WHOLE VOL. APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY HOWARD 99 



(the late Frazer S. Crawford) that the scale insect, although pres- 

 ent in Australia, was not injurious there. Riley immediately deduced 

 that there must be important natural enemies in Australia which kept 

 the scale in check, and in fact he received from Mr. Crawford speci- 

 mens of a little parasitic fly (subsequently described by Williston as 

 as Lestophonus iceryae) which he considered as of great importance. 

 As there was in force at that time a provision in the appropriation 

 bill forbidding travel by employees of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture in foreign countries,^ Riley had great difficulty in arranging to 

 send a man to Australia to investigate the situation and to secure 

 a shipment of these flies for sending to the United States. But obsta- 

 cles as a rule only inspired Riley to further efforts ; and in this case 

 he finally, after placing the matter before the Department of State, 

 secured permission to send an expert agent to Australia under funds 

 provided for an American exhibit at an international exposition to 

 be held the following year at Melbourne. This, however, was not 

 gained on the sole merits of the case, but there had to be a quid pro 

 quo, and Riley was obliged to send another assistant to report on the 

 agricultural features of the exposition, for insertion in the report of 

 the United States Commissioners. So finally Koebele (selected both 

 because he was in California and because of his remarkable skill 

 as a field man) was sent as the expert, with F. M. Webster as the 

 reporter for the agricultural features of the exposition. The result 

 of it all was that the Lestophonus was found to be comparatively 

 unimportant and that the wonderful ladybird, Noviits {Vcdalia) car- 

 dinalis, was found and sent to California where, with proper care, it 

 multiplied, was liberated, and saved the Citrus industry of California 

 from approaching destruction by the scale. 



This drainatic and extremely useful bit of work was a great thing 

 for scientific economic entomology. So striking a success may prob- 

 ably never again be achieved in this country. It had its bad effects on 

 the economic entomology of California, and it aroused many false 

 hopes, but it made Koebele. I have, however, told the story of the 

 remainder of his life in a long obituary notice published in the Jour- 

 nal of Economic Entomology for 1925 (Vol. 18, pp. 556-562) and 

 none of it will be repeated here. 



Daniel W. Coquillett comes in here. He was born in Illinois, was 

 an entomologist by choice, and had been an assistant to Rev. Cyrus 

 Thomas during the latter's term as State Entomologist. His health 



' It was a matter of common knowledge that this provision was inserted in 

 order to put a stop to Riley's frequent foreign travel. 



