321 
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1908 OF THE 
ZOOLOGIST. ' 
Introduction. 
JUDGING from the applications for advice received by the 
Zoologist, the past year would -seem to be rather characterised 
by the non-appearance of some of the more familiar pests. 
It is always possible, however, that a pest has been as trouble- 
some as before, but that it and its treatment have become so 
well known to the agriculturist that he ceases to inquire about 
it. This may be the case with the pear midge, of whose 
depredations few complaints have been received this year. 
The farm pest which seems to have been most troublesome 
is the root-fly — an insect which has often been dealt with in 
these Reports. A rather bad case of Hessian fly attack is also 
worthy of record. 
The investigation of a disease of garden peas, due to a thrips, 
which seems to be little known and which certainly has not 
received the attention it deserves, occupied much time during 
the summer. A large number of other pests were complained 
of in various localities, and the more interesting are noted in 
the following pages. Several of them attacked forest trees. 
The notes on ticks in the Zoologist’s Report for 11)06 has 
resulted in a great many specimens being sent to him annually 
from all parts of the world from those who are studying the 
diseases conveyed by these creatures and who desire to have 
the species identified. 
Thrips on Garden Peas. 
During the past summer many cases of thrips on peas 
came under my observation. Most people seem to be un- 
acquainted with the disease, and though I have found an 
occasional reference to it, and there is a Board of Agriculture 
leaflet on the subject, all the authoritative works on economic 
entomology are silent about it. Uzel, who has written a 
monograph on this group of insects — unfortunately in a 
little known language, Bohemian— gives a list of plants on 
which the various species of thrips have been found, but the 
pea plant does not appear in the list. The German ento- 
mologist, Kirchner, is the only one I can find who even 
mentions it. I believe an article upon it by Westwood 
appeared many years ago, but I have failed to unearth it. 
The extent to which this serious pest has been overlooked is 
somewhat remarkable, for it is quite impossible that the 
injury it does can have escaped observation. No doubt the 
VOL. 69. Y 
