10 
CORN. 
On June 21st a communication was forwarded to me, by direction 
of Mr. Chamberlin, regarding some stems of Oats injured by insect- 
attack, which were sent from the Hill Farm, Stratton Strawless Hall, 
near Norwich. It was mentioned “ that the specimens were taken 
from a field of sixteen acres, part grown with Tares and part with 
Oats; the soil is loamy sand, with gravel subsoil. A fortnight back 
we noticed a few roods of them dying off, and now about three acres 
are affected ; and I find, on examining them, that there is an insect 
to be found inside the stem against the first joint from the root.” 
On examining the plants I found a small legless maggot, which 
was clearly that of a two-winged fly, and which was furnished with 
two large breathing-pores or spiracles near the head, and had also 
two tubercles or wart-like spiracles at the end of the tail. I fastened 
up the plants securely, and in less than a month plentiful numbers of 
a little black, brightly-shining, two-winged fly made their appearance. 
These were only about an eighth of an inch in length, and were very 
observable from their habit of skipping in all directions. 
Samples of these flies I forwarded, in order to obtain their name 
with perfect certainty, to Mr. B. H. Meade, of Manningham, Bradford, 
Yorks., who was good enough to examine them, and replied that they 
were well-marked examples of the Oscinis frit , L. 
During the last season I only received two notes of observation of 
this kind of attack, but, as I have reason to believe, from observation 
in previous years, that the attack is not uncommon to various kinds 
of corn plants in the spring, and sometimes does a good deal of 
mischief, it may be as well to draw attention to it. 
The method of life* is said to be for the female to lay her eggs 
singly on the under side of a leaf. The maggot from these eggs 
creeps into the heart of the young plant down to the collar, and gnaws 
the youngest leaves at their base down to the centre of growth, and so 
destroys the terminal bud of the shoot; and, when this happens, 
further development is checked, and, where the plant is running up to 
stalk, the damage is especially perceptible from the yellow or reddish 
colour of the leaves and the weak growth. 
When the maggots are full-fed, about the beginning of June, they 
penetrate through the sheathing-leaves, and change to chrysalids 
beneath the outermost or next to the outermost of these. 
The attacks which I have seen in various years correspond with 
the above description of attack in the winter and spring plant, and in 
the year 1881 I had specimens sent early in June from near Tewkes¬ 
bury of young wheat plants much injured by attack of a small whitish 
grub furnished, as above mentioned, with two tubercles at the end of 
* See ‘ Praktische Insekten kunde,’ by Dr. E. L, Taschenberg, pt. iv., pp. 151— 
153. 
