774 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
MIDGE. FLY* THE VEINLET IN THIS SPECIES. 
But to carefully reexamine the subject in question, when these 
insects first made their appearance this year, I gathered numerous 
individuals from the wheat ears, inclosing them in small vials, 
closely stopped with corks. . Next day, they being dead, I sub¬ 
mitted them to a particular examination, entering in my manu¬ 
scripts a figure and description of the exact appearances of this 
portion of the wing under the microscope in one individual after 
another, until I became fully satisfied upon this subject. And I 
will now state the result. 
In a dwarf individual of a pale color the middle vein in both 
wings was defective or atrophied for a short distance here at the 
elbow, without any indications of a cross veinlet. In other small 
sized individuals the middle vein was perfect and upon its outer 
side at the elbow was found sometimes an acute pointed tooth, at 
other times a blunt stump-like projection, its length equalling or 
exceeding the diameter of the middle vein. But in individuals 
of the ordinary size, in every instance examined, I found the 
veinlet in question, extending from the elbow of the middle vein 
across to the outer vein. It is usually slender, its diameter only 
about a third the diameter of the middle vein, and frequently its 
junction with the outer vein appears to be somewhat imperfect. 
Instances occur, however, in which this veinlet is thicker, some¬ 
times even equaling the middle vein in its diameter. Moreover, 
this veinlet, however slender it may be, I perceive, perfectly dis¬ 
tinctly with a common magnifying glass, on holding the wing 
between my eye and the light. 
After examining a number of these recently gathered speci¬ 
mens, I opened the vial of dried French specimens, gathered by 
M. Bazin, and sent to me by him, very probably on M. Amyot’s 
suggestion. I select one having a wing unbroken, and on holding 
it between my eye and the light, I with the magnifier see this 
veinlet quite as plainly as it had appeared in the.fresh specimens. 
Under the microscope it is equally distinct, having a third of the 
diameter of the middle vein. I next open to some specimens from 
England, sent me by Mr. Westwood many years ago. These are 
glued upon card, but in a good light, with a magnifier I see this 
vein; but gradually becomes more faint, and wholly vanishes before it attains the margin. 
The inner vein is also quite distinct, except the transverse portion at its apex, which is 
exceedingly slender and scaroely perceptible. The antenna were so dried and entangled 
before examination that I could not definitely ascertain the number of their joints. In one 
instance there seemed to be only twelve. 
