ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 357 



{('(tlcuttit: Siijit. Govt, /'rinliiif/. Iiidht. I'.xiC. pp. 111. pis. .3). — Sal troos are 

 lai-j:t'l.v ust'd lur railroad ties in liulia, and this wood has been so badly injured 

 by the attacks of H. spiiiiconiis that large (iiiantities of ties have had to be 

 rejected. The full-grown larvre are found in the wood in February and the 

 beetles appear and are seen on the wing from May until July. The tunnels of 

 the larvic penetrate into the heart of the tree. The only way of combating the 

 pest successfully appears to lie the drastic method of cutting out infesti'd trees 

 and charring (lie outside so as lo Idll all larv:i'. 



Synopsis of Portuguese galls and gall insects, .T. S. Tavares (lirotrrid, J/ 

 (190.5), pp. V-XII + 1-12S, />/.s. /.'/).— A brief bibliography relating to the galls 

 of Portugal is presented and an elaborate tabulation is given of the gall insects 

 found upon various trees and herbaceous plants in Portugal. 



Studies on South American termites, N. Holmgren {Zool. Jahrb., Abt. Sys- 

 triii.. dcoiir. II. liiol. 'I'icrc. ..M (W06). \o. ■'>. pp. 521-076, fi(jf<. 81).— A detailed 

 descrijitive account is presented of various species of white ants known to 

 occur in South America. Many of these species are described as new. 



Notes are given on the biology of white ants with special reference to the 

 forms of the individuals and the construction of their nests. A bibliography 

 of th<> subject is also i)resente(l. 



Habits and peculiarities of some South African ticks, C. P. Lounsbury 

 (Cape Town: Govt., 19l).'>. pp. Id). — A number of ticks are known to cause 

 serious injury to farm animals in Cape Colony, aside from their agency in 

 carrying diseases. The author has given particular attention in his investiga- 

 tions to Ainbhjomma lichnvinii, Arr/a.'i pev-'iicii.'i, I.rodes pilo.^itM. and various 

 species of Khipicephalus and P.oophilus. Attention is called to the fact that 

 our knowledge of the life history of ticks is very meager. The author 

 reared the different species through jis many stages as possible and presents 

 data as to the time occupied l)y the ticks in different stages, and other details 

 of their life history. 



A new enemy of common fowls, A. IIempel, (BoL A(jr. [Sao Paulo] 7, set:, 

 1006, No. 6, pp. 2.5!)-261). — Arga.'i vcflexus is known to be a parasite on pigeons 

 and the author has observed a number of instances in which young chickens 

 and adult fowls were infested by it. The remedies usually adopted against 

 .1. pcvsiciis will doubtless be of avail against this pest. 



Studies on Culex and Anopheles, B. Galli-Valerio and Jeanne Rochaz-de 

 .ToxGir (Atti Soc. Stiidi Matavia, 7 (1906), pp. 1-17). — The author presents 

 in a tabular form data relating to the time of appearance of various species of 

 mosquitoes and the temperature and other climatic conditions which prevailed. 



In a study o/ the natural enemies of moscjuitoes it was found that Triton 

 cristatus iviid T. muticeUiis are quite influential in the destruction of the mos- 

 quito larva- and nymi)hs. Furthei' studies were made with reference to the 

 action of the spores of A.^i)rr{/iJIii.^ nif/cr and .1. fjUiHCun on mosquitoes. A. niger 

 was found to exercise a very prejudicial effect on the development of mos- 

 quitoes and in general the presence of the spores of these fungi in water 

 infested with mosquito larvse is believed to check their multiplication to an 

 appreciable extent. 



A new mosquito killer (Municipal .four, and Engin.. 21 (1906), No. l-'i. pp. 

 o.i.'j, 336). — A by-pi'oduct obtained in the manufacture of turpentine by the frac- 

 tional distillation of itine wood has been tested in the destruction of mosquitoes 

 and has been found to be very effective, iiossessing certain advantages over sul- 

 Iihur. The material is a liquid which can be readily volatilized by the applica- 

 tion of heat and a current of air over the heated surface. The fumes are, there- 

 fore, generated outside of the room to be fumigated and then conducted into 



