790 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. Xo. 675 



was appointed to the department of agri- 

 culture in 1895. 



In Western Australia the entomological 

 work is done largely by Mr. George Com- 

 pere, who acts in the dual capacity of ex- 

 pert of the department of agriculture, and 

 as a traveling agent of the state board of 

 horticulture of California. Mr. Compere 

 is an enthusiastic believer in the efficacy of 

 introduced parasites, and pays slight at- 

 tention to other remedial measures. 



BRITISH WEST INDIES 



The situation in the British West Indies 

 has changed radically since the publication 

 of the former address. The Imperial De- 

 partment of Agriculture for the West 

 Indies was organized in 1898, and Sir 

 Daniel Morris was appointed commis- 

 sioner. The department was originally 

 established for ten years, but has since 

 been extended for a further period of 

 five years; that is to say, until October 1, 

 1913. 



During 1899 an entomologist was ap- 

 pointed, Mr. H. Maxwell Lefroy, who has 

 since been transferred to India. Mr. 

 Henry A. Ballou, of Massachusetts, was ap- 

 pointed to succeed him in March, 1903 ; he 

 has no assistants beyond a single prepara- 

 tor. Mr. Ballou has done good work in 

 investigating injurious insects of the terri- 

 tory over which the department extends, 

 and publishes entomological information in 

 the various periodicals and reports of the 

 department, as well as in a fortnightly re- 

 view, known as the Agricultural News, 

 which coiitains popular insect notes. More 

 technical papers appear in the West Indian 

 Bulletin, a quarterly journal. 



In the British Atlantic Islands outside 

 of the control of the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture, such as Bermuda and the 

 Bahamas, no official work in economic ento- 

 mology seems to be carried on. In Ber- 

 muda, however, at the present time, under 



the agricultural society of the island, a 

 most interesting experiment is under way, 

 as I am informed by Mr. Ambrose Goslin 

 the president of the society, and Mr. 

 Claude W. McCallan, an old correspondent 

 of the Bureau of Entomology at Washing- 

 ton. The fruit fly of Bermuda and other 

 places (Ceratitis capitata Wied.), referred 

 to in a short illustrated article in Insect 

 Life, Vol. III., pp. 5-8 (1890), has in- 

 creased so greatly and has become so in- 

 jvirious as to warrant the most radical 

 means of destruction. During the present 

 year all fruit of the island known to be 

 affected by this insect has been rigorously 

 destroyed in the effort to leave not a single 

 opportunity for the insect to breed this 

 year. This is an effort at extermination 

 and its results will be followed with the 

 greatest interest by all persons interested 

 in entomology and fruit culture. The only 

 comparable experiment known to the 

 writer was carried on some years ago in a 

 very large but isolated and most remunera- 

 tive apple orchard in South Idaho when the 

 entire crop is said to have been destroyed 

 for one season, with the result that the 

 codling moth in that region was exter- 

 minated. 



INDIA 



In India in 1894 the principal work in 

 economic entomology had been done by Mr. 

 E. C. Cotes, in charge of the entomological 

 collections of the Indian Museum in Cal- 

 cutta. Some three volumes of the valuable 

 Indian Museum Notes had been published 

 at that time, and a number of special re- 

 ports had also been sent out dealing with 

 economic problems in entomology. Since 

 Mr. Cotes 's retirement the work has been 

 continued, and although the important 

 Indian Museum Notes have not been issued 

 so frequently, they are still published. 

 There have, however, grown up two im- 

 portant branches of entomological service — 

 the one established in 1901, when Mr. E. P. 



