113 



In 1S97, Dr. L. O. Howard, in the Year-book of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, called the attention of the American 

 orrhardists to the danger of introducing such a serious pest into the orange 

 orchards of California with infested fruit. The result was, that in 1900 the 

 Commissioner of the State Board of Horticulture in California brought an 

 Act into existence prohibiting the importation of Mexican oranges into Cali- 

 fornia, in consequence of having found infested oranges in their State, 

 shipped from the port of Acupulco ; and he gave instructions that any con- 

 Munments coining from any part of Mexico should at once be destroyed. 

 Tin's action raised a storm of indignation among the Mexican growers and 

 t heir ( Jovernment ; the former declared that it was simply a case of protection 

 nt' the home market for the Californian orchardists. 



In 190"), Mr. John Isaacs was sent by the Governor of California to inves- 

 tigite the range and state of the fruit-fly in Mexico, and accompanied by Pro- 

 fessor A. S. Herrera (Commissioner de Parasitologia), he visited all the chief 

 centres of the orange industry. His report on the Mexican Orange Worm 

 'Irypeta *dtat*), with many illustrations, and a map of the infested States, 

 \\as published by the State Board of Horticulture in California on his return. 

 The restrictions as regards California were not removed, but the Mexican 

 oranges were allowed admission into the Eastern States, though the high 

 protective tariff on oranges imposed by the United States Customs makes it 

 almost prohibitive. 



This \\as one of the fruit-flies that I was particularly anxious to see and 

 investigate, as it was an orange pest in the first instance, though, like most 

 fruit-flies, it incidentally infests other fruit when numerous. 



On my arrival in Mexico, the first thing I did was to see the authorities 

 at the Department of Agriculture, examine all their specimens, and obtain 

 all the information they had regarding their habits, range, and the methods 

 enforced to keep them in check. Through the kindness of Professor A. S. 

 Herrera, Chief of the Bureau de Parasitologia, and Dr. Giandra, the Patho- 

 logist, I obtained much valuable information. Both these gentlemen were 

 very emphatic regarding the uselessness of the parasite (Cratosipla rudibunda), 

 which was figured and described in the Californian Report, as a check upon 

 this fly. I had previously received specimens of this little red wasp from 

 Professor Koebele, which he had bred from infested mangoes from the Mexican 

 market the year before. 



This fruit-fly, about 4J lines in length, is of a general dull ochreous 

 yellow colour, with large hyaline wings mottled and striped with brownish- 

 yellow bands, forming a very irregular pattern, as seen in the figure of the 

 wing given. The female is remarkable for the great elongation of the anal 

 segment of the abdomen, which is considerably longer than the rest of the 

 abdominal segments combined. As far as I know, it is not recorded from any 

 other country, but has an extended range over the fruit-growing districts of 

 Mexico. 



The Island Fruit-fly. 



(PI. VII, figs. 1, 2, and 3a.) 



Trypeta miisce, Froggatt. 



(Agricultural Gazette, N.S. IF., June, 1899, p. 501, PI. II, figs. 1 and 2. 

 ' Miscellaneous Publications Dep. Agriculture, N.S.W., No. 303.) 



In the original description the numbers on the plate were transposed, but 

 the species are very distinct. 



