46 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



both external and internal, present where fruit is affected, 

 and although we ourselves have had much practice in 

 detecting the larvae in fruit imported into this State, 

 the long experience gained by Mr. Try on in the natural 

 home of, at least, some of the fruit flies is well worth 

 the trouble of giving to our readers. 



: i It not infrequently happens that the fruit on being 

 gathered presents externally no evidence of its being 

 infested with the maggot of the fruit fly, and this cir- 

 cumstance leads to parcels, after they have been sent to 

 the markets as sound, being returned to the grower as 

 entirely worthless. This we found to be a very common 

 complaint atToowoomba (Queensland) , and to emphasize 

 this general experience, Mr. R. Bushnell handed to us 

 three peaches freshly gathered from the tree, and in 

 quite a green state, at the same time challenging us to 

 detect, without the most minute examination, any exter- 

 nal sign of their being injured, and this we were unable 

 to do. These peaches were delivered to us on the 28th 

 January, and after they had been securely isolated, they 

 were put aside for subsequent observation, and on the 

 18th February it was noticed that five fruit flies had 

 bred from maggots with which they must have been 

 infested at the time of our having first received them. 



1 ( Other fruit, especially the pear, often also appears 

 quite sound too ; though it has afterwards been found to 

 be maggot eaten. Usually, however, there is some 

 external indication one side of a peach may appear dull 

 green as if slightly bruised, and the surface of a pear or 

 plum may exhibit at spots the appearances which would 

 follow a similar injury to these fruits. At these places 

 it will be found that the fruit is softer than at others, 

 and that generally the juice will exude on pressure at 

 one or two minute holes, which, however, in the case of 

 the peach, may have been previously detected, especially 

 when occurring in the lateral depression. 



" At a later stage, these punctures, in each of which 

 an egg has been deposited by the fruit fly, having 



