Sir James Hector said that before proceeding to the business of the evening he wished to introduce to the Society Mr. Albert Koebele, an American entomologist, who was making a second trip to the colonies for the purpose of studying the enemies of insect pests. Members would recollect that in 1888 Mr. Koebele, when on a visit to South Australia in search of a small fly (Testophonus), a parasite on that dreadful pest Icerya purchasi, discovered a single ladybird (Vedalia) preying on the pest. He found a second specimen in New South Wales, and then on his arrival in New Zealand he found that the Icerya about Auckland was also being destroyed by something, and this too turned out to be Vedalia. As an energetic and expert entomologist he at once saw that here was the thing he sought. Passing on to Napier, where Icerya had been exceedingly destructive, he was fortunate enough to be able to collect several thousands of Vedalias, and he was able to take them away with him and liberate them, still alive, in California. Now, California had been up to that time so eaten up by Icerya that the damage was estimated at several million dollars annually. Yet, in twelve or fifteen months after the liberation of Vedalia the State of California was practically free from the dreaded pest. This work of Mr. Koebele was in fact one of the grandest things in the interest of fruit- and tree-growers that have been effected in modern times, and he thought no apology would be needed from him for introducing personally to the Society the gentleman who had been so energetic and successful in carrying out this splendid work. He might observe that perhaps the whole thing showed how careful the people of New Zealand ought to have been (and, unfortunately, they had been only too careless) about the introduction of plants from other countries without due investigation of the insect-life on them. But, at least, Mr. Koebele's visits had had this good effect: They had drawn attention in the most practical way to the need of cultivating