﻿246 
  d. 
  d'emmerez 
  de 
  charmoy. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  entomologists 
  was 
  more 
  recently 
  supplemented 
  by 
  that 
  

   of 
  J. 
  H. 
  Fabre, 
  though 
  his 
  observations 
  were 
  not 
  concerned 
  with 
  Oryctes, 
  but 
  with 
  

   Cetoniidae, 
  viz., 
  Cetonia 
  aurata, 
  C. 
  morio, 
  and 
  C. 
  floricola, 
  which 
  are 
  parasitised 
  by 
  

   S. 
  bifasciata 
  ; 
  and 
  with 
  Anoxia 
  villosa 
  and 
  A. 
  matutinalis 
  , 
  parasitised 
  by 
  S. 
  interrupta. 
  

   Although 
  these 
  observations 
  bore 
  almost 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  larval 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   Scoliids, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  devoid 
  of 
  interest 
  from 
  an 
  economic 
  standpoint, 
  as 
  they 
  

   show 
  clearly 
  that 
  parasitism 
  by 
  Scoliids 
  is 
  not 
  exclusively 
  specific, 
  but 
  is 
  rather 
  

   generic, 
  since 
  a 
  definite 
  species 
  of 
  Scoliid 
  can 
  parasitise 
  indifferently 
  hosts 
  that 
  are 
  

   specifically 
  different, 
  while 
  the 
  same 
  host 
  can 
  be 
  parasitised 
  equally 
  well 
  by 
  Scoliids 
  

   of 
  different 
  species. 
  

  

  Kindred 
  observations 
  made 
  by 
  Nowell* 
  in 
  Barbados 
  in 
  1915 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  

   in 
  1917f 
  showed 
  that 
  in 
  certain 
  cases 
  the 
  tendency 
  to 
  variation 
  in 
  parasitism 
  can 
  

   even 
  go 
  beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  genera. 
  Nowell's 
  observation 
  was 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  

   Campsomeris 
  dorsata, 
  which, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  normally 
  parasitic 
  on 
  Ligyrus 
  tumulosus, 
  

   is 
  capable, 
  nevertheless, 
  of 
  parasitising 
  Phylalus 
  smithi 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  low 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  1 
  per 
  cent. 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  1917 
  the 
  writer 
  showed 
  that 
  Tiphia 
  parallela 
  in 
  captivity 
  

   can 
  parasitise 
  Adoretus 
  versutus 
  and 
  young 
  larvae 
  of 
  Oryctes 
  tarandus. 
  

  

  These 
  facts, 
  which 
  show 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  Scoliids 
  may 
  vary, 
  

   are 
  recorded 
  here 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  importance 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  importing 
  

   from 
  a 
  foreign 
  country 
  parasites 
  of 
  unknown 
  habits 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  acclimatising 
  

   them 
  in 
  another 
  country 
  where 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  species, 
  smaller 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  with 
  

   different 
  habits, 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  substituted 
  for 
  their 
  natural 
  host. 
  

  

  The 
  Search 
  for 
  Scoliids 
  in 
  Madagascar. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  investigations 
  the 
  first 
  point 
  requiring 
  to 
  be 
  elucidated 
  was 
  to 
  ascertain 
  

   whether 
  S. 
  oryctophaga 
  was 
  capable 
  of 
  parasitising 
  0. 
  tarandus 
  at 
  all. 
  The 
  difference 
  

   in 
  size 
  between 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Madagascar 
  species 
  (which 
  

   reach 
  7-5 
  cm. 
  in 
  length, 
  whilst 
  those 
  of 
  0. 
  tarandus 
  only 
  attain 
  5 
  cm.) 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  

   only 
  doubtful 
  point. 
  There 
  remained 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  differences 
  in 
  habits 
  

   of 
  the 
  larvae, 
  the 
  Madagascar 
  species 
  living 
  exclusively 
  in 
  trunks 
  of 
  trees 
  undergoing 
  

   decomposition, 
  whilst 
  those 
  of 
  0. 
  tarandus, 
  though 
  sometimes 
  met 
  with 
  under 
  the 
  

   same 
  conditions, 
  are 
  generally 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  amidst 
  the 
  root 
  system 
  of 
  sugar- 
  

   cane 
  plants, 
  at 
  depths 
  varying 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  18 
  in. 
  

  

  As 
  0. 
  tarandus 
  does 
  not 
  exist 
  in 
  Madagascar, 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  

   transport 
  of 
  larvae 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  Mauritius 
  to 
  Madagascar 
  for 
  experiments. 
  

  

  Coquerel's 
  account 
  indicated 
  Ste 
  Marie 
  and 
  Nossi-Be 
  as 
  the 
  localities 
  where 
  these 
  

   investigations 
  might 
  best 
  be 
  carried 
  on, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  more 
  convenient 
  to 
  make 
  

   a 
  beginning 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Tamatave, 
  since 
  the 
  locality 
  provided 
  greater 
  facilities 
  

   for 
  shipment 
  to 
  Mauritius. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  29th 
  June 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  results 
  had 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  searching 
  for 
  

   adult 
  Scoliids. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  an 
  opportunity 
  occurred 
  of 
  proceeding 
  speedily 
  to 
  the 
  

   island 
  of 
  Ste 
  Marie, 
  and 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  negative 
  results 
  obtained 
  so 
  far 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  

   to 
  try 
  Ste 
  Marie, 
  and 
  then 
  Nossi-Be, 
  if 
  necessary. 
  This 
  resolution 
  had 
  hardly 
  been 
  

   made 
  when 
  Scolia 
  oryctophaga 
  were 
  unexpectedly 
  found 
  at 
  Tanamakoa 
  village, 
  not 
  

   more 
  than 
  3 
  km. 
  from 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Tamatave, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  

   did 
  not 
  exist 
  at 
  Tamatave 
  in 
  sufficient 
  numbers 
  to 
  justify 
  a 
  longer 
  stay 
  in 
  this 
  province 
  

   required 
  to 
  be 
  modified. 
  

  

  The 
  sudden 
  unexpected 
  presence 
  of 
  these 
  Scoliids 
  in 
  Tanamakoa, 
  a 
  village 
  through 
  

   which 
  we 
  passed 
  every 
  day, 
  was 
  somewhat 
  perplexing, 
  and 
  at 
  first 
  inclined 
  one 
  to 
  

   abandon 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  proceeding 
  to 
  Ste 
  Marie 
  ; 
  however, 
  by 
  visiting 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  

  

  * 
  Annals 
  of 
  Applied 
  Biology, 
  ii, 
  no. 
  1, 
  May 
  1915. 
  

  

  f 
  Bull. 
  Ent. 
  Research, 
  iii, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  Aug. 
  1917 
  ; 
  reprinted 
  in 
  Bulletin 
  form 
  by 
  the 
  Department 
  

   of 
  Agriculture, 
  Mauritius. 
  

  

  