MIGRATION, DISTRIBUTION, ACCLIMATISATION, ETC. 25 



affected by their change of climate, but appeared in a 

 perfectly healthy condition. 



Information was at once forwarded to the corre- 

 spondent as to the serious nature of the pest, with a 

 request that the plants be at once destroyed. This, 

 however, was not carried out, but measures were taken 

 to destroy the insects by dipping the whole hundred 

 plants in a hot paraffin emulsion, in the hope the 

 insects would not survive such drastic treatment. 

 And so the matter rested until June 3rd, when the 

 correspondent again informed the writer that a recent 

 examination of the plants had been made, when it was 

 found the insects were still living, and it was thought 

 another application of the insecticide would have com- 

 pletely destroyed them, but instead of temporising the 

 plants were all burnt. This was much the wiser plan, 

 as we have the satisfaction of knowing the insects on 

 this particular patch of plants are completely destroyed, 

 and this too before the young ones (larvae) had time to 

 hatch. Thus we see that a number of horticulturists 

 and nurserymen evidently failed to detect the presence 

 of this pest, for it surely cannot be supposed that they 

 would knowingly have allowed the infested trees to be 

 distributed through various parts of the British Isles. 



The introduction of the preceding species occurred 

 at the time when horticulturists in every part of the 

 world were only just getting over the " San Jose 

 Scale " scare, the magnitude of which had not been 

 equalled since the memorable days when the possible 

 introduction of the Colorado beetle was so much dis- 

 cussed. Although the San Jose Scale (Aspidiotus 

 perniciosiis, Comstock) has, to the best of my know- 

 ledge, never been met with in this country, I think it 

 would be well, in the interests of horticulture, to here 

 place on record a brief account of what took place in 

 this country with regard to the possible introduction 

 of the pest into the British Isles. Germany first 

 raised our apprehensions in February, 1898, by con- 

 demning a cargo of Calif or nian pears, which were 



