31 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



F. V. Theobald. Report of Insect Pests for 1899 (1900, Jouru. South 

 Eastern Agric. Coll., 21-48; five plates and two figs.). 



The life-history of the asparagus beetle [Orioceris asparagi) has been 

 worked out anew and compared with the American results detailed by 

 Chittenden. Very few insects live on asparagus in this country, and 

 only one — this beetle — does any amount of harm. Although very 

 destructive in America and Continental Europe, its ravages here are 

 very slight. Its natural enemies are the larvae and imagines of Adalia 

 bipunctata (the 2- spot ladybird), which feed on the ova and larvse of 

 Chrysopidae (lace- wing flies). The author considers hand-picking a 

 sufficient remedy for small gardens, and spraying in August with 

 arsenate of lead for larger areas. 



An unknown species of thrips destroying scarlet runner beans is 

 described and figured, and attention is called to the fact that practically 

 nothing has been done with the British Thripidte since Haliday's 

 ' Synopsis,' which is now very incomplete. 



Among the other notices in the Report are extended notes on the 

 life-history of the hop aphis [Phorodon humali), and the record of new 

 pests, viz. the common cockchafer on hop, the moth Gortyna flavago 

 on tomato, and the great grasshopper — Leptophyes punctatissima — on 

 peach trees ; the latter occurred in great numbers, many in copula, 

 near Minster. 



Lepidopteea. 



V. Weiszmantel (1900, ' Rovartani Lapok,' vii. pp. 175, and resume 

 16) saw an individual of Pieris brassiccB, at Tusnad in the Siebenge- 

 birge, whose under side had a bright rosy-red lustre, but failed to 

 capture it. 



H. G. Dyar (1900, Entom. News, xi. 517-26, pi. xiii.) gives an 

 account, with coloured plate, of the life-history of the remarkable 

 Central and South American slug-caterpillar, Sibine fusca. 



Christ Burger describes (1900, Illustr. Zeitschr. fiir Entom. v. 

 330, figure) a melanic aberration of Pieris napi as follows : — " Upper 

 side: Ground colour unicolorous blackish grey; in obliquely-falling 

 light, a faint violet iridescence, especially at the base and in the dorsal 

 cells of the fore wings. The black speck at the apex always present 

 in typical napi, and the occasional black spots in cells 1 and 3 of the 

 fore wings are altogether absent. In the middle cells the ground colour 

 is a trifle brighter. Nervures of the hind wings not widened. Fringes 

 of the ground colour. Under side : Colouring as above. Specks and 

 spots absent also from the fore wings. In the middle cells and in the 

 inner part of cells 1 and 2 of the hind wings the colouring is somewhat 

 brighter. The first four nervures of the hind wings appear consider- 

 ably widened on account of the scattered, somewhat darker, scales on 

 both sides. This is the only character by which this specimen can be 

 recognized as belonging to napi, L. Fringes of the ground colour, 

 antennee unicolorous black, not annulate, apex of the club bright yellow 

 ochre. Body covered with deep black hair, legs black, eyes brownish 

 yellow. This extremely interesting, probably unique, specimen was 

 found last spring at Dretzel, near Gladau, in Saxony." 



