182 THE CA.NADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



in waste places, and he found about one-half of the timothy destroyed by 

 tiiem ; after the rain set in the injury was very much reduced. 



Mr. Geddes spoke of some variations in size that he had observed in 

 the common yellow butterfly, Colias philodice, and expressed his opinion 

 that the large specimens fed on clover and the small on lucerne. 



Mr. Howard (of Washington) gave an account of the success which 

 has attended the efforts of Dr. Riley and himself to introduce parasites of 

 the Fluted-Scale insect (Icerya piirchasi Maskell), a very destructive 

 creature in California. This noxious insect had appeared very suddenly 

 in the State, from where no one knew. Experiments were made upon it, 

 and remedies proposed, but the cultivators did not seem to care to make 

 use of them on their plantations. They then set to work to learn its life- 

 history, and soon found that it came from Australia. They corresponded 

 with Mr. Percy Crawford regarding it ; he found the insect in Australia, 

 but it was not at all abundant ; they concluded, therefore, that it was kept 

 in check by parasites. A dipterous parasite was found by Mr. Crawford. 

 Their next proceeding was to send Mr. Koebele to Australia. He found 

 the insect everywhere, and observed that it was very commonly para- 

 sitized. He then sent over about 15,000 living specimens of parasites ; 

 these were liberated at Los Angeles. He also found a " Lady-bird " 

 ( Cochiella) feeding on the scale-insect, and sent several thousand of 

 them. The result has not been satisfactory with the dipterous parasite, 

 as it breeds too slowly, but one of the species of Lady-birds breeds most 

 rapidly, and will no doubt keep the pest within due bounds. As an 

 instance of this he mentioned that 400 Lady-birds were sent to one 

 planter. Colonel Robins, in May last ; he thought from their satisfactory 

 work that his orchard would be free from the pest by the close of the 

 summer, but he afterwards wrote to say that on the 15th of August there 

 was not one living scale-insect left. The experiment had been entirely 

 successful. Mr. Howard also referred to the importation of the parasites 

 in 1883 of the cabbage-butterfly. Pier is rapce. 



Dr. Bethune gave an account of his attempt to import from England 

 many years ago the parasites of the wheat midge, and of the failure of the 

 effort. 



Dr. Brodie was strongly of opinion that noxious insects should be 

 fought by means of parasites ; that this was the true scientific method, 



