Official Publications. 



269 



recorded, the number of outbreaks of this disease having been 

 only 2 in each of the previous four years. 



The outbreaks of sheep scab reached a total of 613, which 

 was 68 in advance of the previous year's figures. Swine fever, 

 on the other hand, decreased from 220 cases in 1901 to 166 

 cases last year. 



There is good ground for hoping that rabies has been 

 eradicated from Ireland, no outbreak of this disease having 

 been confirmed since April, 1901. 



British Museum {Natural History) — First Report on Economic 

 Zoology. By F. V, Theobald, M.A. 



This contains a series of reports made by the Natural History 

 Department of the British Museum on Economic Zoology 

 during 1901 and 1902. In an introduction the Director of the 

 Museum gives a classification of animals from the point of view 

 of their utility, whether captured or bred for food or other pur- 

 poses, and injuriousness to man, either directly or indirectly by 

 causing disease in stock and destroying crops, &c. 



The first part of the report deals with the work performed, for 

 the Board of Agriculture, under the arrangement by which the 

 Natural History Museum acts as their technical advisers upon 

 zoological questions. To assist the Director in this work Mr. 

 Theobald has been, since 1901, employed by the Trustees of the 

 Museum, with the view of furnishing scientific information upon 

 economic zoology generally. The greater number of questions 

 referred to the Museum by the Board during the period related 

 to insects and other pests of crops, among others eelworm and 

 frit fly in oats, beetles and larvae on roots, chafer beetles, leather 

 jackets, wireworms, the Colorado beetle, millipedes and centi- 

 pedes, mustard beetles, various insects on fruit trees, land bugs 

 on chrysanthemums, ants, maggots on cabbages, furniture 

 beetles, clothes moths, beetles in bacon, weevils in stored corn, 



