17 
follows: “I hasten to make a correction on Ephestia. I wrote 
you October 27, [L892] that we had found larvae of E. kuehniella 
here, but, although the larvae seemed to be indeed that species, 
when the moths emerged they appeared different. So I sent some 
to M Ragonot, in Paris, and I have just heard from him that they 
are Ephestia desuetella Walker.” 
Several articles on this pest have appeared in French publica¬ 
tions. The first, by P. Brocchi (22), in 1888. It contains a 
brief summary of the past history of this insect, and gives several 
methods, both preventive and remedial, for its arrest and destruc¬ 
tion. Several papers on Ihis subject have been written by Dr. 
C. Decaux, of France, referred to in the bibliography appended 
(41, 42, 43). 
Mr. E. L. Ragonot (49) refers to the question of the origin 
of Ephestia kuehniella , calling attention to the fact that a species 
of the family Phycitidse, discovered in the district of Wollombi, 
New South Wales, and described by Mr. A. W. Scott, in the Pro¬ 
ceedings of the Z illogical Society of London, 1859, under the name 
of Hyphantidium sericarium, belongs evidently to the genus 
Ephestia, and, according to the description, closely resembles E. 
kuehniella , but the plate shows two supplementary lines in the 
basillary space and another in the middle of the space, the im¬ 
perfect crossing being replaced by a round dot. This slight differ¬ 
ence he is inclined to lay at the door of the artist, and thinks 
that the species mry prove to be identical with Ephestia kueh¬ 
niella, the more pirticulady as its larval habits are precisely the 
same For the present, however, he is content to let the species 
remain as E. sericaria (Scott). 
The most important publication that has yet appeared on this 
subject is by Mr. J. Danysz, of Paris, France, Director of the 
Laboratory of Parasitology and of the Chamber of Commerce. It 
is an illustrated article (54) of about sixty pages, and was pub¬ 
lished in 1893. It contains a summary of the more important 
articles previously published on this subject, a careful review of 
what has been said in regard to the origin and spread of the 
moth observations on its life history, and a discussion of the 
remedies used in various places for its suppression. As noted in 
the articles to which reference has already been made, Euro¬ 
pean authors, excepting Miss Ormerod, have hitherto regard¬ 
ed this insect as of American origin, having been imported 
into Europe with American cereals. It will also be remem- 
membered that Dr. Riley and Mr. Howard, in their article on this 
moth which was published in “Insect Life” (Yol. It., pp. 166-171), 
protested against this haphazard conclusion, but with little effect 
upon the European authors who have since discussed this matter. 
Mr. Danysz concludes, after a careful review of the arguments 
brought forth by European writers, that it is unsafe to point to 
any one country as the original home of this insect. He is in¬ 
clined to think that it was originally a very widespread species, 
and that it comes into prominence as a pest in flouring-mills at in- 
—A. 2 
