﻿VI 



were bred in numbers in Honolulu, and liberated for the pur- 

 pose of attacking the introduced pest Siphanta acuta. Further, 

 two of the small wingless species of the Dryinid family, belong- 

 ing to the Gonatopus group, were likewise successfully imported, 

 and one of these was successfully bred up in captivity on the 

 cane leaf-hopper. A Proctotrupid parasite i^Aphanomcrns pnsil- 

 his) that destroys the eggs of the Siphanta above mentioned, 

 was also successfully imported, and is now well established at 

 large in the islands and is already destroying a large percentage 

 of the eggs of that leaf-hopper. All these were sent over from 

 Bundaberg in cold-storage, the Dryinidae as larvae in the 

 cocoon or pupae. Although eventually egg-parasites of the 

 cane leaf-hopper were obtained from sections of leaf containing 

 the eggs, sent in cold storage, yet it was, as has been shown, 

 only after many attempts had proved unsuccessful. At one time 

 it seemed as if the prolonged cold temperature of (supposedly) 

 '•'from 40° -45° F. was fatal to every parasite, and so far as we 

 know, it was so in the case of all those sent from Cairns, but not 

 always to those from the less distant Bundaberg. This led me 

 to suggest that we should have some special cages made, some- 

 what similar to those Air. Koebele had previously employed in 

 shipping stylopized leaf-hoppers from North America, in which 

 living cane could be grown and the cages themselves sent on 

 the open deck, allowing the delicate egg-parasites to emerge 

 and reproduce in transit. For minute and delicate parasites, in- 

 habitants only of tropical countries, there is very little doubt 

 in my mind that this method of transportation surpasses all 

 others. In fact the two first cages sent in this way, each stock- 

 ed with a dififerent species of Mymarid, both yielded parasites 

 after their arrival in Honolulu. These cages were built very 

 strongly and with considerable care, special precautions being- 

 taken by simple devices that everything fitted compactly and 

 that light was entirely excluded at all joints and that escape 

 of any insects would be impossible. The adjoining figure shows 

 the construction. The top and front are both hinged, so as to 

 be capable of being fully opened out ; in the back and front are 

 cut openings of 9 inches by 11; these openings being covered 

 on the inside with fine strong white muslin fastened with shellac, 

 and on the outside, as a protection, with a sheet of strongly per- 

 forated zinc, which itself is still further protected by trans- 

 verse wooden bars. Although in such a cage the light is neces- 

 sarily largely cut of¥, yet grass or cane plants will grow therein 

 for weeks, though the leaves may become chlorotic. As a mat- 



" A temperatuiv ol'28°-:;'J° for two weeks was latnl t(i evorv eas of the lortf-honpcr 

 iiiul to ilic pai'flsites. ' ^ 



