CHAP, ix.] ANNUAL REPORTS 61 



From the first I had excellent contributions. Various 

 members of our Entomological Societies were good enough 

 to send me notes on insects to which they devoted special 

 study, and so also were members of the Meteorological 

 Society, regarding points of natural history, bird life, 

 weather, &c., connected with entomological considerations, 

 and regarding which they were special observers. Agricul- 

 turally I had good help t also from other quarters, and 

 amongst many who assisted me, I will take leave to 

 especially give the name of the late Mr. Malcolm Dunn, the 

 Duke of Buccleuch's superintendent at the Palace Gardens, 

 Daikeith, N.B. We never met, but whenever I applied to 

 him he was unfailing in prompt and serviceable reply. As 

 a commencement, the introductions with which he favoured 

 me to the leading foresters and horticulturists of North 

 Britain, were of such invaluable aid that I should be 

 ungrateful not to mention his name as of one to whom I 

 owe a deep debt of gratitude. 



In the report for the year 1881 I altered the plan of 

 arrangement to one which so far as I can judge met all that 

 was needed for practical as well as scientific service so con- 

 veniently that I have since adhered to it. The information 

 was classed under headings of (a) farm crops, (b) orchard 

 and bush fruits, and (c) forest trees, regarding which obser- 

 vations of insect attack were forwarded. These headings 

 were arranged alphabetically, for instance: Apple, Bean, 

 Corn and Grass, Hop, Oak, Peas, Pine, Turnip, &c., &c. 

 Any information as to live-stock or animal insect pests 

 was similarly placed (that is, alphabetically) amongst the 

 other attacks, under the headings of Deer, Grouse, Horses, 

 &c., &c., as the case might be ; but beyond what was abso- 

 lutely necessary, as in the case of Ox warble, I endeavoured 

 to avoid entering on stock infestations as leading to investi- 

 gations very unpleasant to myself either to make or to 

 discuss, and very much better left in the hands of veterinary 



for a readable as well as useful report, I condensed the informa- 

 tion into as few words as possible, with few, if any, breaks in the 

 long paragraphs, and so, until 1880, the results (excepting to 

 technical readers) could not be considered "taking." If any of my 

 entomological readers will turn to a very useful work, the Forst 

 Zoologie, of Dr. Bernard Altum, they will see in the second 

 division of the " Insecten" at pp. 36, 37, and again at pp. 162, 163, the 

 difficulties that are thrown in the way of comfortably grasping the 

 subject, by the matter being printed continuously without breaks. 

 This, however, as well as many other things, I had then still to learn. 

 (E.A.O.) 



