5 
some, it could doubtless be thinned down by the aid of acetylene 
lamps in a pan of water, which would attract it and the trees could 
also be sprayed with tuba water to kill the caterpillars. 
Ec tat ops rubescens .. 
Samples of bark of Para Rubber bored by one of the shot boring 
beetles was sent from Sungei Rengam by Mr. Barnwell. From 
the state of the bark as received I should imagine that the injury 
was postmortem and the tree had died from some other cause, 
unfortunately the beetles themselves had disappeared when I 
received the box. With them however were sent some Hemiptera, 
a red bug resembling the Cotton bug Dysdercus cingulatus and 
apparently Ectatops rubrescens or an allied species. This was 
stated to be seen attacking the larvae of the shot bores, and extrac- 
ting them from their holes with its long beak. The bug is about 
half an inch long, the males being smaller, the head is small thorax 
triangular with the base raised and paler color, the wing cases blunt 
ail bright red with a small black spot at the point where the wings 
cross and a larger one on the clear part of the elytra. Legs long 
and black autumoe slender, base red. upper joints black thoracic 
segments beneath black edged white, abdomen upper half black tip 
red. 
As most of this set of bugs are plant suckers it is interesting to 
find one which is carnivorous. 
LONG DISTANCE TRANSPORTATION OF SEEDS. 
In a letter to the Editor, Mr. J. C. Harvey of San Juan Evange- 
lista, Vera Cruz, Mexico, writes as follows: — 
“ By tf> e way, I have just completed a most interesting experi- 
“ ment. As we all know Castilloa Elastica seeds quickly lose their 
<f vitality under ordinary circumstances and the transmission of 
“ these seeds long distances, involving say as many as 45 to 70 days, 
“ has become a matter of some importance. Well, on May 16th of 
“ this year I packed, in 6 oz. and 8 oz. tins, the fresh seeds dried 
“ and cured 5 days on mats in a shady place, in charcoal which was 
“ fairly well pulverized. To every pint measure of the pulverized 
t charcoal was added one table spoonful of water, mixing the 
charcoal thoroughly by shaking through a sieve. The seeds were 
then put into the tins little by little, adding charcoal and well 
tapping the tins so that the interstices between the seeds w ere 
.thoroughly filled. No more, no less, than the charcoal was heap- 
u up, so that the top of the can would have to be well pressed 
“ down, preventing any movement. The tins were sent to Cali- 
“ fornia to a friend to keep till September 1st to be then returned 
to me. They arrived here September 10th. On opening the tins' 
“ fully 75 % appeared good. They were immediately sowm and 
“ to-day we have 60 % of thrifty young seedlings 6 inches high. 
1 believe at 60 days the percentage would have been 80 % or 
9 ° % °f seedlings. I also instructed a friend who lives in 
‘‘Toungoo. Burma, where • they have some specially line varieties 
