A KNOWLEDGE OF ETHIOPIAN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 279 



a pest to cotton near Zomba, Nyasaland. Mr. Cameron, writing 

 under date of August '2nd, 1909, says : — " Fully a month ago I 

 found what I considered to be a small weevil crawling along a 

 cotton plant. I found them in the stem just on the point of 

 emerging, but not until a week ago had I time to collect sufficient 

 specimens to send you. These weevils do most damage just 

 where the cotton-stem enters the soil, but I find they are also in 

 the joint of stem and branches, or what was at one time a branch 

 bud. I am afraid this plague is more serious than I at first 

 anticipated. It may be a difficult matter to keep a cotton planta- 

 tion clear of them." Mr. Cameron also sent me a piece of 

 cotton-stem showing holes made by the weevil when emerging 

 from cell, and another " with insect formation or cell, like that 

 on beans." 



Alcides arcuatus, Boh., var. 



This beetle (identified for me by Mr. Guy Marshall) was also 

 received from Mr. Cameron. He informs me : — " For some years 

 back I am aware that a beetle lays its eggs in bean-stems when 

 the bean is only a few weeks old. The larvae from these eggs live 

 on or consume the bean-stem, and thus reduce the crop con- 

 siderably. At times, with the cutting up of this beetle to lay its 

 eggs, the stems become broken down ; at other times the larvre 

 to the number of ten, sometimes even twelve, develop in the 

 stem without much apparent notice, unless attention is directed 

 to it. About the time the beans are fully ripe the larvse have 

 assumed the perfect condition, but can easily be destroyed before 

 that time. However, the cultivation of beans in this country, 

 so far, is of little importance." 



KHYNCHOTA. 



HETEROPTERA, 



Fam. Lyg^id^. 



Oxycarenus gossipijiiis. 



Oxjjcarenus gofisipinus, Dist. ('Entomologist,' 1906, p. 269). 



This species, already recorded as a cotton pest from West 

 Africa, may now — from specimens since shown me by Mr. G. C. 

 Dudgeon — be also known as injurious to Hibiscus esculentiis* the 

 pods of which it infests. The specimens recently brought home 

 by Mr. Dudgeon are rather larger than the typical ones previously 

 described, and measure from 3j to 5 millim., while the margins 

 of the pronotum are concolorous. 



0. exitiosus, Dist. ('Entomologist,' 1905, p. 169) has already 

 been recorded as injurious to the peach, and destructive to 

 cotton-seed. 



■''• Another Rhynchotan species {Dysdercus cingulahis) is a pest to Bhindi 

 {Hibiscus esculentus), in InAia,. — Cf. Maxwell Lefroy, Agricultural Research 

 Institute, Pusa. Bull. x. (1908). 



