Januaey 8, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



65 



that, ' since the specimens are all crushed ab- 

 solutely flat, it is by no means certain that in 

 the original uncompressed condition the open- 

 ings~ did not look out to the side.' 



Bashfobd Dean. 



First Beport on Economic Zoology. By Feed. 



V. Theobald, M.A. London. 1903. Pp. 



xxxiv + 192. 



Under the above heading F. V. Theobald, a 

 high authority on economic entomology in 

 Great Britain, has published, under the aus- 

 pices of the British Museum (Natural History), 

 in three parts, his initial report of economic 

 zoology. The volume in question is preceded 

 by an introductory chapter of some extent 

 by E. Eay Lankester, consisting of a classi- 

 fication of animals from the point of view of 

 economic zoology. The same writer has added 

 considerable correspondence on the dreaded 

 tsetse fly disease of Africa, termites or white 

 ants and the locust plague of the same coun- 

 try, as well as other matters not pertaining to 

 entomology. Mr. Theobald is well known 

 from his valuable treatise on the Culicidse of 

 the world, which has already reached the 

 fourth volume. Although the main portion of 

 the report is devoted to injurious insects and 

 to other economical entomological questions, 

 there is also frequent mention of the injury 

 accomplished by mammals and birds and 

 other pests as well as of fimgous and other 

 diseases. Much valuable information is fur- 

 nished in regard to the means of preventing 

 insect losses, a considerable proportion of 

 which has been derived from actual experience 

 or from reports of trustworthy persons. The 

 work is not only of special interest and value 

 to persons engaged in agi'iculture in Great 

 Britain, but also to those of nearby countries 

 in Europe, where many of the same species oc- 

 cur, although not always in the same degree of 

 abundance. Many of the species considered 

 are cosmopolitan, while others are common to 

 North America and Europe, which makes the 

 work also of interest to farmers of the United 

 States. Among the most interesting species 

 treated are the following: 



The bud moth (Hedya (Tmetocera) ocellana 

 Eab.), a well-known pest in the northern 



United States; the mussel scale, or, as it is 

 more familiarly known in America, oyster- 

 shell bark-louse {Mytilcispis pomorum Bouche), 

 the pear leaf and 'big bud' mites. Among 

 potato pests is a species of caterpillar, Hy- 

 drcecia micacea, which works in the same 

 manner as our stalk Jiorer, Hydrcecia nitela 

 Say, well and unfavorably known to potato 

 growers in the United States. Frequent men- 

 tion is made of injury by millipedes attacking 

 potatoes and other useful crops. 



Considerable attention is given to the oc- 

 currence of the Colorado potato beetle in Eng- 

 land, more especially in Tilbury, where it has 

 been established for some little time. Judging 

 by this report of local occurrence, it would not 

 seem difficult to stamp out the pest in that 

 region so as to prevent its spread to other 

 portions of the country and eventually to the 

 continent of Europe. 



The so-called leather jackets or maggots of 

 the crane flies or daddy longlegs (Tipulidse) 

 are considered somewhat at length. Eecords 

 are cited of injury to hundreds of acres of 

 grass land by these insects, and it seems prob- 

 able that much injury is done by related spe- 

 cies (of which there are many) in the United 

 States, which is undetected or attributed to 

 other forms of insects. 



There is always danger of introducing 

 European species into America, and it is 

 singular that some of the commonest pests 

 of England have never found a complete 

 establishment with us, for example, the 

 thousand-legged worm or millipede, Poly- 

 desmus complanatus, which has undoubtedly 

 often been brought to this country in soil and 

 has been mentioned as occurring here, but 

 which our authorities state has not gained a 

 permanent foothold. The same is true of the 

 ear wig. Labia minor, which is said to be a 

 pest in Europe, well established in America, 

 but never injurious, so far as we know, in our 

 own country. Another species frequently 

 found in old buildings, in furniture and in old 

 wood generally and commonly called death 

 watch, Anoiium domesticum, is in the same 

 category, having undoubtedly been brought 

 here in wooden material but, for some un- 

 known reason, failing to survive. Mr. Theo- 



