246 Forty-fifth Report on tue State Museum. 



no evidence of the destructive work being carried on within. 

 Sometimes as many as a dozen larva' are working togetlier. 

 Their operations are seldom noticed until in September. \Mien 

 they become full-grown, in the autumn, they escape from the fruit 

 through small round holes that they cut in the peel, and enter the 

 ground for pupation. In this condition they remain during the 

 winter and do not emerge as flies until the following July. 



From some recent observations it would appear that the larvae 

 sometimes are delayed in reaching matmnty, and have been 

 found feeding within the fruit so late as in the month of January. 



The Larva —The larva in its greatest length measures about 

 one-fifth of an inch, is without feet, and of a white or (as some- 

 times) of a yellowish or greenish color. The front third of its 

 body tapers toward the minute, pointed head, which is armed 

 beneath with its mouth-parts, consisting of two slender, blunt, 

 coal-black hooks. The remainder of the body is cylindrical, with 

 its tenninal end blunt as if obliquely cut off, and bearing upon 

 its slope four pairs of tubercles, of which one pair is longer than 

 the other. 



From this description the larva should admit of easy recognition 

 whenever its operations are suspected in apples. The absence of 

 feet and its pointed head will serve to distinguish it from the 

 apple-worm. 



Distribution. — The fly is a native species — one of the few 

 of our insect pests which has not been introduced from Europe. 

 It was first described by Mr. B. D. Walsh in 1867, from examples 

 taken in Illinois, where it was discovered feding on thorn and 

 crab apples, prior to any knowledge of its attack upon cultivated 

 fruit. This new habit was first developed in, and was for some 

 time confined to, the Eastern States and New York, but within the 

 last year apples in different localities in Michigan have been 

 attacked by it and entirely ruined. 



The most frequent notices of it have been received from Ver- 

 mont. In New Hampshire it has also become broadly distributed 

 and ruined entire orchards. In Massachusetts it is quite destruc- 

 tive. Mr. L. L. Whitman has informed me that in his orchard at 

 North Ashbumham he had hundreds of bushels of the finest fruit 

 rendered worthless by it in 1883. Mr. Averv P. Slade, of Somer- 



