10 



the entomologist of the experiment station in the former State, Mr. H. A. Morgan, 

 recently wrote me that he was making preparations to test it on certain kinds of 

 scale-insects infesting orange trees in his State. 



As in former years, I am greatly indehted to you for numerous favors, especially 

 in the matter of identifying insects, for all of which please accept thanks. 

 Very respectfully yours, 



D. W. COQUILLETT, 



Special Agent. 

 Dr. C. V. Riley, 



U. S. Entomologist. 



BENEFICIAL INSECTS IMPORTED FROM AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEA- 

 LAND. 



At the last session of the legislature of this State the sum of $5,000 

 was appropriated for the purpose of importing' from foreign countries 

 beneficial insects that would prey upon the injurious ones found in the 

 State, and this sum having been placed at the disposal of the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture at Washington, D. C, Mr. Albert Koebele, one of 

 the agents of the Division of Entomology, was sent on this mission, 

 with instructions to collect specimens of all kinds of beneficial insects 

 and forward them to the Avriter for propagation and distribution. A 

 large portion of my time has been consumed in caring for and working 

 out the life histories of the insects thus received. Many of the species 

 originally preyed upon insects not found in this State, and much time 

 was spent in testing them with the different kinds of injurious insects 

 found here, in the hope that they could be induced to feed upon them. 

 Eight separate consignments were received at intervals of four weeks, 

 between October 30, 1891, and May 14, 1892. As the majority of these 

 were received during the rainy season, I had three cloth tents erected 

 over as many infested orange trees, the better to protect the insects 

 from the inclement weather. 



The first consignment of these insects, collected in the vicinity of 

 Auckland, New Zealand, was received on the 30th of October, 1891, 

 and consisted of two living adult specimens of Leis antipodum Muls. 

 and one adult and seventy larvae of Scymnus flavihirtus Brown. The 

 body of this larva is black, and is rather sparsely covered with very short, 

 blunt, white bristles; on each side of the body are several prominent 

 bristle-bearing warts, the three low down on each side of the fourth, 

 eighth, and ninth segments, and also the two on the eleventh segment, 

 being white, the others blackish; the upper one on the eighth and 

 ninth segments is smaller than the others ; the head and thoracic legs 

 are dark brown; length 3 mm. The pupa is entirely greenish-yellow, 

 and the old larval skin is worked backward until it covers only the 

 extreme end of the pupa. In the same box with these larvae were 

 leaves infested with a Ooccid which is apparently the Gtenochiton 

 depressum Mask., a species thus far known to occur only in New Zea- 



