18 



time the hibernated Orcus were still living and no fresh specimens 

 were out yet to send. It was on December 28, 1891, that the 

 firsl lot of insects left Sydney containing newly hatched Orcus, al- 

 though old specimens were still present. Larvae of all sizes and pupae of 

 these were present at the time. The consignment made on January 

 25, 1892, consisted chiefly, it not entirely, of newly hatched Orcus. At 

 this time (midsummer) the insects naturally breed fast and are not long 

 on the wing before laying eggs. It is only after the second brood, from 

 April on. that the Orcus do not breed any more and go into hiberna- 

 tion. This could be imported with perfect safety and without having 

 deposited any eggs, as was shown by the lot received by Hon. 

 Ell wood Cooper, where they began to breed in such numbers. Speci- 

 mens of 0. australasia brought with me and liberated upon Aspidiotus 

 perniciosm Comst., in August, also began to breed at once. On Febru- 

 ary 3. 1S92, I received the first and only letter from Mr. Coquillett, in 

 which he informed me of the poor arrival of the Orcus of the first two 

 shipments. Consecutive shipments were thereafter made from different 

 parts of all such predaceous insects as could be found on January 

 25, 1892; February 22, 1892: March 21, 1892, and April 18, 1892. The 

 last lot was collected in the Blue Mountains and Parramatta, New 

 South Wales, and Toowoomba, Queensland, and consisted of about 

 eight thousand specimens of some fifty species of Coccinellkhe. as also 

 a lot of Thalp>ocliares larva? and pupae. These were divided into three 

 lots, and one lot was sent to Mr. Coquillett, the second, consisting 

 chiefly of species supposed to feed upon Black Scale, to Hon. Ellwood 

 Cooper, and the other, consisting chiefly of Orcus, to the State board. 

 with the request that they be liberated upon the pernicious scale 

 (Aspidiotus pern iciosus Comst). As I was informed later, by Mr. Cooper 

 and the State board, nearly every one of these insects arrived in perfect 

 condition, as did also those of the previous sending. 



As requested, on December 9, 1891, I proceeded to Hay, Xew South 

 Wales, in quest of parasites of the Australian plague-locust. Upon 

 arrival at this place hardly any traces of them could be found, and as 

 some were noticed along the road I returned to Whitton, at which place 

 the grasshoppers, although not very numerous, were found in sufficient 

 numbers to obtain the dipterous larva' parasitic upon the two closely 

 allied species. One of these, the same as met with on my former visit, 

 is Chortologa australis Saus., and the second is what Mr. Olliff calls 

 Pachytylu8 australis Br. Ninety- two puparias of two species of diptera 

 and two larva' of a third species were obtained within a week's work, 

 and all living locusts were left in charge of a party, but none of the 

 parasites raised from them ever came into my possession. Those sent to 

 America were directed to the Entomologist in Washington, who reported 

 t<> me that most of the flies had issued before reaching him, ami others 

 should be sent to Mr. Coquillett, who could liberate them where Cotop- 

 tenus devastator was numerous. Unfortunately, at the time this letter 



