168 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
It is very humiliating to find oneself baffled in all attempts to 
obtain the solution of a problem that never ought to have 
been a problem at all. Pears of every kind fall by myriads 
just after they are supposed to be knit; and this is a pheno- 
menon that calls for a remedy, but hitherto has called in 
vain. It is obvious that when the fruit has fallen it is too 
late to suggest a remedy for that year; but it is also obvious 
that the fallen fruit must in themselves contain the enemies, 
and therefore present the opportunity of destroying them by 
wholesale, and thus prevent the perpetuation of the 
race. If we cut open a pear,—an infant pear, we will 
call it, for they all when thus attacked perish in infancy, 
—we find the interior occupied by small maggots of a 
pale hue, but yet not quite white: these come out in 
a few days, and congregate together on the surface of 
the glass, with which the vessel containing them may be 
covered; this exodus is probably preparatory to a retreat 
under ground for the purpose of undergoing metamorphosis. 
Nothing can be well easier than collecting the fallen pears at 
this season, and burning them; this summary process must 
destroy the parent-fly for the next year at least, always 
assuming that no flies will visit your orchard from other 
orchards, which I see no possible method of preventing. But 
I have not yet said to what class and order these flies belong, 
and here we must have recourse, as usual, to Kirby and 
Spence. From these high authorities we find that Mr. Knight 
—I presume the late Andrew Knight, of Downton Castle— 
attributed the mischief to a small four-winged fly. Kirby 
and Spence suggest that this was a sawfly,—a suggestion 
that is strongly corroborated by an observation of my own, 
for on cutting open a number of these fallen pears, sent me. 
by Mr. Reeks, I find them inhabited by the larva of a sawfly 
of minute, but unmistakable, proportions. In opposition to 
this view I have received from Mr. Fitch a communication 
stating that two species of Sciara and one of Cecydomia destroy 
the embryo fruit of the year. The Sciara is most destructive ; 
and the species are S. Pyri and 8. Schmedbergii. Cecidomyia 
might also infest pears when fruiting, but | hesitate to say 
much respecting it; indeed, I feel that my knowledge of the 
subject is very meagre and unsatisfactory, and I only allude 
to it under the impression that I may possibly elicit informa- 
tion from others.—HLdward Newman. 
