28 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



out by Mr. Willcocks, also attacks cotton-plants ; an insect well 

 known in America, Europe, and our own country. 



The caterpillar of Agrotis ypsilon, has likewise been found 

 destructive to cotton by Mr. Willcocks in Egypt. It is also 

 harmful in America. This practically completes the previously 

 known lepidopterous pests. 



The only others worthy of note are, first, the Egyptian 

 cotton-stainer {Oxycarenus hyalinipennis , Costa), found on many 

 other plants, particularly around the Mediterranean. This 

 " stainer " does not always seem to do much harm, but they may 

 get in the ripe bolls, and they suck the sap from blossoms and the 

 base of the young bolls, and so stop development. They also 

 pollute the cotton, making it dirty, and give it a disagreeable smell. 



So far I have only received one species of cotton aphis from 

 Africa. This seems to be A.malva, Koch, which is very annoying 

 in Egypt, and more so in the Sudan ; it also occurs on melons. 



A report on these Egyptian pests is being prepared by Mr. 

 Willcocks at Cairo, so that no further reference is needed here. 



New Pests. 



The Cotto7i Gold-tail (Povthesiii virguncula, Walker). — The 

 only new moth is one of the gold-tails, the Porthesia virguncula 

 of Walker. These moths and their pupte were sent me by the 

 Director of Agriculture of the British East Africa and Uganda 

 Protectorate, and were briefly recorded in my Keport on 

 Economic Zoology for 1904-1905, p. 117. 



This moth is very widely distributed, and is very common in 

 India. I do not think it has, however, been previously recorded 

 from Africa. It is of a pure satiny white, with a small golden 

 tail-tuft. The specimens received from East Africa measured 

 from, three-fourths to a little less than an inch across the 

 expanded wings. They are evidently subject to great variation 

 in size, for in the large series in the British Museum, from 

 India, some measure nearly an inch and a half across. The 

 larvae very much resemble those of our brown-tail {Porthesia 

 chrysorrhoea) . They spin a delicate cocoon of dull white, rather 

 loose silk and hairs. From the note sent me they apparently 

 live freely on the leaves as our P. auriflua does, and not gre- 

 gariously, as does the brown-tail (P. chrysorrhcca). The pupa is 

 bright chestnut-brown. The larvae feed ravenously on the leaves, 

 leaving only the midrib, and were found severely damaging the 

 foliage in the Uganda Protectorate, at Malindi, in October.. 

 They could easily be kept in check by spraying with Paris-green, , 

 or, better still, arsenate of lead wash. It is extremely unlikely 

 that it has been introduced, and will probably be found elsewhere 

 in Africa on the cotton and other plants. 



A Flea-heetle Enemy. — From the Sudan Dr. Balfour has^ 

 recently sent me some small brown Halticid beetles, which are ■ 



