﻿10 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  whole, 
  entomolog-ically, 
  Cairns 
  was 
  disappointing 
  in 
  

   July 
  and 
  August, 
  the 
  two 
  months 
  we 
  spent 
  there. 
  Local 
  ento- 
  

   mologists 
  considered 
  collecting 
  hardly 
  worth 
  while 
  at 
  this 
  sea- 
  

   son. 
  Birds 
  were 
  interesting 
  and 
  varied 
  and 
  in 
  fine 
  plumage 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  pleasure 
  to 
  see 
  such 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  forms 
  new 
  

   to 
  me. 
  Economically 
  the 
  crow 
  is 
  very 
  important 
  in 
  some 
  cane 
  

   districts. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  tame, 
  following 
  the 
  plough 
  and 
  eating 
  the 
  

   grubs 
  of 
  the 
  injurious 
  chafers 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  turned 
  up. 
  Having 
  

   gorged 
  to 
  repletion, 
  it 
  will 
  take 
  a 
  rest 
  and 
  then 
  recommence 
  feed- 
  

   ing. 
  These 
  chafer 
  grubs 
  are, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  

   larva 
  of 
  a 
  parasitic 
  Fossorial 
  wasp, 
  Diclis. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  a 
  small 
  

   Rhipidiira 
  was 
  seen 
  catching 
  insects 
  in 
  the 
  cane-fields 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  like 
  our 
  Hawaiian 
  fly-catcher 
  (Chasicvipis) 
  but 
  ours 
  will 
  

   never 
  leave 
  the 
  forest 
  for 
  the 
  cane-lands. 
  Another 
  Australian 
  

   species 
  IS 
  commonly 
  seen 
  catching 
  flies 
  ofif 
  the 
  backs 
  of 
  cattle. 
  

   It 
  would 
  be 
  most 
  valuable 
  in 
  these 
  islands. 
  The 
  tropical 
  birds 
  

   are 
  wantonly 
  slaughtered 
  around 
  Cairns, 
  by 
  boys 
  and 
  men, 
  who 
  

   are 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  a 
  Sunday, 
  killing 
  anything 
  that 
  comes 
  

   their 
  way. 
  

  

  "Most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  at 
  Cairns 
  was 
  spent 
  in 
  studying 
  leaf-hoppers 
  

   on 
  graminaceous 
  plants. 
  The 
  cane-hopper 
  was 
  found 
  breeding 
  on 
  

   cane 
  only, 
  never 
  on 
  grasses. 
  Tryon, 
  the 
  State 
  entomologist, 
  who 
  

   knows 
  the 
  Queensland 
  insects 
  of 
  economic 
  importance 
  better 
  

   than 
  any 
  one, 
  says 
  the 
  corn-hopper 
  {Pcregrinus 
  maid 
  is) 
  is 
  a 
  native 
  

   of 
  Queensland, 
  being 
  found 
  on 
  native 
  grasses. 
  This 
  is 
  very 
  

   doubtful, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  countries 
  it 
  will 
  attack 
  native 
  grasses 
  and 
  

   foreign 
  alike. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  much 
  damage 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  

   found 
  no 
  specific 
  natural 
  enemy 
  points 
  otherwise. 
  One 
  man 
  at 
  

   Cairns 
  told 
  me 
  he 
  lost 
  five 
  crops 
  of 
  corn 
  in 
  succession 
  from 
  this 
  

   hopper. 
  

  

  "At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August 
  we 
  returned 
  to 
  Townsville. 
  There 
  had 
  

   been 
  no 
  rain 
  and 
  the 
  place 
  was 
  disgusting. 
  Rockhampton 
  was 
  

   hot, 
  the 
  temperature 
  over 
  ioo° 
  F., 
  but 
  the 
  gardens 
  were 
  very 
  

   pretty 
  with 
  such 
  masses 
  of 
  flowers, 
  as 
  we 
  had 
  not 
  seen 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  "When 
  we 
  left 
  Cairns, 
  forest 
  fires 
  were 
  general 
  throughout 
  

   Queensland 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  animal 
  life 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   enormous, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  waste 
  of 
  fine 
  timber. 
  We 
  worked 
  

   in 
  two 
  very 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  forest 
  in 
  Australia 
  — 
  the 
  one 
  chiefly 
  

   characterized 
  by 
  its 
  many 
  Eucalypti, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  of 
  a 
  regular 
  

  

  