Reports of the Honorary Consulting Entomologist. 707 
From specimens sent of the warble in hides recently removed 
from the animal, I have found that when the grub within has 
reached its full development, late in the spring, that a kind of 
skin has formed round all the upper part of the surface of the 
perforation through the hide, which appears quite to account 
lor the perforation frequently (if not always) not healing 
perfectly after the grub has left it. The point of killing the 
maggot in the warble is easily managed, and, if this could be 
done at the first beginning of the formation of the warble, whilst 
the sore was still small and unhealed, instead of when after 
some months the grub cavity is large, and the upper part healed 
over all round the opening, a great amount of injury to cattle, 
and their hides, and loss to the owners would be saved. 
The great point that we now want information on is when 
the first swelling and ulceration of the warble, and the opening 
of the small orifice (in which the black extremity of the grub is 
visible), takes place. 
On the Continent this is stated to be in autumn ; here I have 
not as yet received information of the warble being noticed 
earlier in the winter than January. In this matter the skinners' 
or butchers' assistants, who have the opportunity of seeing the 
swelling of the warble plainly in the subcutaneous tissues of the 
hide, would be the best helpers. We might thus learn when 
it was first seen in various districts, and attention be thus 
directed in good time to the cattle of herds commonly infested. 
A great deal of assistance is being given on these and other 
points from the district of Aspatria, Cumberland ; and I wish to 
acknowledge with thanks the assistance of Mr. Henry Thomp- 
son, the veterinary surgeon there, in sending specimens and 
procuring co-operation in observation throughout that neighbour- 
hood. The result of the observations now in progress, as to 
egg-laying on the cattle, date of appearance of warble, and 
other details, will be submitted in the autumn report, with 
details also of the washes and applications to the backs of the 
cattle which have been found preventive of attack, and all other 
points which may be of practical use, I have prepared a 
series of illustrations of the warble-fly attack, and some con- 
nected points, which, if permitted, I shall be happy to place 
at the service of the Society. 
Enquiries have been received respecting the great outbreak 
of the grass-moth caterpillars on the Ystradyfodwg mountains, 
and other localities, beginning at Bwlchyclawdd, near Rhondda, 
in South Wales. Specimens sent appear to belong to the 
antler moth, the Chareas graminis, which appears from time to 
time in vast hordes ; but it is very possible that there may be 
one or two other kinds of moth caterpillars nearly allied in 
