500 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL.84 



the writer in 1880; and an important experiment of this kind was car- 

 ried on by Webster in 1906 with parasites of the Hessian fly in the 

 United States. 



The transfer of beneficial insects from one country to another, 

 however, while suggested by Asa Fitch with regard to the European 

 parasites of the wheat midge as early as 1854, was not acted upon 

 successfully with other parasites until much later. In 1873 Planchon, 

 with the help of Riley, introduced into France an American predatory 

 mite (Tyroglyplms phylloxerae) which feeds upon the grapevine 

 Phylloxera in the United States. The mite is said to have become 

 established in France, but has accomplished no appreciable results 

 in the way of checking the famous grapevine pest. 



In 1874 attempts were made to send certain parasites of plant-lice 

 from England to New Zealand, but without results of value, although 

 Coccinella undecimfnmctata is said to have become established. 



In 1883 Riley imported the Braconid, Apantclcs glomeratiis, into 

 the United States from Europe where it is an important enemy of 

 the imported cabbage worm. This species in course of time estab- 

 lished itself in the United States and has proved to be a valuable 

 help to truck growers. 



These experiments, however, w^ere completely overshadowed by 

 the remarkable success of the importation of Noznus cardinalis, a 

 Coccinellid beetle, or ladybird, from Australia into California in 1889. 

 The orange and lemon groves of California had for some years been 

 threatened with extinction by the injurious work of the fluted or 

 cottony cushion scale (Iccrya purchasi). This scale was known to 

 have been imported accidentally from Australia or from New Zea- 

 land. Entomologists and fruit-growers had become disheartened by 

 the expense of treating the trees with comi)ctent washes. Riley had 

 found that, although the Icerya occurred in Australia, it was not 

 injurious over there ; whereas in New Zealand, where it also occurred, 

 it was abundant and injurious. He concluded that xA.ustralia was the 

 original home of the si)ecies and that it was held in check there by 

 some i)arasite or natural enemy. In 1887 he received s])ecimens of an 

 Australian parasite — a Dipterous insect which was described by 

 Williston as Lestoplionus iccryae. Riley then wished at once to go 

 to Australia and to secure abundant material of this Dipterous para- 

 site and bring it to California. Congress, however, had recently added 

 a provision to the bill making appropriations to the Department of 

 Agriculture which forbids foreign travel on the part of employees of 

 the Department. It is no secret that this provision was aimed at 

 Professor Riley in order to stop his journeys to Euro^^e at Govern- 



