106 



the occurrence of this insect in Cuba in 1871. Nevertheless, it is 

 practically certain that in 1882, at the time of the visit of Branner and 

 Koebele to Brazil, Anthmomus grxindts did not exist as an enemy of 

 cotton in the State of Bahia or elsewhere in that countr3^ Moreover, 

 none of the principal works dealing with the Coleoptera of that por- 

 tion of South America mentions the species. Although this b}' no 

 means demonstrates that AntJionomus grandis may not now be found 

 there, it certainl}^ tends to indicate that if the species has made its way 

 into Brazil, it has, in less than twent}" 3'ears, increased its range 

 remarkably. — W. D. H. 



THE ST. Andrew's cotton stainer. 



Mr. J. J. de Barril, the proprietor of a cotton plantation in the 

 interior of Cuba, has given us interesting details concerning Di/s- 

 dercus andrepe L. This species, like D. suturellus H.-S. of the south- 

 eastern United States, is a cotton stainer. It sometimes occurs in 

 such numbers that if cotton culture is again engaged in extensively in 

 the West Indies it may become considerabl}' more important there 

 than its congener in this country, which has for many years ranked as 

 a pest of only secondar}:- importance. 



Some years ago this insect was the subject of one of Prof. T. D. A. 

 Cockerell's stylographic notes (Institute of Jamaica, Notes from the 

 Museum, No. 9, Feb. 24, 1892). The common name we have used 

 was suggested by Professor Cockerell, and is in allusion to the white 

 cross formed by the markings on the hemel3"tra which Linna?us also 

 referred to in the Latin name he gave the species. In the adults this 

 coloration is quite striking. More than a centiir}^ ago Sloane, a 

 traveler in Jamaica, referred to the insect as "a Cimex of a scarlet 

 colour with a white St. Andrew's cross on its back. This is one-third 

 of an inch in length. It is very often to be met with amongst 

 flowers." 



Our correspondent states that on his plantation, where until last 

 year no cotton had been planted for nearly half a centurv, the cotton 

 bolls were frequently so covered that nothing Init a mass of red and 

 black insects was visible. This happened in January and February, 

 before the fruit opened, and no efl'ect upon the plant, except that of 

 dwarfing the bolls, was observed. Toward the end of March, how- 

 ever, when all of the liolls had burst open and most of the staple had 

 been gathered, the pests fell upon what remained, and then the stain- 

 ing of the lil)er became most noticeable. The color of the stain was 

 yellowish brown or ferruginous. Another observation suggests a 

 probable efl'ective method of destroying the pests. All the hollows 

 of stumps or trees in the cotton holds were noticed to ])e tilled l)y 

 millions of the immature insects. These did not eat the loaves of the 

 cotton plant, but ^voro found ci-awling over the grass and tobacco 



