184 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Paul Noel. La Chasse aux Insectes aquatiques (Journ. de I'Agriculture, 

 1897), 2 pp. and full-page illustration. 



The neighbourhood of electric light has been long a happy hunting 

 ground for insects of all kinds, but we do not recollect having previously 

 heard of the ingenious arrangement devised for tlie capture of aquatic 

 forms by the enthusiastic director of the regional laboratory of agricul- 

 tural entomology at Kouen. 



A previously charged electrical accumulator (of the kind used for 

 lighting bicycles, or some similar apparatus furnishing, say, twelve 

 hours of light of about four candle-power at a time) is placed at the 

 edge of the water which one wishes to work. It is sufficient simply to 

 fix to the lamp attached to this accumulator two wires longer than 

 those ordinarily provided with it — say, four metres — and carefully to 

 cover over the juncture of lamp and wires with sealing-wax, to prevent 

 leakage of the current. 



As this little lamp does not sink in the water, it must be made 

 fast to the centre of a semicircle of iron of about half a metre radius, 

 to which is fastened, below the lamp, a large trap, constructed on the 

 same principle as the bird traps which children make. On carefully 

 lowering the trap into a not too weedy spot, the strong light attracts 

 numerous insects and other animals ; it can then be switched off, the 

 trap closed and brought to the surface for the examination of its contents. 



G. W. K. 



Report of Injurious Insects and Common Farm Pests durim/ the year 1899, 

 tcith Methods of Prevention and Remedy. By Eleanor A. Ormerod. 

 Pp. 152. London : Simpkin, Marshall & Co. 1900. 



This is the twenty-third Eeport presented by Miss Ormerod, and 

 No. 1 of the second series ; the general index to the first series was 

 published last year. Although larva of Pieris brassicce appear to have 

 caused some destruction here and there, and some trouble experienced 

 with " wireworm " daring the summer, the only insect pest that was 

 mentioned as " seriously prevalent" was the turnip flea-beetle. Ephestia 

 kuhniella seems to have become more widely distributed in England 

 and Scotland, and to have effected a lodgment in Ireland. Dicranura 

 vinula is referred to, but is said not cause any great injury, except when 

 its larva happens to attack young and tender trees, as, for instance, 

 those in nursery plantations. Cidaria dotata, Newm. = c(ssociata, Bork., 

 the larva of which feeds on the foliage of currant bushes, has been 

 reported to Miss Ormerod as attacking red currant trees to a consider- 

 able extent. This moth is sometimes confused with C. pyraliata, Fb., 

 which is generally considered to be the true dotata, Linn., the larva 

 of which feeds on Galium,. There are several illustrations in the text, 

 and two plates ; the figures in the latter represent a foot of Hippobosca 

 equina and one of Ornithumyia avicularia, both highly magnified. 



We may mention here that, in recognition of her many and 

 valuable services to agriculturists and horticulturists, the Edinburgh 

 University, on April 14th last, conferred upon Miss Ormerod the 

 honour of LL.D. 



