REPOET OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 133 



the grubs, having attained their full size, drop into the box, and bury and 

 cleanse themselves in the bran. When wanted, the box is taken away 

 and a fresh box substituted. It is, however, necessary that the maggots 

 should remain a day or two in the bran to cleanse themselves before 

 being fed to the young golden or silver pheasants, as, if fed directly they 

 fall from the meat, they appear to act as a putrid poison, and cause the 

 death of the young birds. This cleansing or scouring process should be 

 attended to most carefully, as a friend who takes gTcat interest in rais- 

 ing golden and silver pheasants one season lost almost all his young 

 brood by feeding them but one day on uncleansed maggots. This food 

 likewise would be very healthy for mocking-birds, and also form a good 

 bait for certain kinds of fish, and is well known to all rod-and-line tish- 

 ermen in England by the name of gentles. Housekeepers using the or- 

 dinary wire-net covers to protect meats are often astonished at finding 

 living maggots in it notwithstanding all their care, but it has been as- 

 serted that these blow-flies, being unable to get at the meat itself, do the 

 next best thing, and that is, to get directly over it, and drop the eggs 

 through the gauze-wire onto tlie meat below, where they hatch and pro- 

 duce the maggots ; in such cases the top should be covered so as to 

 prevent the flies from setting directly above. 

 The larvae of a small fly, {Anthomyia ceparum,) or the onion-fly, (Fig. 22,) 

 p.^ somewhat resembling a miniature house-fly, are very 



^ ^»" "-^^ destructive to the onion crop in the Eastern States. 



The eggs of this fly are laid on the leaves close to the 

 earth, and the larvjB destroy the root, and cause the 

 plant to turn yellow, wither, and die. The larva 

 state lasts about two weeks, the pupa is formed in the 

 bulb itself, or in the earth near it, and the fly appears in 

 two or three weeks afterward, and it is stated that 

 there are sometimes as many as three generations in 

 one season. The insect was imported about forty 

 years ago. A dressing of sand and spirits of tar is said to be effective 

 in preventing the ravages of FsUa roscv, (Fig. 23,) a small fly of some- 

 what similar habits, which attacks carrots, &c., in 

 Europe, and might be nsed, perhaps, with advantage ^''S- 23. 



with our onion-flies, or petroleum, coal-tar, or oil might 

 probably be nsed with sand in a similar manner. In 

 order to create a bad smell to drive away this insect 

 and similar flies injuriag onions, carrots, turnips, rad- 

 ishes, «S:c., it has been recommended to water near the 

 plants with a mixture of one gallon of soap-suds to 

 four quarts of gas-water, or two quarts of tar. This 

 is said to keep the flies away from the plants, so that 

 they do not deposit their eggs on them ; but it is doubtful, unless it is 

 constantly renewed, especially after rains, and even then might injure 

 the young plants if it came in contact with them. Dr. Harris suggests 

 sowing the seed on ground where a quantity of straw has been burned. 

 Tar and water, wood-ashes, lime, powdered charcoal, flour of sulphur, 

 lime-water and soot, &c., &c., have all been highly spoken of as reme- 

 dies. Mr. Sanborn recommends petroleum sprinkled along the rows, and 

 \yatering v.ith soap-suds, soot, or pyroligneous acid. Curtis recommends 

 lime and salt to destroy the maggots; boiling hot water poured over 

 the root is highly recommended by many, and is said to destroy the mag- 

 got without injuring the plants. The eggs of this fly are said to be de- 

 stroyed by the larva of a CJirysopa, (a neuropterous. insect.) 

 For another species of onion-fly, Ortalis flexa, found in the Western 



