54 



of all kinds, without regard to the spread thereby of insect 

 pests, the necessity for a close study of the bionomics of known 

 injurious species, and lastly to persuade the public and especially 

 agriculturists, of the importance of the subject, and the need for the 

 systematisation of control methods by suitable laws and official 

 regulations. 



The work, which is intended for lay readers rather than for ento- 

 mologists, is arranged on practical lines. The first chapter deals with 

 the general characters of insects, their structure, and the technical 

 terminology used with regard to them ; classification occupies the 

 second chapter. The third is devoted to a general view of insects 

 in the economy of nature and the fourth to a brief account of the chief 

 types of damage done. The next deals with the natural conditions 

 which limit the multiplication of the pests of agriculture, climatic 

 conditions, forms and habits of the pest themselves, parasites and 

 predatory insects, and the more or less artificial conditions of modern 

 agriculture and commerce, which frequently favour and occasionally 

 operate against the spread of a pest. Chapter six gives a general 

 view of the methods most in use for the control of insect pests, and a 

 list of 26 formulae for insecticides with brief instructions for pre- 

 paration. The seventh chapter gives a list of pests arranged under 

 the plants and the parts of them attacked, the nature of the damage 

 being briefly indicated ; this important section occupies 54 pages. 

 The remainder of the book is devoted to descriptions of individual 

 insect pests with careful accounts of the damage done by them and 

 the methods of control. A few pages at the end contain a brief 

 account of injurious worms, molluscs and rodents. The Italian 

 law of 26th June 1913, No. 888, which makes provision for 

 the control of insect pests and plant diseases is given in full, as is 

 also that of 15th June 1911 against locusts. The index is almost 

 entirely confined to insect names and, on a rough estimate, includes 

 at least 1,500 species. The illustrations are exceedingly good and 

 the book provides a mass of valuable information for less than 

 half-a-crown. 



ViDAL y Ferrer (F.). La mosca del olivo {Dacus oJeae). [The olive 

 fly.] — Rev. Inst. Agricola Cat. S. Isidro, Barcelona, Ixiv, no. 19, 

 5th October 1915, pp. 312-313. [Received 15th December 1915.] 



The poison bait recommended against Dacus oleae (olive fly), consists 

 of :■ — Water, 100 parts ; molasses, 10 parts ; sodium arsenite, 2 parts. 

 Sea-water is said to be the best for the purpose as it has been found 

 to be more attractive to the fly than fresh water. 



SiLvESTRi (F.). Struttura dell'ovo e prime fasi di sviluppo di alcuni 

 Imenotteri parassiti. [The egg structure and first phases of 

 development of some parasitic Hymenoptera.] — Boll. Lab. Zool. 

 Gen. Agrar. R. Scuola Sup. Agric, Portici, x, 1915, pp. 66-88, 

 6 plates. 



In this note are discussed the egg-structure and early stages of 

 development of the five Chalcids : Encyrtus mayri, Masi, parasitic 

 on the Gracilariid moth, Parectopa htifoliella, Mil. {Oecophyllembius 



