This report, which is of a preliminary nature, deals with the species of Culicidae met with in Macedonia by the British Malaria Commission during the latter half, of 1917. The collections of the Commission have been augmented by material forwarded from time to time to the Malaria Enquiry Laboratory, Salonika, by various Medical Officers and others in the field. While engaged in working out these and other blood-sucking Arthropods, I had the privilege of examining, through the kindness of Dr. Joyeux, of the Mission Antipaludique, samples of species taken within the areas under French control. As our reports are to appear almost simultaneously, and as my colleague has devoted special attention to the larval morphology of these insects, I have confined myself here mainly to the adults, and field notes. I desire to thank heartily the following officers for material and notes supplied—Majors Bissett and Armour; Captains Boyd, Candler, Peacock and Carnwath. I have also been indebted in many ways to the kindness of Lt.-Col. C. M. Wenyon, O.C. the Malaria Enquiry Laboratory. For the work of identification the Trustees of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) have afforded every facility, and in this connection my best thanks are due to Mr. Lang of the Museum Staff. Again, as on many another occasion, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance ungrudgingly rendered by Dr. G. A. K. Marshall, Director, Imperial Bureau of Entomology.

Among some insects recently sent for identification to the Imperial Bureau of Entomology by Mr. T. Bainbrigge Fletcher, Imperial Entomologist for India, and Dr. K. Dammerman, Government Entomologist for Java, there were four undescribed species of Curculionidae, all of which are recorded as attacking cultivated plants, though the extent of the injury inflicted is not indicated.

The eggs of the three species of bot-flies discussed in this paper are distinguished by the fact of that of G. haemorrhoidalis being the only one stalked. It is also longer than those of the other two species, which are of about equal length. Further, it is brownish black in colour, that of G. intestinalis being whitish yellow and G. nasalis yellow. The egg of G. intestinalis adheres to the hair by clasping flanges, which run only two-thirds of its length, whilst the flanges of the G. nasalis egg run almost the entire length.

The egg of G. haemorrhoidalis is not inserted nor screwed into the skin of the host. The eggs of G. intestinalis are laid indiscriminately on the body of the host, but preferably on the long hairs investing the inside of the foreleg. G. nasalis lays its eggs on the hairs of the intermaxillary space, and G. haemorrhoidalis on the hairs of the lips, preferably the lower.

Some additional fruit-flies of the genus Dacus (s.l.) from the Ethiopian Region have been recently submitted to me for study by the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, through the kindness of Dr. G. A. K. Marshall, the Director.

The history of but few insects can be compared with that of Pectinophora (Geleckia) gossypiella, which, having started as a minor pest in its native country and having been transported by human agency to a new country, has there suddenly leapt to the most important position as a major pest of the crop it attacks. In this respect it may be placed with the Phylloxera and the gipsy moth.

Although the chief object of this paper is to consider certain aspects of the damage done by the pink bollworm to the cotton crop, the following short summary of the established facts concerning the life-history of the insect may be useful to readers not familiar with its habits.

Food-Plants. The pink bollworm feeds on cotton (Gossypium, various species), okra (Hibiscus esculentus ; Arabic : bamia ; Hindustani : bhindi), Deccan hemp (Hibiscus cannabinus ; Arabic : til), hollyhock (Althaea rosea), mallow (Malva sp., probably silvestris), Thespesia populnea (fide Fullaway ; this record is considered doubtful by Busck), and Abutilon sp. (Arabic : hanbuk ; fide King).

It will be noticed that all these plants belong to the Malvaceae. The record for pomegranates given by Dudgeon and Gough is without doubt due to error.

Of all these food-plants cotton is preferred. The larvae attack the stems (feeding in the cambium and boring a tunnel which encircles the stem), flowers, flower-buds, bolls and seeds.

Although a large variety of plant-galls are known in South Africa, only four have so far been determined to be caused by Coccids. These are of particular interest because no two of them are similar, and more remarkable still is the fact that no two of the insects belong to the same genus, nor apparently to the same sub-family. Under these circumstances it has been thought advisable to group them together without reference to their systematic position in this paper. The characters of the galls and insects may be seen from Plates iii and iv.

The oyster-shell or mussel scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi, L.) (fig. 1) is too well known to need any particular introduction ; suffice it to say that this insect has followed its principal food-plant, the apple tree, over the world. Though usually considered a serious pest in places in which it has been long established, such as England and

Canada, it is not increasing. There must then be agencies at work destroying annually about 98 per cent. of the progeny of each pair of scales. In different countries these agencies may differ greatly. It is the purpose of the present paper to give a general outline of the principal factors operating in the control of this scale in Canada, and more especially in Eastern Canada. The study, which has been carried on under the direction of the Dominion Entomologist, Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt, is based on the literature of the subject and on the examination of about eighteen thousand egg-masses of scales collected, between September 1916 and April 1917, from representative places throughout Canada. Most of this material was gathered by the officers and friends of the Entomological Branch and mailed to the Dominion Entomological Laboratory at Fredericton, N.B., for examination. The names of these gentlemen appear in the analysis table (on page 191) opposite their respective collections and it is a pleasure to acknowledge their kindly assistance. Each 100 of these egg-masses was, so far as practicable, an average 100 selected from several twigs of one tree or bush. So far as possible, collections were made from five trees or bushes at each observation point.

This genus was recently described by Dr. Speiser and is a very characteristic one, on account of its elongate and slender body and bare 3rd longitudinal vein. The species belonging here, as long ago pointed out by Loew, have a great resemblance to those of the genus Elaphromyia, but they are at once distinguished by the thin and black occipital row, by the pointed lower angle of the anal cell and by the non-reticulate wing pattern. The genus is evidently allied to Ocneros, but has nothing to do with Rioxa. I will give here some additional details to the short description of Dr. Speiser

Like Aspidiotus, except that the adult ♀ remains enclosed in the skin of the 2nd stage, with the exception of the pygidium, which extends through the hind part of the enclosing skin, beyond the posterior margin of the 2nd stage female (fig. 114).

During six years medical work in the northern provinces of Nigeria I have caught and examined every morning all the mosquitos I could find in my own bungalow. I have done this with a view to finding out which are the common domestic species in this region of West Africa, and their seasonal variation throughout the year.

1. There appears to be a general similarity in the tastes of the different species with regard to various chemicals and foods; the tastes of Musca domestica and Phormia azurea, in many cases, being found to approximate most nearly. It will be interesting to discover whether there is a closer correspondence between the sense-organs of these flies than between these of other species.

2. These experiments emphasise the extreme curiosity of house-flies, and again show the catholicity of their tastes and the difficulty of finding any substances which will either attract or repel all those that come near it. The mineral and tar oils seem to be amongst the most repellent substances. With regard to poisons, good results were obtained with sodium iodate, large numbers being killed when very small amounts were used, although it did not always attract many flies. Sodium iodate has the disadvantage of being very expensive. But further experiments require to be made before any definite conclusions can be arrived at as to the importance of the iodates of sodium and other metals as poisons for general use.

3. House-flies were not found to show any colour-preference.

4. For house-flies the optimum temperature was found to be between 36°–44° C., the maximum and minimum between 55°–58° C. and 10°–13° C., respectively.

5. It appears that curiosity plays an important part in causing house-flies to come to baits and to investigate traps, etc., although the senses of smell and to a less extent that of sight are also concerned; the former, however, to a much less extent than it is with blow-flies, and it appears to be most used when the flies are close to the baits.

A collection of Indian Tachinid flies was received some time ago through the kindness of Dr. A. D. Imms. An examination has shown that most of the specimens are new, and these are described forthwith. In the use of genera a conservative course has been adopted, and the new species have been placed for the time being at least in genera already in use.

The type specimens have been deposited for the present in the National Collection of Insects maintained by the Entomological Branch of the Department of Agriculture at Ottawa.

In the course of the operations for controlling mosquitos on the Macedonian front some time, necessarily limited, was devoted to collecting parasitic or noxious arthropods, and a list is here given, more particularly of those affecting man. One or two other noteworthy species are also recorded.

The two species of thrips described in the following pages have been found on tea in sufficient numbers as to be regarded as pests, and they should therefore be made known to economic biologists. A member of the sub-order Tubulifera (Haplothrips sp.) was also found both by Prof. Maxwell Lefroy and Mr. Andrews on tea, but it seems to occur also on other plants; I have not yet had the opportunity of studying it.

P. lefroyi is a strongly characterised species both in structure and coloration; whilst P. setiventris, when both sexes are taken, should be easily recognised by the black “ tail ” of the ♂. The former species may ultimately be removed from the genus Physothrips, with advantage.

Les larves d'Oestrides qui font l&objet de la présente note ont été récoltées sur le continent africain et nous ont été soumises pour détermination par Monsieur Guy A. K. Marshall, Directeur du Bureau Impérial d'Entomologie de Londres. Elles appartiennent à quatre des sous-families auxquelles on rapporte les diptères que l'on convient de désigner communément sous le nom d'Oestrides : les Gasterophilinae, les Oestrinae, les Hypoderminae et les Cobboldiinae.

Very little is known about the Dipterous Family Lonchaeidae in the Ethiopian Region, notwithstanding the small extension of the group (almost limited to the two main genera Lonchaea, Fallén, and Palloptera, Fallén), and in spite of its economic importance. Some tropical or sub-tropical species of Lonchaea pass their larval stage in fruits, in which they sometimes occur in company with Trypaneids, and are often mistaken for them, being thus comprised under the same name of “ fruit-flies.”

The larva figured in the accompanying illustration was obtained from the urinary tract of a native of Mongalla Province, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. A careful search through the literature at our disposal has failed to reveal any reference to a similar case of parasitism of a Coleopterous larva in the urinary tract.

The rubber thrips deserves to be more widely known, not only on account of its economic importance, but because it forms the type of a small group of the genus Physothrips, separated at once by the structure of the sternites 3 to 7 in the ♂. In some species the sternites are simple, but in most they are characterised by one well-formed and defined thinly chitinised area in the centre of each, either round, transverse or oviform, generally largish but sometimes reduced to a small puncture-like depression. These male features are found also in other genera. In P. funtumiae and its allies however the sternites 3 to 7 have numerous, usually irregular, depressions, smaller or greater, arranged in 2 to 4 more or less regular or defined, transverse rows. In one species (P. funtumiae) the anterior row of areas is characterised by the possession of a long, transverse, median area; but this is occasionally broken up to a greater or less degree.

British Guiana has not been invaded by migratory locusts since the year 1886, when, as far as it is possible to ascertain from the records of those bygone days, the same species of locust was implicated. Also, on the occasion of this previous attack, it seems very probable that a swarm first infested the North West and Pomeroon areas and, multiplying there, migrated further down the coast to Berbice.

The material for this paper was forwarded to the author by Dr. Guy Marshall, of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, and was collected by Mr. C. B. Williams.

The insects were said by him to be parasitic on a Cercopid of the genus Clastoptera, which was found attacking cacao trees. This highly unusual habit gives much interest to the species. Unfortunately the number of individuals sent was quite inadequate to enable one to deal satisfactorily with such small and obscure insects, especially as shrivelling takes place to a different extent in various individuals, which renders the provision of a reasonably large number more necessary than in more normal forms of fly. The individuals sent included three pinned ones of a species from Trinidad (West Indies), and one pinned one of a species from Panama, together with the fragments of two others of the latter species in spirit. In spite of the paucity of material, it was felt to be desirable to put on record as fair a description as could be made under the circumstances. Two of the individuals of the Trinidad species were of one sex, and the third was apparently the other sex of the same species. The two former had all the appearance of representing the male, having brighter eyes, darkened wings, and the general facies of that sex. The genitalia were small and hidden in a terminal hood, such as is found in Drosophila melanogaster and Leucophenga maculata, but it was smaller than in either of these, even than in the latter, in which the hood is only moderately open at the tip, while widely so in the former.