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tories  in  California,  one  at  Los  Angeles  and  one  at  Alameda  for 
the  purpose  of  studying  with  all  care  the  best  means  for  fighting 
scalebugs  and  specially  I eery  a,  and  joining  Coquillet  in  recom- 
mending fumigation  with  hydrocyanic  acid,  as  the  means  most 
liable  to  protect  the  citrus  trees  against  this  scalebug. 
But  while  Riley  instituted  experiments  with  artificial  means  he 
did  not  lose  sight  of  the  natural  method,  which  he  had  recom- 
mended for  other  insects  and  continued  to  gather  information 
from  foreign  entomologists  in  order  to  ascertain  the  original 
home  of  Icerya.  After  a voyage  which  he  undertook  in  October, 
1887,  and  during  which  he  had  the  opportunity  to  see  at  Paris 
the  collection  of  scalebugs  by  Signoret  and  to  convince  himself 
that  I.  sacchari  was  a species  distinct  from  I.  purchasi  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  very  probably  the  latter  was  a native  of  Australia. 
Coming  back  then  to  what  he  had  already  written  in  1886,  in  a 
report  as  entomologist  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  to 
what  he  had  said  in  a lecture  before  the  agriculturists  of  River- 
side, California,  in  1887,  and  in  a paper  presented  to  the  Philoso- 
phical Society  in  Washington  in  the  winter  of  1888  and  in  other 
places  he  recommended  with  all  his  influence  to  introduce  the 
natural  enemies  which  Icerya  had  in  Australia. 
He  tried  before  all  to  secure  living  specimens  of  the  enemies 
of  Icerya  by  the  aid  of  Mr.  F.  L.  Crawford  of  Adelaide  (South 
Australia),  who  succeeded  in  sending  in  1888  several  lots  of  liv- 
ing specimens  of  the  Dipteron  Lestophonus  iceryae,  Will.  This 
species  became  acclimated  in  California,  but  its  activity  was  ob- 
scured by  Novius  cardinalis  which  was  imported  shortly  there- 
after. 
Riley,  insisting  on  the  necessity  of  sending  an  entomologist  to 
Australia  to  study  there  the  active  enemies  of  Icerya 
and  supported  by  public  opinion  in  California,  echoed 
before  Congress  by  one  of  their  representatives  (H.  H. 
Markham),  was  finally  granted  in  1888  the  addition  to  the 
commission  to  the  Melbourne  exposition  of  two  agents  of  the 
entomological  division,  one  of  whom  was  to  have  charge  of  the 
research  work  and  the  sending  of  parasites. 
For  this  work  the  sum  of  $10,000  was  appropriated  and  Albert 
Koebele  was  selected  and  specially  entrusted  with  the  study  of 
the  natural  enemies  of  Icerya. 
A happier  choice  could  not  have  been  made,  because  Koebele 
from  that  time  till  now  has  always  proved  a man  exceptional  by 
his  enthusiasm  and  by  his  ability  in  the  search  for  insect  parasites. 
Koebele  departed  for  Australia  in  August,  1888,  and  upon  ar- 
rival, hardly  touched  the  northern  part  of  Adelaide  when  he  found 
the  first  Novius  cardinalis  and  could  observe  its  activity.  He 
succeeded  in  course  of  few  months  to  send  five  lots  to  Cali- 
fornia where  in  all  514  specimens  arrived  alive.  They  were 
first  raised  on  citrus  trees  strongly  infected  by  Icerya  under  the 
