WAIKAKA VALLRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2083, 25 January 1894, Page 22

WAIKAKA VALLRY.

January 23.— Tho heat was very great during tho week, and yesterday it was oppressive. The eU'ects of such weather have been very apparent on the pasture, and it was feared that the oats would ripen too soon. In some places there are small patches which are turning yellow. Latesown turnips have_ been making no progress, and rain has been anxiously looked for by everybody, as the .showers which fell a week airo were not copious enough to do much good. A~deal of rain fell last night, and there are light showers this morning also. They will do a great deal of good, but it is to be hoped rain will continue falling all day.

Traction Engine.— A traction engine arrived in the district yesterday to the order of two young farmers here, Messrs R. and J.'Boag, who have shown commendable enterprise in being the first to introduce an engine of this sort to the district, and it is to be hoped they will meet with the success their enterprise deserves. For a few years they have used the ordinary portable engine for driving their threshing machine, and having always carefully studied the interests of those they were threshing for, they have been successful in getting " a good run." With the use of the traction ongine their success should be Btill greater. The Horse Bot Fly.— Yesterday, as I was driving up the valley, I noticed that one of the horses became restless, and on stopping and alighting to ascertain the cause I observed a fly darting about under the horse's head. By a dexterous movement with the open hand I succeeded in imprisoning the insect. Having ascertained that it was of a species I had not seen before, I took it home and compared it with drawings and descriptions of the horse bot fly given by Miss Ormerod in " Agricultural Entomology," with the result that I feel almost certain it is one of the horse bot fly species. The authority mentioned

says that the kind of horse bot fly she is describing is the Gastrophilus equi, which is about the size of a house fly or rather larger, somewhat gaily coloured, with yellowish and dark markings, and very hairy. The drawing shows a long pointed abdomen, and this was what made me conclude I had obtained a specimen of the bot fly, and the description given by Miss Ormerod corresponds with the specimen. It flies very rapidly* and apart from the yellow and dark markings it. can easily bo distinguished from tho house fly byr the length of the wings. In the latter case they project some distance from the abdomen, but im the other they do not nearly cover that part. . Mr Murphy, secretary <3f the Canterbury Agricultural' and Pastoral. Association, mentions in the New Zealand Country Journal that he sent last summer specimens of the fly and its larvco to Professor Riley, of Washington, and Miss Ormerod—the two} best entomologists of the day. The replies are printed in tho September numbec of the journal, and both authorities state positively that the specimens sent out are one species of the bot fly, the Gastrophilus nasalis, once' known as tHe CEstrus veterinus. Miss Ormeroot says that the wings of the specimens have not. the characteristic markings of the Gastrophilus equi, but are whitish and transparent, showing them to bo of the kind known as Gastrophilus 1 nasalis. I believe it is tho same kind that has. appeared here— that is, of courae, if I am rightin concluding that the insect 1 have caught is a, bot';fly. Some time ago insects which were whitish, in colour all over were plentiful here, and some asserted that they were botflies, but I do not think they belonged to the bot fly species at all. I send you the fly in a pillbox, and shall be pleased if you will identify it.