164 



S.JIavihirtus, and S.fagus were collected and sent to California. These 

 all prey upon various si^ecies of scale-insects, but it is hardly to be suj)- 

 posed that they will accomplish any better results in California than 

 do our native species of this genus, all of which have a similar habit. 



The most encouraging information comes to us under date of Novem- 

 ber 1 from Sydney. He there finds that Orais chalyheus., a steel-blue 

 Lady-bird, is a most important enemy of the Eed Scale. He has found 

 them by the hundreds, and has observed the mature insects eating the 

 scales. All of the trees were "full of eggs," and the larvse were swarm- 

 ing upon all the orange and lemon trees infested w'ith the Eed Scale. 

 He secured and sent a large lot of the eggs and many of the adult 

 beetles. He also sent the aUied Orcus australasicej also fouvd feeding 

 upon the Eed Scale, and a number of Scymnids, one of which was very 

 numerous, feeding upon the same scale-insect. Another species was 

 found feeding mainly upon the Flat Scale (Lecanium hesperidum) and 

 the Black Scale {Lecanium olecv). He also forwarded a number of 

 Zeis conformis, which, as stated in Bulletin No. 21 of this Division, is 

 the commonest enemy of the Woolly Eoot-louse of the Apple. Unfor- 

 tunately Mr. Koebele does not state whether the three insects men- 

 tioned as feeding ui^on the Eed Scale were successful in holding that 

 destructive insect in check, and upon this point naturally depends much 

 of their value to California. Our agent at Los Angeles, Mr. D. W. Co- 

 quillett, has been instructed to spare uo pains to properly care for and 

 colonize whatever may be received from Mr. Koebele, and is fully pre- 

 pared to do so. This large sending arrived at Los Angeles, we are sorry 

 to state, in rather bad condition. Twenty-eight beetles, however, were 

 alive, including nine of 0. clialyheus^ and uo eftbrt will be spared to keep 

 them in good condition and to induce them to i^ropagate. 



Vedaiia in Demand.— During November we had a pleasant visit fi^om 

 Mr. Thomas A. J. Louw, a member of the legislative assembly of the 

 Cape of Good Hope, who was visiting this country with instructions 

 from the Government of the Cape to look into certain matters connected 

 with the cultivation, canning and packing of fruit, and the working of 

 agricultural societies in this country. Among the objects of his visit 

 there was, however, mentioned specifically that of obtaining a supply of 

 Vedaiia cardi/nalis, and he was authorized to incur any expenditure nec- 

 essary to procure si^ecimens and carry them aUve to Cape Town. Mr. 

 Louw, of course, waited upon the Secretary, wlio cordially commended 

 him to the chiefs of his several divisions with instructions to afford him 

 every facihty in furthering the objects of his visit. Accordingly the 

 Entomologist at once wrote to Mr. Coquillett to make every effort to 

 have a good supply of living beetles on hand against Mr. Louw's arrival 

 in California, and to use his best endeavors to make a success of the 

 sending. We ad\dsed Mr. Louw to carry his material in two ways : 



