121 



BiSHOPP (F. C.) & Laake (E. W.). U.S. Bur. Entom. The Dispersion 

 of Flies by Flight. JL Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H., xii, no. 2, 

 April 1919, pp. 210-211. 



In the course of various tests made to ascertain the distance of flight 

 of flies, about 80,000 coloured individuals were released and traps set 

 at varying distances and directions. The results showed that marked 

 house-flies [3Iusca domestica] were taken at a distance of 13 miles ; 

 screw -worm flies [Cochliomyia macellaria] at 15 miles ; Phormia regina 

 at 11 miles ; and Ophyra leucostoma at 7 miles. The following of 

 vehicles by the flies is believed to be an unimportant factor in these 

 experiments. Apparently many favourable feeding and breeding- 

 places were passed in the course of migration. 



Parman (D. C). U.S. Bur. Entom. Notes on Phlebotomus Species 

 attacking Man.— J?. Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H., xii, no. 2, 

 April 1919, pp. 211-213. 



In 1915 Phlebotomus was noticed for the first time attacking man in 

 Texas. The species is unidentified ; there have been no previous 

 records of the occurrence of midges of this genus in the south-western 

 States, and P. vexoior, Coq., the only species known to occur in the 

 United States, has not been recorded to attack man. In Texas this 

 midge appeared in September, October and November ; the following 

 year the infestation was greater and appeared a month earlier. The 

 adults always disappear with the occurrence of frosts. During the 

 day they hide in dark places and begin biting about one hour after 

 sundown, but although they will attack m late twilight, they never 

 do so in the dark or in moonlight. The breeding habits are not known 

 but breeding-places are believed to include neglected poultry houses. 



It is suggested that the autumn epidemics of dengue fever in 1916 and 

 1917 and of influenza in 1918 may possibly have been connected with 

 the presence of this midge. 



Chapin (E. a.). New Species of North American Siphonaptera. — Bull. 

 Brooklyn Entom. Sac, New York, xiv, no. 2, April 1919, pp. 49-62. 



The classification of the genera Hoplopsyllus, Ctenocephalus and 

 SpilopsyUus is discussed and a key is given to these. The following 

 new species are described : Hystrichopsylla schefferi, taken in 

 Washington from the nest of Aplodontia rufa ; Stenoponia wetmorei, 

 taken from Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis ; Myodopsylla subulata, 

 taken in Connecticut from a bat, Myotis subulatus ; Neopsylla similis, 

 taken in New Mexico from Peromyscus sp., in company with numbers 

 of Ceratophyllus wctgneri. Baker ; and Ceratophyllus utahensis, from 

 Utah, parasitic on a bird, probably Steganojms tricolor. 



RoDHAiN (J.). Nouvelles Observations sur la Biologie de Passeromyia 

 heterochaeta, Villeneuve.' — Bull. Biol. France et Belgique, Paris, lii, 

 no. 4, 25th March 1919, pp. 499-510, 2 figs. 



The Anthomyid fly, Passeromyia heterochaeta, the larva of which is 

 parasitic in birds' nests, is uniformly distributed throughout eastern 

 and central Africa and occurs to a less extent in the basin of the Congo 

 almost to the Atlantic coast. The adult flies were taken near Lake 

 Tanganyika at the end of April together with Sarcophaga, Ochromyia, 



