158 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



into separate branches under leaders, who are responsible for the success- 

 ful working of the department under their charge, is an excellent one, and 

 might be copied with advantage by other similar organizations. 



Seventh Yearly Report on Injurious Insects in England ; by Eleanor 

 A. Ormerod, pp. 98, 8vo., London, 1884. 



It is always a pleasure to read Miss Ormerod's reports ; but that for 

 1883, which has just come to hand, is of particular interest to all engaged 

 in the study of injurious insects in Canada, from the fact that it treats of 

 many of the same and closely allied species which are now attracting 

 attention in North America by their depredations. During the past 

 season an enormous amount of damage has been done to our crops by the 

 Fly-maggots, or the larvae of Diptera. Unhappily very little is known of 

 the life histories of these insects. Miss Ormerod is one of the few who 

 have done valuable Avork in this line, and she is still directing special 

 attention to them ; she asks for information and records of observations 

 which may elucidate some of the unknown stages of their existence. A 

 suggestive fact is drawn attention to, in the presence of the grubs of vari- 

 ous kinds which infest root and other farm crops, being also found in 

 manure, and thus carted on to the fields. This important discovery opens 

 up a new sphere where valuable work may be done by Canadian economic 

 entomologists and agriculturists. On this continent undoubtedly one of 

 the chief causes for excessively severe attacks by insects is the abundant 

 food supply provided by the large areas of the same crop under cultivation 

 at one time, and our insect visitations have, from this cause, been gener- 

 ally more disastrous than in Europe ; we have thus the advantage (per- 

 haps somewhat doubtful) of greater opportunities for thoroughly investi- 

 gating them. There is no doubt that interesting results will follow if the 

 same insect be simultaneously examined in America and Europe, and 

 exact notes be taken of all the different stages for subsequent comparison. 



A fact which must have struck every one as peculiar is the small 

 amount of systematic work which has been done in Europe, and par- 

 ticularly in England, in the study of injurious insects. With the exception 

 of the Phylloxera in France, no investigations of any importance are 

 recorded until the last few years. Curtis's magnificent work, " Farm 

 Insects," is of course known to all, and until Miss Ormerod began her 

 series of yearly reports, was the only work the farmer had to refer to, and 

 even this from its price v/as inaccessible to many who needed it most. 



