INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOR 1917-18 111 



Meeting, published during the year. No new coloured 

 plates were printed during the year, but there is an ever- 

 increasing demand for the plates already available. 



The issue of coloured lantern-slides of insect pests has 

 been continued as far as possible but only under consider- 

 able difficulties regarding the preparation of these slides. 

 As there is a considerable demand for these slides on the 

 part of the Provincial Agricultural Departments, every 

 endeavour will be made to arrange for their preparation 

 and supply. 



VI. Miscellaneous. 



Correspondence. A total of 114 parcels of specimens, 

 mostly of crop-pests, was received during the year for 

 identification and advice, whilst 911 letters were received 

 and 1,221 issued, but all these numbers are exclusive of a 

 large amount of routine correspondence, which every year 

 becomes more and more onerous and takes up time which 

 should be devoted to more scientific work. 



VII. Insect Survey. 



Steady progress has been made in additions to, and 

 arrangement and identification of, the collection which 

 continues to grow so that the question of space will become 

 pressing in the near future. Temporary ease has been 

 obtained by the removal of the Lepidoptera to a new room, 

 30 x 30 feet, but there is no further room for expansion in 

 the present building. Keeping the collection in boxes in 

 open racks, as has been done hitherto, has the serious dis- 

 advantages of exposing the specimens to risk of damage 

 owing to the climate at Pusa and also of occupying an 

 unnecessary amount of space; storage in cabinets or in 

 double-sized store-boxes kept in closed almirahs would 

 considerably improve the conditions of preservation of the 

 specimens and also economize space, In this connection 

 it may be of interest to compare the growth of the collec- 

 tions during the last ten years. It is not practicable to 



