Mat 2, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



659 



TEE IMPEBIAL BUEEAU OF ENTOMOLOGY 

 As the question of international effort and 

 cooperation in the matter of controlling and 

 preventing the spread of insects which in 

 various ways affect human activity is occupy- 

 ing the attention, not only of entomologists, 

 sanitarians and workers directly occupied in 

 studying these many-sided problems, but also 

 of statesmen and administrators, the forma- 

 tion in connection with the British Imperial 

 service of an Imperial Bureau of Entomology 

 at the beginning of the present year will un- 

 doubtedly interest all concerned in these prob- 

 lems, by whom its progress and work will be 

 watched. 



This organization is not a sudden develop- 

 ment but a gradual outgrowth of efforts along 

 similar lines which began in the spring of 

 1909. In March of that year a meeting was 

 called by the secretary of state for the colon- 

 ies at the colonial office in London, in which 

 the present writer had the honor to take part, 

 to discuss the formation of an entomological 

 research committee for the purpose of furth- 

 ering entomological research in the- British 

 possessions in tropical and subtropical Africa. 

 The chief insects which it was considered de- 

 sirable to study were those associated with the 

 transmission of disease. In 1909 an entomo- 

 logical research committee of the colonial 

 office was appointed by Lord Crewe, then sec- 

 retary of state for the colonies, and it con- 

 sisted of the chief experts in entomology and 

 tropical medicine in Great Britain and Ire- 

 land, with Lord Cromer as chairman. Its 

 work fell under three divisions, namely, the 

 carrying on of investigations and entomolog- 

 ical surveys in tropical Africa, for the pur- 

 pose of which two traveling entomologists 

 were employed; the determination of entomo- 

 logical material, and the publication of the 

 work so accomplished, for which purpose the 

 Bulletin of Entomological Research, a quar- 

 terly journal, was started. Through the gen- 

 erosity of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, the com- 

 mittee was able also to undertake the training 

 of a number of entomologists for service in 

 the dominions and colonies. 



On account of the valuable service which 



was being rendered by the committee to the 

 African crown colonies and protectorates, sug- 

 gestions were made for the enlargement of the 

 scope of the work of the committee. Accord- 

 ingly, in June, 1911, advantage was taken of 

 the presence in England of the prime min- 

 isters of the self-governing dominions and a 

 conference was called by the secretary of state 

 for the colonies to consider the desirability of 

 further extending the work already begun by 

 securing the cooperation and financial support 

 of the self-governing dominions and colonies. 

 By these means mutual assistance could be 

 rendered by the various countries within the 

 British Empire through the medium of a cen- 

 tral bureau which would be engaged in the 

 collection and interchange of information in 

 regard to noxious insects. It was unani- 

 mously agreed that the establishment of such 

 a central bureau was desirable, as it was real- 

 ized what valuable assistance it could render 

 in the way of disseminating information and 

 rendering assistance in other ways. Accord- 

 ingly, a tentative scheme was submitted to the 

 governments of the various self-governing 

 dominions and colonies for their considera- 

 tion. 



After due consideration and consultation a 

 further conference was held at the colonial 

 office in August, 1912, to which the govern- 

 ment entomologists of the self-governing do- 

 minions and colonies and others similarly in- 

 terested were invited, to discuss and work out 

 a scheme for imperial cooperation in prevent- 

 ing the spread and furthering the investiga- 

 tion of noxious insects. At this conference 

 the whole subject was thoroughly discussed 

 and a proposal was evolved for the establish- 

 ment of an imperial bureau of entomology to 

 be financially supported by the various do- 

 minions and colonies and the British govern- 

 ment. 



It was proposed that the functions of the 

 Imperial Bureau of Entomology should be as 

 follows : 



1. A general survey of the noxious insects 

 of the world and the collection and coordina- 

 tion of information relating thereto, so that 

 any British country may learn by enquiry 



