The Narcissus Fly. 107 



Gall Mite, and cau easily be seen with a hand lens. Specimens were 

 sent to Dr. Nalepa, who informs me it is a new species which he is 

 going to describe.t 



Information was sent to Mr. Gleed to destroy the plants that were 

 attacked and all cuttings taken from them, and to burn the earth in 

 which they were growing. 



If allowed to spread, this mite would probably form a serious 

 source of loss to nurserymen. 



The Narcissus Fly. 



{Mcrodon equcstris, Fabr.) 



A correspondent, Mr. T. J. Leney, sent the larvpe of the Nar- 

 cissus Fly, from Chertsey, with the following note : " They play 

 havoc with the narcissus bulbs and are evidently the maggot of some 

 fly. They commence boring from the base of the bulb upwards, 

 eating out the centre. I cannot quite understand their beginning 

 operations at the base of the bulb ; one would have thought the eggs 

 would be deposited at the top and the maggots work down the bulb, 

 whereas the point of entrance is in nearly all cases as shown by the 

 dot in the drawing." 



The larvas were of the dipterous genus Merodon, several of which 

 are known to feed upon the bulbs of the narcissus, etc., in Europe. 

 One species only is so far recorded from Great Britain, namely, 

 Merodon equcstris, Fabr., according to Mr. Verrall, but Walker in his 

 work on " British Diptera " also gives Merodon clavipes, Meigen, 

 probably in error. There are three varieties of Merodon equestris, viz., 

 var. narcissi, F., var. vcdidus, Meig., and var. transvcrscdis, Meig. 

 These three were at one time treated as distinct species. Which 

 variety the larvre sent belong to it is not possible yet to say. 



This Narcissus Fly has frequently attacked the bulbs in Corn- 

 wall, and I have had it reported to me from Ham, in Surrey. 



The fly appears in May, and may be seen flying over daffodils and 

 other similar plants. The fly resembles to some extent a bee in 

 form ; it is three-fourths of an inch long ; the body is deep bluish- 

 black with transverse bands of golden yellow; the wings grey, 

 fringed with dull yellow ; legs black, short and stout. 



The female probably lays her eggs near or upon the bulb. Tlie 

 larvcne, however, always seem to enter from the lower part of the 



t This is described under the name Eriophyes violae, n. s]). (Sitzung der 

 matiiematiscii-naturwissenschaftlicheu Classe vom 11. Dec. l0O2, Kaiserlichc 

 Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien). 



