BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 97 



important conclusions from them as to the age of the 

 Balearic lignites. 



Messrs. Thomas and Pocock then travelled from Alcudia 

 to Mahon, the capital of Minorca, and after consulting Don 

 B. Escudero, the British Vice-Consul there, established 

 themselves in San Cristobal, towards the western end of the 

 island. This place, being much less of a town than Inca, ^ 

 proved to be far better suited for collecting, so that mammal 

 trapping and insect hunting were both very successful. 



Every mammal known in the island was obtained, except 

 one, which has since been sent by Mr. Escudero, and other 

 groups of animals were collected with proportionate success. 

 Ten days were spent in Minorca, and three more on the way 

 home at Cerbere, on the Franco-Spanish Frontier. 



In all, the collections made consisted, approximately, of 

 80 mammals, 28 reptiles and batrachians, 120 land shells, 

 500 Arachnida and Myriapoda, 500 insects, and 55 Isopods. 

 Total about 1,300. 



A paper on the mammals of the Balearic Islands has been 

 contributed by Mr. Thomas to the Zoological Society. 



All the specimens obtained have been deposited in the 

 Museum, which has thus benefited materially by the labours 

 of these two gentlemen in these islands, from ■ which the 

 Museum had very few specimens. 



Economic Biology. 



The trustees have agreed to a proposal by the Board of 

 Agriculture that questions on economic biology should be 

 referred to the Natural History Museum. 



To enable them to undertake this work, the Lords of the 

 Treasury have sanctioned the placing of a sum of 250L a 

 year upon the Museum Vote for assistance in the study of 

 economic biology (including payment to a specialist), with a 

 view to providing the Board of Agriculture with technical 

 biological information on agricultural questions. 



To give examples of the numerous inquiries which reach 

 the Museum in connection with this subject, letters have 

 been received from Ceylon with reference to damage caused 

 by weevils to tea plantations ; from Barbadoes, as to a slug 

 locally called " Palut," a garden pest {yeTmicella occi- 

 dentalis) ; from British Central Africa, concerning the 

 " Cameron Bug " {Antestia variegata) which attacks the 

 coifee plant; from India, inquiry is made as to " mealy bug" 

 and " black scale " infesting coffee plantations; while from 

 various districts of Great Britain inquiry has been received 

 regarding such agricultural pests as the pear saw-fly or 

 slugworm, the Lackey moth, the buff-tip moth, the codlin 

 moth, Bank-Voles (which strip the bark from young ash 

 plants), &c. 



113. G 



