52 



Van Zwaluwt:nburg (E. H.). Report of the Entomologist. — Rejit. Porto 

 Rico Agric. Eorpt. Sia., 1917, Washwgtoti, DC, 20th September 

 1918, pp. 31-32. [Received 17th January 1919.] 



The life-history study of the Australian cattle tick [BoopJiihs 

 auslralis] has been continued. It is recognised that the quickest 

 and most certain way of exterminating the tick is by thorough and 

 consistent dipping. Starvation by pasture rotation is a useful supple- 

 mentary measure, but is not practicable in the case of working oxen 

 subject to re-infestation along the road they travel, nor in cases where 

 only limited pasturage is available. All cattle on the Station estate 

 are dipped regularly every two weeks in a bath containing 0']9 per 

 cent, arsenious oxide, the standard low strength solution. As. the 

 minimum time for development of the ticks on the host is 20 days in 

 October, dipping every two weeks allows for any lessening of this 

 minimum during warmer seasons of the year. A 0*16 solution of the 

 dip was found ineffective against adult females. Tables are given 

 comparing the duration of the preoviposition and egg-laying periods 

 of the females and incubation of the eggs under artificial and natural 

 conditions. 



Caepako (M.). Cn a Mite of the Genus Tyrcglyplus, an accidental 



Parasite of the Horse. — Clinica Veierinaria, Milan, xli, no. 7, 



15th April 1918. pp. 173-177, 1 fig. (Abstract in Mthly. Bull 



Agric. Infell. & PI. Lis., Ecme, ix, no. 10, October 1918, 



pp. 1206-1207). 



Among accidental parasites removed in the crust and hairs of 

 animals suspected of suffering from mange, occur Sarcoptid mites 

 belonging to the sub-family Tyroglyphinae, which may be mistaken 

 fcr the true parasitic mites of the horse, and which may possibly, 

 under determined conditions, exercise a certain pathogenic action 

 on the horse. Some of these live normally on decomposing animal 

 and vegetable matter, while others are parasitic on the larvae of grain- 

 eating insects that infest all kinds of cereals and other food-stuffs. 

 These mites may attack man, causing skin irritation sometimes 

 accompanied by fever, such as " vanillism " of workers handling 

 vanilla, water itch of Indian tea-planters, grocers' itch, harvest fever, 

 etc., but no such pathogenic action cn the skin of animals has as yet 

 been recorded. Dermatosis on the lips, and spreading to the nose 

 and cheeks of the horse, and produced by mites of the genus 

 Tyroglyphus probably in the fodder has, however, been observed. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTICES. 



Mr. G. F. Hill has been appointed Entomologist at the AustraUan 

 Institute of Tropical Medicine, Townsville, North Queensland. 



