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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Jan.  i,  1897 
tect.  them  and  careful  notice  taken  of  their  habits 
and  movements  to  assist  and  make  snre  of  their 
rapid  propagation  and  increase.  So  far  nothing 
has  been  done  with  Chilocorus  niyritnx.  Whether 
the  alow  increase  is  due  to  the  presence  of  a 
parasite  or  to  other  natural  causes,  I cannot  say. 
I have  never,  in  my  observations,  seen  more  than 
five  or  six  eggs  together  that  have  been  laid  by  the 
Lady  birds,  and  this  may  be  a reason,  but  until  sn 
expert  entomologist  looks  into  the  matter,  this  point 
will  not  be  satisfactorily  settled. 
It  appears  from  frofessor  Tryon’s  letter  that  this 
is  a bad  year  for  Lady  birds  in  Australia,  and  until 
we  have  the  opinion  of  an  expert  to  the  contrary, 
may  conclude  that  the  ‘ exceptional  meteorological 
conditions  ’ Professor  Tryon  speaks  of  may  have  been 
present  in  India  also.  Chilocorus  niyritus  on  the 
Lower  Pulneys  have  increased  to  a great  extent 
since  first  noticed,  and  so  far  as  I can  tell  as  fast 
as  could  be  expected,  without  any  protection  of  any 
sort,  and  if  they  continue  to  increase  a little  while 
longer  will  do  all  that  is  expected,  and  hoped  of  them. 
With  regard  to  the  Ceylon  Green  bug  [Ijccaniwn 
viridi),  it  appears,  from  notes  on  the  subject  1 have 
obtained  from  the  India  Museum,  that  hitherto  no 
male  has  been  observed.  Mr.  E.  E.  Green  in  his 
Life-History  of  this  scale  (Lecaniuin  viridi)  says  ; — 
“The  male  insect  is  at  present  unknown.  It  is 
probable  that  the  insects  now  existing,  though 
externally  resembling  the  female  form,  are  asexuala, 
and  that  their  broods  are  produced  by  the  pheno- 
menon known  as  ‘‘Parthenogenesis,  by  avnich  several 
successive  generations  are  fertile  without  the  aid  of 
the  male  element  ^as  is  known  to  occur  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Aphis  and  a few  allied  ins3ots).”  It 
may,  therefore,  be  presumed  that  this  pest  will 
appear  and  disappear  again  at  regular  intervals 
probably  of  some  years’  duration,  and  that  when  the 
male  element  becomes  necessary  again,  the  scale 
will  die  off,  or  disapjpear,  leaving  only  a very  few 
living  to  perpetuate  the  species  which  will  again  after 
due  season  becomes  asexual  and  propagate  in  very 
large  numbers.  It  is  10  to  15  years  since  green  scale 
bug  did  much  damage  in  Ceylon,  and  so  far  as  is 
known  was  reported  in  S.  India  for  the  first  time 
last  year.  How  long  the  bug  remained  in  Ceylon 
is  difficult  to  say,  as  its  natural  food,  coffee,  was 
probably  removed  before  it  had  naturally  disap- 
peared, but  we  may  reasonably  hope,  I think,  that 
in  a year  or  within  a few  years  time,  this  pest  will 
disappear  as  rapidly  as  it  appeared,  and  that  wo 
shall  then  be  free  of  it  for  another  long  term  of  years. 
With  the  many  insects  that  are  reported  as  prey- 
ing upon  various  of  our  scale  pests — a list  of  which  I 
give  below — as  far  as  I can  ascertain  no  experiments 
have  been  carried  out  or  endeavours  made  to  propa- 
gate any  one  with  tho  object  of  exterminating coceiV/fr. 
The  following  list  will  show  that  we  have  several 
indigenous  Lady  birds  and  many  flies  that  will  and 
do  prey  upon  plant  lice  and  scale,  the  examination 
of  which,  together  with  the  introduction  of  well-known 
foreign  insects,  would  surely  give  an  entomologist  plenty 
to  do  and  sufficient  material  to  work  upon  to  ensure  a 
satisfactory  result.  If  our  indigenous  Lady  birds  with 
ordinary  care  are  not  found  to  propagate  sufficiently 
fast,  the  imported  Lady  birds  can,  as  has  been  shown, 
be  propagated  with  due  care. 
Liat  of  coffee  scales,  die.,  and  predaceous  insects. 
Brown  Bug — Jjccantum  cofee  — Chilocorus  circum- 
datus.  Lady  bird. 
„ „ „ „ „ Eucyrtus  nieC 
neri,  Fly 
„ „ „ „ 1)  Eucyrtus  2>ara- 
disicus  ,, 
,,  „ ,,  ,,  „ Scuiellistra 
cyanea  „ 
„ ,,  ,,  ,.  ,,  Marietta  Ico- 
pardina  ,, 
„ „ „ „ ..  Cephaleta 
piupureincn- 
tris  „ 
„ „ „ „ Cephaleta  jus- 
civentris  ,, 
White  Bug — Pseudococcus  adonidum  „ Scymnus  rottin- 
datus.  Lady  bird. 
,,  ,,  ,,  ,,  ,,  Eucyrtus  nietnei-i. 
Fly. 
Green  Bug — Lecanium  viridi 
Coffee  Louse— ^lp/( is  coffee 
„ Chartocerus 
musciformis  „ 
„ Chilocorus  nig- 
ritus.  Lady  bird. 
,,  Syrphus  nietneri^ 
Fly. 
>>  n 
»»  1) 
Tea  Scale  Jiag—Chronaspis  iheoe 
„ Syrphus  splen- 
dens  ,) 
,,  Micromus  aus- 
tralis, Ant  Lion. 
,,  Appelinus 
theoe.  Fly. 
Coffee  Bug — Dac'ylopius  adonidum. 
Black  Bug — Lacaniuni  nigrum. 
India  Museum  Notes,  Vol.  II.,  No.  fi.  Howard  O. 
Newport,  honorary  Secretary,  Lower  Pulnej  Planters’ 
Association,  loth  October  1896. 
Letter  from  Cash  O.  Waterhouse  to  H.  O.  Newport, 
dated  British  Museum  (Natural  History),  Cromwell 
Hoad,  Loudon,  S.W.,  September  1th,  1896. 
Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  11th  August,  I 
beg  to  inform  you  that  the  Lady  birds  sent  are  to  the 
best  of  my  judgment  Chilocorus  Nigrilus,  Fabr.  Cryp- 
ptoloemus  Montrouzeri  and  Hhizobius  Centralis  belong  to 
the  same  family,  but  are  both  quite  distinct  from  your 
beetle.  I can  give  you  no  information  respecting  the 
scale  insect  at  present.  I am,  dear  Sir,  Yours  truly, 
(S  gned)  Chas  0.  Watkbhouse. 
Letter  from  P rofessor  demy  Tryou,  Queensland,  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  Brisbane,  to  Howard  0. 
Newport,  Esq.,  Ilomrary  Secretary,  Lower  Pulneys 
Planters’  A,.ssociation,  Dindiyul,  S.  India,  dated  1th 
September  1896. 
Dear  Sir,— I have  delayed  replying  to  your  letter 
of  15th  June  until  now,  having  hoped  in  the  mean- 
time to  have  received  additional  specimens  of  the 
coffee-tree  scale  insects,  concerning  which  you  have 
consulted  me;  those  you  have  sent  not  b.in(  in  a 
condition  suitable  for  accurate  investigation  owing 
to  their  having  been  badly  molded.  However  , as 
you  wiite  to  me  again  on  the  subject,  under  dats 
of  11th  August,  I will  no  longer  delay  communi- 
cating what  I have  to  say  in  the  matter. 
Tlie  “ smaller  almost  transparent  light  green 
scale”  that  appeared  upon  the  trees  during  the 
“ hot  months  of  March,  April  and  May,  but  dis- 
appeared again  when  the  rains  came  on  in  June 
and  July”  is,  I presume,  the  insect  that  I have 
met  with  upon  the  cofTee  leaves  you  have  sent. 
If  so,  I may  state  that  this  is  with  little 
doubt  the  coccus  that  Mr.  E.  E.  Green  has  de.scribed 
under  the  of  name  Lecanium  viridi.  This  species 
is  recognisable  owing  to  the  preseuce  of  a series  of 
branched  appendages  of  microscopic  dimensions  that 
occur  along  the  margin  and  which  are  not  difficult  of 
demonstration. 
The  second  variety  of  scale  that  you  mention,  but 
neither  describe  nor  designate,  I have  however  failed 
to  meet  with  in  your  consignment  and  therefore  can- 
not now  treat  of.  But  I may  remark  that  I have 
detected,  upon  some  leafless  brauchlets,  from  which  I 
presume  the  Gt  •rillca  leaves— that  you  also  send— have 
becoiue  detached  and  which  therefore  may  too  belong 
to  this  shade  tree,  numerous  elevated  rounded  black 
bodies.  These  may  have  formeily  been  sca’e  insects 
but  at  the  time  of  their  receipt  were  merely  masses 
of  fungus  having  blackish-hrown  spawn-threads  and 
bipartite  spores. 
I have  little  doubt  but  that  the  green  bug 
fhecanium  viridi),  as  are  other  members  of 
the  genus  to  which  it  belongs,  would  be  held 
in  check  by  either  of  t wo  of  our  scymnid  boo  ties— 
Cryptolmmus  Montrouzeri  ot  Hhizobius  Ventralis—A  con- 
sigumeut  of  both  of  these  predaceous  insects  I had 
expected  to  have  placed  at  your  disposal  ere  this  • 
but  it  has  unfortunately  happened  that  owing  to 
e-xceptional  meteorological  conditions  that  haveTboen 
experienced  during  our  winter  mouths,  these  twg 
