PEAR GNAT MIDGE. 85 



southerly part of England. These were from near Truro, in Cornwall; 

 Calne, Wilts ; Glewstone, near Eoss, Herefordshire ; Evesham, Wor- 

 cestershire ; from near Leicester ; from Cambridgeshire near New- 

 market ; from Polegate, Sussex ; and a note was also placed in my 

 hands by an entomological observer mentioning that " the Pear Midge 

 seems very bad this year, especially in Herefordshire." 



Preceding the inquiries sent whilst attack was in progress (with 

 specimens accompanying), I was favoured early in the year by Messrs. 

 E. and B. Bomford, of Pitchill, near Evesham, in the course of com- 

 munication as to preventive measures in the coming season, with the 

 following report of the attack as they had observed it, which gives 

 such a plain and serviceable account of the general features of the 

 infestation that I copy it in extenso. On February 7th Messrs. Bomford 

 wrote as follows : — 



" Your description of the maggots is exactly as we have noticed, 

 except that we have not seen them jump about. The attack com- 

 mences whilst the blossom is still out ; the Pears swell up to the size 

 of a sparrow's egg, and if you cut them open just below the eye or 

 blossom, you find about a dozen of these small maggots. In about a 

 week or fortnight the Pear becomes black where the maggots have 

 eaten the inside away. The maggots then disappear, the Pear some- 

 times falling to the ground ; much the greater part fall, but some of 

 them stay on the tree, and come to deformed fruit, quite useless. We 

 do not find any difference in the attack on pasture or cultivated land. 

 We have purposely had sheep under the trees when the Pears fall, 

 thinking they would eat up the Pears, and so destroy the maggots; but 

 we have not found this successful, as some of the maggots evidently 

 fall direct from the trees." — (E. and B. B.) 



On May 13th (the earliest date of inquiry as to attack then in 

 active stage sent me) I received the following inquiry from Mr. H. 

 H. Williams, of Pencalenick, Truro, Cornwall : — 



" Could you kindly tell me if it is possible to prevent the attacks 

 of the insect which has got into the young Pears I enclose ? Last 

 year I picked and burnt all diseased fruits, and this year it does not 

 seem quite as bad. I noticed that one lot of trees which was heavily 

 limed on surface (quick-lime) last autumn have not suffered nearly as 

 much as another lot which were not dressed with lime. Is there any 

 connection in this between cause and effect ? Trees on walls seem 

 practically to escape altogether, while by far the worst affected are 

 some grown under a wire fruit cage, Easpberries, Currants, &c., being 

 grown between the rows. Can this be due to the absence of birds ? 

 I enclose half a dozen samples of the diseased fruit." — (H. H. W.) 



The samples sent showed Diplosis pyrivora attack still in early 

 stage. The grubs in some cases were still very young, and the inside 



