86 [April. 



The African Entomoloijical Research Committee. — With a view to furthering 

 the work of this Committee, Mr. Andrew Carnegie has been good enough to 

 place at its disposal a sum of ^61000 a year for three years, to defray the cost of 

 sending a few suitably qualified young men to the United States to study the 

 practical applications of Entomology which have received so much attention in 

 that country. Three of these Carnegie Scliolars, as they are to be called, have 

 been selected, and two of them are already at work in the States. The fact 

 that Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Entomology at Washington, is 

 personally interesting himself in the matter is a sufficient guarantee that all 

 possible facilities will be given to the scholars, and it may be confidently 

 expected that the scheme will be of great value to British administration in 

 Africa and elsewhere by providing a body of well-trained Entomologists avail- 

 able for employment in the services of the different Colonial Governments. It 

 may be mentioned that the Eesearch Committee was appointed in June, 1909, 

 by Lord Crewe, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, with the object of 

 promoting the stiidy of the insects which play so prominent a pai"t in the 

 spread of disease among men, animals, and plants in Africa j that Lord Cromer 

 is its President : and that it includes some of the most eminent authorities on 

 Entomology and tropical medicine in this coiintry. During the short period of 

 the Committee's existence satisfactory progress has been made. The scheme 

 has been energetically taken up by the African Colonies and Protectorates, and 

 the large quantity of material already received at the Committee's Office in the 

 Natural History Muse\im at South Kensington has very materially increased 

 our knowledge of the insect pests of Africa. The collections of insects, after 

 being properly identified and recorded, are being distributed to the Schools of 

 Tropical Medicine, Universities, Museums, or other institutions where they are 

 likely to be of value for the purpose of teaching or scientific study. Two 

 skilled Entomologists are being employed under the direction of the Committee 

 in East and West Africa respectively, for the piu'pose of interesting and in- 

 structing the local officials in the work, and also of carrying out special investi- 

 gations. The Committee has issued quarterly a scientific journal, entitled the 

 " Bulletin of Entomological Eesearch," of which the first volmne is just 

 completed. It contains many important articles by well-known axithorities, 

 and is obtaining a wide circulation. Further particrdars may be obtained from 

 the Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Grviy Marshall, British Musevmi (Natm\al 

 History), South Kensington, London. — Eds. 



A 'preliminary note on the so-called carrion -feeding Coleoptera. — The 

 majority of the following observations were made on several warm sunny days 

 in June whilst watching small carcases (rat, mole, young rabbit) placed in a 

 field on the open ground. The gi-ass was close and short and the earth below 

 rather hard. There was a slight S.W. breeze hardly felt near the ground, but 

 plainly perceptible a few feet above it. The observer lay close to the carcases 

 so that the arrival of the various species of Coleoptera could easily be seen, and 

 even heard in the case of the larger species, and these were also often visible 

 against the sky whilst still in fliglit some distance away. The proximity of the 

 observer, however, did not appear to disconcert the beetles, as they occasionally 



