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THE HENRY EDWARDS COLLECTION. 



We notice from Science of March 18, 1892, that the friends of the late 

 Henry Edwards have subscribed $10,000 and the American Museum of 

 Natural History 85,000 for the purchase of the Edwards entomological 

 collection, which will be placed in the American Museum. This enter- 

 prise has been carried through by Mr. A. M. Palmer, manager of the 

 Madison Sipiare Theater. It is gratifying to know that this collection 

 will be kept intact and that it will remain in this country. 



LOCUSTS IN EGYPT. 



We have several times referred to the great damage which was done 

 in Algiers during 1891 by the migratory locUvSts of the East. It seems, 

 from a report just published by the Ministry of Public Instruction at 

 Cairo that a great deal of damage was done in Lower Egypt as well, by 

 swarms of the locusts liyiug eastward from the higher regions of Trip- 

 oli. This report, which is submitted by Prof. Williamson Wallace, of 

 the Tewiikieh College of Agriculture at Gheezeh, contains a summar- 

 ized account of the life-history of Paehytilus migratorms, which differs 

 in no way from its life round in India and Algeria. The first swarms, 

 although attracting considerable attention, did not rouse the people to 

 the necessity of attemjiting any remedial work. When they began to 

 breed, however, a most energetic effort was made to rid the country of 

 the plague. Orders were issued from the Ministry of the Interior 

 pointing out the gravity of the situation and instructing the moodeers, 

 or governors of districts, to use every means in their power for the de- 

 struction of the locusts. By the loth of May the locusts had spread to 

 every province of Lower Egypt except Dakahlieh. It was found that 

 the eggs had been principally deposited on the sand islands in the 

 course of the western branch of the Xile in cotton fields. 



In the fields, occupied by the winter crops, such as wheat, barley, 

 I)eans, and clover, scarcely any eggs were found, as the ground at that 

 time was too hard to be pierced by the ovipositor of the insect. This 

 restriction of the infested area was a great advantage, as the young 

 cotton plants gave but little cover to the locusts, and the proprietor of 

 the field, as a matter of course, immediately reported the presence of 

 the locusts, since instant action could alone save his crop. The old 

 simple methodj> of destruction were found to be the most effectual. 

 Long, dry trenches were dug, into which the locusts were driven by 

 bands of men and children often numbering several hundreds, each 

 armed with a palm branch. They were theu covered with earth or 

 burned with straw or cornstalks. In the course of six weeks the in- 

 sects were practically exterminated. Few of the young ones ever 

 reached full growth, and these few were speedily destroyed by birds, 

 among which the common Crow was particularly active. The Cypriote 

 screeu-aud-trap system was tried, but is not recommended by Prof. 



