236 



Insect Pests. 



iu some quarters ; but during the ^villter of 1897 (6) Lewis exainijied 

 infested buds at very frequent intervals, also in 1809, and always 

 found a certain numljer of eggs. 



The mites may be found outside the buds from early March 

 onwards for some months, but the main number are to be seen in 

 April. Tliey may then be seen moving over the burst buds, at their 

 base, and you may find tliem on the blossom strigs and in the 



blossoms. 



Mr. C. Warburtou, in a paper read before the Linnean Society, 

 mentioned that the mites hold on liy their anal sucker and \\n\ft 

 their legs in the air ; he further noticed a point of some importance, 

 hitherto undetected, namely, that the mites possess the power of 

 leaping off the plant into the air, and he assumes that they do this 



riG. 1T9.— THE cui;i;axt v.\:v mitk {Kriopln 

 {Fnin Lcu-is.) 



in order to attach thenrselves to passing insects, and in that way get 

 distrifiuted, to a certain extent, from one plantation to another. 



In the beginning of June, the mites have lieen seen congregated 

 round the young buds, between the main stem and the basal portion 

 of the leaf petioles. By the end of the month many infested buds 

 which have not Imrst dry up, and the mites apparently die in 

 them. Throughout July many old Inids ^\■hich have not dried 

 contain both mites and eggs, and the latter are always plentiful 

 from the beginning of IMarch. It is not until towards the end 

 of July that the presence of the mites in the newly-formed buds 

 may lie noticed. On the 10th of August buds nut nmre than 

 -^\. inch in length were found by Lewis to contain mites, and many 

 of tbese buds contained eggs by the middle of tlie month. Iu the 



