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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



received what I am convinced is the same species 

 from a hothouse palm at the Agricultural College, 

 Michigan (coll. G. C. Davis, com. L. O. Howard). 



Lecanium longulnm, a decidedly troublesome 

 species, described, in 1887, by Mr. Douglas, from 

 English hothouses, is now known in the tropics of 

 both hemispheres, and two still unpublished 

 localities are Ceylon (E. E. Green) and a hothouse 

 at Denver, Colorado (on rubber tree, coll. Gillette). 



Numerous other cases could easily be given, but 

 the above statements are chosen only out of the 

 unpublished notes which I have accumulated quite 

 recently. They are but a sample of the facts 

 which are continually developing. 



Naturalists may be inclined to disregard the 

 records of species on cultivated, and especially 

 hothouse, plants as of no scientific interest. This 

 they must not do, as it is precisely by way of 

 hothouses in temperate climates that tropical 

 species may spread, say from India to the West 

 Indies. Thus it is apparent that we should do all 

 that is possible without delay to ascertain the 

 existing Coccid-faunae in various localities. It is 

 important both with a view to preventing the 

 further spread of harmful species, and in order to 

 obtain some knowledge of the native countries 

 of the species before they are so thoroughly 

 distributed and mixed up that we lose all trace of 

 the original condition of affairs. 



Ordinary collectors of insects have practically 

 ignored Coccidae, so that we often know not a 

 single Coccid from regions whence butterflies and 

 beetles have been brought in the utmost abundance. 

 Yet no group of insects is easier to collect. All 

 one has to do is to pick or break off a portion of the 

 infested plant (twigs or leaves), and put it into a 

 small card-box, or an envelope, writing on the 

 outside the locality, name of collector, and name of 

 plant, if known. Anyone can do this, it does not 

 need an entomologist. 



Searching for Coccidae, one has no difficulty as a 

 rule in recognising those found. Any scale-like 

 object, any small soft object with cottony or 

 mealy secretion, any cottony or scurfy substance, 

 is likely to represent Coccidae. Beginners will 

 usually gather also some parasitic fungi, Psyllidae, 

 etc., taking them for Coccids, until a microscope is 

 used to discern their characters ; but collections of 

 Coccidae are none the worse for thus containing a 

 few other objects. I trust the readers of Science- 

 Gossip in Central Africa and other little-worked 

 stations may send me material for examination. 



One has to admit here, that while the collectors 

 might easily be many, the specialists who could at 

 present work out the material collected are lament- 

 ably few. Yet there are many signs of an awakening 

 interest, and to my knowledge several able students 

 have joined the ranks of the coccidologists within 

 the last year. Only two days ago I received the 



first-fruits of the labours of Mr. Karel Sulc, a 

 Bohemian, who has been doing excellent work on 

 the Central European species. Mr. Sasaki, a native 

 of Japan, has lately given us a paper on a new 

 Japanese Coccid, which, we may hope, will be 

 followed by many others showing equal care and 

 ability. In Ceylon, the Coccids of which have 

 been nearly unknown, Mr. E. E. Green has pre- 

 pared an account, still unpublished, of sixty-nine 

 species, of which forty-two are new. Mr. Green 

 has sent me many of the new species, which are 

 extremely interesting. In the United States, 

 several workers are likely to be heard from shortly. 

 It is often said that the opportunity for making a 

 reputation as a specialist in biological science is 

 becoming more and more limited. In coccidology, 

 however, this is not by any means the case, and the 

 subject offers great opportunities to careful students. 



With regard to the material collected, I think it 

 would be very desirable that as much as possible 

 should go not to private individuals, but to public 

 collections. The reasons for this are obvious, 

 especially in respect to new species, the types of 

 which ought in the nature of things to be considered 

 public property. The best public institution for 

 Coccidae, without doubt, is the U.S. Department 

 of agriculture in conjunction with the U.S. 

 National Museum. The collection of these insects 

 at Washington is no doubt the best public one in 

 existence ; and is in charge, in the persons of 

 Messrs. Riley and Howard, of competent Coccido- 

 logists, which is not the case in any other museum 

 I know of, except Mr. Newstead's at Chester. For 

 my own part, I have decided to send all my Coccid 

 types to Washington. 



The British Museum, which is acknowledged as 

 the greatest central establishment for most groups 

 of animals, has done extremely poorly in Coccidae. 

 Walker described a few, but his descriptions are 

 practically useless, and his knowledge of the 

 subject may be estimated from the fact that one of 

 his types proved to be not a Coccid but a dried 

 caterpillar. Since Walker's time two of the British 

 Museum entomologists have each described a Coccid, 

 but in neither case does the description even permit 

 one to guess at the proper genus of the animal. All 

 this, however, is but an indication that the British 

 Museum entomologists have more than enough to do 

 in other branches, and does not prevent the museum 

 from being a suitable repository for types or other 

 material. It may be said, finally, that no one 

 should be deterred from collecting for fear of not 

 at once finding a specialist who will study the 

 material. It must always be remembered that 

 collected material will keep, whereas, for reasons 

 above given, it is important to do the collecting 

 with the least possible delay. 



New Mexico {U.S.A.) Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 Las Crttces, New Mexico, U.S.A.; July 6lh, 1895. 



