440 



Africa and that it would be a great favor to the frait-growers of the 

 colony if this Department could send some specimens of Vedalia cardina- 

 lis to assist in the extermination of the scale. On account of the length 

 of the journey from California to Cape Town, we concluded that it 

 would be best to try the experiment first from either Australia or New 

 Zealand, and accordingly wrote to Mr. R. Allan Wight, of Auckland, and 

 to the late Mr. F. S. Crawford, of Adelaide, enlisting their services in 

 the matter. Unfortunately, however, neither of these gentlemen was 

 able to secure any Vedalia, and as a result we were obliged to rely upon 

 California stock. Mr. Coquillett was instructed in May, 1890, to pre- 

 pare a shipment of beetles, but at that time the insect was very scarce 

 and he was unable to get together enough living specimens to make the 

 attempt worth while. In January, 1891, however, jjartly through the 

 kindness of the State Board of Horticultural Commissioners, he had 

 secured a large number, and on January 20 sent about 1,000 pupse and 

 full-grown larvfie, packed in two strong wooden boxes between layers 

 of tissue paper, by Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express. We had a strong hope 

 that some of these specimens would get through alive, but we were in- 

 formed, under date of April 14, by the South African Secretary for Ag- 

 riculture, that the insects were on receipt turned over to our friend, Mr. 

 R. Trimen, curator of the South African Museum, who reported that 

 they were probably all dead. He wrote that it was possible that some 

 of the pupiB might still be alive, but we have not yet heard as to the cor- 

 rectness of the surmise. Practically, therefore, this first attempt has 

 been a failure. We have made arrangements, however, to repeat the 

 trial immediately, and have adopted a different method. This time we 

 shall have as large a quantity as possible of the insects placed in per. 

 forated tin boxes which have been wrapped with cloth. Mr. Coquillett 

 will go to San Francisco and have them placed on ice on the Australian 

 steamer, and will make arrangements to have them transferred under 

 competent personal supervision to a vessel from Australia to the Cape. 

 If this method is found to be imi^racticable, they will be sent by way 

 of New York and Liverpool under similar conditions. 



We have also made an attempt on a small scale to send Vedalia to 

 New Zealand. At first blush this may seem like sending coals to New- 

 castle, but the fact is that Icerya has almost completely disappeared 

 from New Zealand and that Vedalia is no longer to be found, or rather 

 was not at the time of the sending, as no effort had been made to arti- 

 ficially preserve the species. We published in our last number, on page 

 395, a letter from Mr. Wight, in which he incidentally requested us to 

 send a few living specimens to Dr. Locking, jiresident of the Fruit- 

 Grower's Association, at Felson, New Zealand. Such a shipment was 

 sent to Dr. Locking, but resulted unfavorably, seemingly through the 

 fault of the New Zealand customs officials, as the box had been opened 

 and carelessly retied, so that the insects escaped in the mail pouches, 

 where they were found by the postal employes and forwarded to a 

 locality where there was no food for them. 



