PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIED ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 627 



if wild Momordicas could have been obtained, the parasites would have 

 been more abundant, but under the conditions described, the parasites 

 have little chance to multiply. 



The method used to ascertain what parasitism existed was very 

 simple. Infested fruit was placed in cages on sand, and as soon as the 

 maggots had emerged and pupated, the sand was screened to separate 

 the puparia, which were then placed in shell vials. After a few days, 

 the flies would emerge from unparasitized material, and these were 

 liberated daily until emergence ceased. The material was then gone 

 over and everything discarded except the sound puparia, which would 

 be suspected of containing parasites. When parasites emerged they 

 were conducted as soon as possible into 6"xl" test-tubes containing a 

 fresh leaf holding drops of honey and water. About twenty parasites 

 can be kept in good condition in a single tube and if carefully attended 

 they can be expected to live at least a month. If necessary to hold 

 longer, they can be reared in confinement wherever a good supply of 

 infested fruit can be obtained. 



At Singapore I had the misfortune to lose part of my equipment 

 and I utilized the time necessary to have it replaced in investigating 

 melon-fly conditions in Java. It is only a 36-hour run from Singapore 

 to Batavia, and another 3-hour journey on the railroad to Buitenzorg, 

 the seat of Government and location of the scientific laboratories. The 

 director of the scientific work, Dr. Konigsberger, showed sympathetic 

 interest in my mission, and kindly offered me a desk in the Strangers' 

 Laboratory. I spent nearly a month in Java, 10th October to 6th 

 November, and in this time reared between 4,000 and 5,000 flies. In 

 due course the material disclosed the parasite found at Singapore, and 

 I was able to take a small lot of males and females away with me. My 

 time in Java was limited, and the work done there was done too hur- 

 riedly to give anything more than an impression of the conditions, but 

 the impression was very favorable. Cultivated fruit was scarce at 

 that season of the year, and Momordicas were used very largely in rear- 

 ing flies. These fruits are not cultivated in fields or gardens, but are 

 grown by the natives around their houses, and are, therefore, very much 

 scattered. The cultivated fields appeared clean, and I was told that 

 two pickings are usually secured before an infestation is noticed, A 

 large ground-beetle was very active here. 



On returning to Singapore, I found a letter from Muir giving en- 

 couraging information in regard to the Philippines, but I had already 

 made my plans to go to India, and was obliged to defer the investigation 

 of this new field till later. 



