196 
This is the extent of our information. Mr. Maskell, in his second 
paper on this species (Transactions and Proceedings New Zealand 
Institute, XIV., p. 226, 1881), writes: * When in Australia a few 
* months ago I observed at Ballarat an insect, certainly an Zcerya, but 
* T think not Z. Purchasi ; but d had no opportunity of bringing away 
* a single specimen." exists, then, a possibility at least that 
the €— under consideration is found at Ballarat as well as around 
Melbourn 
In — Couony.—We find in the “ Report of the Commission,” 
&e., just ind the following infoeshasion on the spread of the insect in 
this colon 
x Spia thë answers received it would seem that the insect, having 
red and succeeded in establishing itself in Cape Town and the 
different parts of the colony ; and we may mention, in evidence of its 
irregular dispersal by chance methods of conveyance, that it was 
observed in the village of Ookiep, Namaqualand, only a few months 
after ^ first discovery in the Cape Town Botanical Gardens in 1 1873, 
and yet was not seen in the neighbouring division of Stellenbosch till 
the intter end of 1876. 
e limits to whieh the insect had extended at the time of the pub- 
meat of the report of the Commission (1877, presumably the latter 
- z AE. included the following localities :—Cape Town and 
E , Simon’s Town, Stellenbosch (Mulders Vlei), Malmes- 
baa: Wellington, Namaqualand (Ockiep), Bredasdorp, George 
(Buk River), Uitenhage, East London 
We have no information as to the e present status of the insect in this 
vem as ie replies to our letters of inquiry have not yet come to 
and.* 
IN New ZkALAND.—From the paper sona Mr. Maskell’s 
original description of Zcerya Purchasi (Trans. and Proc. N.Z, Inst., 
XI., 220, 1878), we learn that the insect was D eret at Auckland. 
note by Mr. E. A. MacKechnie (Ibid., XIV., 549, 1881) indicated 
that it had greatly increased in presumably the same neighbourhood in 
1881. In Mr. Maskell’s second paper (Ibid., p. 226) he mentions in a 
footnote that he had just received the insect froin baee In his third 
paper (Ibid., XVI., 140, 18 d" he writes as follow 
* fcerya Purchasi has spread greatly in the bah to two years. It had 
just reached Napier at the date of my last paper. It has now established 
itself in that district not only in — vt m she Satira forests. In 
Auckland it is attacking all sorts of It has reached 
Nelson, ave had many acim mem ‘wars that place com- 
plaining of its ravages. * * * Whether this pest will spread in 
north rem ra ers here are not in much dread 
beide seb they ‘confine their attention to those in a OSI 
They may be right ; still the winter even in Canterbur not severe 
enough to kill these insects, and I know that in the Christchurch public 
gardens many trees have had to be burnt simply on account of the 
ravages of Coccide.” 
e have no information on this point from this colony later than 
1883, but have taken steps to ascertain the present spread of the 
* Just as the report is being sent to the printer we learn from Miss Ormerod that 
she has received specimens from Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony. 
