1897-] LAPPET MOTH 159 



much annoyance to " Entomologists " by recommending 

 that, notwithstanding their beauty and rarity, it would be 

 highly desirable to make them yet more rare ! 



December 5, 1900. 



Do you happen to have seen the Woburn Report con- 

 taining, amongst a good deal of information, an account of 

 results of experiments re Black currant mite ? I would 

 with pleasure lend you my copy, if you please ; there is a 

 little in it, as to their views about hydrocyanic acid the 

 very great difficulties of applying it to broadscale treatment 

 and a politely expressed hope that further experiment 

 may lead to useful results. The experiment of moving cut 

 down plants, even if steeped in methylated spirit and water, 

 has not succeeded. Mine had a charming little crop of mite 

 galls on those only moved to my clean ground, and even 

 the steeped plants were not quite without them. In this 

 case four of the twelve plants died, the others were sickly, 

 and all of the two dozen sent me flowered profusely but did 

 not produce one currant ! 



Yours very truly, 



ELEANOR A. ORMEROD. 



To W. B. Tegetmeier, Esq., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ' 



TORRIXGTOX HOUSE, St. ALBAXS, 



July 3, 1897. 



DEAR MR. TEGETMEIER, I am greatly obliged by what 

 you tell me about your intentions as to publishing a book 

 on " The House Sparrow," Passer domesticus. My idea is 

 this that for popular use (farmers and gardeners) the 

 evidence of what the food of the house sparrow really is, 

 needs to be put plainly before them by means of records 

 of trustworthy investigations of the contents of their crops. 

 For this I have been taking the returns of Mr. Gurney, and 

 some of Colonel Russell, who used to help me ; an abstract 

 of the U.S.A. Board of Agricultural Investigations, &c., &c. ; 

 also from my own Annual Reports, some lists, and observa- 

 tions of birds which are named as destroying insects this to 

 show that we do not wholly rely on Passer domesticus ! With 

 other material I propose to make a sort of 8 or 12 page " leaf- 

 let" or small pamphlet, and send it out gratuitously. I believe 



1 A great authority on the life-history of animals ; author of a 

 standard work on pheasants, and numerous works on poultry, pigeons, 

 and horses, mules, and mule-breeding ; on the staff of "The Field" for 

 nearly half a century ; an old Member of the " British Ornithologists' 

 Union." 



