448 ANIMALS INTRODUCED UNAWARES 



antennae and long legs, gives a tropical beauty to these 

 Cockroaches, which are the most common of the banana's 

 living freight. In addition to the above I have occasionally 

 seen, forwarded to the Royal Scottish Museum, different 

 species of Cockroach, a Locust, and on one occasion a 

 Burnet Moth (Syntomidae or Zygsenidae) all of which were 

 imported amongst bananas from Jamaica. Other records 

 include such curious finds as Snakes, Lizards, and even a 

 bird's nest with eggs intact, that has been said to have arrived 

 safely in London hidden in a cranny of a banana cluster. In 



Fig. 75. Snowy Tree Cockroach frequently imported with bananas. Natural size. 



addition, the packings of banana consignments carry a lesser 

 but more dangerous cargo : old banana leaves are frequently 

 infested with injurious Scale- Insects (such as Hemichion- 

 aspis minor and Chrysomphalus aonidum), and the H ilo Grass 

 packing often brings with it pupae of the pestilent Medi- 

 terranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitatd]. 



The efficiency of the banana as an animal smuggler de- 

 pends upon the generous concealment afforded by its rugged 

 bunches of fruit. There is little room for concealment, one 

 would imagine, on fruits which are picked singly and packed 

 with moderate care, yet insects find a way. 



