76 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 



doubtful, in my opinion, whether this method of spreading a patho- 

 genic mycosis can compete with the usual methods of destroying 

 locusts en masse. 



The general bearing of the evidence as to the life-history of the 

 fungus which I have laid out above, would be to show that we have 

 here to do with a fungus saprophitic on decaying animal or 

 vegetable matter, which occasionally becomes parasitic on and 

 pathogenic to locusts and other allied insects in South Africa, and 

 which has probably acted in this way for an indefinite time in the 

 past, though it has for the first time in 1896 been brought under 

 actual observation. 



APPENDIX. 



EEPOET ON THE DISEASE AMONGST LOCUSTS IN NATAL 

 CAUSED BY A FUNGUS EMPUSA ACBIDIL 



By Arnold W. Cooper, E.E.M.S. 



In the month of February last (1896) specimens of locusts, which 

 had died from disease, were sent to me for examination by Mr. Willie 

 Nicholson, of Thedden, near Eichmond. The locusts were covered 

 with a fungoid growth which resembled Muscardine. The fungus 

 is now determined as belonging to the Order Entomophoretz, Genus 

 Empusa ; the species is probably a new one, and it is proposed to 

 name it Acridii. 



Microscopial examination showed that the locusts, now identified 

 as Acridium purpuriferum, had died from this fungus disease, which 

 nearly resembles Muscardine, which broke out amongst the silk- 

 worms in Southern Europe many years ago, and threatened the 

 destruction of the silkworm industry in the countries affected by it. 

 It was found that a careful removal of the dead silkworms was the 

 most ready method of checking the ravages of the disease, thus 

 showing that the infection or contagion spread. 



Experiments made here with the locusts showed that the local 

 fungus disease was easily communicated from the dead locusts to 

 healthy ones, and death ensued in five or six days ; the experiments 

 were on a small scale only, but repeated satisfactory results showed 

 me that there was little doubt of the value of the discovery. 



Specimens of the diseased locusts were forwarded, by his 

 Excellency the Governor, to Cape Town, and a report upon them 

 was made by M. Peringuey, of the Museum, in which he recom- 

 mended that I should set to work in earnest to endeavour to spread 



