CURRENT NOTES. 189 



country. Naturalists and field entomologists could give much valuable 

 help in the matter : — 



(a) By keeping notes and records, beginning at once, of any adult 

 insects which they may meet with during natural history researches, 

 etc., and also of the detection of Anopheline larvae. 



(b) By forwarding any information on the subject already in their 

 possession. 



Kecords. 

 In making records the following are important : — 

 Adults. — Date. 



Hour of collection. 



Place (if in a building specify its nature). 

 Condition of weather and temperature. 

 Whether few or abundant. 

 Larvae. — Date. 



Hour of collection. 

 Locality. 



Nature of collection of water (natural or artificial). 

 Nature of breeding place (shady pools : open col- 

 lections of water : presence or absence of weed, 

 fish, etc.). 



Identification. 

 As regards differentiation of Anophelines from other species refer- 

 ence may be made to the British Museum pamphlet on Mosquitos 

 (Economic Series, No. 4. British Museum. Price Id,), or, of course, 

 to any other text books. In case of doubt as to the identity of insects 

 collected, specimens may be sent for identification by post addressed 

 (0,H,M.S.) to The Medical Officer, Local Government Board, White- 

 hall, London, S.W. 1, and marked on the cover " Entomologist," 



Letters relating to investigations {a) and (b) above should be 

 similarly addressed. — Medical Department, Local Government Board, 

 2,1th Augmt, 1917. 



A long series of separata have reached us from the Smithsonian 

 Institution, Washington, during the past few months, among them 

 are — 



1. " Notes on the Life History and Ecology of the Dragonflies (Odo- 

 nata) of Central California and Nevada," is a further contribution to the 

 Odonata fauna of the Pacific Coast of N. America. It contains a large 

 amount of biological rather than descriptive matter, and is illustrated 

 by more than 400 figures in the text. Much of the matter consists of 

 observations on the earlier stages, critical remarks on the genitalia, 

 habits of oviposition, which differ in the different Odonate families, 

 protective coverings in the nymphal stage, etc., and lists of the associa- 

 tions of dragonflies observed at nearly forty localities. In a subsequent 

 paper the author, C. H. Kennedy, proposes to discuss the Odonate 

 fauna of Southern California, 



2. " A new American Parasite of the Hessian fly, Mmjetiola destruc- 

 tor." Some years ago this fly was found to have migrated to this 

 country, and considerable attention was called to it in fear of the con- 

 sequences to our wheat crops. Apparently conditions were by no 

 means favourable to any abnormal increase of the pest and nothing 

 further has been heard of it here. But in the United States the 

 Hessian Fly is a foe to be considered. In this memoir P. K. Myers 



