626 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIKD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



sites is particularly applicable to Hawaiian conditions. The experi- 

 ment that was tried with the Mediterranean fruit-fly was successful to 

 a very large degree and induced the Government to go further and see 

 what could be done to control the ravages of the melon-fly. In this 

 way the writer was engaged in July 1915 to investigate the parasitism 

 of the melon-fly and obtain whatever natural enemies could be disco- 

 vered. 



Before going on to the detailed account of the expedition, it should 

 be stated that when the search for melon-fly parasites was begun, our 

 knowledge of the fly outside of Hawaii was very limited, consisting 

 almost wholly of the probable distribution of the fly gained from the 

 meagre records of Compere and Muir and the publications of the Im- 

 perial Entomologist of India. Nothing positive was known of parasites, 

 although Muir's accounts of the relative scarcity of the fly in certain 

 localities gave a measure of confidence to the assumption that parasites 

 existed. 



In regard of the facilities offered by the Government laboratories 

 in India, it was considered that it would be the country to work first, 

 and on 23rd July I set out with the intention of going directly to Pusa 

 in India. " When I reached Manila, however, I went up to Los Banos 

 to have a conference with Muir, and it was largely on his recommenda- 

 tion that I decided to work first around Singapore. 



While at Hongkong, 17-20th August, on my way to Singapore, I 

 made a short trip up the river to Macao, where Muir and Kershaw had 

 worked considerably, to determine its suitability as a breeding station 

 on my probable return with parasites. 



Leaving Hongkong on the 20th, I arrived at Singapore on the 26th, 

 located a supply of infested fruit in some Chinese vegetable gardens, 

 and set up my laboratory in a room over the hotel garage. Here I 

 worked over a month, rearing melon-flies out of cucumbers and a few 

 Momoraxcas and Lvffas. At the end of a week, on opening some of the 

 puparia, I found a single female Opiiis, and shortly after two males, 

 and felt encouraged to go on. However, although more than 6,000 

 flies were reared, no further parasites were obtained, and I decided to 

 continue on my way to India. I attribute the meagre results obtained 

 in Singapore to the character of the fruit uscgI, and the manner of its 

 cultivation. The only cultivated cucurbit to be obtained in any quan- 

 tity is the cucumber, which is produced by Chinese market gardeners 

 under conditions which are very, favorable to mould — the ground where 

 these gardens arc is low, and it is the custom of the Chinese to wet 

 down the beds three or four times a day with liquid manures. I think 



