NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



643 



' It may be said that during the whole of the nesting period the parent 

 birds are feeding upon food similar to that fed to the young. 



The writer is of the opinion that, in spite of all that has been 

 written with reference to the depredations of the house sparrow, we 

 do not yet possess that completeness of knowledge that justifies us 

 in condemning it to be exterminated. On the contrary, he believes 

 that whilst it is undoubtedly too plentiful, if it were considerably 

 reduced in numbers the good that it would do would probably 

 more than compensate for the harm, especially in fruit-growing 

 districts. — A. S. 



Spring-tails, Injury to Crops. By D. E. Fink {Jour. Econ, 

 Entom. vii. pp. 400-401 ; April 1914 ; pi.). — Seedling cucumbers, 

 lettuce, spinach, turnip, kale, potato, tomato, cauliflower, and 

 peas were attacked by hordes of spring-tails {Smynthurus sp.), which 

 also devoured the eggs of the Colorado beetle with avidity. The 

 damage done took the form of irregular holes, sometimes eaten com- 

 pletely through, but often having a layer of epidermis left. They also 

 enlarge the holes begun by flea-beetles &c. Arsenite of zinc, applied 

 at the rate of 2 lb. to 50 gallons of water, kept them in check. 



F. J. C, 



Spruce Aphis, Notes on the Green. By F. V. Theobald {Ann. 

 Appl. Biol. i. pp. 22-36 ; May 1914 ; figs.). — This aphis {Aphis 

 ahietina) appeared on spruces in 1913 and 1914 in injurious numbers, 

 and caused the defoHation and death of large numbers of trees. It 

 has been known to occur in this country and on the Continent for many 

 years, but is usually present in small numbers only. It has been found 

 on Picea excelsa, P. sitchensis, P. pungens, P. Engelmannii, P. nigra, 

 P. alba, P. gigantea, P. rubra, P. Morinda, P. orientalis, P. monstrosa, 

 P. Omorica, P. Kosteriana (?), P. Glehnii, but there are no records of its 

 attack of P. polita, P. hondoensis, P. Alcockiana, or P. alaskiana. The 

 author has seen it also on Scots fir and on Weymouth pine. It 

 appeared to be very generally distributed over England and Wales. 

 Spraying with nicotine and soap and with paraf&n jelly was found 

 to be effective (see p. xUv). The life history is given, together with 

 a description of the insect, and the author appears to consider the 

 prevalence of the pest to be due in a measure to the unhealthy 

 conditions set up in the trees through the uncongenial weather of 

 the previous seasons. — F. /. C. 



Stangeria paradoxa var. typica. By H. Strauss (Gartenflora, 

 vol. Ixiii. pp. 163-164; col. plate). — Stangeria paradoxa has been 

 described by Moore and by Hooker {Journ. Bot.). It belongs to the 

 order of Cycadaceae, but was formerly mistaken for a tree fern. The 

 form typica is distinguished from Schizodon by the serration of 

 the leaves. In the latter the whole edge of the leaf is serrate, but in the 

 former only the upper half of the leaf.—S. E. W, 



