The Diamond-back Moth. 
603 
On July 2G, Mr. Frederick Reynard reported from Suuder- 
landwick, Driffield, with specimens accompanying, that the cater- 
pillars had been troubling him for the last fortnight, but were 
considerably less in numbers than they were a week ago. 
Lincolnshire. — On July 17 Mr. \Yilliam H. AYest, of Holbeach 
Marsh, Lincolnshire, forwarded me specimens of the caterpillar of 
the diamond-back moth, with the observation that it was making 
terrible havoc with the swede turnip in the district. Also that it 
had appeared all at once on the previous Monday (July 13) and 
had attacked all crops alike, whether they had been affected by the 
ordinary turnip fly or not, and was likely to be most disastrous to 
agriculturists. 
On July 20, Mr. West further wrote that the swede crop in 
the district was very generally affected, and that some of the cater- 
pillars had then spun their cocoons; and, on July 29, Mr. "West 
wrote me that the turnips on the best lands were outgi'owing the 
caterpillar. 
The following note, sent me on July 20, is from a resident in 
X.W. Lincolnshire, in the district between the small river Ancholme 
and the Trent, on the oolitic limestone. As the sender did not 
wish his name affixed, I give his communication simply as from 
" Lines. ' " My swedes and many more in the district are giving 
way from multitudes of caterpillars on the underside of the leaf." 
The leaves sent were not very severely injured so far — and one of 
the caterpillars appeared to be just on the point of spinning up. 
Mr. J. EaixUey Mason, writing from the Sycamores, Alford, Lines, 
on August 9, mentioned " diamond-back moth larva everywhere, but 
damage very various in amount — nothing like what is reported from 
Northumberland ; some pieces have escaped altogether." 
On August 15, I was favoured with the following information by 
Mr. W. Frankish of Limber, Ulceby. This refers to joint ravages 
of the caterpillars of the turnip sawfly and of those of the diamond- 
back moth. Mr. Frankish wrote : "I have looked round my three 
fields of turnips which were more or less attacked by the catei'pillars 
of one description or the other, but I have no doubt by both, and 
find they have by no means reco\ ered their lost ground. The swedes 
(fortunately only about eleven acres) are almost worthless, and now 
cannot be at the best more than one-third of an average crop, and a 
crop of common turnips next to them (thirty-eight acres) in the 
same field cannot be more than half a crop, while two other fields 
of common turnips, fifty-nine acres, will possibly get two-thii'ds of a 
full crop ; turnips sown before and after these fields, about 200 acres, 
have not been attacked, that is to say to any serious extent." 
" The specimens I sent to you from Brigg Show w-ere brought to 
me there by a neighbour on an adjoining farm, but I have no doubt 
we all had the two enemies, as the leaves were eaten in diflferent 
ways : one almost entirely except the centre stalk ; the other leaving 
all the fibre like gossamer almost, or coarse network, but it would 
be impossible for me or anyone to separate the damage by difl'erent 
caterpillars." 
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