Mr. Edward Blundell, of Birclimoor, Woburn, also noted, with 
regard to presence of Hessian Fly ;—“ I am sorry to say the Hessian 
Fly seems to me more abundant than in previous years. I have not 
been into a Wheat or Barley field where I have not easily found the 
puparia—on my own farm here, in different varieties of wheat; at a 
farm I am carrying on near Bedford ; at Hastings, where I was staying 
last week; and at Cirencester, when I visited the College as Examiner 
in Practical Agriculture.” 
The Hessian Fly-attack at Cirencester was the most important that 
was reported, but even in this case, as will be seen by the two following 
observations, although the attack was very prevalent, the loss was not, 
in the very worst cases, noted to an extent that could be called severe. 
On July 29th, Prof. Allen Harker wrote me from the Royal Agri¬ 
cultural College as follows :—“Just a line to tell you that Hessian Fly 
is pretty bad with us, both in the fields around and in our own experi¬ 
mental Barley plots. The students are bringing in hundreds of them 
every day, not only in the flax-seed state, but in the earlier condition, 
while the outer coat is still white—though hitherto all I have got 
examined have the larva distinctly separate, and withdrawn from the 
skin which is to become the puparium.” 
A few days later, that is, on August 1st, I was favoured with a few 
lines more of information regarding this attack by Mr. W. McCracken, 
Professor of Agriculture at the Royal Agricultural College:—“The 
only other pest which appears to have done really serious damage is 
the Hessian Fly. I have examined many fields of Wheat and Barley 
in this neighbourhood, and I have in no instance failed to obtain 
specimens, but I do not think that the injury exceeds 4 per cent, in 
any case”; he also noticed attack near Nantwich, Cheshire. 
The following note, sent me on July 28th from Boynton Hall, Roxwell, 
near Chelmsford, by Mr. Reginald Christy, gives the same observations as 
most of the other notes—of considerable prevalence of the attack, but 
of little damage in consequence :—“ I enclose a few stalks of Wheat, 
attacked, as I suppose, by C. destructor. There seems to be a good 
deal of it about here: almost every field I have examined has a few 
stalks round the headlands attacked. I may say I have not been far 
about to look for them, but my own fields all contain the insect, and I 
have found it very abundant eight miles from here. They do not seem 
to have done a large amount of damage, as the Wheat has recovered 
itself where strong : but I should imagine on a poor, hungry soil they 
would do a great deal more. I have not had time to examine the 
Barleys, but will do so, if possible, soon.” 
As it appeared of considerable interest to know what the amount of 
attack might prove to be when the season’s observations were complete 
at Revell’s Hall, near Hertford, where the attack was first recorded on 
