No. 1. ] 



M hcellaneous Notea 



35 



'I'he precise life iiistoiy of the Indian species is not yet known, but it is 

 probjibly similar to that ot" its American relation^ vvliicli, accurding- to Dr. 



X 





V: 



Riley, deposits its own minute eggs in the ground close to where the 

 locust has previously laid its eggs. Minute maggots rapidly hatch out 

 from the fly's eggs, and bore their way into the go;^ mass of ihe locust 

 where they feed upon the contents of the locusts' eggs, and finally trans- 

 form into little brown pupa3, from which the flies emerge read^ to lay 

 more eggs, and tiius repeat the cycle of their existence. The figure 

 shows the image of Authomyia peslumarensis Bi'^-ot, with much enlarged 

 diagrams of wing, antenna and leg. The natural size of the image is in- 

 dieated by the hair line. 



In May 1891 Mr. W. R. H. Merk, Deputy Commissioner, Peshawar, 

 Aueueinyofthejouiiylocust. forwarded specimens of Carabid beetle 



which has been identified as Calosoma 

 orientale of Hope. This insect was said 

 to have been observed in vast number 

 in the Peshawar district feeding voraci- 

 ously upon the young unfledored locusts. 

 The locust referred to is Acridinm fere- 

 grinum Oliv. which has been doing so 

 much damage in Northern India during 

 the last few years. In a report, dated 

 19th June 1891, forwarded to the 

 Museum by the Commissioner oE 

 Peshawar, Captain C. G. Parsons, 

 writes : — 

 A black beetle, probably of ihc kiud Mr. Merk seut a specimen of to Calcutta 



c I 



