The control of flies is a serious problem in the Egyptian Campaign. In desert camps flies develop at an extraordinary rate, unless rigid sanitary precautions are taken. In native villages they seem to be taken as a matter of course, and it is a common sight to see fruit and food of all kinds, in shops and on street-vendors' carts, swarming with flies. Small children suffering from conjunctivitis are seen in the streets with their eyes thickly covered with flies. Flies of the house-fly type (Musca) are the most troublesome, although blue-bottles (Calliphora), green-bottles (Lucilia) and Sarcophaga are found. These latter are often met with in the desert in the small clumps of palm trees known as “ hods.”

The material on which the following report is based was received by the Imperial Bureau of Entomology some months ago, but without any note as to the host attachment of the examples forwarded or any other indication of their special importance. For this reason the two species of Chalcids recorded below remained unworked for some time. A more recent letter from Dr. J. J. Simpson disclosed the interesting fact that both had been bred from puparia of Glossina; and although I am unable at present to deal fully with them, it seems advisable to publish some notes and a preliminary description of one species which seems certainly new.

The object of this paper is to supplement an article which appeared early in 1914 in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture of British Guiana (Vol. iii, No. 3.) At that time it was proposed to publish a further account of these insects as soon as more species had been collected and identified, and fuller information gained. Also, taking into consideration the great economic importance of the Coccidae, it has been deemed advisable to disseminate as widely as possible all information which has been acquired concerning them locally. In the previous article, some fifty-one species were enumerated and notes recorded concerning their habits and economic importance. In this paper information appertaining to sixty-eight species is given, a number of which are new to science. Further knowledge with regard to the parasites and predaceous enemies has been gained, as well as their economic status.

It will probably be of interest to workers on Coccids in other parts of the world to know which species have been introduced into South Africa and to what extent they have become established. Moreover, since so many of these are constantly found during the inspection of our nurseries, etc., it seems desirable to place on record their known distribution (August, 1917) for future reference. Fifty-five are included in this list, which is considered to be approximately complete. Others, such as Lecanium bituberculatum, Targ., L. corni, Bouché, Pulvinaria betulae (L), Sign., Diaspis rosae (Bouché), Aspidiotus piri, Licht., and A. ostreaeformis, Curt., have been stopped at the ports of entry, but since these species are not established in the country they are not included.

Aserica variegata, sp. nov.

Ferruginea, subopaca, fronte, pronoti macula magna tripartita elytrorumque plagis tessellatis viridinigris; sat longe ovalis, corpore supra et subtus irregulariter albo-setoso, scutelli lateribus elytrorumque basi densius setosis, partibus obscuribus fere nudis, hic et illic dorso squamis nonnullis majoribus ornato; clypeo grosse et rugose punctato, antice leviter emarginato, fronte et pronoto parce punctatis, hujus lateribus leviter arcuatis, angulis anticis acutis, posticis rectis, elytris profunde striatis, intervallis convexis; pygidio parce punctato et setoso, linea mediana laevi; pedibus haud brevibus, tibiis anticis fortiter bidentatis, posticis modice latis.

Tragocephala maynei, sp. nov.

T. nobili (Fab.) affinis, sed differt capitis medio haud vittato, elytris prope basin non transversim fasciatis. Capite inter antennas sat lato fere piano, margine antica frontis genarumque et macula pone oculum coeruleis; prothorace utrinque ante tuberculum lateralem ochreo-fulvo fasciato, basi lateraliter coerulescente; elytris nigro-velutinis, utrisque maculis quatuor ochreo-fulvis notatis: macula prima ad latus paullo pone humerum, secunda transversa et tertia parva rotunda obliquiter positis pone medium, quarta transversa paullo ante apicem; macula infra humerum, puncta postero-laterali, et macula minuta ad suturam vix ante apicem coerulescentibus; corpore inferiore pedibusque coerulescentibus, nigro fasciatis et maculatis; antennis (♀) paullo pone medium elytrorum transeuntibus, scapo ad apicem angustim cicatricoso; prosterno sat lato, antice verticali et transversim truncato, mesosterno antice late rotundato; femoribus brevibus subclavatim incrassatis.

In the following list the species marked with an asterisk were described as new from the material collected by the author.

Subfamily Monophlebinae.

1. Monophlebus raddoni, Westw. Food-plant unknown.

2. Icerya caudatum, Newst. On crotons.

3. Icerya nigroareolata, Newst. On coffee and crotons.

4. Icerya seychellarum, Westw. On Monodora myristica, Eranthemum bicolor and mango.

5. Icerya sulphurea, Lind. On Castilloa rubber and guava.

Pendulinus devastans, sp. nov.

Above with the head, pronotum, scutellum and corium ochraceous, thickly darkly punctate; narrow margins to the pronotum and scutellum and the margins and venation to corium pale ochraceous and impunctate; membrane shining bronzy-brown; body beneath and legs pale ochraceous; head beneath and sternum thickly but not darkly punctate, a small shining black spot on each side near outer margins of posterior coxae; tibiae sometimes moderately roseate in hue; antennae reddish-ochraceous, apical joint either paler in hue, or testaceous with the bases and apices paler, basal joint moderately thickened and a little curved outwardly, its apical area somewhat incrassate, first and second joints almost subequal in length, second and third joints slender, second longer than third, fourth incrassate, subequal in length to third; head above centrally longitudinally incised; lateral pronotal angles subprominent; venation of corium robust.