A KNOWLEDGE OF ETHIOPIAN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 279 
a pest to cotton near Zomba, Nyasaland. Mr. Cameron, writing 
under date of August 24nd, 1909, says:—‘‘ Fully a month ago I 
found what I considered to be a small weevil crawling along a 
cotton plant. I found them in the stem just on the point of 
emerging, but not until a week ago had I time to collect sufficient 
specimens to send you. ‘These weevils do most damage just 
where the cotton-stem enters the soil, but I find they are also in 
the joint of stem and branches, or what was at one time a branch 
bud. I am afraid this plague is more serious than I at first 
anticipated. It may be a difficult matter to keep a cotton planta- 
tion clear of them.” Mr. Cameron also sent me a piece of 
cotton-stem showing holes made by the weevil when emerging 
from cell, and another ‘‘ with insect formation or cell, like that 
on beans.” 
Alcides arcuatus, Boh., var. 
This beetle (identified for me by Mr. Guy Marshall) was also 
received from Mr.Cameron. Heinforms me :—“ For some years 
back I am aware that a beetle lays its eggs in bean-stems when 
the bean is only a few weeks old. The larve from these eggs live 
on or consume the bean-stem, and thus reduce the crop con- 
siderably. At times, with the cutting up of this beetle to lay its 
egos, the stems become broken down; at other times the larve 
to the number of ten, sometimes even twelve, develop in the 
stem without much apparent notice, unless attention is directed 
to it. About the time the beans are fully ripe the larve have 
assumed the perfect condition, but can easily be destroyed before 
that time. However, the cultivation of beans in this country, 
so far, is of little importance.” 
RHYNCHOTA. 
HETEROPTERA. 
Fam. Lyemipm. 
Oxycarenus gossipinus. 
Oxycarenus gossipinus, Dist. (‘ Entomologist,’ 1906, p. 269). 
This species, already recorded as a cotton pest from West 
Africa, may now—from specimens since shown me by Mr. G. C. 
Dudgeon—be also known as injurious to Hibiscus esculentus,* the 
pods of which it infests. The specimens recently brought home 
by Mr. Dudgeon are rather larger than the typical ones previously 
described, and measure from 3} to 5 millim., while the margins 
of the pronotum are concolorous. - 
O. exitiosus, Dist. (‘ Kntomologist,’ 1905, p. 169) has already 
been recorded as injurious to the peach, and destructive to 
cotton-seed. 
** Another Rhynchotan species (Dysdercus cingulatus) is a pest to Bhindi 
(Hibiscus esculentus), in India.—Cf. Maxwell Lefroy, Agricultural Research 
Institute, Pusa. Bull. x. (1908). 
