138 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



In Victoria many of our Dactylopids (greyish, downy insects 

 commonly known as " mealy bugs "), and the genus Eriococcus, 

 which make such havoc amongst our native gum-trees and 

 acacias, is one, especially in the case of eucalypti, which furnish 

 a red dye of a peculiar orange shade ; and even a few specimens, 

 if placed in clean spirit, will dye quite a quantity of the alcohol, 

 but whether any use could be made of the dye I am not prepared 

 to say, further than that an unlimited supply of the scale may be 

 obtained within a few miles of Melbourne. 



To the field naturalist who would like to take up a subject 

 alike both useful, interesting, and instructive, the study of this 

 family of insects affords ample scope for research. Botany, with 

 the exception of some of the lower cryptogams, in which there is 

 yet much to be done, has been so well looked after by our 

 worthy patron, the Baron, that there is practically nothing left 

 to us. In zoology, however, we have yet a vast field before us, 

 and as a proof of this we have only to refer to the splendid 

 ublications issued by our president (Professor Spencer), also by 

 Dr. Dendy, during the very short time that these two gentlemen 

 have been with us. Anyone, therefore, may see for himself how 

 much yet remains to be done, as even many of our Reptilia 

 require working out, and at which Messrs. Lucas and Frost are 

 now engaged. In insects, the Lepidoptera have been well dealt 

 with by both Australian and European specialists. The 

 Coleoptera have had many good workers, and are in a fair way 

 of the revision so long required. Diptera, although started so 

 well by our friend Mr. Skuse in Sydney, seems, owing to pressure 

 of other work, to have come to a temporary standstill. The 

 Hymenoptera and other orders are being worked out, the former 

 by Mr. Froggatt and others, also by certain European specialists ; 

 and it appears to me that in the homopterous Hemiptera the 

 field is, in Australia, practically unworked. As an example, 

 showing how much is to be done, even by those having little 

 time for field work, it may be mentioned that during the last 

 two years or so I have discovered in Victoria and forwarded to 

 Mr. Maskell for his opinion and identification no less a number 

 than three new genera and twenty-seven new species of scale 

 insects. I merely mention this to show you that the field for 

 observation here is yet a very vast one, and is by no means 

 worked out, as some persons would have us believe. 



At the end of this part of my paper, for convenience sake, I 

 have added a list of the new genera and species above alluded to, 

 and the illustrations which you see on the blackboard my 

 good friend, Mr. Maskell, has kindly had coloured specially for 

 me, the descriptions of the new insects themselves being in the 

 " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute." The list will 

 afterwards be attached to the end of the paper. To those whoi 



