12 



The large red and black spotted Cfcccinellid is Zeis conformis, feeding upon Aphids, 

 which I fear you will not have now; but I send a lot of this to San Francisco to he 

 placed in apple orchards infested with the Woolly Aphis. You will find two boxes 

 with eggs of the little blue beetle. Place them upon trees with Eed Scale. This 

 is and will prove to be the best remedy for that scale I shall be able to send. The 

 large blue beetle with orange spots also feeds on this scale. And as to the Scymnid, 

 I have marked upon boxes what they feed on : all the smaller upon Aspidiotus auran- 

 tii, and one box contains about 90 or 100 of one species found, as yet, feeding only 

 upon a species of Chionaspis, upon a Banksia. 



Make preparation, and as soon as the box arrives take them into the field and lib- 

 erate the insects. A short delay would be death to many of them. 



I will run up to Queensland, but will be here again to make up another sending of 

 these beetles for next steamer. — Albert Koebele. 



This consignment contained the following living insects: Four spec- 

 imens of Orcus chalybeus, five of Orcns anstralasice, and six specimens 

 of an undetermined Scymnid. All of the other insects, including the 

 eggs and larvae, were dead when received by me. I tested the living 

 insects with specimens of Aspidiotus aurantii, and they fed upon them. 

 Not being willing to turn such a small number of insects loose, as was 

 suggested in the letter, I had a cloth tent erected over an orange tree 

 thickly infested with the above-mentioned scale and placed all of the 

 ladybirds on the tree under this tent. This tree was kindly placed at 

 my disposal by Mr. A. F. Kercheval, of this city. 



The next consignment reached me December 28, 1891, accompanied 

 by the following letter, dated Sydney, Australia, November 29, 1891 : 



Be ready for a large lot of specimens coming per Wells, Fargo & Co. Liberates 

 them in same place as you did the last so they can find each other. Of the two Orcus 

 you will receive large numbers ; inclosed some of 0. australasice in box with Lecanium 

 ol#ce, where you may find eggs; also, 0. clialybeus and a large black Scymnid, which 

 has been, as yet, found only on L. olece and L. hesperidum. 



* * * Box " Vedalia sp., Toowoomba, Parramatta." Try and breed this little 

 beetle on Icerya. It is the insect destroying this scale here and at Queensland. 

 They will readily lay their eggs in a large glass jar if supplied with scales. You 

 will also get a large lot of Thalpocliares cocciphaga, both larvae and pupae. Do not 

 set them free, but breed in confinement in large glass jars covered with muslin and 

 well supplied with L. olece. * * * 



Please save all the boxes with dead insects for me, as T shall want them for future 

 notes. Of course you can have specimens for collection if you should want them. I 

 may now wait in sending future lots of Orcus until I hear from you how this arrived. 

 It is not possible that all should die. 



It would be a good arrangement to have three jars for the Thalpocliares — one to feed 

 the smaller larvae, one for pupae, and a third with plenty of fresh food to place the 

 moths in as they appear. The sticks with scales could be taken out from time to 

 time and fastened onto orange trees infested with the scales in the field. 



I think that these larvae attain their growth in from three to four weeks. They 

 are a stupid lot, always spinning everything together. Therefore it would be well 

 to give them plenty of room. 



The larvae of Orcus could be got by the thousands, but I can not send any on 

 account of the parasites. — Albert Koebele. 



In this consignment were the following living insects: Three speci- 

 mens of Orcus clialybeus, one Orcus australasice, eleven undetermined 



