THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 177 



abbreviatus is one of the most common and, at the same time, destructive. The 

 larva? are very injurious to sugar cane, boring into the cane bases and some- 

 times completely severing them. This insect is found throughout the West 

 Indies. 



Of the Rhopalocera there are not many examples on the isl/md, but among 

 them are two of our wel^-known forms, the monarch butterfly {Anosia plexippus) 

 and the painted lady {Vanessa cardui) both of which are fairly common. The 

 three other common species are Catopsilia enbule, Dione vanill(E and Junonia 

 genevetu. 



Moths are moderately comjmon, the Sphingids and Noctuids being best 

 represented. ^ Some of these are present in sufficient numbers to cause con- 

 siderable damage in the larval state. Among these are the tobacco worm 

 {Protoparce sexta and P. cingulata) , while the familiar cotton worm {Alabama 

 argillacea), corn ear worm {Laphygma friigiperda) and the boll worm {Heliothis 

 obsoleta), as well as various species of '.cutworms" {Prodenia spp., etc.), come 

 in for their share of attention from the plantation owners. Perhaps the most 

 common moth on the island is the pretty Arctiid Utetheisa ornatrix, which is 

 particularly abundant on the high grassy flats and in open places in palm groves. 



The order Diptera is well represented, and some of its more notorious 

 merribers are fairly common. Both the filaria mosquito iCulex fatigans) and 

 the yelylow fever mosquito {Stegomyia fasciata) are present, the former being 

 the more abundant. Practically all the houses of the white people and the 

 better class of negroes are furnished with mosquito nets over the beds, although 

 neither the doors nor the windows are screened against these or other insects. 

 Numerous cases of the deformity known as elj^phantiasis or Barbados leg are 

 to be seen among the natives, who sometimes adopt curious methods in an 

 attempt to hide their affliction from the public. 



Since there is a goodly numbe- of bri^ghtly coloured flowering trees and 

 plants on Barbados one naturaljy expects to find a large and varied hymen- 

 opterous fauna. However, he is somewhat disappointed, for the paucity of 

 flower-visiting forms is very striking. One of the most conspicuous bees is the 

 large bltiish-black carpenter bee {Xylocopa aeneipennis) , which builds its nest 

 in old posts and decayed branches of trees. A still larger and reddish-brown 

 form {Xylocopa fimbriata) is also quite common. Both are excellent flyers for 

 such heavy bodied insects. Of course, the honey bee {Apis mellifera) is also 

 found in some numbers, although it is not so common as with us. Of the wasps 

 (Vespidie) the "Jack Spaniard" {Polistes annularis) is very common and builds 

 its paper nests on the sides of the rocky terraces. The cow bee {Polistes bellicosus, 

 is found less commonly but in similar situations. The family Formicidae is 

 represented by considerably the largest number of species. 



Aside from the strictly entomological aspect and from the facts already 

 mentioned, two or three items of particular interest stand out in the writer's 

 mind as worthy of special note. Seldom is it that a tropical country is entirely 

 free from snakes but, so far as is known, none now occur on the island of Barbados 

 and but one small worm-like form (Typhlops sp.) has been able to survive the 

 mongoose and other enemies on Antigua. Lizards are, however, extremely 

 abundant on the trees and among the rocks and, of course, form an important 

 natural check to the increase of noxious insects. 



