29 
under the name of Musca'rosde, the specific name evidently being sug- 
gested by the capture of the mature fly upon a rose bush, but this is 
not explained in the text, which reads "Habitat in Kilide jfloribus." 
In subsequent years the species was redescribed by Fallen, Meigen, 
Macquart, and Zetterstedt, and in 1834 Bouche (Naturgeschichte der 
Insekten, pp. 97, 98) gave some account of its habits. In 1837 a popu- 
lar account was published by Vincent Kollar (Schadliche Insekten, p. 
168). Kollar's account is translated in the London edition published 
in 1840 (pp. 160, 161) the insect being referred to as the "negro fly." 
The same year John Curtis published, in Farm Insects (pp. 404-407), 
a still more extensive article with illustrations and descriptions of all 
stages. Accounts also appeared in subsequent years by Miss E. A. 
Ormerod (Manual of Injurious Insects and other publications), by 
Taschenberg, and others. It is probably this fly which Joshua Major 
mentions in his ''Treatise on the Insects most Prevalent on Fruit 
Trees and Garden Produce," published in London in 1829. On page 
183 he states, under the head of carrots, that " the greatest pest to this 
plant is a small white larva of a small fly {Polly dismus Complanatus)". 
He furnishes the information that moist weather appears to be the most 
productive of the depredations of this species, stating that under such 
atmospheric conditions it is not uncommon to see u whole and exten- 
sive crops laid waste and rendered useless, by their perforating and 
defacing the Carrot from one end to the other, which effect gives rise 
to the common term canker, which gardeners have so much to com- 
plain of in this vegetable." On page 199 he also refers to this species 
as " grub (Polly dismus Complinatus) — See on Carrots." He adds that 
he can suggest nothing for the destruction of the pest since the mag- 
gots are so deeply fortified in the plants which they attack that noth- 
ing can be applied that will reach them without destroying the plants. 
He, however, recommends rotation with crops not affected by this 
species, and avoiding plots that have had carrots the year before. 
Zetterstedt quotes Dahlbom (Dipt. Scand., Vol. VI., p. 2403) as 
having reared this species from larvae at the roots of turnip (Brassica 
rapa), and rape (B. najjus). 
HABITS OF THE SPECIES. 
The life history of the carrot rust fly does not appear to have been 
worked out. What we know is from the authors that have been quoted. 
The writer is inclined to believe that in the United States the species 
will be found to pass the winter usually as a puparium, possibly 
occasional^ also as a larva; but as larvae work also on carrots in store 
the flies will develop in winter, as happened in the writer's laboratory, 
which is kept unusually cool for a working room and still cooler at 
night during the colder months. Hence we have great irregularit} 7 
of development, making generalization impossible until we have an 
