15 



Lucilia tasmaniensis, the island sheep fly, though originally des- 

 cribed from Tasmania, has a very wide range through Queensland, 

 the Solomon Islands, and the New Hebrides. In the islands men- 

 tioned it has been found blowing wool on live sheep, so that it may 

 acquire this habit at any time, particularly in Queensland, where it is 

 frequently found. Nothing is known about its life-history, but in 

 the islands it is common along the edge of the bush wherever any 

 decaying vegetable or animal matter is exposed. 



The English blow-fly, Calliphora erythrocephala, common in England 

 and Europe, has been introduced into New Zealand and Australia, 

 and is found in Sydney and its suburbs throughout the early summer 

 months. This cosmopolitan species lays its eggs in meat, and is found 

 in gardens on decaying fruit and other vegetable matter. 



Froggatt (W. W.) & McCarthy (T.). The Parasite of the Sheep- 

 maggot Fly {Nasonia brevicornis) : Notes and Observations in the 

 Field and Laboratory. — Agric. Gaz. N.S.W., Sijdtiey, xxv, no. 9, 

 September 1914, pp. 759-764. 



In 1909, Girault and Saunders described Nasonia brevicornis, a 

 minute Chalcid, nearly all of which were obtained from puparia of 

 different Diptera collected near Urbana, Illinois. They were not, 

 however, very successful in artificially spreading this parasite in the 

 University grounds there. Information has been since received from 

 Dr. L. 0. Howard that N. brevicornis has been recorded from Chili, 

 while in New South Wales and Queensland it is now a parasite of the 

 sheep-maggot flies. Ten years ago, Mr. Froggatt, when visiting 

 the west in connection with the spread of sheep-fly maggots, found 

 that wherever there was any carrion, there were in addition to 

 Calliphora rufifacies, numbers of the shining black fly, Ophyra nigra, 

 and the two common blow-flies, C. villosa and C. oceaniae. The two 

 latter at this date were known to " blow " soiled wool on otherwise 

 healthy sheep, and although C. rufifacies was by far the commonest 

 species, it had not then acquired the habit of blowing live wool, and 

 was simply found in carrion and freshly flayed sheepskins. 



In breeding experiments, all kinds of blow-fly maggots were used, 

 but it was found that the parasites showed a preference for the smooth 

 thin-skinned pupae of C. villosa, C. oceaniae, and C. erythrocephala, 

 and only infested the stoutly-spined ones of C. rufifacies when the 

 others were unobtainable. The very noticeable decrease of the 

 common yellow blow-flies and 0. nigra in the north-west during the 

 summer months within a few years leads the authors to think that 

 these parasites in the first instance attacked the pupae of flies pro- 

 ducing smooth pupae, and have only recently turned their attention 

 to the harder spiny pupa of the " hairy maggot "of C. rvfifacies. 

 Under natural conditions, the flies and the parasites will be fairly 

 evenly balanced and it cannot be expected that the parasite will 

 exterminate the fly, but it can be reasonably hoped that it will keep it 

 in check whenever it becomes established. The parasite can be very 

 easily bred in captivity, and if necessary, large quantities could be 

 artificially reared and distributed to all parts of Australia at a very 



