16 
Anotherwas found living on lecanium viride and 
appeared suddenly at the beginning of 1912, although the same 
sjDecies was brought over from Peradeniya in 1911 where it 
was found destroying the same scale insects on Gardenia latifo- 
lia. This fnngus well known in the West Indies has been iden¬ 
tified by Mr Fetch as being “Oeplialosporium lecanii”. 
It belongs to the Hyphomycete or mould family and it has 
now spread to all parts of the Archipelago keeping in check 
the green scale to such an extent that it is a surprise to tnany 
planters to see now cofBee bushes being restored to health in 
the most mysterious manner. 
Attempts were made to propagate it at the Botanic Station 
in the low country. 
During the rainy weather all the plants put under obser- 
Tation, coffee, ixoras, &c, in a shady place were immediately 
restored to health the scale insects having been destroye'l in a 
few weeks by the fungus. But when it was decide! to place 
the living fungus in the sun during the dry monsoon season 
(May—September) no scale insects to speak of were destroyed 
by the parasites which rapidly disappeared. I do not think it 
will ever be possible to spread this fungus in the low country 
except in exceptionnally wet years as 1912, but attempts should 
be continued to have it established in those localities where 
coffee is grown under shade and where this species of fungus 
might become acclimatised in the long run. In the up country dis¬ 
tricts, these useful parasites which have been shown to the in¬ 
terested parties in all localities, should be jealously guarded 
from de»truction and transplanted from one locality to another 
following the track of the green scale. 
The transplantation is so easily made by tying infested 
twigs to non-infested trees that the propagation of the fungus 
presents no difficulty. It is in these up country localities that 
citrus and coffee trees should be again planted for the benefit 
of those who formerly purchased coffee, limes, and oranges so 
cheaply. 
But even in these localities a most careful examination of 
the indigenous jungle trees of the same family [Rubiaeece) 
should be made and useless bushes such as cafe marron {Randia 
sp.) various Psychotrias (bois couleuvre), Morinda citrifolia 
(bois tortue) should be mercilessly destroyed in order to pre¬ 
vent the lecanium viride scale from getting more and more es¬ 
tablished on these plants to which they have already spread 
to a considerable extent. 
Another fungus was identified as 3Iicroeera sp. on the small 
white scales {Diaspis pentacjona) which attacks Flacourtia (prunes) 
pigeon pea (ambrevadier) and papaw {Carica papaya). It is one 
fungus of this family which was successfully propagated in 
Florida and used to control the white flies {aleurodidce). Like 
the Cephalosporium fungus it requires I am afraid, tlie rainy 
weather to become practically useful and no planter in presence 
of so many parasitic diseases should neglect at the same time 
the destruction of scale insects by means of artificial means, i.e. 
spraying with insecticides. 
The small black ant [Technomyrmex albipes) which is the 
commensal of the scale insects and materially assists them in 
their work of destruction is still very abundant in all localities. 
It has by itself become a plague on account of its depredations 
on household supplies. It should however be remembered that 
scale insects in the young stage are supplied with means of 
locomotion and that it is very common to see in Seychelles 
young Iceryas which are so conspicious crawling up the stems of 
Citrus and even Breadfruit trees. This year an attempt was 
made to destroy these ants by adopting two methods, one 
described by professor Woodworth of California, and the other 
which is more a preventive than a destructive measure and con¬ 
sists in tying paper bands glued with a patented mixture 
(Adhesite) to the stem of the trees infested with ants. 
