426 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 84 



of the Triatomas had, by the way, been found responsible for the 

 transfer of Chagas's disease in Brazil. The Oswaldo Cruz Institute 

 gained a very high place at an early date, and has since maintained it. 

 Its publications are printed in both Portuguese and English and are 

 highly esteemed in medical centers. 



Organized Government efforts to control plant pests did not exist 

 until 1 910, and in fact there was no Government department of agri- 

 culture. Prior to that time, on the appearance of some notable pest, 

 some museum or botanic garden specialist was detailed to study it. In 

 1910, however, the Federal Department of Agriculture was founded, 

 and two laboratories were started in the National Museum, one for 

 research in economic entomology and the other for phytopathology. 



In 1920, under the Ministry of Agriculture, there was created a 

 Biological Institute for Agricultural Defense (Instituto Biologico de 

 Defensa Agricola). The laboratories of economic entomology and 

 phytopathology were transferred from the National Museum to the 

 new Institute, and there was added later a third section entitled Plant 

 Inspection Police (Vigilancia Sanitaria Vegetal). 1 am informed 

 that this institute has a good library and a very good laboratory with 

 the necessary facilities, and very considerable collections. The plant- 

 inspection system has a principal station at the port of Rio de Janeiro, 

 and also has stations along the Brazilian coast, where plant inspections 

 are i^ermitted. These stations are Manaos, Belem, Recife, IJahia, 

 Santos, S. Francisco, Rio Grande, Porto Alabre, and Corumba. 



The Institute publishes bulletins when the occasion arises, and, 

 although not largely manned, has a com])etent staff'. Prof. Carlos 

 Moreira, in charge of the entomological work, is a very good officer. 

 He visited the United States in the spring of 191 8 and looked into 

 the work of the Federal Bureau of Entomology. In 1923 I had 

 the pleasure of meeting him again at the International Conference 

 of Economic Entomologists and Phytopathologists at Wageningen, 

 Holland. 



The bulletins published by the Institute are very well done. The 

 first one published (in 1921) was entitled "Brazilian Agricultural 

 Entomology" (Entomologia Agricola Brasileira), by Professor Mo- 

 reira. It is a well illustrated book of 182 pages.' The second bulletin 



gate the ravages caused by the coffee berry moth. Also he has made several 

 visits to Argentina. Among other notable results of these visits have been 

 the verification by him of the existence of Leishmaniasis and exanthematic 

 typhus in that country. 



' A second edition of this valuable bulletin was published in 1929. This 

 second edition is enlarged to 274 pages and has many new illustrations. It 

 includes the new pests discovered between 192 1 and 1929. 



