270 



THE AECHTPPrS BriTEEFLY EATEX BY MICE. 



Dr. ]\IeiTiam lias also gixen us a box contaimiig a number of wings of 

 the common Arehippus butterfly .Danais arc]iip2J^fS = ^^tosia jjJexijjpus) 

 which were sent to him by Mr. Attwater. above mentioned, with the 

 following label: -Wings of butterflies, the bodies of which have been 

 eaten by white-footed mice, from an island in. Aransas Bay. four miles 

 south of Eockport, Tex., collected XoTember. 1892." This observa- 

 tion bears an especial significance. The Archipx>us butterfly is a mi- 

 gratory species, as has been frequently stated in these pages, and flies 

 south on the approach of winter for hibernating purposes. It is. more- 

 over, one of the species which is seldom or never attacked by birds on 

 account of its nauseous taste and odor. Abundant evidence in support 

 of this fact we brought out in an article on mimicry as illustrated by 

 Li men it is disijjpus and Danais arcliippus in oui^ Third Eeport on the 

 Insects of ^lissouri. The former species bears a strong protective re- 

 semblance to the latter. Mr. Attwater's observation shows that, how- 

 ever exempt the Arehippus may be fi^om birds and other natural ene- 

 mies, it is tmquestionably desnoyed by these little white-footed mice in 

 considerable numbers when hidden away in hibernating quarters in the 

 south. The box which he sent contained 13 hind wings and 50 front 

 wingSj and of the front wings there were 23 right and 27 left, repre- 

 senting the destruction of at least 27 specunens. The mouse referred 

 to in the field note. Dr. Merriam informs us, is not a white-footed mouse, 

 but one of the grasshopper or scorpion mice of the genus Onychomys. 



>'OTES ox S03IE IX'SECI PESTS OF THE FIJI ISLAX'DS. 



Our agent. Mr. A. Koebele, has lately sent us a small lot of speci- 

 mens with accompanying notes of interest. The Sandwich Island 

 Sugar-cane Borer, which was treated in volume i of Insect Life (pp. 

 185-189) he states is also very destructive to cane in the Fiji Islands. 

 A somewhat similar Calandrid was associated with this species under 

 the same number and has doubtless the same or siniilar habits. Neither 

 of these, it should be said, belong to the true genus Sphenophorus as 

 at present restricted. A third species is also sent with the statement 

 that it is destructive in the larva state to cane by feeding on the larger 

 roots. It is a Scarabieid. bearing some resemblance to our Lachuos- 

 terna. and probably belongs to the genus Anchylonycha. 



Mr. Koebele also sends a Tineid Moth, belonging, evidently, to the 

 Plutellid;^. and found feeding in the stalks of the Sugar-cane, and a 

 small, black Pyromorijhid closely related to our Acoloithus andHarris- 

 ina. The latter is said to be spreading over the South Sea Islands 

 where it is destroying the pahn leaves by devouiing the epidermis. 

 He farther says, writing under date of Febmary 13, that all the cocoa- 

 nut plantations in the Fijis are being ravaged, the trees bearing only a 

 few green leaves at their tops. He has been informed that the insect 

 first apijeared some years ago at the Sandwich Islands, coming, it is 



