78 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



quent on tick-bites. The rather similar damage called 

 ' pori-pori " may be due to the same cause, or possibly to 

 lice, but it was not possible to settle this point definitely. 



As Miss Ormerod states that over 40 per cent, of Indian 

 hides are damaged by " warbles," it is as well to know that 

 the injury is due to another cause. 



Work is in progress on the egg-laying reactions of blood- 

 sucking Muscidce. 



V. — Fruit-flies. 



Mr. A. Mujtaba has visited Peshawar, the Central Pro- 

 vinces, and Bombay in the course of his work on this group, 

 while Mr. Sen also visited Madras. The life-histories of 

 two new species have been worked out, and a series of life- 

 history memoirs of all the common species is now in course 

 of preparation. The relations between the species and 

 varieties, or local races, are evidently complex, and a com- 

 plete knowledge and understanding of their bionomics can 

 only come after a great deal of careful study. The spray 

 method of control has proved successful and can be confi- 

 dently recommended. 



VI. — Miscellaneous. 



In Mr. Grove's term of office as officiating Imperial 

 Entomologist, I gave some assistance with the work on silk 

 and silk weaving with which I was familiar, and in accord- 

 ance with the recommendations and enquiries of silk mer- 

 chants in Bombay and elsewhere made some modifications 

 in our weaving practice in the direction of obtaining a more 

 porous and absorbent cloth of a kind suitable for shirtings 

 and the like. In this Mr. De has been successful. 



I corresponded with the Chief of the Board of Health, 

 Isthmian Canal Commission, with reference to Yellow 

 Fever and Stegomyia. I forwarded to him two consign- 

 ments of eggs of our common Indian Stegomyia scutellaris 

 to be hatched out on arrival, in order to ascertain whether 

 or not this species can convey Yellow Fever, a point possibly 



