JuLy 29, 1915] 
character, as, for example, the series of papers in 
the **Records of the Indian Museum”? for April. Jf 
any of these are to be chosen for special mention it 
must be the profusely illustrated ‘‘Contribution to a 
Knowledge of the Terrestrial Isopods of India,’ by 
Mr. W. E. Collinge, describing a collection of species 
ney to science from the Madras Province of Southern 
ndia. 
The Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums 
for March contains a valuable paper on the zoology of 
Koh Samui and Koh Pennan by Messrs. H. C. 
Robinson and C. Boden Kloss, and another on the 
plants therefrom by Prof. H. N. Ridley; while the 
April number contains a most interesting summary of 
Malay filigree work by Mr. I. H. N. Evans. 
The thirteenth report of the Sarawak Museum con- 
tains a complete list of all the mosquitoes known 
from Borneo. The material for this was collected by 
the curator, Mr. J. C. Moulton—now on active service 
in France—and determined by Mr. F. W. Edwards, 
of the British Museum. 
The Report of the South African Museum contains 
a brief summary of the acquisitions of the Geological 
Department, some of which are of considerable im- 
portance, as, for example, the remains of a small 
dinosaur from Bushmanland, apparently allied to the 
Cretaceous dinosaurs, and which throw light on the 
age of the old land surface in the north-west of the 
Cape Province. 
The Records of the Albany Museum for May con- 
tains seven papers, one of which, on the fleas infest- 
ing various wild South African mammals, may prove 
of more importance than would appear at first sight. 
All these institutions appear to be in a flourishing 
condition, but this is evidently far from true of the 
Rhodesia Museum, Bulawayo, which, in its thirteenth 
annual report, complains bitterly of the lack of funds. 
So seriously has its income fallen off that it has been 
necessary not only to reduce its staff, but to suspend 
even work necessary to ensure the well-being of the 
collections. We trust that better days are in store 
for the Albany Museum. 

ENTOMOLOGICAL WORK IN CANADA. 
} ECENT publications of the Entomological Branch 
of the Canadian Department of Agriculture illus- 
trate the wide field of the activities of Dr. Gordon 
Hewitt and his staff and the advances they are making 
in our knowledge of the control of insects. 
In the Canadian Entomologist for March, 1915, 
Dr. Hewitt discusses the hibernation of the house-fly 
in a paper that is of very great topical value at the 
moment in this country; he finds that the maggots 
pupate at depths up to 2 ft. below and away from 
a manure heap, where this is situated on sandy loam; 
he finds also that the flies emerge from this situation. 
Discussing the hibernation of the insect, he reiterates 
his belief that it is as the adult that they live over 
the winter in northern latitudes. 
In the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada 
for September, 1914, Dr. Hewitt describes observa- 
tions on the feeding of the stable-fly, Stomoxys cal- 
citrans, which will be of value to those seeking to fix 
the réle this insect plays in the dissemination of 
disease, notably of infantile paralysis. 
A circular of the Department of Agriculture contains 
the instructions to importers of trees, plants, and 
other nursery stock into Canada; it explains clearly 
and simply what the importer has to do, and reprints 
the text of the Act. Another circular deals with the 
control of locusts in eastern Canada; the author, A. 
Gibson, uses the term locust for grasshopper, whereas 
No. 2387, VOL. 95] 
NATURE 


603 

it is better restricted to the migratory grasshoppers ; 
but the circular is for popular use, and the term is 
probably so used in eastern Canada. 
The most interesting point is the value of adding 
lemon juice to the poisoned bait for killing the insects; 
the method originated in Kansas, and works well in 
Canada. 
In Bulletin No. 9 Mr. Gibson deals with the Army 
worm Cirphis unipuncta, an insect which caused a 
loss of 50,000l. in Ontario alone. He emphasises the 
great importance of co-operation among farmers in 
dealing with outbreaks promptly and thoroughly by 
means of trenching, poisoning, and rolling. It is 
possible that something better could be done with 
moth trapping on the ‘‘ Andres Maire’’ system, which 
has proved successful elsewhere. The bulletin is a 
thoroughly practical, useful piece of work, and the 
Department evidently has the confidence of the farm- 
ing community in Canada. H. M. L. 
THE SUPPLY OF OPTICAL GLASS. 
Apes subject of the supply of optical glass and the 
needs and opportunities offered to the optical 
trade, by war and after-war conditions, still continues 
to attract the attention which it deserves. On July 16 
an important conference was held at the London 
Chamber of Commerce between the Court and repre- 
sentatives of the Spectacle Makers’ Company and 
representatives of the chamber and of the trade. The 
conference was convened by the company, and the 
chair was taken by the master, Sir J. F. L. Rolleston, 
M.P. There were also present Lord Southwark, 
president of the Chamber of Commerce, Viscount Hill, 
Sir William Hart Dyke, Sir Marcus Samuel, Dr. 
R. M. Walmsley, and others. The chairman opened 

the proceedings, and in the course of his 
speech explained how the debate in the House 
of Commons on _ optical matters which was 
initiated by Sir Philip Magnus on May 19, and in 
which several well-informed members, including the 
chairman, were prepared to take part, was inter- 
rupted and practically closured by the Prime Minister’s 
very important announcement on “Coalition Govern- 
ment.” He also referred to various matters to which 
we have directed the attention of our readers as they 
arose. 
Lord Southwark, in opening the discussion, 
referred to the fact that he was not only the president 
of the chamber, but also a past-master of the Skinners’ 
Company, which is so closely associated with the 
Northampton Polytechnic Institute and its work. He 
emphasised the importance of concerted action and the 
help which the City companies could give, and referred 
also to the valuable assistance which could be rendered 
by the chamber. In the discussion which followed, it 
was understood that the remarks made by trade mem- 
bers should not be reported. Dr. Walmsley, who was 
called upon to speak early in the debate, explained the 
points referred to in his letter to the Times of April 28, 
and indicated the importance of the opportunities 
which have now arisen for the recapture of those 
branches of the optical instrument trade which were 
so heavily handicapped before the war. He pointed 
out that this was worthy of a very earnest effort, and 
he referred particularly to the value of the. trade in 
the employment of highly skilled labour, which forms 
so important an item in the production of complicated 
optical instruments, such as microscopes, etc. He 
also dwelt upon the necessity for training designers 
and computers. he importance of the spectacle- 
making branch of the trade was fully insisted upon, 
and eventually it was decided, on the motion of Lord 
