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Australia on fowls, but is stated to be uncommon. All poultry runs 

 should be provided with dust-baths, consisting of fine road dust, to 

 which may be added a little wood ashes and sulphu.r. In these the 

 fowls rid themselves of the parasites, which are smothered by the 

 fine dust. 



Strickland (C). The Philosophy of Piping as a Preventive of 

 Paludism.— .45rr/c. Bull. Fed. Malay States, ii, no. 2, Sept. 1913, 

 pp. 36-42. 



The author regards subsoil drainage by means of pipes as the only 

 effective anti-malarial measure in dealing with water-logged land, 

 for though more expensive in first cost than open drains, it is nuich 

 more effective. In three cases in which it is reported to have failed, 

 the failure was due to insufficient extension of the system, whilst 

 when it had been properly carried out, the general local health has 

 improved and malaria diminished. He regards the provision of pipe 

 drainage sufficient to carry off all surface water as unnecessary and 

 as a needless expense. 



PixKUS (H.). The Life-History and Habits of Spalangia )nuscidarum, 

 Richardson : a parasite of the Stable-Fly. — Pysehe, Boston, 

 XX, no. 5, Oct. 1913, pp. 148-158, 1 pi., 1 fig. 



Durmg the course of some experiments on the life-history of the 

 stable-fiy, Slomoxys calcitrans, L., two parasites belonging to the 

 family Pteromalidae were found breeding in large numbers in the 

 puparia of the fly. One was undetermined ; the other was described 

 by Mr. C. H. Richardson as Spakmgia muscidanmi. The latter species 

 appears to have a wide distribution ; it has been bred from the house- 

 fly {Musca domestica) near Boston and at AVashington, and from 

 Stomoxys in Texas. Kansas and Louisiana. 



The adult parasite is a scavenger in habit, preferring to feed on the 

 remains of the host than on food, such as honey, which may be given 

 to it. The female does not usually deposit more than a single egg in 

 the same host, but will readily oviposit in many species of dipterous 

 pupae, apparently havmg no preference. In addition to Stcmoxys, 

 the following species have been parasitised experimentally : — Mvsca 

 domestica, L., Lyperosia irritans, L., Helicobia qxadnsetosa, Coq., and 

 PseudopyreUia cornicina, F. In nature, the stable-fly is undoubtedly 

 the principal host. 



The period of development varies with the host and also with the 

 temperature.. In S. calcitrans, at a temperature of 56°-58° F., the 

 period was 84 days ; in M. domestica, 106 days. Parasites developed 

 from the egg to the adult in 100 days in L. irritans, at the same 

 temperature as above, but m the same host and at a temperature 

 considerably higher, the period was only 88 days. Examination of 

 puparia kept out of doors during the winter of 1912-13, showed that 

 a few adults emerged durmg warm weather, but the majority of the 

 immature stages appeared to continue developing very slowly, and 

 it was thought that they would not emerge until the spring. 



The author suggests that these C'halcids would be an asset in com- 

 bating the stable-fly, if it were possible to obtain mature adults early 



