﻿374 
  rT?OCEEDTNGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOUEITr 
  FXTO.^fOT,OGI^.VT, 
  MEETING 
  

  

  insects, 
  (as 
  I 
  believe 
  we 
  certainly 
  are), 
  then 
  it 
  will 
  generally 
  be 
  possible 
  

   to 
  discover 
  the 
  particular 
  stimuli 
  Avliich 
  fit 
  -the 
  specialized 
  recc})tivitieB 
  

   of 
  any 
  given 
  insect, 
  and 
  whicli 
  guide 
  it 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  three 
  essentials 
  

   of 
  continued 
  existence, 
  feeding, 
  pairing, 
  and 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  a 
  suitable 
  

   nidus 
  for 
  the 
  young. 
  

  

  Economic 
  Entomology 
  relies 
  at 
  present 
  very 
  largely 
  upon 
  methods 
  

   which 
  are 
  crude 
  and 
  wasteful 
  of 
  energy. 
  This 
  is 
  noticeable 
  even 
  in 
  

   countries 
  where 
  labour 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  expensive 
  than 
  in 
  India, 
  and 
  where 
  

   such 
  methods 
  as 
  hand-picking 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  apply 
  ; 
  while 
  it 
  would 
  

   probably 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  find 
  an 
  entomologist 
  or 
  a 
  sanitarian 
  with 
  

   experience 
  of 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  who 
  would 
  not 
  readily 
  admit 
  that 
  

   a 
  very 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  effort 
  must 
  ordinarily 
  be 
  expended 
  in 
  combating 
  

   insects 
  of 
  agricultural 
  or 
  medical 
  importance 
  if 
  any 
  really 
  satisfactory 
  

   results 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  obtained. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  large 
  expenditure 
  of 
  

   time 
  and 
  money 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  necessary 
  seems 
  in 
  great 
  part 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  

   to 
  our 
  ignorance 
  of 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  termed 
  " 
  applied 
  insect 
  psychology," 
  

   our 
  wide 
  lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  influences 
  or 
  " 
  considerations 
  " 
  which 
  

   really 
  have 
  weight 
  with 
  an 
  insect 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  its 
  main 
  

   activities. 
  For 
  instance, 
  Major 
  James 
  in 
  a 
  lecture 
  on 
  anti-Stegoinyia 
  

   operations 
  in 
  Ceylon, 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  extreme 
  difficulty 
  in 
  locating 
  all 
  

   breeding 
  places, 
  and 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which, 
  when 
  all 
  the 
  breeding 
  places 
  

   that 
  can 
  be 
  discovered 
  have 
  been 
  sterilized, 
  the 
  insect 
  finds 
  and 
  makes 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  cryptically 
  located 
  collections 
  of 
  water, 
  availing 
  himself 
  

   for 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  lecturer's 
  license, 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  mosquito 
  

   as 
  a 
  clever 
  and 
  wily 
  insect, 
  and 
  such 
  it 
  certainly 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  if 
  we 
  look 
  

   only 
  at 
  results. 
  On 
  the 
  views 
  expressed 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  we 
  should 
  regard 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  water-finding 
  contest 
  between 
  a 
  Municipality 
  and 
  a 
  

   mosquito 
  as 
  a 
  foregone 
  conclusion. 
  The 
  insect, 
  equipped 
  as 
  it 
  certainly 
  

   is 
  with 
  a 
  keen 
  susceptibility 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  moisture 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  has 
  

   thus 
  the 
  one 
  thing 
  really 
  useful 
  in 
  looking 
  for 
  water 
  ; 
  the 
  mere 
  man's 
  

   wonderfully 
  developed 
  visual 
  organs, 
  enormously 
  surpassing 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  mosquito 
  in 
  range 
  and 
  accuracy, 
  are 
  still 
  obviously 
  inefficient 
  for 
  

   detecting 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  water 
  enclosed 
  in 
  solid 
  receptacles 
  or 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  screened 
  from 
  view. 
  

  

  The 
  need 
  of 
  economic 
  entomology 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  stage 
  of 
  its 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  above 
  all 
  the 
  encouragement 
  and 
  prosecution 
  

   of 
  research 
  along 
  such 
  lines 
  as 
  will 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  those 
  

   " 
  constructive 
  " 
  methods 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  above 
  are 
  very 
  simple 
  examj)les. 
  

   If 
  we 
  review 
  the 
  stock 
  methods 
  of 
  combating 
  insects 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  roughly 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  Insecticides, 
  fumigation, 
  bagging, 
  and 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  breeding 
  and 
  hiding 
  places, 
  handpicking 
  of 
  eggs 
  or 
  larvse, 
  

   modifications 
  of 
  agricultural 
  practice 
  to 
  secure 
  strong 
  plants, 
  or 
  to 
  

  

  