446 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 10 



A Directory of Workers in Hemiptera. During February a circular letter and data 

 blank was sent to all entomologists in this country known to be particularly inter- 

 ested in Hemiptera, the object being to get together a directory of workers within 

 the order, listing their projects in hand and past publications. To date more than 

 30 blanks have returned with detailed data. If any field men connected with the 

 Bureau, or otherwise, are at present engaged in any problem — economic, biologic, or 

 systematic — relative to Hemiptera and have not received a blank to fill in, they will 

 be conferring a favor by sending data under the following headings to Edmund H. 

 Gibson, Divison of Insects, U. S. National Museum, (a) Name, (b) Address, (c) Posi- 

 tion and institution affiliated with, (d) Character of work, (e) Problems in hand or 

 expecting to undertake, (/) List of publications. 



Monthly Letler, Bm-eau of Entomology, February, 1917. 



The Mediterranean Flour Moth {Ephedia kuehnielln ZelU. This insect has at- 

 tracted more attention during 1916 than for several years. It has made its appear- 

 ance in warehouses and mills where it was not formerly found. The list of localities 

 includes mostly small towns and cities. It is interesting that while formerly when this, 

 species was so very abundant, nearly all millers knew the insect as the Mediterranean 

 flour moth, at the present time they refer to it as "weevil," "flies," and infested ma- 

 terial is seldom accompanied by other species of insects. One correspondent writes, 

 "We are worried with a fly that lays eggs, apparently these hatch, and a worm gets, 

 in all elevators and spouts, causing a web which takes a very little time to fill cups 

 and spouts, causing web in the flour, and interfering with the flow of the mill." 



Hymenia perspectalis Hubner, a Greenhouse Pest. My good friend, Mr. 

 William Falconer, the superintendent of the Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, on 

 January 10, 1917, came to me, bringing with him a number of specimens of Hyme- 

 nia perspectalis Hubner, and several potted plants of Alternanthera which showed 

 the ravages of the larvae of this little moth. 



He reports to me that the insect has confined its attentions to the young plants 

 of Alternanthera, which is extensively propagated in the green-house for use in the' 

 borders of parterres. Its work has been almost ruinous, and, as this is the first time 

 he has ever seen the thing, he was naturally anxious to learn more about it. I have 

 not taken the time to make a search of the recent literature of the subject to ascer- 

 tain whether it has been recorded as a pest in other places, but simply call attention 

 in these hnes to the fact that, if allowed to propagate in green-houses and conserva- 

 tories, it may do great damage to the above-mentioned plants. 



W. J. Holland. 



Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, January 25, 1917. 



The Life-histories of the Cattle Lice. The hfe-histories of these species have been 

 worked out during this winter. Ten specimens of the short-nosed ox louse {Hccmato- 

 pinus eiirysternus) were placed on a restricted region on the shoulder of a Holstein 

 calf that was less then twenty-four hours old. The white eggs were soon laid. These 

 were observed once each day and the eggs hatched in from seven to eight days after 

 they were laid. These young were removed and placed on another calf and these laid 

 eggs in from fifteen to sixteen days after hatching, making a Hfe-cycle of from twenty- 

 two to twenty-four days. The female of this species lays from thirty-five to fifty eggs 

 each. The life-history was checked on other calves. 



The Ufe-history of the long-nosed ox louse {Hoemaiopinus vituli Linn.) was very 

 similar though it was sUghtly longer. The method used was the same as in the pre- 

 viously mentioned louse. These insects were placed in a white patch where the shin- 

 ing black eggs hatched in from eight to nine days and the hce again laid eggs Iti from 



