58 BULLETIN 491, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



wild fruit, etc., upon which it deposits its eggs for development. I hare not observed 

 it attacking anything but the cucumber, melon, and squash family. 



The following life history, which I have learned bv experimenting in a " hatchery " 

 may interest you if you have not already determined the same for vourself. The flv 

 which you describe is more like a small-sized botfly than a wasp, and will be seen 

 hovering about the vines of muskmelons, squashes, etc., and when disturbed darts awav 

 very quickly, so rapid, in fact, one can scarcely follow it with the eye. It stings not 

 only the fruit with its ovipositor, but also the young and tender growth of the vines, 

 depositing a number of eggs, which soon hatch into small white maggots that feed on 

 the tissues of the plant or fruit, causing it to decay. After the maggot has attained 

 its growth, it descends into the soil, where it develops into a small chrysalis of a light 

 yellowish-brown color, and in about 10 or 12 days comes out a perfect insect, ready 

 to repeat its mission of destruction. I do not 'know how many generations it will 

 produce in a year, but in the warmer and drier districts I believe it will breed the 

 year through, except possibly a while during the winter months, and then its develop- 

 ment is only retarded by the cooler weather, which prevents the chrysalis maturing so 

 rapidly. 



If you will take a squash or other specimen with the eggs or young maggots in the 

 same, placing it in a box containing 2 or 3 inches of loose, dry soil, keeping it covered 

 with a piece of glass, you can soon learn for yourself its life history, and perhaps 

 make observations that may lead to means of successfully combating the pest. 

 Yours, respectfully, 



Byrox O. Clark, 

 Secretary and Commissioner of Agriculture. 



(2) COQUZLETT, D. W. 



1899. A new trypetid from Hawaii. In Ent. News, v. 10, No. 5, p. 



129-130. 

 This article, which is technical and contains the original description of Dacus 



cucurbitcB, is as follows : 

 Dacus cucurbits n. sp. Head light yellow, the occiput, except the sides and upper 

 margin, reddish yellow, an ocellar black dot, front marked with a brown spot in front of 

 its center and with three pairs of orbital brown dots, a black spot on each side of the 

 face near the middle, and a brown spot on the middle of each cheek ; antennae, palpi, 

 and proboscis yellow, the latter mottled with brown. Thorax reddish yellow, the humeri, 

 a median vitta on the posterior half of the mesonotum, another on each side above the 

 insertion of tbe wings, uniting with an irregular band which extends upon the pleura 

 to the upper part of the sternapleura, also a large spot on each side of the metanotum, 

 encroaching upon the hypopleura, light yellow ; scutellum, except its extreme base, light 

 yellow, bearing two bristles. Abdomen light yellow on first two segments, reddish 

 yellow on the others, the extreme base, a fascia at the bases of the second and third 

 segments, usually a lateral spot on the fourth and fifth, also a dorsal vitta on the last 

 three segments, blackish or brownish ; first segment of the ovipositor of the female 

 slightly longer than the fifth segment of the abdomen. Wings hyaline, the apex of the 

 subcostal cell from a short distance in front of the apex of the auxiliary vein, the 

 marginal and submarginal cells, the median third of the first basal cell, and a large 

 spot in upper outer corner of the first posterior cell, brown ; anal cell brown, this color 

 encroaching on the third posterior cell and bordering the sixth vein almost to its apex ; 

 posterior cross vein bordered with brown, this color extending to the hind margin of the 

 wing ; upper end of the small cross vein also bordered with brown. Halteres light 

 yellow. Legs light yellow, the broad apices of the femora and , the last four joints of 

 the tarsi reddish yellow, hind tibiae reddish yellow or dark brown. Length 6 to 8 mm. 



Honolulu, Hawaii. Two males and two females bred by Mr. George Compere from 



larvae living in green cucumbers. Type No. 4207, U. S. Nat. Museum 



(3) Howard, L. 0. 



1900. A dipterous enemy of cucurbits in the Hawaiian Islands, In V. S. 



Dept. Agr. Div. Ent. Bui. 22, n. s., p. 93-94. 

 In this short account Dr. Howard gives data on the prevalence of the melon fly 

 about Honolulu, secured by George Compere, at the time of his visit to the Hawaiian 

 Islands in November, 1898. Reference as follows : 



March 13. 1809. we received from Mr. George Compere, Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, 

 specimens of what is locally known as the melon or cucumber fly. Our correspondent, 

 writing under date of February 14. 1S99. states that this is a very serious pest with 

 vegetable growers, as it destroys more than 75 per cent of the watermelons, cantaloupes, 

 and cucumbers grown in those islands. He writes, in substance, that the parent flies 

 are to be found at all seasons of the year, and that they puncture the cucumber, which 

 is the only plant on which our correspondent has observed the species, on the upper 

 side, and generally near the stem end. this operation taking place when the cucumber 

 is about half or two-thirds grown. In the punctures thus made they deposit their eggs, 

 which soon hatch into minute footless white maggots. Their presence in the cucumber 

 is manifested by a small yellow spot where the puncture was made. Twenty-seven 

 minute maggots 'were counted in one of thes( punctures. In one cucumber that had been 

 punctured three times in different places. 116 of these maggots were counted. These 

 maggots eat out the entire inner substance of the fruit with the exception of the seeds, 

 leaving only the outer skin, which turns yellow and decays, when a slight touch or a 

 few drops of rain will cause it to collapse. By that time the maggots have all attained 

 their growth, and if any of them become exposed to the sunlight they immediately draw 

 themselves together and, after the manner of the cheese maggot and other species that 

 might be mentioned, spring in all directions, jumping as high as 3 feet. If the skin of 

 the cucumber be left intact they will emerge from the decayed pulp on the underside 

 and burrow at once into the earth for pupation. Fourteen days after placing maggots 

 in a breeding jar, with soil kept constantlv moist, Mr. Compere succeeded in obtaining 

 the adult flies. 



In the conclusion of this letter our correspondent adds, as a warning, that water- 

 melons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers should never be allowed to be shipped from th6 



