370 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 9 



The exact food habits of the caterpillars are difficult to ascertain 

 and the writer is not sure just how much of the diet consists of the old 

 dead bodies, the waxy scales, etc., and how much of the living coccids. 

 Dr. Riley records the black scale, Saissetia olece (Bern.) and the 

 cottony cushion or fluted scale, I eery a purchasi Mask., as hosts. To 

 this list may be added the European peach scale, Lecanium persicoe 

 (Fab.), already referred to, the greedy scale, Aspidiotus camellice Sign., 

 and Baker's mealy bug, Pseudococcus bakeri Essig. Large numbers 

 of the caterpillars were taken from beneath the dead and living scales 

 of the European peach scale and it was apparent that they were feeding 

 upon the dead shells as well as upon the eggs and the young, but there 

 was no evidence of their having devoured more than half-grown scales. 

 The larvse were found in the greatest numbers upon a laurel or sweet 

 bay tree, Laurus nobilis Linn., which was severely infested with the 

 greedy scale, but there was no evidence of their having served as a 

 check to ravages of the scale. 



Probably for protection the larvse spin extensive webs into which 

 are often incorporated bits of leaves, bud scales and other refuse. The 

 webs are often quite compact and may be numerous enough to cover a 

 considerable area. They are to be found in the forks of the limbs, 

 leaf and bud axils, and in fact anywhere the scale insects abound 

 in any considerable numbers. Within or beneath these webs the larvae 

 live and eventually pupate and do not ordinarily leave them except 

 when one endeavors to remove them by force. They then wriggle ex- 

 ceedingly violently and often escape completely. 



Mr. C. J. Pierson, a graduate student of the University succeeded 

 in rearing a number of adults from caterpillars which were taken 

 from the egg masses of Baker's mealy bug. 



A HANDY FIELD AND LABORATORY BINOCULAR 

 MAGNIFIER 



By R. S. WoGLUM, U. S. Bureau of Entomology 



Several years ago while visiting the eminent Coccidologist, Mr. 

 E. Ernest Green, at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Perideniya, Ceylon, 

 the writer's attention was drawn to a simple binocular magnifier 

 adapted for attaching over the eyes. The binocular shown in the 

 accompanying illustration, which was secured from a firm in London, 

 has proved of such value for the observation of insects under conditions 

 requiring low magnification, both in the field as well as in the labora- 

 tory, that it has appeared advisable to bring it to the attention of 

 •others. 



