50 



Sinoxylon conigerum Gerst. (famil\' Bostrichidae). Very abundant 

 in parti}" seasoned wood. 



The bean weevil {BrucJuiti ohtectus Say) infests the pods of algeroba 

 to a great extent. 



ENTOMOLOGY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 



The islands comprising the Hawaiian group have offered peculiar 

 conditions for the development of an endemic insect fauna. It is an 

 insular territory of volcanic origin, the islands being separated by 

 channels varying from 20 to 58 ndles across, and the whole group 

 over 2,000 miles from the nearest continent, the California coast. 

 Although lying just within the Tropics, the climate is made semitrop- 

 ical b}" the prevailing northeast trade winds, giving an almost uniform 

 temperature, the rainfall var3'ing with exposure and altitude. The 

 soils range in character from those capable of supporting a rank and 

 abundant forest growth to those in process of formation from recent 

 volcanic eruption. The islands, situated as they are at the "cross- 

 roads" of the Pacific Ocean, have enjoyed an intimate conmiercial 

 relation with Jiearly all the important countries of the world, and until 

 tropical and certain temperate-zone countries have been more closely 

 studied it will he uncertain to credit many of the species taken and 

 described for the first time from Hawaii as endemic to the islands. 

 The study of Hawaii's indigenous insects has become a difficult one, 

 for the reason that the invasion of new plants and a new industrial 

 people has caused the natural vegetation to give wa}' to newer forms, 

 or having been destroyed, has been supplanted by cultivated plants or 

 its place left vacant. This of necessity has brought about the destruc- 

 tion of the endemic plant-feeding species of insects and their related 

 parasitic and predaceous insect enemies, or confined them to the rem- 

 nants of the Hawaiian vegetation found in mountainous districts, 

 and in some instances almost inaccessible places. 



To the Rev. Thomas Blackburn undoubtedly belongs the title 

 "the father of Hawaiian entomology." During a residence of some 

 six years in the islands (1877 to 1883) in connection with his profession 

 Mr. Blackburn found time to devote to important work, on the insects 

 of the islands in general, and on beetles (Coleoptera) in jjarticular. 

 Not only was his the first important systematic collecting, but his keen 

 appreciation of the rich field and his enthusiasm in obtaining repre- 

 sentative material led to further work. As chaplain to the Bishop of 

 the Church of England, Mr. Blackburn naturally referred his material 

 to the scientific institutions of that countrj, where he possibly earlier 

 had received his knowledge of the subject and the interest which led 

 him to undertake the work. It thus came a))out that others than the 

 scientists of the United States, under whose province the work would 



