704 Reports of the Honorary Consulting Entomologist. 
which can be applied easily, and so early in the progress of the 
attack as to save the winter presence of the grub, and I believe 
that going over the herds once or twice in the autumn, and 
supplying a little mercurial ointment, would easily and surely 
meet this point. 
But although the entomological part of the attack is plain, 
still it involves questions of cattle-treatment with which I am 
not fully competent to deal, and I therefore submit my views 
respectfully for consideration, and shall be happy to give full 
details of the life-history and habits of the warble-fly, if 
wished. 
July, 1884. 
I beg to report that during the last two months I have 
received about twenty communications regarding methods of 
prevention of insect-ravage, and points bearing practically on 
this subject. 
These have been mainly with regard to warble-fly on cattle, 
daddy-longlegs' grubs, wireworm, willow-beetles, — which have 
been seriously injurious in Cheshire, — and beet-carrion beetle, 
an unusual attack, which was reported from Mageney, Kildare, 
Ireland ; and also many communications on the subject of hop 
aphis, which is proving a most serious trouble this season ; and 
communications regarding practical instruction bearing on the 
prevention of insect-ravage. 
Inquiries regarding the name (and treatment of attack) of many 
other insects have been sent in ; but as many of the observations 
are in progress, to be brought forward more completely, with 
illustrations, in the autumn report, I beg leave now only to enter 
on some points possibly serviceable for present use. 
The appearance of the beet-carrion beetle (^Silpha opaca. 
Linn.) has been considered, on the few occasions when it has 
been recorded in these islands, as very probably taking place in 
connection with the mixture of what is described as " garbage " 
with the farm-manure — that is to say, the mixture of dead 
animals, or portions of them. This beetle and its grub infest 
putrid animals, but the grub is also occasionally destructive to 
mangold-leafage. 
The grubs when full grown are nearly half an inch long, 
blackish, and remarkably like wood-lice in shape. The beetles 
are not so long, are very flat, and of a squarish oval shape, 
and brown-black in colour, and may be known by the edges of 
the wing-cases being turned up, and by having a raised lump 
between the two outer of the three ridges that run down each 
wing-case. 
