392 



of Mantis religiosa, and suggested this same explanation for their 

 presence. In the follomng year small, wingless Hymenoptera were 

 found in a similar situation by Giard, who assumed that the females 

 lie in wait for the laying of the egg-capsule, in order to oviposit in the 

 eggs, and this was actually verified by Xambeu in 1881. Some years 

 later a parasite was bred from the egg-capsule of Mantis and described 

 under the name Rielia manticida, being none other than the parasite 

 first discovered on the adult Mantis in 1877. Another Chalcid, 

 Priomerus insidiosus, Coq., had also been observed by Bordage in 

 Reunion to leave the underwings of a female Mantis jprasina, to which 

 it was adhering, and lay its eggs in the still frothy egg-capsule which 

 the insect had just deposited. 



Watts (Dr. F.). Work connected with Insect and Fungus Pests, and 

 their Control. — Report Agric. Dejit. St. Lucia for 1915-16, Barbados, 

 15th August 1916, pp. 7-9. 



The following is a list of the pests most commonly met with 

 in St. Lucia : — Diatraea saccharaUs) (moth borer) on sugar-cane ; 

 Metamasius {Sphenoj)Jiorus) sericeus (weevil borer) on sugar-cane ; 

 Diuprepes abbreviatus (root borer) on sugar-cane ; Heliothrips rubro- 

 cinctus (cacao thrips) ; Lepidosaphes beckii (purple scale) on limes and 

 oranges, parasitised by Sphaerostilbe coccophila (red-headed fungus), 

 and Ophionectria coccicoki (white-headed fungus) ; Coccus viridis 

 (green scale) on limes and oranges, parasitised by Cephalosporium 

 lecanii (shield-scale fungus), as is also Coccus mangiferae (mango 

 shield-scale) on mangoes ; Chionaspis citri (snow scale) parasitised by 

 Myriangium duriaei (black fungus) ; Aspidiotus destructor (coconut 

 scale) ; and Laphygma fnigiperda (corn- ear worm) on maize. Scap- 

 teriscus didactylus, Latr. (mole-cricket) has become a serious pest 

 owing to the destruction of its natural enemy, the ground lizard, since 

 the introduction of the mongoose. Steps are now being taken to control 

 the latter, and to re-establish the ground lizard by frequent importa- 

 tions. Polistes annidaris, the wasp known as " Jack Spaniard," has 

 been successfully introduced to control a leaf-eating caterpillar similar 

 to the cotton worm [Alabama argiUacea], which ravages green dressing 

 crops such as horse-beans. 



Moore (J. C.) & Watts (F.). Report on the Botanic Gardens and 

 Experiment Stations. Pests and Diseases. — Report Agric. Dept. 

 Grenada for 1915-16, Barbados, 24th October 1916, pp. 12-14. 



Polistes annidaris, the wasp known as " Jack Spaniard," a useful 

 and active enemy of caterpillars and other insects, was at one time 

 plentiful in Grenada, but owing to its practical extinction it was 

 reintroduced from St. Vincent. A much smaller wasp, Polybia 

 occidentcdis (known as the Marabunta), is common in Grenada. 



Watts (Dr. F.). Work connected with Insect and Fungus Pests and 

 their Control. — Report Agric. Dept. Montserrat for 1915-1916, 

 Barbados, 24th November 1916, pp. 23-26. [Received July 1917.], 



Dysdercus delauneyi, Leth. (cotton stainer) is potentially a very 

 serious pest of cotton in Montserrat, but fortunately attains its 

 maximum in numbers and distribution from October to December, 



