25 



lobe, or prolongation of the case, and these lobes converge toward the 

 . center of the opening; thus closing the latter when the Larva retri 

 into its case. After each meal the larva fastens its case to the bark 

 by a few silken threads, then retreats into its case and remains hidden 



from view mi til the pangs of hunger again force it to come out in 

 search of food. The chrysalis stage is passed within the silken case, 

 and frequently ten or a dozen of the cases are fastened together in a 

 mass by their occupants a short time before the latter assume the 

 chrysalis form. 



It is quite impossible to extract one of these larva' from its silken 

 case without fatally injuring the larva, so firmly does it retain its hold 

 upon the inside of the case by means of the small hooks with which the 

 prolegs are provided, and nothing short of cutting open the case will 

 accomplish the removal of the larva. When removed from its case and 

 placed upon a flat surface the larva is able to move about, but only very 

 slowly, and in walking the posterior end of the body is elevated, no use 

 being made of the last pair of prolegs. Whenever two of the larvae thus 

 removed from their cases meet each other a fight is almost certain to 

 occur, each larva seeking to grasp with its mandibles the mouth parts 

 of the other, and, if successful, it will frequently shake from side to side 

 the head and fore part of the body of its opponent, somewhat as a terrier 

 shakes a rat. In these encounters the softer parts of the body are never 

 attacked, and the encounters are apparently in the nature of sport. 

 The moths, as might be expected, are nocturnal in their habits, remain- 

 ing perfectly quiet during the daytime and coming forth rather early 

 in the evening. 



My notes on this species are necessarily imperfect, as but few of the 

 larvae were obtained from eggs laid in confinement, and. in order to 

 work up their complete life history it would be necessary to frequently 

 remove the larva? from their cases, and this I was unwilling to do until 

 the species becomes firmly established in this State. 



At the present writing two of the most important of the imported 

 species, the Oram australasicB and Orcus chalybeus, are breeding in two 

 localities in this city, as well as in an olive grove in Santa Barbara 

 County, and the former species is also breeding in Alameda County. 

 While they do not increase with sufficient rapidity to give us the as- 

 surance that they will be able to practically tree all of the trees in 

 this State of the different kinds of scale insects that infest them, still 

 they will undoubtedly prove valuable allies in keeping these scale 

 insects in check. 



Novius kaibelei is also firmly established here. 1 have it breeding 

 in my office at the present writing, and have sent a few colonies to dif- 

 ferent localities in the State, The horticultural commissioner of this 

 county, Mr. John Scott, also has colonies of this insect breeding in his 

 office, and has senl out colonies in place of the Vedalia cardinality 

 While this last-named insect has effectually kept in cheek the destine- 



