Ko. 5. ] Miscellaneous Note". 49 



H^ahhi, Forel, which were to be seen busily prodding the scale 

 insects [with their antennse, no doubt in order to extract honey dew. 

 The stationary character of the insect made it somewhat difficult 

 to transfer from one twig to another, but it was found that by 

 keeping the twigs in tightly closed glass stoppered bottles they remained 

 fresh enough for the insect to feed upon them for several days. After 

 being shut up for a short time by themselves drops of colourless fluid 

 accumulated upon the bodies of the lcerya> To the taste tliis fluid 

 has a faintly sweet flavour and is no doubt the secretion for the sake ol: 

 which the insect is attended by the Cremastogaster. Numbers of tliis 

 ant therefore were caught and shut up with the Coccids, but they 

 (lid not thrive in coiilinement and spent most of their time endeavouring 

 to escape. 



After a few days numerous specimens of the Teh'asiichus appeared 

 in one of the bottles. Careful examination was immediately made of 

 the Coccid-covered sprig, and after a good deal of searching, what seem- 

 ed like a tiny cocoon was found amongst the waxy debris. On micros- 

 copic examination the cocoon was found to consist of the shrivelled skin 

 of the leery a. A similar skin was subsequently found containing several 

 specimens of the Tetrastichus nearly ready to emerge, but the most 

 careful examination was not rewarded with the discovery of any remains 

 which could have belonged to a primary Hymenopterous host upon which 

 the TetraaticJms could have been directly parasitic. In view of the num- 

 bers in which the Tetrastic/ius appeared, and of the fact that the glass 

 stopper with which the bottle was closed precluded the possibility of the 

 escape of any other insect, the conclusion seemed at first to be a justi- 

 fiable one that the Tetrastichits was directly parasitic upon the Icerya, 

 A cocoon was subsequently forwarded to Dr. Riley, who most kindly ex- 

 amined it and was able to confirm the observation that it merely consisted 

 of the dried skin of the Icerya. He also succeeded in extracting from it 

 an adult Tetrastichus and the exuviae of two or three more, but in view of 

 the uniformity of habit hitherto found in the genUs Tetrastichus he still 

 considers it most probable that further research will yet reveal some 

 intermediate Hymenopterous host. 



Subsequent absence from Calcutta, from the early part of August 

 until the beginning of November, has put a temporary stop to the inves- 

 tigation, for although the Icerya was common enough in the beginniug 

 of August it was found to have almost completely disappeared from the 

 compound in November. A further attempt will be made ^hen the 

 insect again appears. 



In the course of the attempt to rear the insect a few poiuts were 

 made out which are of sufficient interest to be worth recording. 'I'he 



E 



