DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY. 199 



Dr. W. G. Farlow, in BiiJletin 15, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, gives the following rules: 



"1. iVvoid fungi in the button or unexpanded stage; 

 also, those in which the flesh has begun to decay, even if only 

 slightly. 2. Avoid all fungi which have stalks with a swollen 

 base suri'ounded by a sac-like or scaly envelop, especially if 

 the gills are white. 3. Avoid fungi having a milky juice, 

 unless the milk is reddish. 4. Avoid fungi in which the cap 

 or pileus is thin in proportion to the gills, and in which the 

 gills are nearly all of equal length, especially if the pileus is 

 bright colored. 5. Avoid all tube-bearing fungi in which 

 the flesh changes color when cut or broken, or where the 

 mouths of the tubes are reddish, and in the case of other 

 tube-bearing fungi experiment with caution. 6. Fungi which 

 have a sort of spider-web or flocculent ring around the upper 

 part of the stalk should in general be avoided." 



H. H. Lamson, 



Bacteriologist. 



DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



During the past year the work of the department of ento- 

 mology has consisted of studies of the life histories of vari- 

 ous injurious insects and the methods of controlling them, 

 of an investigation of the food relations of certain birds, 

 especially the chickadee and the chipping sparrow, and of 

 experiments with various insecticides. In addition the forma- 

 tion of a collection of ]^ew Hampshire insects has been con- 

 tinued, and the inquiries of many correspondents have been 

 answered. The more important entomological events of the 

 year are mentioned in the following Insect Eecord, although 

 we have studied several insects not there included. In nearly 

 all this work efficient aid has been rendered by Mr. W. F. 

 Fiske, assistant entomologist. 



The Insect Eecoed for 1898. 



Much the most important item in the record of insect in- 

 jury for the year in New Hampshire is that of an exceed- 



