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Kerosene Emulsion against the Sheep Scab. 



I have read with great interest Prof. C. P. Gillette's interesting and valuable article 

 reviewed in the last number of Ixsect Life on the application of kerosene emulsion 

 as a sheep-dip. Professor Gillette has most thoroughly treated the subject from an 

 economic standpoint aud shown the adaptability of the dip to sheep. Following Mr. 

 Joseph Harris, I suggested in "Animal Parasites of Sheep," its use as a dip against 

 sheep ticks aud lice but not against the scab iusects. I think that Professor Gillette 

 goes too far in advisiug its use at present agaiust " other parasitic insects that annoy " 

 the sheep, for until its use is thoroughly demonstrated in the scab diseases by some one 

 with means enough to try the experimeut, whether it succeeds or not, its utility as a 

 scab-dip is uncertain, as scab yields only to the most thorough treatment. He who 

 tries the kerosene dip should appreciate that he is making au experimeut the success 

 of which is doubtful. Should the application of this dip in the scab diseases be suc- 

 cessful we will have a remedy at once comparatively harmless, sufficient, and cheap. 

 Professor Gillette is to be congratulated for the success of his experiment. — [Cooper 

 Curtice, Department of Agriculture, Washington, December 10, 1890. 



On Nola sexniaculata and the Japanese Gipsy-moth. 



In Insect Life, Vol. iii. No. 2, p. 01, I note the name Nola sexniaculata Grote as still 

 in use. If not generally known in America, it may interest Lepidopterists to learn 

 that the species is identical with Walker's Lcbena trinotaia ; strictly speaking it is not 

 a typical Nola, the costa of the primaries being relatively longer, and the outer margin 

 consequeutly more oblicjue ; probably there are better characters for separating it from 

 Nola, but just at preseut lam in the thick of the most difhcult genera of Noctuidw and 

 have no time to look for them. I wonder which of the Japanese gypsy moths is the spe- 

 cies intended by M. Loomis. Porthefria dispar is represented in Japan by at least four 

 species, none of which correspond exactly with the European insect; P. japonica 

 Motsch. is considerably larger, more uniformly colored and with fewer markings: 

 P. umirosa Butl. is decidedly smaller and differs in the same way ; it may be a 

 natural form of P. japonica. P. hadina, and eurydice Btl. are described from males 

 only and are almost black, without dark border to secondaries ; the former larger 

 than males of P. dispar, the latter much smaller and very different in pattern of 

 primaries. Allied species, all smaller and referred to a distinct genus, Enome, by 

 Walker and others, occur in India; in one or two of these the females appear to be 

 practically apterous, the wings being aborted as in Orgyia; but Porthretia (Enome) 

 ohfnscata has a winged female differing in coloration, as in P. dispar. We hatched 

 eggs of the latter sent from India and reared a number of males on Hawthorn one 

 spring, and as this food did not belong (I believe) to the same natural order as the 

 plant on which it feeds in India, all the specimens were small. — [A, G. Butler, 

 British Museum, London, England, November 21, 1890.] 



GENERAL NOTES. 



A FIG LEAF BEETLE IN AUSTRALIA. 



We notice from au uulabelled newspaper clipping sent us by our 

 esteemed correspondent, Mr. C. O. Montrose, of Shepparton, New South 

 Wales, that Mr. W. W. Froggatt bas recently worked up a Leaf-beetle 

 which is doing serious damage to the fig trees in the gardens of Sydney, 

 New South Wales. It is a Chrysomelid closely allied to our common 

 imported Elm Leaf-beetle which it closely resembles in its method of 

 22595— No. 6- — 4 



