109 



single larva emerged within 24 hours and pupated within a week. 

 Eggs immersed 14 and 15 months after laying all failed to hatch. 



The longest period of dormancy in the case of submerged eggs was 

 5 months under natural conditions in West Africa. 



Though it is possible that the African and American races of S. fas- 

 ciata may differ considerably in constitution, the author considers that 

 the extreme period of viability of eggs of West African examples 

 stored out of water may be taken to be about a year. 



Malaria in the Armies. — Brit. Med. JL, London, no. 2986, 23rd March 

 1918, pp. 350-351. 



Many districts in Macedonia being notoriously malarious it can hardly 

 be doubted that the mihtary operations there have been hampered 

 throughout by the high rates of sickness, the casualty figures having 

 been dwarfed by those of sickness due to malaria. The figures for 

 1917 show a maximum of 33 men per 1,000 evacuated to the base 

 during the second week in October, and this in a year when continuous 

 anti-malarial work had resulted in a considerable diminution as com- 

 pared with the previous year. In the French army in Macedonia 

 during the same year a considerable improvement had taken place, 

 due to the sanitation of localities, to the free distribution of mosquito 

 nets, and to the administration of a daily dose of quinine under super- 

 vision. 



A full appreciation of the military importance of the problem should 

 result in canalisation and similar work against the hibernating 

 mosquito being undertaken as early as March or April, as soon as the 

 waters begin to subside. The education of officers and men of all 

 branches should also be considerably extended, for insufficient notice 

 is too often taken of the failure of individuals to protect themselves 

 and others from needless exposure to mosquito bites. A case in point 

 is that of a camp where on a night visit it was found that only 6 per 

 cent, of the, men had taken the trouble to close their nets properly. 

 Further it is stated that in training centres in England attendance at 

 lectures on malaria has been optional, and this, when the incidence 

 of the disease is severe, not only in Macedonia, but in Mesopotamia 

 and East Africa also. 



Cross (H. ,E.). Experiments with Emulsions for protecting Camels 

 against the Attacks of Blood-sucking Flies. — Agric. Research 

 Inst. Pusa, Calaitla, 1917, Bull. no. 76, 12 pp. [Received 20th 

 March 1918.] 



This bulletin describes experiments carried out to determine the 

 efficacy of the follo^\ang preparations for protecting camels against 

 blood-sucking flies : — Kerosene oil emulsion, oil emulsion prepared 

 from Eruca sativa, asafoetida solution, chir-pine oil emulsion, creosol 

 emulsion, Jensen's emulsion, citronella oil, aniseed oil, cod liver oil, 

 castor oil. The only one that prevented the attacks of Tabanidae 

 for any length of time was castor oil, the cost of which is however too 

 high. None of the others are of any practical value, since as soon as 

 the emulsions dry, they cease to repel the flies; 



