April, '09] JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 123 



around the stem of the plant. On the sides of the tubes are three 

 small metal rings. Pieces of strong string or twine fastened to some 

 support above the cage pass down and are secured to these rings. 

 They then are continued downward and after being pulled taut are 

 tied to the stem of the plant below, where the cuff is attached. In 

 this way the strain caused by the swaying and blowing of the plant 

 is not brought to bear on the cage but on the stem below the cuff and 

 on the support above. On the side of the cage a small opening is 

 made for the admission of parasites. It is closed by a mica slide or 

 a cotton stopper. About three inches above the tube a circular piece 

 of cardboard about eight inches in diameter is placed. This is to pro- 

 tect the cage from rain and also from the direct rays of the sun. 



In using this cage for our parasite work, weevil-infested squares 

 freshly punctured are tied to the top of the plant. The mica tube 

 is then slipped on over them and the cuff is tied to the stem below. 

 The twine is fastened to the support above and to the stem below the 

 cuff, and lastly the parasites are admitted through the opening in the 

 side. 



Up to this time great difficulty had been experienced in perfecting 

 a plant cage which did not sweat. In the use of this cage this fall 

 under the most favorable conditions for sweating verj^ little moisture 

 collected in the tube. What little there was w^as soon taken up by the 

 cheese cloth. This type of cage furnishes plenty of light and air, the 

 parasites are abundantly supplied with nectar from the floral and 

 other nectaries of the cotton plant for food and in every way they seem 

 to feel perfectly at home. 



Very- few observations on the oviposition of Hymenopterous para- 

 sites, especially the Chalcidids, have been placed on record, but not- 

 withstanding the fact that these cages were not put into use until 

 about October 1st, notes on the oviposition of two species of Chalcidids 

 and two species of Braconids have been made. 



Another plant cage for similar work but very much larger was tried 

 for a short time and seems to work equally as well as the mica cage. 

 This cage is about a foot square and fifteen inches in height. It con- 

 sists of a wooden framework with fifty mesh wire gauze on one side 

 and a sliding glass door on the opposite side. The other two sides, the 

 top and bottom are covered with cheese cloth. A cross piece divides 

 sthe bottom of the cage equally. One half of the bottom is immov- 

 able, while into the other half a door is fitted which opens downward. 

 A small hole is bored in the center where the edge of the door and the 

 crosspiece meet. Into this the stem of the plant fits. Another small 

 hole is bored in any available space in the frame work to admit the 



