July i, 1897 .] 
THE I'ROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
35 
Several trials with Japanese bats resulted in a faiiure, 
On the other hand toads from California andjap’.n 
are breeding and the f jur species of Japanese frogs 
no doubt as well. The benefit to tho Islands through 
the iutroductiou of these Batrachians will be consider- 
able. Si :ce all of them live chiefly on insect life, 
they will have sufficient food for a long time to come, 
on the numerous Japanese beetles (A.doretus urn- 
brosus, var. tennimaculatus, Waterh), on the cane 
borer (Sphenophorus obscurus), and the numerous cut 
worm larvae. 
A great many of injurious insects are yet present 
on the Islands, and they will be dealt with entirely 
by introducing natural enemies for the same. Arti- 
ficial remedies even if effective for a short time are 
too expensive, and if possible I will not recommend 
such. We cannot use effectively washes or hydro- 
cyanide acid gas, as is done in America, without 
injury to the tropical plants. 1 have taken the work 
upon me to do the best for the Islands without further 
expense, and I will not recommend nor even approve 
of them. (We yet will have to deal with the various 
cut worms and other noctuid larvae that are a 
serious drawback to the growing of garden produce.) 
Agrotis ypilon, Rott, a cosmopolitan insect, is prob- 
ably one of the commonest and most injurious, it is 
found on the sea shores and up to the highest moun- 
tain peaks. A saucia, Hbn, another mcth found 
everywhere, was also observed to attack garden 
vegetables on the higher elevations and also a num- 
ber of other species of Agrotis equally injurious. 
The American army worm, lecania unipuncta. Haw, 
is very numerous. It feeds upon grasses, and conse- 
quently equally well upon the sugar cane. At Olaa a 
Noctuid larva was seen swarming upon and destroy- 
ing the various weeds amongst the coffee plants, not 
feeding upon these however. The larva of Plusia verti- 
cyllata, is doing more or less damage to the young 
coffee plants, The most numerous of all however is 
the Pelua, Baphygma frugiperda, Hbm, occasionally 
found covering grasss land for miles. Then there are 
large numbers of Tortricids, Pyralids and Tineids 
present. All the introduced species are injurious 
in more or less extent according upon what they 
feed. 
Upon all the many introduced species of Moths 
there are exceedingly few introduced parasites to be 
found, the indigenous forms living upon native moths 
are hardly ever met below an elevation of 1,500 
feet. The most valuable pai-asites of Noctuid larvae 
are the Tachina flies, of which but one native 
species exists on higher elevations. 
Of Migrogaster, none have been observed upon 
Noctuid nor Sphingid larva on the Islands, Many 
injurious moths have found their way to the Islands, 
yet save a very few hymenopterrous parasites, we 
may oay they practically enjoy an almost entire im- 
munity from such. 
A small white fly, a species of Aleurodes, is causing 
some anxiety in Olaa dist ict. They have increased 
enormously upon the coffee trees. Many insects 
preying upon the same were recently sent there, 
and others will follow in succesion, as well as in- 
ternal parasites, and I am confident with these 
they will speedily disappear. At the same place 
Slugs are also destructive, and a trial will be made to 
introduce such beetles as are known to live upon 
the same. 
The Japanese Beetle, — This beetle, Adoretus uin- 
brosus, Var.; Teriuimaculatus, Waterh., has been 
probably introduced from that country, and more 
than likely in the soil coming with the numerous 
plants from thei’e. I met with tho insects quite 
frequently daring summer around Yokohama especi- 
ally while collecting in the forests, where they fell 
in my umbrella while be-ating for the various coci- 
nellidae on oak, alder and many other forest trees 
upon which they feed at night. Not in one instance 
did I see a specimen in a garden. It is the various 
species of Cetonia that come to and eat the flowers 
in gardens, and principally the rose,s. Repeated 
search was also made for the larva of these beetles 
in gardens, yet it is always that of other and larger 
species that are met with in such places, and the 
injury caused by them by eating the roots of the 
v'arious garden plants is very annoying. It was ob- 
served at one place that the most of the violets were 
practically eaten by these larvae under ground. Mr. 
Alfred Unger of Yokohama, related to me an instance 
of the value of the mole as an enemy for the Soarabaeid 
larva which is worthy to record. A gentleman at 
that place, in building a lawn for a cricket ground, 
had a brick wall surrounding this to a depth of 
several feet to prevent the moles from injuring 
the lawn. All went well for a few months, at the 
end of which the grass begun to get yellow and 
die off. All efforts with manure and water were 
useless, and he continuously found larvae of Scara- 
baeids that had come to the surface to die. Nothing 
could be found to remedy the evil until Mr. Unger 
advised the gentleman to tear away the wall and 
give the moles access to the larvae, which was done, 
and to the pleasure of the party, his lawn soon 
recovered. 
The beetle at the present time is found all 
over Oahu, on Maui and Kauai and it will be but 
a question of tiins when they will appear on Hawaii, 
if they are not already present. In going over to 
Kauai, the insect was found flying around the lamp 
on the steamer, and also off Maui, on the way to Hilo, 
one of the insects was found in similar condition. 
The most trouble will be experienced by the same 
in the drier localities, whilst in places like Olaa, the 
fungoid disease destructive to the same will flourish 
upon and destroy most of them. 
Annual Broods. — In Japan, where the tempera- 
ture will probably allow the larvse but six months 
active life, it may be that there it has but a single 
annual brood, and with the many enemies present 
it is no wonder that the beetle in consequence can 
be called rare. I have had the larvse barely out of 
eggs in Honolulu, and yet in three weeks later they 
were full grown upon the decayed manure— not in 
general use in Japan — where they doubtless fed upon 
deca.yed vegetable matter, as they also do on the 
Islands. The elongate small white eggs hatch in about 
seven to ten days, and the pupae gives forth the 
mature insect in from ten to fourteen days. Thus 
it will be seen that the whole transformation takes 
fr.im six to seven weeks in summer at Honolulu. 
Pood Plants. — These are too many to be 
enumerated. After the roses were gone the 
beetles paid their attention to various other 
bushes and trees in Honolulu and but few re- 
mained entirely free from their attacks. The orange 
was more or less attacked, and so had been the Ara- 
nian coffee tree, yet the Liberian coffee tree in some 
instances was practically defoliated, as were peach 
trees. The taro and cane leaves are also relished ; 
and like the guava, alligator pear, pomegranate, Java 
plum ; the grape vines are defoliated, and so is the 
umbrella ti’ee (Terminalia catalpa), various palms, 
especially Areca and Phoenyx, Cycas; many of the 
garden plants, as the Mexican vine, sunflower, and 
even violets, suffer from their enormous appetite. 
Many more plants could be mentioned, but it would be 
far easier to give a list of such not attacked by them. 
The same could be said of their work in the forests ; 
here also some of the trees had the appearance as if 
fire had gone through them. 
Enemies.— As the beetle is a night-flying insect, only 
becoming active after the few insect-feeding birds have 
gone to rest, and as there are no moles present, not 
even a single Carabid beetle to feed upon the larvae, 
these can breed in hundreds. The minah bird no 
doubt devours all the beetles that he can get, yet we 
never have observed it to search for the same as does 
the house sparrow. Almost every crevice was exa- 
mined around houses, walls, etc., and the rough bark 
of trees likewise. Here the sparrows could be seen 
climbing up and down the bark nearly as well as a 
woodpecker, searching for these beetles for its off- 
spring. 
Sarcophaga flies were repeatedly bred from jars 
containing these beetles, and on an old fern stump, 
hollow within, where the beetles secreted themselves, 
the newly hatched flies were almost daily observed sit- 
ting on the outside. It is a well known fact that these 
