23 



(j) Various Species of Earivigs {ForHcuIidae), Etc. 



Four species of earwigs in all have been found on the cane 

 plants, the particular species in any one field generally depending 

 on the nature of the locality. Of these four species two have been 

 actually seen to destroy the leaf-hopper, and there is very little 

 doul)t that the others do so also. Further it is probable that one 

 or two other species of earwigs could be found were all the cane- 

 fields to be thoroughly investigated. The species collected by my- 

 self in badly affected cane-fields are Anisolahis ainiulipcs^ Labia 

 pygidiata, Labia fspf, and Chelisochcs nwrio. No doubt the ear- 

 wigs are always present in the cane in some numbers whether leaf- 

 liopper be present or not, and I do not suppose that thev are of 

 any great importance in this connection. The same may be said 

 of the green cricket (Xipliidiimi) which will eat leaf -hoppers vo- 

 raciously in confinement and certainly does so to some extent in 

 the field, while it also feeds on the leaves of the cane, which are 

 no doubt its chief food. 



(k) yiiifs {V avians species). 



At certain times ants kill considerable numbers of young leaf- 

 h(5ppers, while at other times if they do not actually protect them 

 from their enemies they certainly do not harm them. When the 

 hoppers are excreting an abundance of honey-dew I believe the ants 

 rarely or never interfere with them, since they prefer this sweet ex- 

 cretion to the hoppers themselves. In order to determine which 

 species of ants would kill the young leaf-hoppers, only such in- 

 dividual ants as were actually seen to kill these in the field were 

 collected by me. The following species form the collect i ou : 

 Tapinoiiia melanocephala, Preuolepis bourbonica, Pheidole meg- 

 acephala, Jetramorioruin gnineense, Cardiocondyla Wroughiomi 

 and Mo'.oiiwriiim floricola. 



(1) Probable Dipterous Parasite. 



I include here vv'Hi some Houbt a native species of Pipiiiiculiis 



