56 THE BOOK OF THE DAFFODIL 



the Merodon is to be seen flying about, and it should 

 then be caught, when this is possible, and destroyed. 

 The female fly probably settles amongst the leaves, as 

 near as possible to the top of the bulb, when she is 

 laying her eggs, although some have thought that she 

 drops them as she hovers over the beds. The eggs would 

 seem to hatch quickly, then the little grub at once finds 

 its way into the bulb and begins its destructive work. 

 It used to be thought that entering the neck of the 

 bulb (and growing larger and larger as it went) it 

 gradually ate its way down to the base, and thence, 

 when full grown, quitted the bulb ; but this opinion 

 must now be modified, although it may be sometimes the 

 method of procedure. An opinion has been mooted that 

 the little grub passes down outside the bulb, and enters 

 it from the base, making its way upwards, and leaving 

 the bulb near the top. Mr Percy Williams, of Lanarth, 

 Cornwall, a well-known Dafibdil grower, has made 

 some experiments with a view to settling this point, and, 

 after much careful examination, is of opinion that the 

 latter method is the grub's usual course of action. Last 

 autumn, as a further experiment, he selected a dozen 

 bulbs, which seemed to be quite free from disease 

 except that they showed a very small black spot on the 

 base about the size of a small pin's head, and these, 

 after being grown in pots in a cold greenhouse, were 

 examined by the Narcissus Committee of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society. Eleven out of the twelve were 

 found to have Merodon grubs in them. Mr WiUiams' 

 experiments seem to prove that sometimes the grubs may 

 enter at the base, but are not decisive as to its general 

 habit. The most probable opinion would seem to be 

 that of Mr Wilks, which he thus expresses, " from my 

 own observation I am convinced that, in the majority of 

 cases, if not in all, the grubs work their way down 

 through the neck of the bulb, and eat their way straight 



