388 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



far from being luidei- the complete control that it was hoped M'onld be 

 possible. 



It is asserted on the best authority that mostiuitoes were unknown in 

 Hawaii previous to the year 1826. when the night tlying species was brought 

 from San Bias, ^Mexico, to the port of Lahaina. on ^Nlaui. by the ship "Welling- 

 ton.'' Prior to the above date the Hawaiians had no word for mosquito. 

 They almost immediately adopted the corruption "makika" as the native name 

 of the insect. The day mosquitoes have been introduced during the present 

 generation, but there is no definite record of the exact date. 



Sugar-Cane Insects. 



While mention has been made of the sugar-cane borer and the sugar-cane 

 leaf-hopper as the most important pests of sugar-cane, it is not to be assumed 

 that there are no others. As a matter of fact, there are more than sixteen 

 insects liable to do more or less damage to the growing crop. Among them are 

 four beetles.-"^- The cane borer, a species which is known elsewhere, and is 

 either an importation of man or a natural immigrant, as it is also found in the 

 banana, pandanus, cocoanut palm and under stones in the mountains, is the 

 most important of this order. The long-horned beetle -^-^ attacks the cane only 

 accidentally, as its natural food is the decaying wood of forest trees, while a 

 small borer,-'-^ and a nitidulid beetle,-'^ which breeds in the parts injured b\- 

 the mealy-bugs and plant lice, complete the list of beetles. There are three 

 cater])illars,''*' including the sugar-cane leaf-roller.^' Besides the leaf-rollers, 

 the well-known troublesome peelua.-'^'* or grass army-worm, occurs occasionally 

 in the cane. It is vei'\- ti'oublesome in grass land at all seasons, occurring in 

 millions of individuals at irregular intervals, working great havoc in pasture 

 lands The four-banded i\y of the family Ortalidce-^'^ is sometimes found about 

 injured cane. The grasshopper family -^" has four representatives, the African 

 mole-cricket ^'^ being the most troublesome. They are blackish-brown insects 

 an inch or more in length, that are peculiarly fitted for living in the ground. 

 The front legs are modified to serve as very powerful spades and are used in 

 2nuch the same way that the common mole uses its fore paws. The mole 

 cricket feeds on the tender roots of various plants, and where they are abun- 

 dant become very destructive. Two species of grasshoppers, one the short- 

 hoi-ned grasshopper-*- which was introduced about 1878. the other the long- 

 horned species,-^-^ the latter species appearing first in Pauoa Valley about 1898, 

 but now present in the cane fields, as well as elscnvhere. feed to some extent on 

 the succulent gi'owtli. The black beetle-roach, cypress roach "'"^ or ground 

 cockroach, does some slight damage also. 



As a matter of fact, two sj)ecies of leaf-ho|)p('r that occurred in the 

 islands prior to 18!)2 are found in the cane iioUU. Thcv iwc known to have 



^- Coif o /if era. ^'" JEnnsoina reflerlum. ^* Hapfonciix sji. ^^ Hi/potheiiewis up. ^^ Lejiidoptera. 



3" Oiiiiodfs acceptu, ami prolialily allied species. ^^ Spodoptcrn iiinuritia. ^^ Perliaiis Eii.ri>sta innume. 

 *" Orthoplera. *i Gri/lhifdlpii nfrirana. *- O.vi/a velo.i-. 



*^ Xipfiidiuiii itificinn = Xiphidiiim rnripimtii-. ** Eletitherodii di/tixciiides. 



