HESSIAN FLY. 
19 
affected with the insect I wrote about; and I notice two of the speci¬ 
mens I send you are brown, and that the larvae seem darker in colour 
than when I looked last. 
“ I am at a loss to understand how the fields have become affected, 
should this turn out to be an attack of the Hessian Fly, as the Barley 
was not dunged, and the dung applied to the Turnips the previous 
year was turned and heated, the mixture being half town’s dung and 
half farmyard manure. 
“ I have two fields of Barley affected, and I also saw a few stems 
in a field of Wheat. I may say I have only had three tons of foreign 
straw in the last few years.” 
The above letter was forwarded to me on July 8th by Mr. Taylor, 
of Daleally Farm, Errol, with the following remarks :— 
“I have just had some samples of Barley-straw sent to me, on 
which I find the larvae of the Hessian Fly ; and I send by same post 
as this a few of the samples for your inspection. 
“ I have just written him saying that I have no hesitation in stating 
that his Barley is infested with the maggot of the dreaded Hessian 
Fly. I have as yet not observed any damage on our own crops, 
neither do I find any ‘ flax-seeds ’ on imported straw. I have reared 
one more fly, but plenty of parasites.” 
On July 16th Mr. Pattullo forwarded specimens to myself, also 
from Eassie Farm, Meigle, Forfarshire. These I found to be of the 
Hessian Fly maggot (i.e., larva of Cecidomyia destructor) in various 
states of growth or development, from the white shiny condition, or 
state just changing to the chrysalis, up to the complete change to 
chrysalis-case ( puparium), or so-called “flax-seed” state, these “flax¬ 
seeds ” being in some instances longitudinally striated. The attacked 
Barley was in very poor condition. Mr. Pattullo wrote accompanying: 
—“I send by to-day’s post specimens of the maggot infesting my 
Barley. I think the attack is over, as I had some difficulty in 
getting the maggots in their earlier stages, as you wish them. I see 
a good many of the brown specimens shrivelled up, as if the recent 
rains had destroyed them.” 
A few days after this (that is, on July 11th) very characteristic 
specimens of Hessian Fly attack, having the puparia or “ flax-seeds ” 
with the longitudinal striae already beginning to show, were sent me 
from the Church Farm, Steeple Morden, Royston, on the border of 
Cambs. and Herts, by Mr. T. J. Hunt, with the remarks :—“ I enclose 
specimens of Barley taken from a piece of mine. The piece of 
Barley in question is after Tares, and is not a good piece ; and I find 
that there are more broken-down ones where the crop is weaker, 
though there it is not broken down very much.” 
On the following day (July 12th) I received the following communi- 
c 2 
