548 The American Naturalist. [June, 
after.’ - But this is an exceptional and extraordinary case. The con- 
ditions regarding the San José species are different; there is little hope 
of a similar extermination by Coccinellids, and Professor Smith sum- 
marizes his results in these lines: “ We have no good basis for believ- 
ing that any of the insects introduced into New Jersey from California, 
or which can be introduced from that State, will become sufficiently 
abundant in a measurably short time to be of use in keeping the perni- 
cious scale in check. The two species which have done the most effect- 
ive work in California are already natives of New Jersey and require 
no introduction. Climatic differences make them less effective with us 
than they are on the Pacific Coast. We can probably count that both 
the Aphelinus and the’ Chilocorus will in time become increasingly 
abundant. Our most active species is Similia (Pentilia) misella, which 
Ps | 
Fig. 1. The Vedalia Lady Beetle. a, larva, back view; b, larva, side view; © 
pupa; d, beetle. Magnified. (From Insect Life). 
thus far offers the best chance of an effective enemy. We cannot hope, 
however, that it will increase sufficiently to become an important aid 
for a considerable number of years to come, and it does not seem as if 
our fruit-growers could afford to wait for this or the other species to in- 
crease without taking active measures for the destruction of the scale.’ 
; LARENCE M. WEED. 
The Spruce Gall-louse.—Professor Chas. H. Fernald has pub- 
lished an excellent account of the Spruce Gall-louse, Chermes abietis 
Linn. The insect forms twig-galls on spruce, each gall containing from 
three to thirty or more cavities, each cavity inhabited by from ten to 
thirty small yellow lice. About midsummer the galls dry, and ‘the 
young gall-lice crawl upon the leaves where they moult and become 
winged. These so far as observed are all parthenogenetic females 
which lay eggs and die, the dead bodies protecting the eggs. 1wo 
