461 



The chief and permanent breeding place of this locust is situated in the 

 valley of the river Kuma, in reed-beds {Phragmites communis). In 

 1913, after the destruction of the local locusts, a new swarm arrived 

 from the neighbouring province of Terek and infested some 11,000 

 acres of adjoining meadows with its eggs ; the locusts hatching from 

 these eggs in 1914 were, however, mostly destroyed. The process of 

 oviposition is described in detail. The more elevated spots amongst 

 the reeds are mainly selected for this purpose ; these areas are usually 

 overgrown with plants, such as Bromus inermis, Triticum repens and 

 Carex. The character of the soil is also of importance, as the locusts 

 avoid sandy soils or those containing salt, preferring light loam con- 

 taining much humus and roots of reeds or grasses. Some egg-clusters 

 are of a small size and contain smaller eggs, and the majority of these 

 become infected with a mould. This is also sometimes the case with 

 normal egg-clusters. An unidentified disease was observed among 

 the adults, destroying some 10-15 per cent, of them. The commonest 

 parasite is a red mite, which was usually found attached to the veins 

 of the wings, 200 being frequently found on a single individual. They 

 also occur on the young stages on various parts of the body. More 

 important enemies are the larvae of several species of viviparous flies, 

 which attack all stages except the first, on which they have not yet 

 been found. If numerous, they bring about the gradual death of the 

 host, but as the percentage of locusts infested is not great, varying 

 from 2 to 25 per cent., they are not of great practical importance. 

 In damp localities, a small percentage are also attacked by intestinal 

 worms, a species of Mermis. The chief enemies of the egg-clusters 

 are : — mites, the larvae of Epicauta erythocephala and Dipterous larvae. 

 The mites which feed on the eggs are about three times the size of 

 those which attack the larvae and adults. The egg-clusters are also 

 attacked by larvae of Bombyliid flies of the genus Sijstoechus. Not- 

 withstanding their numbers, the percentage of egg-clusters destroyed 

 by these parasites is insufficient to make them of great economic 

 importance. 



S. P. HenapHuH menKonpflfl-b bt* SaaMHHCKOM-b paJioHt. [The 

 Gipsy Moth near the village of Zaamin (Samarkand).] — «TypKe- 

 craHCKOe CejibCKoe X03flHCTB0.» [Agriculture of Turkestan], 

 Tashkent, xi, no. 4, April 1916, p. 368. 



A large outbreak of Lymantria dispar occurred in 1915, and owing 

 to the fact that no measures were taken against the eggs, another 

 outbreak is. threatened this year. Willows (Salix caprea) were mainly 

 attacked. This moth usually ceases to be a pest after three or four 

 years, being kept in check by its parasites. 



Sachaeov (N). VKopoMeHHUH rpymeobiM nMnH/ibLUMKii h Mtpu 

 6opb6bl C"b HMMli. [Micronematus ahhreviatus, Htg., and its 

 control] ; published by the Entomological Station of Astrachan, 

 reprint from i(/lK)6HTenb npMpOAbl.)> [Friend of Nature], 

 Petrograd, 1916, 10 pp., 4 figs. 



Though Micronematus {Neynatus) ahhreviatus, Htg., seriously damages 

 pear trees in Astrachan, it has not been previously recorded as a pest. 

 The author first observed this sawfly about the middle of May, when the 



