379 



Remedies. — Until some light is thrown on the life history of the flies 

 it is impossible to snggest any remedial measnres to be adopted for the 

 general .abatement of this pest in a given region. Very little can be 

 said regarding protective measnres. To kill the flies as we instinctively 

 do the mosquitoes, by a slap of the hand, is of no avail against the 

 Hippelates, becanse they are too numerous and for obvious other rea- 

 sons. A close-fitting veil would no doubt protect the eyes, but in the 

 hot days of a southern summer the wearing of a veil is a torture almost 

 equal to that of the flies. For the same reason applications of oil of 

 tar, oil of pennyroyal, and similar substances, which are more or less 

 satisfactorily used in the North against mosquitoes, black-flies, and 

 sand-flies, is hardly bearable in the South. Smoking cigars or a pipe 

 ofters good protection to those that indulge in this vice, but even 

 an inveterate smoker can not smoke constantly when he is outdoors. 

 A good smudge also drives away the flies, but, of course, can not be 

 classed among the remedies that are handy and available at every hour 

 and at every place. Sprinkling the coat collar and other parts of the 

 clothing with Eucalyptus oil (and no doubt, also, other strongly-smell- 

 ing etheric oils) as lately recommended as a good repellant against 

 house flies, should be tried, and promises, in my opinion, good results. 



THE BEET-LEAF PEGOMYIA. 



{I'egomyla vidua Lintn.) 

 By L. O. Howard. 



Dr. J. A. Lintner, State entomologist of New York, in his first annual 

 report, gives an interesting account of some anthomyians mining beet 

 leaves. He reared a large series of flies from larva? found mining the 

 leaves of beets in a vegetable garden in Middleburg, jST. Y., and was 

 surprised to find that his bred specimens comprised three species. One 

 of them was Phorhiaffoccosa IVIacquart, which Mr. Slingerland believes 

 to be a synonym of Phorhia hra.ssioa'. Bouche, one of our principal cab- 

 bage root-maggots. The other two Dr. Lintner described as new, viz, 

 ChortopMla hetarum and Pegomyia vicina. Other similar beet leaf- 

 mining larvjTB were found by Dr. Lintner later at Bennington, Vt., but no 

 adults were reared, so that the species remained undetermined. The 

 sjiecies under consideration was found to be at work during the latter 

 part of July and the specimens from w^hich the description was drawn 

 issued August 7. Other specimens issued August 15 and 25. 



An interesting occurrence of the same insect in California, where it 

 was found to be doing very considerable damage in the extensive sugar- 

 beet plantations of the Western Sugar Beet Company at Castroville 



