517 



on the Island. Spraying with a stomach poison would only be 

 practicable on a small scale. Tavo individuals of the Chrysomelid, 

 HomopJtolia aequinoctialis, were found on limes. Mole-criclcets have 

 damaged lime seedhugs on one estate as tveW as ruining the grass 

 walks. It is found that where the destroyed grass is replaced by turf 

 sods these are not attached by the insect. Poison-bait has been 

 suggested as a check. 



The larvae of the P}T:alid, Hysvpijla grandella, Zell., were found 

 damaging the young shoots and twigs of young native mahogany 

 trees by boring into them and stopping further growi^h at the point 

 of injury. The Honduras species of mahogany is said to be preferred 

 to West Indian mahogany, while cedar (Cedrela odomta) is preferred 

 to either of these, and is frequently ruined by this moth, of which there 

 are several generations in a year. No preventive measure is as yet 

 known. 



Watch is being kept for any appearance of Tomasjyis saccfuirina 

 (sugar-cane froghopper), which has not yet been found in the Island. 

 A number of species of hard-back beetles have been collected and 

 sent for identification. Young orange plants were in many cases 

 defohated by a species of Locustid probably of, or allied to, the genus 

 Microcentrum. Nothing seems to be known of its life-history in the 

 Islands. In Cahfornia an efiective control for a closely related species 

 is to spray the trees with a stomach poison while the insects are still 

 in the young stages, 2 lb. lead arsenate being used to 50 U.S. gals, 

 water, but experiments would have to be made to find out the correct 

 strength for St. Lucia conditions. If the younger stages are observed, 

 spraying might be tried, but no further control measures can be 

 recommended until more is knoA\Ti about the life-history of the insect. 

 It has been observed that the common blackbird {Quiscahcs sp.) hunts 

 for, and feeds upon, the insects. 



Massini (P. C.) & Brethes (J.). Metodo bioI6gico contra las Plagas 

 aplicado al Oeceticus plaiensis, Bicho de Canasto. Las primeras 

 Acclones de la Campaiia en su Faz prdctica. La Parexorista 

 caridei, Brethes. [The Biological Method against Pests applied to 

 Oeceticus platensis (Bagworm). The first practical Measures. 

 Parexorista caridei, Brethes.] — Anales Soc. Rural Argentina, 

 Buenos Aires, lii, no. 4 April 1918, pp. 207-215, 10 figs., 

 1 coloured plate. [Received 23rd September 1918.] 



This paper describes the first campaign begun in September 1917 

 by the Biological Institute of the Sociedad Rural Argentina against 

 Oeceticus platensis (bagworm). The senior author has previously 

 drawn attention to the scarcity of this pest in Argentina north of the 

 31st degree of south latitude, and the suspected presence of efiicient 

 parasites res\ilted in experiments that led to the introduction into 

 the southern regions of four species [see this Review, Ser. A, vi, p. 315]. 

 Of the parasites occurring in the southern regions only one, Tetrastichus 

 platensis, Brethes, was found in the north. The work recorded in the 

 present paper followed the same lines as before [he. cit.]. In the north 

 another new parasite was discovered, which is here described by 

 Brethes under the name of Parexorista caridei. It has been 

 introduced into the southern zone, and the future will show whether 



