THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST, 



coal-oil and turpentine have been tried as preTcn- 

 tives, and in the words of Mr. Hazcn of Nebraska 

 proved to be " no more use than so much water, as 

 they soon evaporate." Mr. Orin E. Priest, of Mo- 

 ginee, Wise., however, has found that "turkeys are 

 a perfect remedy for the potato-bugs;" and as the 

 old-fashioned potato-bugs are deadly poison, and 

 could not be eaten by turkeys with impunity, it 

 seems to follow that his experience must relate to 

 the Rocky Mountain insect, and consequently that 

 this species had already in 1865 made its way, not 

 only into Illinois, but also into Wisconsin. "I 

 had," he says, "a patch in my garden literally cov- 

 ered with the bugs, which was all cleared oif by 

 turning in the turkeys three or four times. Also 

 a piece in the field, in which I turned a turkey 

 with a brood of young ; and there they have kept 

 them all oif, and to-day there is no sign of a bug to 

 be seen," (N. Y. Scm. Tribune, Aug. 29, 1865.) 

 Turkeys have from time immemorial been em- 

 ployed occasionally for "worming" tobacco, the ob- 

 jection to which practise is that they injure many 

 tobacco-leaves. As the same objection will not ap- 

 ply in the case of the potato, they may probably 

 be found very useful assistants in combating the 

 " 10-striped Spearman." At first sight we might 

 suppose that common fowls would answer an equally 

 good purpose; but I am told by those who have 

 tried the experiment that they are comparatively 

 inefficient. 

 EocK Island, Illinois, Sept. 23, 1865. 



observed originated in one part of the bed, where 

 they were doubtless deposited by one parent fly." 

 Two broods appear in a season. 



We are indebted to Mr. Shimer for specimens of 

 this fly and its larra. — Eds. 



THE ONION. 



The Black Onion-fly. 



Mr. Henry Shimer, of Mount Carroll, Illinois, 

 gives, in the Prairie Farmer, Sept. 2nd, 1865, a 

 short notice and description of a dipterous insect 

 which is very destructive to the Onion in his neigh- 

 borhood. The scientific name of this fly is Orta/is 

 flexa, Wiedemann. It was first described by Wiede- 

 mann in 1830, as belonging to the genus Trypeta, 

 subsequently by Walker as Tr>/pcta arcuata, and 

 removed to Ortalis by Loew. The fly is about one- 

 third of an inch in length, black, with three oblique 

 white stripes on each wing. Mr. Shimer says, " In 

 the latter part of June, I first observed the larva or 

 maggot among the onions here. The top dead, 

 tuber rottaa, and the maggots in the decayed sub- 

 stance. From them I bred the fly. They passed 

 about two weeks in the pupa state. At that time 

 I first observed the flies in the garden, and now a 

 few are to be found. Their favorite roosting place 

 is a row of asparagus running along the onion- 

 ground, where they are easily captured and de- 

 stroyed from daylight to sunrise, while it is cool 

 ■ and wet. During the day they are scattered over 

 the ground and on the leaves and stalks of the on- 

 ions, and not easily captured. Their wings point 

 obliquely backward, outwards and upwards, with 

 an irregular jerking, fanlike movement; flight not 

 very rapid or prolonged. They are not very nume- 

 rous, probably not over 200 ov 300. All that I 



frattical ^ittamolojist. 



PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER 30, 1865. 



IKTBODTTCTOEY. 



It is hoped that the publication of this Bulletin 

 will be attended with beneficial results to American 

 Farmers and Agriculturists, since its pages will be 

 filled with original papers illustrating the Natural 

 History of the difierent species of Insects, which 

 are more or less destructive to our annual crops of 

 all kinds. The Agricultural Journals have, from 

 year to year, presented through their columns, va- 

 rious recipes, as preventive of the attacks, or de- 

 structive to the life, of the " Curculio," the "Apple- 

 moth," the " Squash-bug," etc. The proposed de- 

 coctions and washes we are well satisfied, in the 

 majority of instances, are as useless in application 

 as they are ridiculous in composition, and if the 

 work of destroying Insects is to be accomplished 

 satisfactorily, we feel confident that it will have to 

 be the result of no chemical preparations, but of 

 simple means, directed by a knowledge of the his- 

 tory and habits of the depredators. The fruit- 

 growers are especially interested in this matter, since 

 there is an increase in their complaints, that the in- 

 sects which prey on their crops are yearly more nu- 

 merous and consequently more destructive. The en- 

 quiring Agriculturist who reads this Bulletin must 

 not expect to find recommended any peculiar brew, 

 mixed according to certain quantities, as specific for 

 any one or all of our insect enemies. He will find, 

 however, we hope in course of time, that the real 

 conditions of life and the transformations of each 

 species, that shall recommend itself by its numbers 

 as fit subject for discussion, will be faithfully record- 

 ed for his information by Entomologists whose time 

 is devoted to this imperfectly understood subject, 

 and that he will be enabled from the information 

 thus obtained, to determine at what period of the 

 insect's life the greatest quantities can be most 

 readily destroyed by the simplest means. 



Letters addressed to us will be answered tjp-ough 

 our columns, and phials containing specimens in 

 alcohol, are solicited from any locality in the United 

 States and Canadas. 



