ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 657 



has not spread in the usual v.-ay. The actual nuaiber of rats known to have 

 been destroyed was 4,116,334, and large numbers were destroyed by poisoning 

 which were not recorded. Rat destruction has been taken up with much energy 

 in ^be native state of Patialla. where 259.141 rats were destroyed; this is re- 

 ported to have been attended with markedly favorable results."' 



Mice and the transmission of certain infectious diseases, I*. Barabaschi 

 {Gaz. Osped. e Clin. [Milan], 30 (1909), Xo. hS^. pp. I.',n-l.'tl9; abs. in Jour. 

 Amer. Med Assoc, o't {WW), No. 2, p. 777).— The author reports that he has 

 found the pneumococcus, the anthrax bacillus, streptococci, and stai)hyloc<)cci, 

 alone or associated, in the intestines of various mice caught in private houses, 

 showing that mice are liable to transmit various infections l>eside the jilague. 

 The mice with the pneumococcus were caught in houses where there had recently 

 been pneumonia. The excreta of the mice, drying and scattering in dust, may 

 transmit infection even without more direct contact. The greatest danger from 

 this source is incurred by persons working in granaries, etc., where mice abound 

 and their dejecta are scattered over the substances handled. 



The kea: A New Zealand problem. G. R. Marriner (London, 1909, pp. 151; 

 rev. in Nature [London], 82 (1909), No. 2091,. pp. 186, iS7).— The author has 

 collected the evidence available and personally investigated the habits of this 

 remarkable parrot. He finds that the bird kills sheep as has been previously 

 reported. It is thought that the large sums of money paid for kea heads must 

 have done a good deal to keep the birds in check, though their haunts in the 

 mountain regions of the South Island are often so inaccessible that it is doubtful 

 if they are ever exterminated. 



The natural food of this parrot consists of fruits, roots, honey, worms, insects, 

 and grub.s. The author believes the inordinate curiosity of the kea to be respon- 

 sible for its predilection for fresh meat, that it first began by experimenting with 

 sheep skins and dead carcasses, and later on took up killing sheep. 



The feeding habits of the rook, Corvus frugilegus, W. E. Collinge (Jour. 

 Econ. Biol., .5 (1910), No. 2. pp. '/.9-b7/). — "The results of this investigation, em- 

 bracing a consideration of the stomach contents of 830 rooks, shot throughout 

 the years 1908-9 throughout England and Wales, show that 67.5 per cent of the 

 food of the rook consists of grain. If to this we add that of roots and fruits, 

 the percentage is raised to 71 per cent. The animal food content was only 29 

 per cent, of which quite one-third must be reckoned against the rook. There 

 is ample evidence to show that with the present large number of rooks, a grain 

 diet is preferred. So far as the evidence of this inquiry shows, the rook is not 

 a particularly beneficial bird to the agriculturist, although its usefulness might 

 be considerably increased were it fewer in numbers." 



Proceedings of the twenty-second annual meeting of the American Asso- 

 ciation of Economic Entomologists (Jour. Econ. Ent., 3 (1910), No. 2, pp. 

 113-222, pis. 11, figs. 26). — A continuation of the proceedings previously noted 

 (E. S. R., 23, p. 359). 



The paper presented by E. D. Sanderson on The Relation of Temperature to 

 and Growth of Insects (pp. 11.3-139) has been previously noted (E. S. R.. 23, p. 

 358). E. C. Cotton describes and ligures a Constant Low Temperature Ai)pa- 

 ratus for Biological Investigations (pp. 140-145). Carbon dioxid is the active 

 agent used in refrigeration. The apparatus described was constructed at a cost 

 of about $1,500, the daily cost of oiieration being about 75 cts. E. F. Hitchings dis- 

 cussed (pp. 146-148) The I'nprecedented Appearance of the Saddled-Prominent 

 (Iletcrocampa guttirittn) (E. S. R.. 2L p. 7.59). Notes on the Corn Ear-worm 

 (pp. 149-157), an account of which has been previously noted (E. S. R.. 22. p. 

 7.54), were presented by T. .1. Ileadlee. I'. J. Tarrott (pp. 157-161) presented a 

 paper on The Cherry Ermine Moth ( Hyponomeuta padeUa), which was intro- 



