THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 171 



THE IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY 



BY C. GORDON HEWITT, D.SC, DOMINION ENTOMOLOGIST, OTTAWA. 



As the question of international effort and co-operation in the 

 matter of controHing and preventing the spread of insects, which 

 in various ways affect human activity, is occupying the attention 

 not only of entomologists, sanitarians and workers directly occu- 

 pied in studying these many-sided problems, but also of statesmen 

 and administrators, the formation in connection with the British 

 Imperial Service of an Imperial Bureau of Entomology at the be- 

 ginning of the present year will undoubtedly interest all concerned 

 in these problems by whom the progress and work will be watched. 



This organization is not a sudden deyelopment, but a gradual 

 outgrowth of efforts along similar lines which began in the spring 

 of 1909. In March of that year a meeting was called by the Secre- 

 tary of State for the Colonies at the Colonial Office in London, in 

 which the present writer had the honour to take part, to discuss the 

 formation of an Entomological Research Committee for the pur- 

 pose of furthering entomological research in the British possessions 

 in tropical and sub-tropical Africa. The chief insects which it was 

 considered desirable to study were those associated with the trans- 

 mission of disease. In 1909 an Entomological Research Committee 

 of the Colonial Office was appointed by Lord Crewe, then Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies, and it consisted of the chief experts in 

 entomology and tropical medicine in Great Britain and Ireland, 

 with Lord Cromer as Chairman. Its work fell under three divi- 

 sions — namely, the carrying on of investigations and entomological 

 surveys in tropical Africa, for the purpose of which two tra\-elling 

 entomologists were employed; the determination of entomological 

 material and the publication of the work so accomplished, for which 

 purpose the ''Bulletin of Ento'mological Research,'" a quarterly 

 journal, was started. Through the generosity of Mr. Andrew 

 Carnegie, the Committee was able also to undertake the training- 

 of Entomologists for service in the Dominions and Colonies. 



On account of the valuable service which was being rendered 

 by the Committee to the African Crown-Colonies and Protector- 

 ates, suggestions were made for the enlargement of the scope of the 

 work of the Committee. Accordingly, in June 1911, ad\antage 

 was taken of the presence in England of the Prime Ministers of the 



June, 1913 



