Miscellaneous Pests. 



552 



[June, 1909. 



the numbers of mosquitos in any locality- 

 is nob a new one. In many parts of the 

 United States, top-minnows and other 

 fish have been used for this purpose, and 

 in some instances even fish as large as 

 carp have been tried. The United States 

 Pish Commission in 1905 took from Texas 

 to the Hawaiian Islands a large number 

 of top-minnows, and good results in the 

 fight against mosquitos have been re- 

 ported as a consequence. 



Small fish which multiply rapidly seem 

 likely to be of most value in controlling 

 mosquitos in ponds and streams, since, 

 from their small size they are able to 

 get in to shallow water away from larger 

 fish, and where mosquito larvae are 

 frequently to be found. 



Millions in Captivity. 



The experiments carried out in the 

 laboratory of the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture pioved that millions are 

 hardy, and Avill survive a considerable 

 amount of neglect in the matter of 

 changing the water in which they are 

 kept, and of feeding when in captivity. 



Much better results, however, can be 

 obtained when the fish are fed regularly 

 and the water aerated and changed fre- 

 quently. If millions are being kept 

 under favourable conditions, green algae 

 and other water weeds in the water will 

 provide the necessary aeration and make 

 it possible for the water to be changed 

 less frequently. 



Feeding Millions in Captivity. 



Millions may be fed on mosquito eggs 

 and larvae, on raw beef or hard-boiled 

 eggs chopped very fine, and on plant lice, 

 red spider, and the young of scale in- 

 sects. Corn meal will often be eaten in 

 the absence of other food. They will also 

 eat many of the minute forms of animal 



life which commonly occur in fresh 

 water. 



When millions are fed in captivity on 

 foods other than mosquitos, aquatic ani- 

 mals, etc., care should be taken not to 

 give too great a quantity at one time, 

 as all the uneaten food falls to the 

 bottom of the receptacles and helps to 

 foul the water. 



Transportation op Millions. 



Millions may be transported short 

 distances in a kerosene tin with no other 

 preparation than a wire gauze fixed near 

 the top to prevent the fish being thrown 

 out if the water is splashed about. A 

 bar of wood should be fixed across the 

 top to serve as a handle by which to 

 carry the tin. For longer journeys kero- 

 sene tins should be fixed in a box large 

 enough to allow a packing of 2 inches 

 of sawdust at the bottom and sides of 

 the tin. The sawdust provides against 

 the sudden chauges of temperature, so 

 often experienced on shipboard even 

 in the tropics. When treated in this 

 way the tin should have the wire 

 gauze across the top. In shipping mil- 

 lions in this way not more than two gal- 

 lons of water should be put in each tin. 

 This amount of water will be sufficient 

 for about one hundred fish. For one 

 hundred fish in two gallons of water, not 

 more than a teaspoonful of finely chop- 

 ped raw beef, hard-boiled egg, or corn 

 meal should be given at a time, and that 

 no oftener than once in two days. 



Under these conditions, the tins should 

 be cleaned out and fresh water supplied 

 once in every five to seven days. Any 

 dead fish should be removed as soon as 

 possible, for it must be remembered 

 that decaying animal matter in the 

 water is most undesirable. 



Millions have been sent by this Depart- 

 ment to different places in kerosene tins 

 and they have arrived in good condition. 



LIVE STOCK. 



VETERINARY WORK OF THE 

 BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE. 



(From the Philippine Agricultural 

 Review, Vol. I., No. 2, November, 1908.) 



We are continuing in this number of 

 the Review the proceedings of the Philip- 

 pine Veterinary Medical Association. 

 We also include Genral Order No. 13 of 

 the Bureau of Agriculture, and an article 

 eutitled "Koch on rinderpest in the 

 Philippines." In these two articles the 

 attitude of the Government with re- 

 ference to infective animal diseases is 



more clearly set forth than it has ever 

 been before. There is a definite deter- 

 mination to suppress them completely 

 and promptly. Nothing short of finally 

 eradicating surra, Rinderpest, and foot- 

 and-mouth disease will give the desired 

 results. The American Government in 

 the Philippines has constantly followed 

 up this subject since the earliest days of 

 the civil regime. More than six years 

 ago a veterinary force vyas employed 

 and the study of the infective animal 

 diseases in these Islands was undertaken. 

 In the course of the work serum was 

 manufactured and inoculation practised 



