204 Psyche [December 



numerous specimens of Drosophila ampelophila Loew, at New 

 Haven, from decaying pears, and labelled specimens bearing date 

 of October 30. Since then I have observed them in August, Sep- 

 tember and October in the greatest abundance in Massachusetts 

 and Connecticut." After quoting the above note by Loew on its 

 distribution he says: "The question is an interesting one: In 

 which continent is it a native?" 



Lintner, in his first annual report, 1882, page 216, says, in refer- 

 ring to some small flies that were sent to him, "They proved to be 

 identical with numerous specimens of Drosophila ampelophila in 

 my collection, having the memorandum of "bred from a jar of 

 pickled plums, September, 1875." Comstock, in the Report of 

 the Department of Agriculture 1881-1882, describes and figures its 

 life history. 



The question to be considered now is, did this species occur in 

 the Northern States during Say's, Harris' or Fitch's time, or has 

 it worked northward since then? Say might have overlooked it, 

 but for Harris, and especially Fitch — who described so many mi- 

 nute diptera, to have entirely ignored this species, seems im- 

 probable. 



To return to D. repleta whose dispersal throughout the United 

 States is so fully recorded. This was described by Loew from 

 Cuba in 1862 as D. punctulata. It had, however, been previously 

 described from Madeira by Wollaston in 1858. In 1886, Mik 

 described the same species as D. aspersa from Vienna, Austria and 

 Ashanti, W. Africa. The more gradual and recent dispersal of D. 

 repleta would indicate that it was not indigenous to America and 

 that it undoubtedly appeared first in the West Indies. There is 

 no evidence to dispute the fact that D. melanogaster might also 

 have appeared first in the West Indies and being more prolific, 

 has spread with greater rapidity. 



I think we can thus reasonably consider the Eastern Continent 

 as the original habitat of the two species and that they have been 

 introduced either by vessels sailing from Southern Europe during 

 the Spanish regime or from Western Africa during the slave trade. 

 There is another fly that is supposed to have been introduced in 

 this manner. Osten Sacken, in describing Borborus renalicius 

 (Cat. of Diptera, p. 263, 1878), from Cuba, says: "Dr. Loew in- 

 forms me that this is an African species; and as I found it abun- 



