jan. 24t 1916 Banana , Host Fruit of Mediterranean Fruit Fly 
797 
30 inches long, closed at each end by cheesecloth, was placed over the 
entire bunch. From 200 to 500 fruit flies were introduced through the 
lower opening and allowed to remain with the fruit from 24 to 48 hours. 
The cage was then removed, the bunch cut, and the individual fruits 
examined for evidences of oviposition. Out of a total of 1,449 fruits 
thus carefully examined, 1,363 showed no evidence of attempted ovi¬ 
position, while 86 bore puncture marks. In the peel of these 86 fruits 
the females had made 169 breaks in attempts to oviposit. Only two 
punctures were sufficiently deep to permit oviposition, and of these only 
one contained a single egg. This egg was deposited between August 21 
and August 23, 1913, and by August 27, when the examination was 
made, fully two days after the egg should have hatched under normal 
conditions, it was found dead and blackened. None of the other attempts 
at oviposition extended for more than one thirty-second of an inch below 
the surface, while nearly all were mere abrasions. In all cases, however, 
each break in the skin was surrounded and quite well sealed by dried, 
sticky exudations. In a few instances the sap flowed from 1 to 2 inches 
down the side of the fruit from the puncture. 
Before bunches of bananas are cut in the field they are stamped by 
the official marker of the shipper. Ten bunches stamped on June 21 
were allowed to remain growing to determine whether the development 
that takes place during a 10-day period after the fruit is sufficiently 
mature for shipment lessens the general immunity it enjoys if eut when 
marked. It should be stated here that unless bananas are cut for ship¬ 
ment on the steamer for which they are marked they become too mature 
or, to use trade terms, too “full” or “fat,” to stand without decay 
the 9- to 14-days’ interval before they are exposed for sale in the San 
Francisco market. Only 9 fruits out of 505 on 4 of these 10 bunches 
caged with fruit flies betweeii June 21 and June 23 bore evidences of 
attack, there being such evidence in 14 places. All punctures were 
empty, except one containing 5 eggs. These eggs had been laid in a 
crack caused by the decay of the blossom end of the fruit. While these 
eggs hatched, the larvae immediately died. Out of 238 fruits on 2 bunches 
caged with fruit flies between June 23 and 26, 42 showed 159 breaks in the 
peel made by flies. Of these only 3 contained eggs—3, 4, and 6, respec¬ 
tively. An examination of these eggs on July 7 showed that while they 
had hatched, the larvae were not able to mature and had died in the punc¬ 
tures. There were 126 attempts at oviposition in 46 out of 202 fruits on 
2 bunches caged with fruit flies between June 26 and June 28; of these 
punctures only 2 contained eggs—1 and 3, respectively. While 3 of these 
eggs hatched, the larvae died without entering the pulp. No eggs were 
found in 26 punctures in the peel of 15 out of 200 fruits on the last 2 
bunches of those marked “June 21,” and caged with fruit flies between 
June 28 and June 30. Plate LXI, figure 2, is reproduced from a photo¬ 
graph of the blossom end of a Chinese banana taken 16 days after it was 
