18 
CORN AND GRASS. 
&c. This is very doubtful; but at any rate it should be borne in mind 
that the universal pest, the Sparrow, appears, as far as evidence goes, 
to be doing us harm on the Corn “ with both hands.” Other birds 
may knock out Corn whilst they are searching for insects, but he takes 
the Corn, leaves the insects, and also, as far as in him lies, drives 
away the small birds that might have helped. For other evidence of 
his misdoings see paper on “ Sparrows.” 
Whether measures of prevention of Aphis-attack are possible is not 
certain. We want to know how the Aphis passes the winter in this 
country. In the United States it has been found, by the observations 
of Dr. C. Thomas, late State Entomologist of Illinois, that the 
Aphides might be found on the leaves and stalks of the winter Wheat 
when it appeared above ground ; as cold increased some might be 
found in the ground, and feeding on the sap of the roots ; and late in 
the winter, and when snow was on the ground, they were to be found 
busy at work, and the females bearing well-formed larvae.* 
Dr. Asa Fitch, the well-known United States’ entomologist, also 
states that he has watched the “ Grain Aphis ” closely all the year 
round, and found that in the autumn the mature lice continued to 
produce their young ones until they and their young were frozen, and 
then buried in the snow, and with the warmth of the ensuing spring 
they were thawed and came to life again.f 
Mr. Buckton, our own great authority on Aphides, has examined 
roots of Wheat for presence of “ Grain Aphis ” in September, but has 
not found them present; but search in various localities later in the 
season, when cold had set in, might lead to the plant-lice being found 
in their winter localities; and it would be very serviceable to have 
regular agricultural observations as to whether the Aphides were found 
at the roots of Wheat or of wild grasses in headlands; also whether 
they were to be found on the early winter Wheat in autumn, or again, 
on the leafage when the cold of winter had passed away. 
The Aphides infest many of the common grasses, and, if found in 
such places, it is obvious that autumn and winter cultivation, to break 
up the sheltering land, or strong dressings, by which the lice might be 
poisoned on the surface like other insect-pests in regular process of 
farm-work, would be useful. Two notes forwarded in previous years 
mention bad attack of these plant-lice after clover-stubble or layer. 
More information is greatly needed before we can get hold of the 
means of prevention of this attack; and, besides the above-mentioned 
points, it would be very useful to know whether Corn, which by reason 
* See ‘ Third Annual Beport on Noxious and Beneficial Insects of the State of 
Illinois,’ by Dr. C. Thomas, pp. 53, 54; also extracts from the above in ‘Beport on 
Injurious Insects for 1883,’ by Editor, p. 26. 
1 See ‘ Eighth Annual Beport of Entomological Society of Ontario,’ p. 32. 
