REPORT or THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 487 



scale-insects of all kinds in Florida, tearing tlie scale from the bark 

 an'i devouring its contents, and sometimes also the substance of the 

 scale itself. 



The larva of a Dermestid beetle {Perimegafoma cyhndricum 

 Kirby, var. angulare) was also found among the Cottony Cushion- 

 scales, but as it would only feed on dead scales in confinement, it is 

 not likely that it is truly predaceous. 



Prominent among the true bugs found upon the infested trees is the 

 large brown Largus succinctus (Plate III, Fig. 4). This is said to 

 d.estroy the scale-insects, although Mr. Koebele could never see itdo 

 so. He noticed it feeding upon the honey-dew, and on one occasion 

 noticed two immature specimens with their beaks inserted in a male 

 larva of Icerya. They ran away on his approach, and the larva was 

 found to be dead; but, as there were numbers of other dead larvae 

 about, he did not consider that there was- any evidence of the preda- 

 ceous habits of the Largus. On the contrary, he observed this insect 

 often with its bealv inserted into young shoots of Orange. The other 

 Heteroptera found by him among the scales were the well-known 

 Piesma cinerea Say, Corizus lujalinus Fabr (Plate III, Fig. 5), 

 Peritrechus luniger Say, Beosus sp., Lyctocoris sp., and Piezoste- 

 fhus sp. These last five species have been kindly examined by Mr. 

 Uliler, our best authority in the suborder, and he reports the unde- 

 termined species as probably new. 



The most efficient destroyer of the Cottony Cushion-scale at Los 

 Angeles is perhaps a species of earwig, family Forficulidse (Plate III, 

 Fig. 6), neither the genus nor species of which we are able to deter- 

 mine, from the fact that we have only seen immature specimens. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Koebele this insect is often met with among the scales, 

 and, from observations which he made, feeds greedily upon the Ice- 

 rya in all stages, tearing open the egg-masses and eating the eggs, and 

 also tearing and eating the mature insects as well as the larvae. The 

 breeding habits of the mother earwig and her care of her flock of young 

 have been observed by Mr. Koebele, but have been so well studied by 

 European authors as to need no detail here. 



Mr. Koebele also reports the occurrence in the scale masses, in large 

 numbers, of a rninute whitish mite, which becomes of a reddish color 

 when full fed, and which he thinks destroys the female scales. We 

 have not seen specimens of this mite, and are therefore unable to de- 

 termine it. 



In a recent communication from Miss Ormerod, already mentioned 

 on p. 4G7, she writes as follows of a predaceous insect discovered by 

 her correspondent, Mr. Bairstow, of Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony: 



It will perhaps be of some interest to mention that Mr. Bairstow has found a spe- 

 cies of Coccinella which has proved (as far as our coleopterists are aware) to be pre- 

 viously undescribed, to be so exceedingly serviceable in destroying the "Australian 

 bug," as they call it, that he has been supplying it to applicants. Dr. Baly exam- 

 ined the s]3ecimens sent over for me, and I propose to notice it, with full technical 

 description and a figure, as Rodolia iceryce. 



_ Parasites. — It is a somewhat remarkable fact that no true para- 

 sites were ever bred from the Cottony Cushion-scale until the past 

 summer, and still more remarkable that in the course of their careful 

 investigations, extending over a space of six months, neither Mr. Co- 

 quillett nor Mr. Koebele succeeded in finding a single parasite upon 

 this insect. From a num]:»er of scales, however, sent to Washington 

 by Mr. Koebele November 10, we bred, on December 8, two specimens 

 of a small Chalcid, which is, without question, a true parasite of 



