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One day, in the latter part of August of this year, Mr. J. Shinn, jr., 
called on me in San Francisco, informing me that the box with Capri 
_ figs and Blastophage had just arrived and that many of the insects 
were alive, apparently just hatching out. I at once went to Mr. Shinn’s 
place to help distribute the colony. On my arrival I found that the box 
had been placed under the Capri Fig tree and that many of the Blasto- 
phage had already escaped. The box contained about one dozen figs 
nearly as large as small walnuts, all being quite dry, one or two hav- 
ing decayed. I noticed that from the pressure in the box many of the 
figs were closed and the Blastophage unable to escape. I therefore 
cut all the figs open and thus released probably several thousand Blas- 
tophage.* The box was suspended in the fig tree and the small insects 
soon made their way to the surrounding fig trees. Upon opening some 
Smyrna figs a few hours later, for the purpose of pollinating them ar- 
tificially, I found that several Blastophagee had already entered them. 
As to the Capri Fig tree I found on it no figs which I thought of proper 
size to receive the Blastophage, some being too small, others again too 
large. It is, however, possible that some figs escaped my notice as the 
fig tree is a large one, probably reaching twelve feet in height; and only 
a coming year will show the final success of this, the first importation. 
The Capri Figs were collected at Lokia, near Smyrna, Asia Minor, the 
last days of June. The 2d day of July the box reached Smyrna and 
the 18th of the same month it arrived at New York. On the 23d it 
reached Mr. Shinn at Niles, in California. Thus it required only about 
twenty-five days to reach us, a time short enough to insure full success 
to any similar importation. The best way to forward’Capri Figs is not 
to wrap them in cotton or paper, but simply to place them in layers in 
a small paper box; each fig as well as each layer should be separated by 
a small wad of paper, sufficiently firm to prevent the figs from shaking 
and rolling. If each separate fig is wrapped up too tight in paper it is 
liable to decay. 
COMMENTS ON THE FIFTH REPORT OF THE U.S. ENTOMOLOGICAL 
COMMISSION. 
By JOHN HAMILTON, M. D., Allegheny, Pa. 
In looking over the Fifth Report of the U. S. Entomological Commis- 
sion, Department of Agriculture, recently published, several inadvert- 
ences have been observed in the nomenclature of various species ot 
Coleoptera. As the editor, A. S. Packard, M. D., PH. D., in the intro- 
duction invites corrections, etc., the following are submitted, as well 
as a few remarks to render some of the statements clearer. 
*The majority of Blastophage were winged females; a few were wingless males. 
I noticed no parasites. 
