279 
GENERAL NOTES. 
MORE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES OF VEDALIA. 
We are pleased to record another successful shipment of Vedalia from 
one country to another. On November 10 at our direction Mr. Coquil- 
lett started a shipment of live Vedalia to New Zealand. The former 
sending consigned to Dr. B. Locking, of Nelson, had failed owing to 
the opening of the package by the customs and post-office authorities 
in New Zealand, who repacked itin such a careless manner that the in- 
sects escaped. With this last sending, therefore, great care was taken. 
Mr. Coquillett accompanied the package to San Francisco and placed 
it in charge of a responsible person on board the steamer, who trans- 
mitted it with great care, and the result is that we have just learned 
from Dr. Locking that the package arrived intact and that the insects 
were alive. There were about 20 living beetles besides larve in differ- 
ent stages of growth which reached New Zealand in good condition. 
Iceryahas been increasing recently, as we have elsewhere stated, and has 
again become a pest in certain portions of New Zealand. Vedalia has 
been found living, having carried itself over successfully from its pre- 
vious abundance in 1888, but of this fact we were apprised after our 
shipment had been started. There is no doubt, however, but that these 
specimens consigned to Dr. Locking will aid greatly in the extermina- 
tion of the Icerya. 
Another attempt has also been made to send Vedalia to Egypt. On 
December 13 Mr. Coquillett sent a package containing an abundant 
supply of both Vedalia and Icerya, by express, to Washington, D. C. 
Owing probably to the great rush of Christmas business the express 
company did not deliver it until December 25. The box was opened 
and the Vedalia were found to be in a most admirable condition, while 
there was still a plentiful supply of Icerya alive for them to feed upon. 
The orange twigs, from which the Iceryas-had begun to migrate on ac- 
count of withering, were renewed from the Department conservatories, 
the box was repacked, and Mr. Howard took it the same afternoon to 
_ New York, where it was placed in charge of the butcher on board the 
steamship Etruria, with instructions to keep it cold on the transatlantic 
journey and to deliver it to the agents of Pitt & Scott, the European 
forwarding agents in Liverpool. It was calculated that this journey 
from Washington will occupy sixteen days, so that there is every reason 
to anticipate an arrival in Alexandria in good condition. 
HARMLESS SPIDER BITES. 
In refreshing contrast to the usual indefinite and often exaggerated 
accounts of spider bites and their effects, there has come to us the fol- 
lowing from Mr. Th. Pergande, of this Division: 
On the morning of October 25, 1891, Mr. Pergande found a fine speci-- 
