oA Indian Museum Notes. [ Vol- III- 



Tbe following- notes show how the question now stands — 

 On dissecting a specimen of the locust Acridium peregrinum Oliv. taken 

 by Dr. L. A. Waddell in the Red Sea on 29th August 1*90, grubs of a 

 Tachinid parasite were found embedded in the tissues or* the thorax. 



One of the specimens of Acridium peregrinum taken from a flight 

 which appeared on 27th May 1S91 in Gohilwad Prant, Katliiawar (tor- 

 warded by the Assistant Political Agent, Gohilwad Prant), was found to 

 have two similar grubs embedded in its thorax. 



On the 26th June 1891 the Deputy Commissioner of the Upper 

 Sind Frontier District noticed that the locusts were dying in large num- 

 hers from the effect of a grub. Numerous specimens of Acridium pere- 

 grinum were forwarded in alcohol, and from these two similar Tachinid 

 grubs were obtained. One of these grubs was found loose in the alcohol 

 in which the locusts were preserved, and the second was dissected out of 

 the thoracic cavity or one of the locusts, where it was found attached to 

 the muscles. Careful dissection of all the other specimens that were 

 forwarded failed to reveal any more grubs. 



On 27th August 1891 Mr. C. F. Elliot of the Forest Department 

 in Baluchistan forwarded specimens of Acridium petegrinum infested by 

 similar grubs which he noticed were very prevalent amongst the locusts 

 then to be found in his neighbourhood. 



On 29th August 18U1 Major H, P. Leigh, Deputy Commissioner 

 of Kohat, forwarded numerous specimens of Acridium peregrinum said 

 to be infested by the parasite. From these a single specimen of the 

 fly was obtained, but so much damaged as to be unsuited for precise 

 determination. 



On 7th October 1891 further specimens of the same locust, said 

 to be attacked by the parasite, were forwarded by C. E. S. Steel, Esq., 

 Deputy Commissioner, Upper Sind Frontier, Sind, but specimens of the 

 mature insect were not obtained. 



In the early part of April 1891 a vast number of small Dipterous 



insects, much like diminutive house flies, were 

 Locust egg parasite. . . . 



reared in the Museum from a set of Acridium 

 peregrinum Oliy. eggs received from Peshawar. The flies emerged in 

 oreat number from the egg masses, and as each fly was probably re- 

 sponsible for the destruction of at least one locust egm, the effect of the 

 parasite in reducing the numbers of the locusts must be very appreciable. 

 Specimens of the fly were sent to Mons. J. M. F. Bigot, who identified 

 them as belonging to a new species of Anthomyia, which he proposes to 

 name Anthomyia peshawarensis. It may be noticed that an allied species 

 {Anthomyia angustifrons) has been found to attack the eggs of the Rocky 

 mountain locust [Caloptenus spretus) in America; Dr. Riley, the United 

 States Entomologist, indeed estimates that as much as 10 per cent, 

 of the eggs laid by the Rocky mountain 1'nust arc destroyed by it. 



