THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 387 



jNIelon-Fly. 



A somewhat larger and liandsoiiK'r, lliough similar appearing fly pest, is 

 the melon-fly.'' It was first noticed on Oaliii as long ago as 1807. and since 

 that time has succeeded in doing for the melons and fleshy vegetables what the 

 fruit-fly has done for the fruit of the islands. They not only infest the fi-uit, 

 but the vines as well, and as there is an abundant variety of ))lants on which 

 they feed, they ravage the truck gardens throughout the year. 



The Horn-Fly and Other Injurious Flies. 



The horn fly i'^ is a pest of the live stoclc of the islands; Ihe damage it 

 does is of equal rank with the fruit and melon-flies. It was introduced from 

 California in 1897, and within a year had spread throughout the group. In 

 the years that have passed it has bred uninterruptedly, and the annoyance 

 caused by its blood-sucking habits has been felt by all the live stock on the 

 Hawaiian ranches. Owing to its vicious bite, a loss of hundreds of thousands 

 of dollars has lieen sustained hy ranchmen through the shrinkage in weight of 

 animals to be sent to market. 



Other flies that have more or less economic importance are the stable fly ;^^ 

 the horse bot-fly.-" found on horses or about stables; the sheep-head maggot 

 fly ;-^ tw^o flesh flies ;-- two bluebottle flies ;-^ the sheep-maggot fly -^ on sheep ; 

 and warble-flies of two species -''- on cattle. The familiar house fly -" is every- 

 where present and in some localities al)undant, though it is kept in control by 

 parasites -''' that make it their host, and to some extent doubtless by certain 

 species of ants. 



iMoSQUITOES. 



With the flies as members of the great orch-r Diplcfa, should be considered 

 the representatives of the mosquito family. Of these, three important mos- 

 quitoes, the night mosquito -^ and the two day mosquitoes, one -'• with two 

 white stripes on each side of the thorax, and the other"" witli one wliite stripe 

 on the thorax, are common in the islands. They are so abundant in certain 

 localites as to be the principal source of man's discomfort in Hawaii. So far 

 they have not themselves become innoculated with the diseases Avliicli else- 

 where they transmit from one person to another, producing, in the case of one 

 of the day mosquitoes, "^^ the dreaded yellow fever of tropical and subtropical 

 countries. Through the introduction of natural enemies, as the mosquito fish, 

 frogs, dragon flies and the like, in eonnection with tlie various camjmigns to do 

 away with standing water, which is thcii- naliiral breeding jilace. all of the 

 species have been materially reduced in nundjcrs in Honolulu, but they are 



1" Darns cucurhitce. '" Ilaniidtohia serratd. '" Stainoxj/s ralcitrtnis. "" Oaiitrni>)iilti,i equi. 



-1 fEstru.1 ovis. -" Sarriip)i(i<i(i harbatii and N. iKiHinervis, the latter with a red tip to the abdomen. 



-^ The European bluebottle, Liifiliii sericata. and the .Vmeriean species, L. ccesar. -* Oestrus ovis. 



^^ Uypoderma horis and //. liiienta. -" Miisrn (Idniestira. 



-' Eucoila impatiens, the stable fiy parasite, and SiKduniiiii hlrta. -* Ctilex fatif/ans. 



-^ Steffonn/iit fasciata (Fabr) = .S'. calopus (Meigen). '■'" Sfii/omyia scutelluris (Walk.). 



^^ S. scufellaris. 



