EDITORIAL. 



NOTES ON THE APPEARANCE OF SIREX JUVENCUS LINN. 



IN MANILA, P. I. 



A few daj's ago a representative of a Manila importing house brought 

 to this office an insect for determination which was foimd inside a 

 packing case recently received from Germany. I have identified it as 

 Si7-ex juvencus Linn.^ This wood-wasp is common in Germany and is 

 well known to foresters as injurious to Pitius sylvestris Linn. 



The history of its introduction is as follows. A Filipino in opening 

 a packing case noticed that about ten of the insects flew out, while at 

 the bottom of the box several dead specimens were found. The packing 

 case contained cotton underwear, packed in pasteboard boxes, and it was 

 noticed that the insects had eaten holes in these inner boxes and had 

 slightly injured their contents. 



Unfortunately I did not see the packing case, but I have no doubt 

 but that it was made of pine wood, in which the insects passed the last 

 stages of their development. The wasps after hatching emerged on the 

 inside of the box, and in attempting to escape attacked the contents of 

 the box. 



W. SCHULTZE. 



NOTES ON THE ABUNDANT APPEARANCE OF GIBBIUM 

 SCOTIAS FABR. IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



Some time ago Mr. Herbert S. Walker, chemist of this Bureau, called 

 my attention to the fact that there were numerous beetles present in 

 a material known as argol.^ TTpon investigation I found enormous 

 numbers of a beetle which I have identified as Gibhium scotias Fabr., 

 together with some specimens of Tribolium ferrugineum Fabr. The 



' In German, "Die gemeine Kiefernholzwespe," see Ratzeburg, Forst-Insecten 

 (1844), 3, 143, taf. IV, fig. 3. 



-Argol (German, Weinstein) is a crude cream of tartar or potassium acid tar- 

 trate wliich forms as a crust on the inside of vessels in which wine has been fer- 

 mented. The color is purple to white, according to the kind of wine. It is used 

 as a reducing agent in gold and silver assays. The purified cream of tartar is 

 used in medicine and to a large extent in the manufacture of baking powders. 

 Our supply came in 50-kilogram barrels from a firm in New York. 



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