'189 



I have had whole lots of eggs of BrurJnis ohtectus destroyed by 

 it. It is not possible to judge as yet how much influence it 

 has upon the different species under natural conditions but 

 there can be no doubt that it is a considerable factor in all the 

 species. Persons handling the pods of Prosopis juliflora and 

 of common beans are frequently affected by a rash produced 

 by the young mites attaching themselves to the human skin. 

 The mites affect the w^eevils more generally in some seeds 

 than in others, according to whether the texture of the seed or 

 its covering permits ready entrance or not. Thus all my exper- 

 iments with the chick pea were seriously affected and in many 

 cases not an adult was able to emerge on account of its attacks. 

 The mesquite w^eevil is particularly subject to its attacks on 

 account of its method of forming the pupal cell. Any intro- 

 ductions of the larval parasites of 5/*Mc/ii(iae would need to be 

 carried on with particular care to reduce the attacks of this 

 mite upon them. 



Observations and Reflections on the Oviposition of Bnichidas 

 and Some Other Insects. 



Early in Xovember of 1917 while on the lookout for 

 material which would throw light on the habits of Bruchus 

 prwininus, a tree of opiuma (Pithecolohium dulce) was encoun- 

 tered at Waikiki, beneath which were lying on the ground con- 

 siderable numbers of its seeds which were found on examina- 

 tion to have eggs of Caryohorus gonagra deposited on them, 

 mostly on the side lying next to the ground. In all about a 

 hundred seeds bearing eggs were found beneath this tree and 

 thirty-five or forty of them were carefully examined and in no 

 case were larvae found in a living condition Avithin the seed 

 nor were there any traces of successful breeding in them. In 

 most cases the larvae had been able to penetrate through the 

 seed coat into the cotyledon and had perished there as the result 

 of their first meal upon its substance. Beneath the same tree 

 were found scattered a number of the seeds of a Livistonia 

 palm and on several of these round seeds, also utterly unfit for 



