213 
hind it, and tapers to a rounded point. The thorax is rounded 
ovate, but little longer than broad, black, with the scutellum high, 
rounded and pitted. The abdomen is flattened, oval, twice as long 
as wide, being a little longer than the thorax, but not quite so wide. 
The legs are pitchy black on the femora; the tibiae dull reddish 
brown, darker towards the end; the tarsi are 5-jointed, dark brown, 
hairy, with the basal joint reddish at the base. (Fitch says the 
legs of P. error . are pitchy black; but in the specimen before me 
they have a decided reddish tinge.) The wings are veinless, clear 
transparent, irised. Length by millimeters, being a little larger than 
Fitch’s P. error, which was .05 inch long. I am disposed to refer 
this, specimen to Fitch’s species, but should it be found to be quite 
distinct, it may receive the name Plcitygaster herrickii. It seems to 
be a' genuine Platygaster. 
Fitch states that Platygaster error is seen in company with the 
wheat midge ( Diplosis tritici) on the wheat ears in New’ York and is 
very numerous some years, but he thinks it doubtful whether it 
preys upon the midge. 
REMEDIES, PREVENTIVE AND GENERAL. 
Having become familiar with the habits of this insect, which can 
be readily observed by farmers, it is not difficult to apply such 
remedies as the experience of wheat raisers of the past century in 
different parts of the wheat region of the United States has nearly 
universally found serviceable. Bemembering that the first brood of 
flies appear in August and continue to hover over the fields until 
late in September, as if waiting for the fall sown wheat to appear, 
it .is evident that by delaying the date of sowing until after a frost 
cold enough to kill the flies, they may be circumvented; for if the 
wheat is sown later than the 20th of September in nearly all the 
Middle and Northern States, the early frosts will destroy these 
delicate insects.. Late sowing, then, is the most general, important, 
and easily applied preventive remedy. 
Late sowing of most of the wheat seed. —All writers, both entomol¬ 
ogical and agricultural, concur in recommending this easily applied 
remedy; that at least a part of the wheat should not be sown until 
after .the 20th of September in the Northern States. The writings 
of Fitch, Harris and of Cook concur in recommending this course 
in a district ridden by these pests, even though the wheat is in dan¬ 
ger of being injured by the cold autumnal or the winter weather. 
As the year 1877 was a bad fly year, v T e quote the following explicit 
testimony from Professor Cook’s pamphlet: 
“In all the century’s experience in our country with this insect* 
this has been the most certain and satisfactory method to prevent 
its ravages. Even more than thirty years ago this measure is 
spoken of as unanimously sanctioned and the most efficient of 
remedies. During the past season [1877] I have reliable reports 
from the following counties: Ottawa, Van Buren, Cass, Kalamazoo, 
Hillsdale, St. Joseph and Lapeer, and, with few exceptions, it is 
stated that the early-sown wheat was injured badly, while all sown 
after September 20 nearly escaped. In traveling through Ohio and 
