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  months 
  from 
  October 
  to 
  February 
  the 
  larvae 
  feed 
  and 
  grow, 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  damage 
  being 
  done 
  from 
  November 
  to 
  January. 
  In 
  March 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  discontinue 
  feeding 
  and 
  prepare 
  to 
  pupate, 
  the 
  males 
  first, 
  

   and 
  later 
  the 
  females 
  ; 
  pupation 
  occurs 
  during 
  April, 
  May 
  and 
  

   June. 
  Although 
  in 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  stage 
  no 
  difference 
  between 
  male 
  

   and 
  female 
  is 
  evident, 
  the 
  pupae 
  differ 
  markedly. 
  The 
  adult 
  female 
  

   is 
  a 
  segmented 
  spindle-shaped 
  organism, 
  bearing 
  no 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  

   moth, 
  having 
  neither 
  wings 
  nor 
  legs. 
  She 
  never 
  leaves 
  her 
  bag, 
  and 
  

   in 
  this 
  some 
  600 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid, 
  in 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  wax-like 
  secretion 
  mixed 
  

   •with 
  scales. 
  

  

  Shortly 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  hatch, 
  the 
  young 
  larva, 
  instead 
  of 
  beginning 
  

   -at 
  once 
  to 
  feed, 
  drops 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bag, 
  supported 
  by 
  a 
  gossa- 
  

   mer 
  strand, 
  and 
  sways 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  until 
  it 
  comes 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  

   some 
  object 
  on 
  a 
  lower 
  plane 
  ; 
  it 
  then 
  ascends 
  its 
  strand 
  again 
  and 
  

   remains 
  upon 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two, 
  making 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  feed, 
  how'ever 
  

   near 
  food 
  may 
  be. 
  The 
  author 
  suggests 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  device 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  

   the 
  dispersal 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  ; 
  birds 
  flying 
  through 
  plantations 
  would 
  

   be 
  apt 
  to 
  pick 
  up 
  on 
  their 
  beaks, 
  feet 
  or 
  feathers, 
  the 
  glutinous 
  gossa- 
  

   mer 
  threads 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  insects 
  are 
  attached, 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  w^ould 
  

   thus 
  be 
  deposited 
  in 
  another 
  locality. 
  This 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  may 
  

   account 
  for 
  their 
  spread 
  by 
  the 
  wind, 
  \vhich 
  would 
  transport 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   to 
  which 
  the 
  threads 
  are 
  attached. 
  

  

  Warren 
  (E.). 
  On 
  the 
  Economic 
  Value 
  of 
  Wild 
  Birds. 
  — 
  Agric. 
  Jl. 
  of 
  

   S. 
  Africa, 
  Pretoria, 
  vi, 
  no. 
  3, 
  Sept. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  461-465. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  immense 
  value 
  of 
  birds 
  as 
  destroyers 
  of 
  

   injurious 
  insects, 
  ticks, 
  etc., 
  and 
  contends 
  that 
  the 
  benefits 
  they 
  con- 
  

   fer 
  upon 
  the 
  stock-farmer 
  and 
  agriculturist, 
  far 
  outweigh 
  the 
  relatively 
  

   small 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  they 
  may 
  do, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  species. 
  

   He 
  then 
  mentions 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  useful 
  South 
  African 
  birds, 
  giving 
  a 
  

   general 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  their 
  food. 
  It 
  is 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  

   in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  South 
  Africa 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  cover 
  and 
  widespread 
  grass 
  

   fires 
  are 
  very 
  prejudicial 
  to 
  bird-hfe 
  ; 
  and 
  farmers 
  are 
  urged 
  to 
  pay 
  

   some 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  birds. 
  Strips 
  of 
  bush 
  should 
  be 
  

   reserved 
  as 
  cover, 
  and 
  in 
  open 
  country 
  trees 
  should 
  be 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  cultivated 
  lands, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  furnish 
  suitable 
  breeding 
  places 
  ; 
  

   for 
  it 
  is 
  when 
  birds 
  are 
  feeding 
  their 
  young 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  specially 
  

   active 
  in 
  destroying 
  insects. 
  

  

  LouNSBURY 
  (C. 
  P.). 
  Pernicious 
  Scale. 
  — 
  Agric. 
  Jl 
  of 
  S. 
  Africa, 
  

   Pretoria, 
  no. 
  4, 
  Oct. 
  1913, 
  vi, 
  pp. 
  662-670. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  tw^o 
  years 
  ago 
  that 
  Pernicious 
  (San 
  Jos6) 
  

   Scale, 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   numerous 
  scale 
  pests 
  of 
  deciduous 
  fruit 
  trees 
  anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  

   was 
  discovered 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  in 
  South 
  Africa. 
  The 
  Government 
  at 
  

   first 
  decided 
  to 
  attempt 
  the 
  eradication 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  pest 
  by 
  burning 
  

   infested 
  trees 
  and 
  plants. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  immensity 
  and 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  

   undertaking, 
  the 
  Government, 
  in 
  April 
  1912, 
  decided 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  

   eradication 
  or 
  suppression 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  on 
  any 
  particular 
  property 
  to 
  

   the 
  enterprise 
  of 
  the 
  occupier 
  or 
  owner. 
  The 
  dissemination 
  of 
  the 
  

   pest 
  was 
  due 
  wholly, 
  or 
  in 
  large 
  part, 
  to 
  purchases 
  of 
  trees 
  from 
  one 
  

  

  