]96 Indian Economic Entomology . [Vol. 1. 



is reported as most destructive to peaches in Chota-Nagpur, to a great 

 extent preventing 1 their ripening- in that district. Mr. Irvine notices 

 that the grubs of the fly, besides being found in vast numbers in peaches, 

 occur sparingly in mangoes and guavas. The insect can perforate the 

 skin of sound fruit to deposit its eggs, but appears to prefer laying them 

 iu spots where the skin has already been broken. It may be noticed 

 that an allied insect, Dacus olece (see Pascoe's Zoological Classification, 

 p. 121), is destructive to the fruit of the olive in Europe; while a 

 second species, identified by Mons. Bigot as Dacus ferrugineus ? Fabr., 

 has been reared by Mr. W. J. Simmons in the pulp of decaying mangoes 

 in Calcutta. The following is an extract from Mr. Irvine's letters on 

 the subject :— 



" My return home was just a little too late to renew my study of the Peach fruit 

 pest. Happily, however, after careful search, I found three peaches lying on the 

 ground, uuder the trees, simply swarming with the maggotty larvae of the pest. 



" These I removed to the house, placing them on damp soil in'a saucer, covered over 

 with a finger-howl. The larva? were far advanced, so I was not surprised to notice 

 very soon after I Drought them in that they commenced hurying themselves in the 

 soil. On the 4th day I disturbed the soil to find all the larvae had pupated ; and on 

 the 11th day the perfect insects cut out. Enclosed please find a few specimens of the 

 perfect insect and more will follow with the other things I have for you later on. 

 My previous observations incline me to believe the pest invariably prefers depositing 

 her eggs in some incision on the nearly ripe fruit caused by birds or other means ; but 

 I have noticed the fly working its sucker or probosces on the perfectly sound fruit, till 

 a small black speck became distinctly visible, but there the matter ended, for the pest 

 unfortunately flew off on my attempting a nearer approach. In Ranchi I think it safe 

 to assert that from half to two thirds of the peach crop is annually destroyed by this 

 pest, according to whether we have early or late rain. To stop the injury, or at least 

 ameliorate the harm done, I intend trying the effect of removing at least six inches of 

 soil from under the trees, during the cold weather, and thoroughly baking the same 

 which must kill all there is in the soil of insect life. I would further recommend the 

 instant removal of all pierced fruits which fall to the ground and the burning of the 

 same, or else the placing of them in a trough of water for at least 24 hours. 



" Whether the millions of larvae that must have pupated in the soil during the 

 peach crop season, when hundreds of decaying fruit fell to the ground, have since taken 

 wing, or remain to hibernate in the soil till next season's crop, is a problem to solve. 



" I have noticed a few of these pests, in company with some others of the same 

 order, affecting the guava crop now ripening, but I have not as yet met with the larvae 

 inside the fruit, which is my present object of study, and regarding which more here- 

 after." 



The following note has been furnished by the 



e org vm on Acting Superintendent of the Khandesh Experi- 



Tlia.f.rap.a an. ° r * 



mental Farm : — 



Diatraea sp. 



" I beg to forward the following information on the supposed poisonous property 

 of. the Sorghum Borer, brought to your notice by Mr. Woodrow of Poonaand published 

 in your valuable 'Notes on Indian Insect Pests,' page 28. 



