﻿426 
  

  

  by 
  no 
  means 
  rare. 
  In 
  the 
  genus 
  Bracon 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  rule 
  rather 
  

   than 
  the 
  exception; 
  in 
  one 
  case, 
  the 
  authors 
  observed 
  larvae 
  of 
  this 
  

   genus 
  which 
  were 
  predaceous 
  on 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  beetle 
  Lixus 
  scabri- 
  

   collis 
  ; 
  the 
  parasite 
  was 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  integument 
  of 
  the 
  host, 
  and 
  

   by 
  the 
  time 
  it 
  became 
  a 
  nymph, 
  nothing 
  was 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  host 
  but 
  the 
  

   skin. 
  Two 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Bracon, 
  namely 
  variator 
  and 
  dichromus, 
  

   were 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  external 
  parasites 
  on 
  species 
  of 
  Larinus 
  and 
  

   Myelois. 
  

  

  Certain 
  species 
  of 
  Bracon 
  limit 
  their 
  choice 
  of 
  a 
  host 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  nearly 
  

   related 
  species 
  ; 
  others, 
  however, 
  are 
  found 
  parasitic 
  on 
  almost 
  any 
  

   host, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  of 
  Bracon 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  Coleoptera, 
  Diptera 
  

   or 
  Lepidoptera. 
  It 
  would 
  seem, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  certain 
  cases, 
  that 
  the 
  

   parasite 
  is 
  not 
  attracted 
  by 
  specific 
  insects 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  by 
  the 
  plants 
  

   on 
  which 
  these 
  live 
  ; 
  B. 
  scutellaris 
  develops 
  equally 
  well 
  on 
  species 
  

   of 
  Cydia 
  (Grapholita), 
  Hylesinus 
  and 
  others, 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  

   related 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  but 
  which 
  all 
  live 
  on 
  Conifers. 
  Other 
  similar 
  

   cases 
  have 
  been 
  observed, 
  notably 
  that 
  of 
  B. 
  colpophorus, 
  which 
  attacks 
  

   indifferently 
  species 
  oiAjpion 
  or 
  of 
  Bruchus, 
  whose 
  only 
  point 
  in 
  common 
  

   is 
  that 
  they 
  live 
  on 
  leguminous 
  plants. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  are 
  not 
  invariably 
  deposited 
  where 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   will 
  be 
  certain 
  of 
  finding 
  prey, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  insects 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  

   particular 
  plants, 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  a 
  possible 
  host 
  being 
  left 
  to 
  chance, 
  

   the 
  only 
  condition 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  

   natural 
  host 
  of 
  the 
  parasite. 
  

  

  Of 
  special 
  economic 
  interest 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  observed 
  that 
  Microhracon 
  

   mellitor, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  boll- 
  weevil 
  

   (Anthonomus 
  grandis) 
  in 
  America, 
  is 
  an 
  external 
  parasite 
  of 
  this 
  host. 
  

  

  Oleghoen 
  (J.). 
  Melon 
  Culture 
  in 
  Peshin, 
  Baluchistan, 
  and 
  some 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  Melon-fly 
  pest. 
  — 
  Agric. 
  Jl. 
  India, 
  Pusa, 
  ix, 
  pt. 
  2, 
  

   April 
  1914, 
  pp. 
  124-140, 
  3 
  pi. 
  

  

  Samples 
  of 
  adults, 
  maggots 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  of 
  development, 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   pupae 
  of 
  the 
  Melon 
  fly 
  {Carpomyia 
  joardalina) 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  from 
  

   all 
  kinds 
  of 
  melons, 
  cucumbers, 
  and 
  vegetable 
  marrows. 
  The 
  life- 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  egg 
  stage 
  4 
  days, 
  larva 
  14 
  days, 
  pupa 
  

   13 
  days 
  and 
  fly 
  about 
  20 
  days. 
  When 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  about 
  10 
  days 
  old, 
  

   the 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  rind 
  disappears. 
  The 
  young 
  grubs 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  

   seed 
  pulp, 
  leaving 
  the 
  egg-shell 
  in 
  the 
  rind 
  where 
  the 
  egg 
  was 
  deposited. 
  

   During 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  grub 
  is 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  seeds 
  and 
  the 
  pulp 
  surround- 
  

   ing 
  them, 
  it 
  constructs 
  tunnels 
  to 
  protect 
  itself 
  from 
  the 
  fruit 
  juice 
  

   which 
  accumulates 
  by 
  gravitation 
  at 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  fruit 
  

   be 
  turned 
  over, 
  the 
  grub 
  has 
  to 
  leave 
  off 
  feeding 
  to 
  construct 
  new 
  

   protective 
  tunnels 
  that 
  will 
  allow 
  a 
  clear 
  passage 
  for 
  it 
  to 
  obtain 
  its 
  

   supply 
  of 
  air. 
  If 
  the 
  fruit 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  disturbed, 
  the 
  grub 
  after 
  about 
  

   15 
  days 
  from 
  the 
  laying 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  commences 
  to 
  eat 
  its 
  way 
  through 
  

   the 
  edible 
  pulp 
  towards 
  the 
  rind, 
  which 
  takes 
  it 
  about 
  two 
  days, 
  and 
  

   it 
  then 
  cuts 
  its 
  way 
  out, 
  head 
  foremost, 
  and 
  goes 
  into 
  the 
  earth 
  under 
  

   the 
  fruit, 
  where 
  pupation 
  occurs 
  within 
  an 
  inch 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  A 
  successful 
  remedy 
  for 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  

   turn 
  over 
  the 
  fruit 
  frequently 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  as 
  it 
  lies 
  ripening 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground. 
  This 
  method 
  is 
  actually 
  practised, 
  but 
  from 
  different 
  

   motives, 
  the 
  natives 
  believing 
  that 
  the 
  improvement 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  