82 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ing region. Cotton is more abundantly grown immediately west of the 

 city of Shanghai, and rice in the back country. The tea districts are still 

 further westward in the hill country. Another great tea region lies back of 

 Hong Kong. 



The scale insects found on the citrus trees were mostly common 

 species, now cosmopolitan, such as the Parlatoria ziziphi and Perga/idei, 

 and the two Mytilaspis species, M. Gloveri and M. citricola. All of these 

 were very rare, usually but one or two examples being found. 



In regard to the climate of the region described, it may be said to be 

 characterized by excessive moisture from the early spring to past mid- 

 summer, accompanied with very high temperature during July and August, 

 100° F. for several days not being uncommon. In autumn the prevailing 

 conditions are bright days and dry weather, and the winter temperature 

 may fall to 12° F. or lower. Scale insects, as noted, are killed out, with 

 the exception of a few species, by this excessive moisture and high tem- 

 perature. 



The region to the north, extending to the mountains above Peking and 

 connecting with the great Gobi desert, is much drier, the rains all coming 

 in the spring and early summer, and a long period of six or seven months 

 following, from September to February or March, with no rain, every day 

 bright, sunny and dry, except for occasional dust storms from the desert. 

 In this northern region it is very cold in winter. 



The only scale insect which seems to thrive in central China, from 

 Shanghai westward to the Grand Canal, is one of the Ceroplastes, probably 

 Ceroplastes riibefis. This species of wax scale occurs all through this 

 region, and is especially abundant on the holly, sometimes absolutely 

 covering this plant, leaf and branch. It occurs scatteringly also on many 

 other plants. Climatic conditions do not check this scale insect, which is 

 kept down somewhat, however, by predaceous ladybirds, especially the 

 Chilocorus similis, which was always with it in numbers and feeds on the 

 larval scales. 



Other insect damage was very little in evidence. Not being a specialist 

 in Coleoptera, I was not fitted to make collections of injurious beetles, but 

 in going through the mulberry groves, peach orchards, etc.,. there certainly 

 was no evidence of serious insect damage. In other words, I did not see 

 any evidence of the work of borers in mulberry or peach. In the case of 

 the mulberry the trees were wonderfully healthy, covered with an enormous 

 crop of the second growth of leaves. The Chinese at the time of my trip 



