10 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



of the first brood of caterpillars and the setting up of the 

 And res- Mai re traps reduced the damage to such an extent 

 that, out of a total area of 20,000, only 2,000 bighas were 

 affected. 



Sericulture has continued to claim a large amount of 

 the attention of the section. Experiments are in hand for 

 crossing the Indian multivoltine variety of mulberry 

 silk-worm with the univoltine races from Europe, with the 

 object of producing a superior silk-producing multivoltine 

 hybrid. If this work is successful it will go a very long 

 way towards placing the Indian silk industry, now in a 

 ' precarious position, on a more stable footing. Eri-silk 

 culture, Lac-culture and Api-culture continue to occupy the 

 attention of the section. 



8. Pathological Entomology. — This section, which was 

 formerly styled the Second Entomological Section, now con- 

 fines its attention to entomological work connected with the 

 diseases of men and animals, and its name has in conse- 

 quence been changed. Its relation with medical work has 

 now become much closer, and, through the good services of 

 the Medical Research Fund, the addition of three posts has 

 been made to the subordinate staff'. These extra men will 

 be occupied exclusively with Medical Entomology, while 

 there will be two men available for Veterinary and general 

 work. 



Special attention has been paid to the genus St ego my ia 

 and allied forms of the mosquito owing to the possibility of 

 importation of Yellow Fever into India from the Panama 

 Canal, and a course of instruction has been given to medical 

 officers belonging to the " Stegomyia Survey." Investi- 

 gations are in progress on the influence of temperature, 

 range of flight, food, breeding places, etc., and on the 

 natural enemies of mosquito-larvae. 



The other subjects that are receiving attention are tlie 

 breeding places and liabits of Phleboto/nus, the life history 

 of the Crab-louse, the parasites of Tahanus alhimedius, 

 Monophlehus stehhingi, and the life history of Celyphida^. 

 The East Indian Railway school at Jharipani was success- 



