112 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



Loew was in doubt ■whether the normal number of bristles on the scu- 

 telluni was four or six. The reddish abdomen is black at the base and 

 on the two distal segments, but this coloring - has much the appear- 

 ance of being 1 the result of dessication." The above is a full state- 

 ment of Prof. Snow's remarks, which Ave insert because they may not 

 be readilj' accessible, and because we refer to them under Critical 

 remarks. 



History axd Distkibutiox. 



This species was first considered by Loew in 1S73, from a single 

 faded female contributed by Ostex Sackex. Ostex Sackex's mate- 

 rial may have come from Maine, as he gives Norway, Maine, as the 

 locality, the specimens having been collected by S. J. Smith. Loew 

 gives Canada as a locality upon the authority of Mr. Provancher. 

 How long the species had been known before it was described does 

 not appear, but Osten Sacken says it "seems to be common in those 

 regions." If its habit of infesting currants was known in 1873, no 

 mention is made of it. It is next considered b.v Saunders in 1883. 

 During the intervening ten years its currant infesting habit became 

 known and some attempts were made to determine its life history. 



In 1891, Prof. Gillette found it very abundant in Colorado, infesting 

 gooseberries. This being the first authentic account of its infesting 

 that fruit. Prof. Gillette also added many facts regarding the life 

 history as given above. 



Prof. Snow in 1894 examined a single male and contributes the fact, 

 that the bristles on the scutellum are four. 



Regarding - the single male specimens considered by Prof. Snow, (See 

 bibliography above) he gives us the following: "My single specimen 

 of Epodhra Canadensis is from the Yale collection and I found it 

 among Dr. Willeston's flies. There is no label upon it except "Me." 

 and Dr. W. can give me no farther information." 



We find no reference to this insect in the Ag-ricultural and Horti- 

 cultural Reports of Maine, and if it has done injury heretofore it has 

 not been recorded. 



Mr. Z. A. Gilbert says he was formerly troubled by such an insect, 

 but stopped growing currants for a time and then resumed and has 

 not been troubled since. Mr. D. H. Knowlton, Farmington, says his 

 currants have been infested for several years. 



Our first knowledge of this insect was in the summer of 1894, when 

 Prof. Jordan called attention to the fact that a large number of the 

 currants in his garden in Orono was dropj>ing, and that the fallen 

 fruits each contained one or more white maggots. The only reference 

 found to such a currant insect was the few words regarding Epochra 

 Canadensis, Loew, in Saunders Fruit Insects, p. 352. 



The serious nature of the injury being a matter of importance, and 

 the fact that the life history was apparently almost entirely un- 

 known led us to seriously begin the study of its habits. We were 



