Jan.  r,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
45* 
insects — that  are  usually  plentiful — are  comparatively 
scarce,  so  that  the  obtainmeiit  of  an  adequate  ex« 
perimental  shipment  would  now  involve  three  or  four 
days  coutiuuous  labour,  i.e.,  the  expenditure  of  more 
time  than  I can  at  present  devote  to  this  business. 
Past  experience  however  leads  me  to  conclude  that 
this  scarcity  is  only  a temporary  one.  Meanwhile 
it  is  ffratifyiug  to  learn  (though  I still  consider  my- 
self pledged  to  assist  you)  that  you  have  in  your  midst 
an  Indian  insect  that  you  have  found  to  be  destructive 
to  the  green  bug  in  a manner  similar  to  that  which  it 
was  hoped  the  Queensland  Lady  birds  would  displuy. 
I may  inform  you  then,  in  conclusion,  that  these 
Lady  birds  that  you  send,  and  that  yott  have 
observed  “ feeding  on  the  green  bug  on  the  Coffee 
Bushes  ” have  been  examined  by  me  with  much 
interest,  and  I must  congratulate  you  on  the  discovery 
of  an  insect  ot  such  great  economic  importance.  At 
first  I thought  they  were  examples  of  a variety  of 
the  European  and  Asiatic  Exochomus  nifjroniactdatus 
Gbeze  named  by  Erichson  mgripenuis  ; but  the 
structural  features  that  they  manifest  clearly  locate 
them  in  the  genus  Orcuti.  This  being  so,  I am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  species  is  undescribed : 
but  I have  not  access  to  the  most  recent  literature 
relating  to  Indian  Coleoptera,  and,  therefore,  cannot 
pronounce  on  this  point  with  certainty.  Doubtless, 
however,  its  habit  of  consuming  Lecanium  viriiU  has 
not  hitherto  been  observed  or  if  so  recorded. 
We  have  a related  though  a quite  distinct  species 
of  Orcus  inhabiting  Queensland  from  Keppel  Bay 
northwards  that  is  a formidable  enemy  of  scale  in- 
sects— especially  feeding  upon  the  species  ot  Jfi/tilaspis 
and  Aspidiolus  that  injuriously  affect  citraceous  trees. 
And  other  congeners,  that  however  present  marked 
dissimilarity  both  in  livery  and  pattern,  but  that  are 
also  most  useful  in  destroying  coccus  insects,  occur 
in  the  latitude  of  Brisbane  and  elsewhere  in  the  colony. 
From  the  foregoing  statement  you  will  have  also 
inferred  that  your  Lady  bird  is  neither  of  those 
you  mention,  i.e.,  liJdzohius  or  Ventralis  Cnjptohxmus 
Montrouzeri.  Indeed  from  both  of  them  it  may  be 
once  distinguished  at  a glance  in  being  glossy  and 
hairless,  instead  of  being  dull  and  copiously  clothed 
with  a short  pubescence. 
Apologising  for  the  length  of  this  communication, 
I am,  dear  Sir,  Your  faithfully,  (Signed)  Henry 
Tryon,  Entomologist. 
P.  E. — Your  last  consignment  arrived  in  excellent 
order.  I hope  you  will  continue  to  send  me  ex- 
amples of  injurious  insects.  When  it  is  necessary 
to  send  me  them  occurring  upon  their  food  plants, 
as  in  the  case  of  scale  insects,  the  specimens  should 
bo  dried  (not  desiccated)  prior  -to  being  packed. 
All  specimens  (except  butterflies  and  moths)  should 
preferably  be  first  dipped  in  a weak  solution  of  cor- 
rosive sublimate  in  alcohol. 
Letter  / om  H.  O.  Newport  to  Professor  Henry 
Tryon,  Department  of  Agrienlture  Jirishuiie  Queens- 
land, Pillavaly  Estate,  Abtoor  P.  O..  Madura  Dis- 
trict, dated  13th  October  1896. 
Dear  Sir, — I am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  7th 
September  1896,  for  which,  and  all  the  information  it 
contains,  I am  much  indebted  to  you. 
The  green  bug  or  coffee  scale  that  I forwarded  to 
you  1 have  little  doubt  is  as  you  say  Lecanium  viridi. 
The  black  scale  that  I sent  upon  some  cuttings  of  the 
Grevillea  robusta,  I am  inclined  to  think  may  be 
Lecanittm  nigrum,  but  am  not  at  all  sure  of  this.  I 
will  however  take  the  liberty  of  sending  you  some 
more  specimens  of  that,  and  any  other  coffee  scale 
I can  find,  packed  in  testitubes  with  weak  spirit  as  I 
am  doing  at  the  request  of  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Indian  Museum,  Calcutta,  and  trust  that  thus  pre- 
served they  will  reach  you  safely  and  in  good  condition. 
The  black  Lady  bird,  specimens  of  which  I sent  you, 
I have  obtained  an  identification  of  from  Mr.  A.  Alcock, 
of  the  India  Museum,  Calcutta,  as  Chilocorus  nigri- 
tus,  and  have  had  this  subsequently  confirmed  by  Mr. 
Waterhouse,  of  the  British  Natural  History  Museum, 
London.  Mr.  Waterhouse  says  that  Crgptolvemus 
Mountrouzeri  and  Rhizobiu,  Ventralis  belong  to  the 
same  family,  but  are  both  quite  distinct  from  my 
beetle.  He  gives  no  further  particulars  however. 
It  appeal's  that  this  black  Lady  bird  is  known 
therefore  ; but  is  peculiar  to  India  I believe.  Another 
Lady  bird  Chilocorus  circnmdalus  has  been  reported 
to  feed  upon  the  Lecanium  coffee  : but  the  fact  of 
Chiloconis  nigritus  preying  upon  any  of  these  scales 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  noticed  or  reported 
upon  before  this. 
I thank  you  for  your  congratulations,  and  hope 
this  discovery'  may  be  of  use  to  the  planting  com- 
munity here.  I brought  the  matter  to  notice  in  a 
paper  I read  before  the  United  Planters’ Association 
of  Southern  India  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting 
in  August  last,  and  hope  they  will  now  take  the 
matter  up  and  engage  the  services  of  some  ento- 
mological expert  to  carry  on  further  experiments. 
As  I am  not  a Naturalist,  I feel  the  subject  is 
getting  beyond  me.  Since  last  writing  to  you  the  green 
scale  Lecanium  viridi  has,  I am  sorry  to  ssy,  very 
much  increased  in  this  district.  The  Lady  birds 
have  also  increased  and  are  doing  good  work  in  a 
small  way  but  are  not  increasing  as  1 should  like 
to  see  them,  nor  are  they  increasing  in  anything 
like  the  proportions  lihizobius  Ventralis  or  Crypto- 
lunnus  Montrouzeri  must  have  done  in  Hawaii. 
^Vhe:hor  this  slow  increase  points  to  the  presenc 
of  a parasite  or  is  due  to  other  causes  I cannot  yet 
say.  I am  still  carrying  on  experiments,  but  find  my- 
self very  much  handicapped  by  want  of  knowledge 
of  the  subjects  and  experience. 
I hope  soon  to  receive  the  consignments  of  Rhizo- 
bins  IcMf  raffs  and  Cryptolcemus  Mont  rouzeri  you.  sperdk 
of  and  to  experiment  with  them. 
I am  confident  that  these  insects  will  do  all  we 
require  in  eradicating,  or  at  any  rate  keeping  the 
pernici  jtis  scales  in  check,  if  we  can  only  propagate 
them  in  sufficient  numbers. 
If  the  slow  rate  of  increase  of  the  Chilocorus  ni- 
giitus  is  due  to  the  presence  of  an  iehneumonidon  or 
paiasite,  do  you  think  it  likely  that  that  same  para- 
site would  give  us  any  trouble  by  attacking  and  re- 
ducing in  numbers  either  Irtiso&iws  Vantralis  or  Cnjp- 
tolcemus  Montrouzeri  if  we  imported  them  ? 
The  presence  of  a parasite  very  much  complicates 
matters,  and  for  this  reason  particulirly  I am  urging 
the  engagement  of  an  entomological  specialist.  I did 
what  I could  at  the  U.  P.  A.  S.  I.  Meeting,  but  for 
want  of  funds  the  matter  had  to  be  temporarily 
dropped. 
I am  now  in  correspondece  with  the  Honorary  Se- 
cretaries of  other  Planters’  Associations  endeavouring 
to  start  a fund  in  conjunction  with  the  Ceylon  and 
Singapore  Coffee  Planters  to  engage  the  services  of 
Professor  Koebele  or  some  other  expert  for  this 
work. 
Apologising  for  the  length  of  this  letter,  I am  sir, 
yours  faithfully,  (Signed)  Howard  0.  Newport,  Hono- 
rary Secretai'}',  the  Lower  Pulneys  Planters’  Associa- 
tion, Dindigul. — Planting  Opinion,  Nov.  21. 
« 
AFPJCANA. 
ROADS  AND  RAILWAYS. 
Every  year,  when  crop  comes  round,  the  transport 
dii'ficulty  becomes  more  acute.  Want  of  good  roads 
still  prevents  the  general  use  of  ox-waggons.  The 
planter  has  to  compete  with  the  trading  companies 
and  the  Administration  for  human  carriage.  Often 
he  has  to  take  the  sorely  needed  labour  from  es- 
tate-work and  send  them  tenga-tenga  and  still  no- 
thing seems  to  be  done  to  mend  this  deplorable 
state  of  matters.  If  our  Chinde  correspondent  is 
right  and  some  of  the  three  millions  voted  for  the 
Uganda  railway  is  to  be  applied  in  B.  C.  A.  for 
railway  purposes  then  we  will  have  much  cause  for 
thankfulness.  Most  of  us  are  wondering  why  our 
railway  schemes  are  still  so  much  in  the  air.  If  a 
serious  block  i.s  not  to  occur  soon  then  a railway 
must  be  put  in  hand  early  next  year.  According 
to  all  reports  the  Quilimane-Euo  lino  is  being 
started  in  earnest  and  it  is  not  consonant  with 
our  boasted  energy  that  our  line  should  still  bo 
in  abeyance.  There  is  no  question  but  that  it  wil 
