11 



tropical character. Both seem to be particularly hardy, and are 

 ruthlessly and relentlessly destroyed by the people. They ring- 

 bark and burn everything to provide a miserably poor pasture 

 land. In some places acres and acres of valuable trees have been 

 destroyed and the land allowed to become covered with injurious 

 weeds, so that it is absolutely valueless from any point of view, 

 yielding neither timber nor forage. Many of the Australian 

 woods are very fine for building and other purposes ; they are 

 much more hardy and quick-growing than our Hawaiian trees, 

 and many could be no doubt imported here with great advantage. 



"The following is a very rough list of the leaf-hopper parasites 

 that we observed. They have not yet been critically examined. 

 Chalcid and Proctotrupid parasites bred from leaf-hopper 



eggs 6 sp 



Dryinidae parasitic on nymphs or mature hoppers 30 sp 



Chalcids ditto 2 sp 



Diptera " 20 sp 



Stylopidae " 3 sp 



Lepidoptera " 3 sp, 



"Probably all these are new to science as species and many 

 also as genera." 



In reply to Mr. Craw, Mr. Perkins said that all cane insects 

 from Queensland should be kept out. They have moth-borers, 

 including a Nonagria, which is parasitized, however, by an Eni- 

 cospilus. There are at least twelve species of leaf-hoppers on 

 their cane. The cane-hopper of Fiji is not the same as the one 

 in Australia ; it has a Stylopid parasite, which might be useful 

 here. The Australian forests did not seem to suffer much from 

 insect injury, when in their natural condition. 



There are many fruit-flies of the genus Dacus in Australia. 

 On the coast steamers the larvae and pupae were seen dropping 

 from crates of bananas and tomatoes in dozens on the deck. They 

 do much damage in Queensland, and the oranges are also badly 

 infested. 



Exhibitions. 



Mr. Kotinsky exhibited specimens of the Elaterid, Chalcolcpi- 

 diiis erythroloma, 44 specimens of which were collected in the 

 course of a couple of months by Mr. Giffard on one Koa tree 



