164 



a native cut- worm (Agrotis ci?ic i ipennzs Butl.) . A considerable 

 mystery is connected with the case, the facts of which follow. A 

 cluster of 291 eggs of this moth were found on a mango leaf in 

 Nuuanu Valley by Mr. Kotinsky, and turned over to me for rear- 

 ing. Many of the young caterpillars died; but of those which 

 attained full-growth and pupated, only 34 produced moths, while 

 from 51 of the pupae Tachinids emerged. This Tachinid is very 

 common and parasitizes all species of cut-worms, army-worms, 

 and many other caterpillars. The mystery involved is this: 

 How did this lot of caterpillars become parasitized? The eggs 

 hatched in a breeding jar, and the caterpillars during all the time 

 of their growth were enclosed,, with no possible opportunity of 

 being attacked by a Tachinid for the purpose of egg-laying. 

 When about half-grown the caterpillars were divided into three 

 lots (Mr. Kotinsky having one lot), and Tachinids bred out from 

 each of the three lots. Questions remaining unanswered are: 

 Were there Tachinid eggs somewhere on the food-plants (which 

 were largely So7ichtis and supplied from day to day) which 

 hatched and the maggots attacked the caterpillars ? Were there 

 Tachinid eggs on the leaf with the cut-worm eggs ? Were the 

 Tachinid eggs deposited individually on the cut-worm eggs ? It 

 certainly appears as tho this Tachinid has a different method of 

 ovipositing from others, so far as they are known, for they are 

 always described as laying their eggs on the caterpillars. I have 

 made some attempts at discovering the mode of ovipositing for 

 this species, but so far with no success." 



AUGUST 8th, 1907. 



The thirty-first regular meeting was held in the Liljrary of the 

 Bureau of Agriculture, Mr. Swezey in the Chair. 



NOTES AND EXHIBITIONS. 



Mr. W. W. Froggatt (of the Dep. of Agriculture, New South 

 Wales) present as a visitor, presented the following notes on 

 Entomology, principally economic, in Australia. He opened his 

 remarks by pointing out the variety of climate and topography of 

 the continent, and the consequent variety of the insect fauna. In 

 his work against injurious insects he emphasized the successful 

 practice of cyaniding the trees, especially when the pests were 



