Vol. V. No. 119. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



363 



BLOOD-SUCKING INSECTS AND TROPICAL 

 DISEASES. 



The following is a circular despatch from the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies, inviting Govern- 

 ment Medical Officers and Scientific Officials to make 

 and forward to the British Museum collections of blood- 

 sucking flies: — 



Tim Secretary of Stale for the Colunies — to the 

 Governor of . 



Downing Street, 

 November 6, 1905. 

 Sir, — -I have the honour to transmit to you, with 

 reference to Mr. Chamberlain's circular despatch of Decem- 

 ber 6, 1898, the accompanying copy of a letter, with 

 ■enclosures, from the British Museum (Natural History). 



2. I should be glad if you would bring these papers to 

 the notice of the Government medical and scientific officials, 

 and ask them, if there are facilities for the purpose, to be 

 good enough to make and forward to the Museum as soon as 

 possible the collections of blood-sucking flies which are 

 required. 



3. A list of the apparatus recommended for use in 

 collecting these flies will be found on pp. 13 et seq. of the 

 enclosed pamphlet, but it has occurred to me that some of 

 the articles may not be procurable locally, and, if such is the 

 case in the colony under your administration, I request that 

 you will transmit to me as soon as possible a statement 

 showing what articles are needed. I will then ascertain, if 

 necessary, whether the British Museum is prepared to supply 

 them, but I trust that in most cases the colony itself will 

 be willing to defray the small expense involved. 



I have, etc., 



(Sgd.) ALFRED LYTTELTON. 

 The Officer Administering 



the Government of . 



Jlemorandum by Director of British Museum {Natural 

 History Section). 



BLOOD-SUCKING INSECTS AND TROPICAL DISEASES. 



The importance of blood-sucking insects and other 

 animals as possible disseminators of pathogenic organisms 

 being now universally recognized, it is absolutely essential, 

 firstly that medical men and others engaged in improving the 

 sanitation of tropical countries should have the means of 

 determining correctly the names of blood-sucking species 

 with which they may come into contact ; and secondly that 

 a well-preserved collection of modern specimens should be 

 available in London for comparison. 



The British Museum has already dealt with the mosqui- 

 tos and tsetse-flies, and it is now proposed to publish on 

 similar lines a further series of monographs on the other 

 blood-sucking forms. The material at present at our disposal, 

 however, is insufficient for this purpose, and it is therefore 

 toped that all medical m.enand naturalists residing in British 

 colonies, or in the tropics in any part of the world, will 

 make special endeavours to obtain specimens and send them, 

 addressed to the Director, British Museum (Natural History), 

 Cromwell Road, London, S. W., together with notes on the 

 names, habits, and distribution of the insects. This appeal 

 is made especially to the medical officers of the Foreign and 

 Colonial Services, to the medical officers of the Navy, Army, 

 and Indian Services, and to all official representatives of 

 H M. Government in foreign parts^ 



The accompanying pamphlet, which has been prepared 

 in order to assist those who may be willing to help the 

 Museum in this way, is mainly devoted to the blood-sucking 

 flies (Diptera), and contains a resume of what is known of 

 their appearance, habits, and life-history, with illustrations of 

 typical forms and full directions as to the collection and 

 transmission of specimens to England. 



When a collection is despatched, a separate letter of 

 advice stating the fact should always be sent ; the expense of 

 sending collections to the Museum, by parcel post or otherwise, 

 will be refunded. All collections forwarded to the Museum 

 and addressed as stated will promptly be acknowledged, and 

 so soon as sufficient material has been obtained, the prepara- 

 tion of the first monograph will be commenced. 



^Sgd.) E. RAY LANKESTER, 



Director. 

 December 10, 1904. 



TEMPERATE FLOWERS FOR WEST 

 INDIAN GARDENS. 

 It may be useful for gardeners in the West Indies 

 to have a list of flower seeds which have been tried in 

 the West Indies. The following list, which is far from 

 complete, has been supplied by a correspondent who 

 has experimented with such seeds in St. Ivitt's, and 

 applies to heights of 100 to 700 feet : — ■ 



(a.) Plants which grow well with very little care : — 

 Abutilon Petunias Datura 



Asparagus plumosus Ricinus Gaillardia 



Begonia (fibrous rooted) Sunflowers Ipomoea grandiflora 

 Celosia Tuberose Marigold 



Cosmos Zinnias Nicotiana affinis 



Dolichos Amaranthus Portulaca 



Gourds Balsam Solanum 



Lantana Canna Torenia 



Marvel of Peru Coleus Vinca rosea 



(6.) Plants which require more or less special care in 

 soil, shading, or manuring, and often do not succeed so well 

 as in temperate zones, but have all flowered fairly well : — 

 Asters Chrysanthemum Nasturtium 



Canary Creeper (show varieties) Everlasting flower 



Carnation Dianthus Geranium 



Cyclamen Fuchsia Heliotrope 



Clematis Gloxinia Myosotis 



Begonia (tuberous Honeysuckle Salvia splendens 



rooted) Lavender Sweet William 



Dahlia Mignonette Violets (Californian) 



(c.) The follovi'ing plants failed to flower, or flowered 

 very poorly ; all grew to some size from the seed (or bulb) : — 

 Bermuda Lily Sweet Peas Pansies 



Cineraria Wall-flower Primulas (Chinese 



Narcissus Calceolaria florists') 



Pelargonium (called in America Lady Washington geranium) 

 Pentstemon Gladiolus Tulips 



A New Spinach. AVhen travelling in October las 

 between New Glasgow and Halifax in Nova Scotia, Sir Daniel 

 Morris came across ' Bay of Fundy Spinach,' a new dish 

 recently introduced in the menu of railroad dinners. It 

 has since been ascertained that this spinach is picked in th e 

 salt marshes in the neighbourhood of Sackville, New Bruns- 

 wick. It is claimed as possessing the same qualites as aspara- 

 gus and to be of a fine appetizing flavour. It is interesting 

 to learn that it belongs to the plantain family and is the 

 well-known Plantago marinmn (sea-side plantain) of Europe. 



