8 B. C. ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



situation relating to tlie association between the pea thrips and Ae. 

 fasciatus : 



"I was able to teed larvae of the predaceous thrips, Ae. fasciatus, on 

 the larvae of the pea thrips in captivity. One larva of Ae. fasciatus 

 sucked and killed three larvae of K. pisivora in about three hours.'" 



He "found adults (commonly) and larvae (occasionally) in 



pea flowers but has not actually seen them feeding on the pea thrips in 

 the wild state. There is little doubt, however, that they do so, as the 

 species is invariably predaceous and is indeed the chief enemy of 

 Limothrips cerealium." 

 Kurdjumov in a Report from the Poltava Agricultin-al Experi- 

 mental Station, Russia, 18:1913, records the fact that the larvae of 

 Ae. fasciatus are enemies of Haplothrips aculeatus and H. tritici. 

 According to the same authority, 



''this predacious thrips, according to Uzel, winters in the larval and egg 

 stage; both adults and larvae being found on various plants and the 

 larvae have been found feeding on Aphis crataegi and A. rumicis" 

 and on the eggs and larvae of several other insects. 



\\'ith these few words I would leave with you a catalogue on this 

 famil}- as a supplementary' index to my first paper in our Proceedings 

 on this subject in 1918. I would draw your attention to the fact that 

 a great deal is yet to be learnt on the habits and life histories of the 

 members of this family, and would urge that an endeavour be made 

 to make a closer study of this group. It would appear to -me C[uite 

 clearly from my brief acquaintance with this group of insects that 

 nearly all the energy thus far expended, has been spent on devising new 

 genera and establishing new species. I do not know how this applies 

 to other groups of insects, but it is my belief that in many ways what 

 is true in the Thysanoptera is also true in many other Orders. Not 

 enotigh time has been spent on the bionomics of the species ; species 

 which are often easily determined and readily available for study. The 

 dread of the junior entotnologist may easily be removed if he realizes 

 this situation within the science, which at once enables him to take 

 almost any insect in hand and record by actual and accurate personal 

 observation its habits and life history under strictly natural conditions. 

 The charm of such a field of study should draw and attract a large num- 

 ber of students, and we as a Society should lend our influence towards 

 developing the love for natural objects that usually abides in the mind 

 of most boys and girls, by training their powers of observation. 



MELANOTHRIPS Haliday 

 1836. Halijlay. Entom. Mag. 450. 



"Antennae distincte 9-articulatae: os breve: palporum ma.xillarium 

 articuli subaequales: alae anticae costa pubescentes. nervis transversis 

 tribus: tibiae anticae apicae productae: terebra a basi paruni recurva." 

 1880. Taschenberg. Prak. Insek-Kunde. 4:212. 

 1895. Beach. Proc. Iowa. Acad. Sci. 3:215. 

 1907. Buffa. Process! verb, della Soc. Tosc. d. Sci. Nat. 4. 

 1907. Buffa. Atti d. Soc. Tosc. d. Sci. Nat. 23. 



