ON THE HESSIAN FLY IN ITALY

Extract

As I have stated (p. 90, May, 1885), I had made inquiry of Dr. Anton Dohrn about the existence of the Hessian Fly around Naples, Italy. His kind answer, together with interesting notes by Dr. Paul Mayer, gives the following information.

From the two old books quoted by Sir J. Banks (p. 88), Corti is not represented in the library at Naples. Ginnani (Dr. Giuseppe Fatta writes Giannini), Part ii., cap. lx., p. 127-209, gives: “Osservazioni ed esperienze particolari intorno all'infestamente degli insetti.” He speaks in this chapter on several flies which attack the grain, among them one which attacks the roots, but his statements do not allow us to decide with certainty whether some of the flies belong to Cecidomyia. Dr. P. Mayer draws my attention to another work which was entirely unknown to me; the copies published are all lithographed: “A. Costa.—Lezioni di Entomologia agraria precedute da un quadro generale della classi del regno animale raccolte ed autografate degli alumni M. Pilato e M. Montanari. Portici R. Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura 1880, 4to., pg. 528, pl. 9.”