18 



Fig. 9. Fig. 10. 



Dr. Fitch describes this fly as follows : "It has a considerable 

 resemblance to the common house fly, though when the two are placed 

 side by side, this is observed as being more slender in its form. The 

 two sexes are readily distinguished from each other by the eyes which 

 in the males are close together, and so large as to occupy almost the 

 whole surface of the head, whilst in the females they are widely separ- 

 ated from each other. These flies are of an ash gray color, with the head 

 silvery, and a rusty black stripe between the eyes, forked at its hind 

 end. And this species is particularly distinguished by having a row 

 of black spots along the middle of the abdomen or hind body, which 

 sometimes run into each other, and then forming a continuous stripe. 

 This row of spots is quite distinct in the male, but in the female is 

 very faint, or is often wholly imperceptible. This fly measured 0.22 

 to 0.25 inches in length, the females being usually rather larger than 

 the males." The eggs are white, smooth, somewhat oval in outline, 

 and about one twenty-fifth of an inch in length. Usually not more 

 than half a dozen are laid on a single plant, and the young maggot 

 burrows downward within the sheath, leaving a streak of pale green 

 to indicate its path, and making its way into the root devours all 

 except the outer skin. 



The maggots reach their full growth in about two weeks, when 

 they are about one-third of an inch long, white and glossy, tapering 

 from the posterior end to the head, which is armed with a pair of 

 black, hook-like jaws. The opposite end is cut otf obliquely, and 

 has eight tooth-like projections around the edge, and a pair of small 

 brown tubercles near the middle. Fig. 11. shows the eggs, larva, 

 and pupa, natural size and enlarged. 



