262 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June, ' G"] 



On Friday, April 12, 1907, at the home of Erval New- 

 comer, Forrest Court, Palo Alto, was held the regular meeting 

 of the Santa Clara Valley Entomological Club. In the absence 

 of the president and vice-president, the meeting was called to 

 order by C. F. Palmer, twenty members being present. 



The club was much honored with the presence of D. L. Van 

 Dine, experiment station entomologist for the Hawaiian Islands. 

 He mentioned a number of entomological problems. 



One of the most interesting of these is in regard to the honey 

 produced on the islands. There is some substance there that 

 the bees obtain that gives a very high percentage of glucose in 

 the honey. The government pure-food law allows only a 

 certain percentage of glucose, as that substance is one of the 

 chief adulterants that is commonly used. While the island 

 honey is pure and just as wholesome as that produced in any 

 part of the world, this comparatively large amount of glucose 

 shows badly in the analysis. The honey shipment of the islands 

 will amount to over 800 tons this year, and the producers are 

 greatly interested in having the law so modified in their case as 

 to allow the honey to come under the pure-food products. 



Another problem that the entomologist has to contend with 

 is a small fly that in some parts of the islands is almost driving 

 out the cattle industry. This fly has been abundant for a 

 number of years, but it has only been of late that it has so 

 seriously threatened the interests of the cattle men. 



Mr. Van Dine brought greetings from the Hawaiian Ento- 

 mological Society to the local club, which he hopes to visit again 

 on his return to the islands in about two months. Another 

 guest of the club was Mr. Edward M. Ehrhorn, the state hor- 

 ticulturist, who spoke a few words on the work of the quaran- 

 tine department of San Francisco. He also called attention to 

 the parasite of the red scale recently imported from China. 



Harvey Hall, instructor in botany at the University of Cali- 

 fornia, gave a talk on the "Life Zones of California." Nearly 

 every one can distinguish generally the life zones as the 

 deserts, foothills, the timber and perpetual snowlines but 

 about fifteen years ago Dr. C. Hart Merriam was the first to 

 map out the life zones accurately. Before this they were 



