92 



Barber (B. L.). Report of the Animal Husbandman.— iJe;;^ Guam 

 Agric. Expt. Sta., 1914, Washington, B.C., 26th February 1915, 

 pp. 18-27, 3 plates, 6 figs. 



The immunisation of susceptible cattle from the United States for 

 controlling tick infestation has not proved complete or rehable, but 

 results in what appears to be a chronic form of the disease. In the 

 introduction of cattle into Guam, the great importance of securing 

 immune stock is plainly recognised. The daily temperature records 

 of the imported stock have been kept, and these aid greatly in the 

 detection of the disease in its incipient form. Temperature charts 

 have been compiled from these records and are submitted with this- 

 report. 



. BisHOPP (F. C), Dove (W. E.), Barman (D. C). U.S. Bur. Entom. 

 Notes on certain points of Economic Importance in the Biology of 

 the House F\y.—Jl. Econ. Entmn., Concord, viii, no. 1, February 

 1915, pp. 54-71. 



Certain points as yet undetermined in the life-history and habita 

 of the house-fly, Musca domestica, were investigated by the authors : 

 these included the determination of the duration of different develop- 

 mental stages of the insect, the longevity of the adult, the number of 

 ovipositions and the interval between each, the effect of humidity 

 and temperature on the several stages. The period between emergence 

 and copulation varies from 1-18 days ; variation also occurs in the 

 period between the date of copulation and the beginning of oviposition, 

 a range of 2-3 days having been observed. The desire to mate seems, 

 to be influenced by the food of the adult ; copulation was not observed 

 in unfed adults. Brevious observers have found a period of 10-14 

 days to elapse between the emergence of the adult from the pupa and 

 the first egg deposited. In this series of experiments, test cagea 

 varying in size from one cubic foot to 10 feet sc^uare by 6 feet high 

 were placed in different situations. Freshly emerged flies, in numbera 

 ranging from one pair to several hundreds, were used ; different kinds 

 of food and breeding media were supphed. The shortest period 

 observed was four days, the longest 20 days, the mean temperaturea 

 being 87-5'' F. and 68*1° F. respectively. In autumn, the period waa 

 not less than 10 days. Food supply is' an important factor, a variety 

 of food decreasing the time before egg laying. Humidity hastens egg- 

 laying ; sunshine, apart from higher temperature, seems to have a 

 stimulating effect on reproduction. From the above experiments, 

 it appears necessary, in Texas, to destroy female flies within four daya 

 after emergence in summer and within 10 days in autumn and early 

 spring, in order to prevent reproduction. The shortness of the pre- 

 oviposition period emphasises the importance of deahng with breeding 

 media rather than the destruction of adults. This is especially the 

 case in the tropics, where the period is brief, successive depositiona 

 are frequent and longevity of the adult reduced. The total time 

 between the beginning and end of oviposition is short, the adults often 

 living several days after the last eggs are deposited. Usually, two 

 batches are deposited with an interval of about eight days between 

 them. The observers noticed a marked tendency to the clustering of 



