166 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



the year, of the late Mr. Lionel Armstrong, whose services as 

 a specialist had been engaged in December of the previous 

 year. In addition to attending to several inquiries, Mr. Arm- 

 strong made considerable progress in the preparation of the 

 card-index to insect pests and to the literature bearing upon 

 them, as well as in the arrangement of the economic collections. 

 The loss of his services occasioned by his illness and his sub- 

 sequent death on the 6th August was greatly felt. It was 

 unfortunate, also, that Mr. Maxwell-Lefroy had been unable 

 to give more than a small amount of time to the work during 

 the year. Such time as he gave to it was given voluntarily ; 

 and his advice was often sought and freely given, with great 

 benefit to the Department, in matters of economic interest 

 which required special knowledge and experience to deal with. 



The Economic collections have been added to considerably 

 as a result of the work of the Entomological Research Com- 

 mittee ; and the Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Guy Marshall, 

 when visiting the West Indies in the early part of the year, 

 helped materially in the investigation relating to the beetle 

 Phytalus smithi Arrow, mentioned in the return for 1911 as 

 very destructive to sugar-canes in Mauritius. Mr. Marshall 

 discovered the presence of the beetle in Barbados, which is 

 probably its native habitat, and discovered there also a 

 Hymenopterous parasite of the beetle — facts which have since 

 been communicated to the Government of Mauritius. Inquiries 

 have continued to come from various parts of the world. 



Amongst the objects on which information and advice 

 have been sought, and as far as possible given, the following 

 may be mentioned : — 



I. Pisces. 



Damage to a submarine cable, caused apparently by the 

 bite of a Deep-sea Fish (Eastern and Associated Tele- 

 graph Companies). 



II. Insecta. 



A. DiPTERA. 



1. Distribution of the Orange fly (Ceratitis capitata). 



(Information on this matter requested by, and sup- 

 plied to Prof. F. Silvesfcri.) 



2. A species of fly {Bihio sp.) serving as food for the Red 



Grouse (Lagopus scoticus). 



3. Maggots (Dipterous larvae) in frozen rabbits from 



Australia. 



4. 'Flies infesting a house. (Species identified for Dr. S. 



Monckton Copeman,F.R.S., Local Government Board.) 



5. A fly (Hippohosca maculata) parasitic on cattle from 



S. India, which had just arrived at Singapore. 

 (Specimens sent by and information supplied to 

 Dr. Gilbert E. Brooke, Port Health Ofiicer, Singa- 

 pore.) 



