19-2 i:i:m:f]cial inskcts. 



Department . . .), Iwould ha\e sent tn California our indigenous coc- 

 cinelid. 



After i<S8o all the (.range groves of Drakenstcin. Worcester, etc. 

 were gone, destroyed ))> the Iccrya. The " i)lack\vood " t..lcacia iiiclau- 

 oxylon). imported from Australia, and a highly decorative tree, had also 

 disappeared. The farmers could not very well spray with paralfin emul- 

 sion their secular orange trees, most of them 40 feet high and broad in 

 proportion, and the few who made an attempt on my recommendation 

 and instructions carried out the latter in such a manner that they hastened 

 the death of their orchards, althougli the one \ (operated on myself 

 remained immune for several years. 



One day, however, ! met tiie late Sir Thomas Scanlen, who, among 

 other things, told me that at Cradock (whence he came) there were still 

 blackwoods lining the streets, so that 1 lost no time and hied myself to 

 this town. There were no hugs 011 the trees, but 1 could not find the 

 reason why, until after visiting several towns or townlets. including 

 Grahairistown, and having, by this time, ascertained the presence of Aiilis 

 fadata, ^luls., so named 60 years before, I succeeded at last in getting a 

 large number of them in Seymour, where the Iccrya food was in plenty. 

 I sent fairly large consignments to the Department for distribution in. 

 the Capetown neighbourhood. 1 am sorry to say that no assistance was 

 given. Rut I released inyself those f brought with me. and within si.x 

 months I could not iind food enough for those I was breeding in m\ 

 conservatory under highly favourable conditions. Then I foillowed them 

 Into the Worcester district, in the Tulbagh \'alley, etc., but T hold these 

 had found their way there from the east. 1 may add that Iccrya never 

 found a t'lrm footing in Xatal, where Aulis fa'data is endemic. 



By this time the fame of .\'oi'ii4s cardiiiaiis had got abroad, and Mr. 

 Rudd succeeded in obtaining a small supply, which he located, at great 

 expense, under special contrivances, at Fernwood ; and 1 was instructed 

 to help in the breeding e.Kperiinent. Well, it was \ery successful, and 

 with a little tom-toming in the Press, the reputation of Xoi'iiis was 

 established. In vain did 1 point out that we had an excellent auxiliary, 

 that modesty alone had kept me from proclaiming the same itrbi and 

 orhi: that, moreover, the work of extermination of the Iccrya was by 

 this time nearly completed, so much so that I could no longer tind it even 

 in the Stellenbosch district. I had to comply with orders, and the sending 

 from my nursery of .lulis was to be replaced by .\ o7'iiis. W^ell. these 

 orders catne too late, for Novius had gobbled all my .i tills in the breeding 

 cages, and, incredible as it may appear, the Australian imi)ortation 

 (perhaps enlivened by a generation or two on American soil) would lirst 

 devour my stock of Aulis before tackling the Iccrya. 



The truth, however, should be said, namely, that the Australian 

 set about his work with much more rapidity than the South African. 

 Question of tetuperament maybe, but he is not so thorough. The South 

 African species set more leisurely to his work, but ended it thoroughly, 

 which the other has not done. It has now disappeared owing to the close 

 attention i)aid to him by its rival, but there are still sporadic outbursts of 

 Iccrya. llad not the indigenous sjiecies been devoured by the imported 

 article, I doubt if any Iccrya woidd have l)cen left, 



] was more concerned in mulliplymg and distributing here this useful 

 indigenous ladybird ( 1 have sent thousands, not only in the Colony, but 

 in the l-Tee State and even in Xatal) than to i)roclaim the discovery, which 

 after all, arose from a lucky I)it of conversation, followed by a bit of 

 field work on my part- 



And this is the true story of the destruction of the scourge Iccrya 

 purchasi Supplemented no doubt by \o7'ins, the good, solid work was 

 carried outside the Cape Peninsula by the indigenous .lulls. Xoz'ins 

 is now seldom found north, in spite, 1 understand, of repeated supplies. 

 Aulis, however, has remained there, and is far from rare. Draw your 

 deduction ! 



