60 



RosTRUP (Sofie). Raevehalemyggens {Oligotrophus alopecuri) Optrae- 

 den i Danmark og Forseg med Midler til dens Beltaempelse. 



[The Distribution of the Foxtail Midge in Denmark and Experi- 

 ments in Methods for its Destruction.] — 133 Beretning Statens 

 Forsogsvirhs. i Plantekultur ; Tidsskr. Planteavl., Copenhagen, 

 xxvi, 1919, pp. 37-51. 



The English summary of this paper states that in almost all the 

 specimens of meadow-foxtail seed sent in to the State Seed-testing 

 Station, more or less severe attacks of the larvae of the foxtail midge 

 {Oligotrophus alopecuri) are observed. Only in localities where 

 meadow-foxtail [Alopecurus pratensis] has not previously been grown 

 for seed, and where there is but little of this plant, is the seed crop 

 able to escape attack to some extent. Continued cultivation of 

 foxtail for seed increases the attack. 



The larvae of the foxtail midge hibernate in the seed, where a large 

 percentage survives the various processes of threshing, cleansing and 

 drying, to which the seed is subjected from the time it leaves the 

 field until it is again sown. 



In order to prevent infestation through the seed, various experiments 

 were made in 1912 and 1913 that aimed at killing the larvae without 

 destroying the germinating power of the seed. 



The following methods may be adopted : — (1) Dry heating for 

 35 minutes to a temperature of 59°-60° C. (2) Treatment with carbon 

 bisulphide (1 gm. CS2 per litre air) in a sealed room for 9 hoiu*s. 



As the midges hatch out during the first year, and the germinating 

 power of the seed does not diminish appreciably by being kept over 

 for a year, infestation may be avoided by using seed from the 

 preceding year. 



Beeson (C. F. C). Notes on the Larvae and Life-Histories of 

 Prionine Beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prionini). — Indian 

 Forest Records, Calcutta, vii, pt. v, 1919, 23 pp, 2 plates. [Received 

 12th December 1919.] 



The Coleoptera boring in sundri (Heritiera fomes) include an 

 Anthribid, Ozontomerus maculosus, Perr. ; a Bostrychid, Schistoceros 

 malayanus, Lesne ; a Lamiid, Glenea sp. ; the Cerambycids, Ceresium 

 zeylanicum. White, Derolus discicollis, Gahan, Diorthus cinereus. 

 White, Gelonaetha hirta, Fairm., and Macrotoma plagiata, Waterh. ; 

 the Scolytids, Progenius riehlii, Eichh., Xylehorus schlichi, Steb., 

 Crossotarsus squamulatus, Chap., C. saundersi, Chap., and Platypus 

 uncinatus, Bldfd., var. nov. ; and a Buprestid, Chrysobothris sp. In 

 the majority of cases the tree is attacked subsequent to its death 

 or when it is in a diseased condition. 



The life-cycle of Macrotoma plagiata varies from 1 to 5 years. 

 The larval galleries in Heritiera fomes run irregularly through the 

 heartwood, both across and with the grain, and frequently reach a 

 diameter of f of an inch. The pupal chamber is a simple expansion 

 of this gallery. The galleries are tightly packed with fibres and 

 wood dust. This pest is recorded from North India and Bengal, 

 and its early stages and those of the following are discussed in detail. 



Macrotoma crenata, F., has been reported in Bombax malaharicum, 

 Tamarix articulata and Quercus ilatata, the larvae being found in dead 



