312 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Angeles, California, against the Cottony Cushion Scale (Icerya purchasi), 

 but owing to an insufficient appropriation I was laid off on August ist of 

 that year. As no perfect remedy at that time had been discovered, I 

 determined to experiment with gases in a private capacity^ at my own 

 expense. Accordingly, during the first week of the following month I 

 began experimenting with hydrocyanic acid gas, which 1 thought would 

 be the best for the purpose, owing to its very poisonous qualities, the 

 rapidity of the generation and the readiness with which it diffuses itself in 

 the air. Nobody suggested to me to try this gas. It was not until the 

 following July that the Department of Agriculture again placed me on its 

 rolls." Dr. Howard has called my attention to the fact that Mr, 

 Coquillett had entire charge in California of the first importations of the 

 parasites oi Icerya ptirchasi \v\i\c\\ were sent over from their native haunts 

 in Australia by Mr. Koebele and were received, bred and distributed by 

 Mr. Coquillett. He received the first importations of N'ovius ( Vedalia) 

 cardinalis in 1887 and in the following year commenced to distribute this 

 important Coccinellid enemy of the Scale. He acted as field agent cfthe 

 United States Bureau of Entomology until 1893 when he joined the staff 

 of the Bureau and he remained an active member of it until his death. 



In 1896 he was made Honorary Custodian of the Diptera in the 

 United States National Museum and this was only in accordance with 

 the nature of his work which was now of a systematic character. His 

 knowledge of the Diptera of North America and his intimate acquaintance 

 with the very diverse families of this difficult order, to which his published 

 works testify, gained for him not only a continental but a world-wide 

 reputation. Students of North American Diptera will feel his loss 

 exceedingly. 



His connection, as a contributor, with The Canadian Entomologist 

 is of more than ordinary interest, as he contributed, I believe, more 

 papers to this journal than to any other scientific periodical. A paper 

 "On the early stages of some Moths," published in 1880, in Volume 12, 

 was one of his earliest scientific papers ; it may have been his first. His 

 first paper on Diptera was "On the early stages of the Dipterous Fly 

 Chrysophila foeda Loew.," published in 1883, in Volume 15. His last 

 contribution was made in February last, and I have a happy recollection 

 of a conversation I had with him when visiting Washington in April. 

 Little did I think that we should be deprived so soon of one who for over 

 thirty years had contributed to these pages, and was ever ready to assist 

 us in the study of Canadian Diptera. — C. Gordon Hewitt. 



