19 
Mr. Howard stated that a number of secondary parasites of the 
genus Tetrastichus had issued, but Mr. Ehrhorn was forewarned and 
isolated them as fast as they emerged, so there was no danger. 
Mr. Lounsbury stated that the history of the case dated back to his 
first arrival in Cape Colony. Before he had been there a year he 
noticed that the black scale was not injurious, and upon traveling 
about the Colony he found the same condition true over many thousand 
miles of territory. Later, upon obtaining specimens of the parasite 
and corresponding with Mr. Howard on the subject, the latter had sug 
gested his sending it to California. For four years he had been watch- 
ing for an opportunity to get a sufficient number of parasites to send, 
but the scale is so well kept in check by the parasites or by other fac- 
tors that until this year he was unable to find a large quantity. Last 
year he mentioned the matter in his annual report, a copy of which he 
had sent to Mr. Ehrhorn, who at once wrote and asked him to take steps 
to get the parasite established in California. He replied that he would 
gladly do all he could, but would like Mr. Ehrhorn to make it a formal 
matter so that he might be able to spend the time and money necessary. 
This was done and Mr. Lounsbury received formal orders to go ahead. 
He set about in two ways: First, he had scales collected and reared 
young larve from them, which were placed on young oleander trees 
now being kept in the Cape Town gardens. Primary parasites were 
to be admitted to the plants, but secondaries excluded. These plants 
in time he may be able to send to the United States in Wardian cases. 
Second, while waiting for these to develop he had Mr. Mally go out 
and search the country side, with the fortunate result that relatively 
large colonies of scale were found where Mr. Lounsbury had seen 
small colonies the year before. Mr. Mally collected for nearly a 
week and brought in over a bushel of twigs which were carefully 
sorted, cut into foot lengths, and the ends dipped into sealing wax. 
The twigs were then wrapped in tissue paper. The matter of the dif- 
ferently shaped boxes was purely accidental. He went to the grocery 
shop and picked out what he thought would be best suited, taking one 
shallow box and one deep box in order to try them. He thought that 
packed in the manner above described and placed in a wooden box 
what moisture came would be absorbed by the wood. The boxes were 
packed the night preceding Mr. Lounsbury’s departure, the deep box 
being placed on a dry shelf in the fruit room of the Cape steamer and 
the shallow box kept in his stateroom. In this way the insects were 
taken to England, which he hurried across and took the next liner. 
He then tried to get the box which he had kept in the fruit room also 
placed in a cool room on the New York steamer, but found no choice 
between putting it in the meat room or leaving it outside. He pre- 
ferred not to freeze the insects because the parasites not being accus- 
tomed to such temperature might succumb, and he therefore placed 
