does not allow details of 
these now. 
Eleanor A. Ormerod. 
July 28, 1891. 
THE DIAMOND-BACK MOTH. 
On August 7, I was requested by Mr. Ernest Clarke, Secretary of 
the Royal Agricultural Society, to prepare a paper on the recent 
attacks of caterpillars of the diamond-back moth for the forth- 
coming number of the Society's Journal. Much information was 
then in my hands with regard to the localities of the first-observed 
appearance of the caterpillars during the preceding weeks, and the 
dgstri^ctivp Enpoiint of attack to turnip leafage which had imma' 
