GOUT fly; ribbon-footed corn fly. 
29 
i 
All this, that is, the summer history 
and habits, is perfectly well known ; but 
(so far as I am aware) it was not until 
this past season that an observation of 
winter attack was secured in this country. 
In this case the kind of injury is neces¬ 
sarily different in form from what takes 
place in summer. The following des¬ 
cription is taken from the very clear 
account quoted by Dr. E. L. Taschenberg 
from the paper by Prof. Max No wield *:— 
An egg is laid on the leaf of the winter 
Corn, or of a wild Grass. The larva, 
which hatches very soon, bores into the 
inside of the young plant, even to the 
neck of the root, and there it passes the 
winter; but it is not till growth begins 
again, towards spring time, that the in¬ 
fested plants are distinguishable from the 
others. Then the infested shoots assume 
a somewhat bulb-like appearance, with 
broader leafage, and the whole growth 
thicker than the growth of the uninfested 
shoots. 
In these shoots the Chlorops maggot 
is to be found, and in due course, whilst 
the over-luxuriant infested shoot perishes, 
the insect goes through its changes within, 
and emerges as the perfect fly, in time to 
start infestation in the summer Corn. 
(This may be Barley, Wheat, Rye, or 
wild Grasses. —Ed.) 
This form of attack has been watched 
for (or rather I have suggested it would be 
very desirable to watch for it) for several 
years back, and in the course of May 
last year specimens of infested young 
Wheat plants were placed in my hands 
for examination by Mr. C. Whitehead 
(Chairman of the Seeds and Plants 
* Nowicki, Prof. D. Max, uber die Weizen- 
verwusterin Chlorops tceniopus, Mg., und die 
Mittel zu ihrer Bekampfung. Wien, 1871. 
Plant of Barley entirely stunted 
by Gout Fly attack. 
