A. D. Peacock 
237 
.lated by soldiers and likely to remain so, naturally received the most attention. 
The conditions existing in 8 main districts and 12 isolated districts of the 
army area are described and certain observations from two other parts of 
the British military zone are also recorded. The 8 main districts have been 
named as follows: Advanced, Poperinghe, Hazebrouck, Southern, Rubrouck, 
Central, Waterlands and Armentieres. In addition, observations were made 
in the vicinity of the following places: Houtkerque; Herzeele, Wormhoudt, 
Esquelbec and Zeggers Cappel; Arneke and Ledringhem; Steenvoorde, St 
Sylvestre Cappel, Cassel, Winnezeele and Abeele; La Motte; Ebblinghem; 
Wallon Cappel; Steenwerck; La Creche; Le Romarin; Arques, Blendecques, 
Longpont and Mai Assise; Nielles lez Blequins; Clerques. The two districts 
outside the army area were Serqueux and Abbeville. 
The general features of each district may now be described. 
Advanced District. For military reasons this district could only be sur¬ 
veyed generally and certain special spots were selected as suitable places for 
search. The district is rectangular, 8 by 2| miles, with an area of 20 square 
miles and occupied the eastern side of the army zone. It had suffered severely 
from shell fire and the sites examined were much pitted with shell-holes. 
The number of sites examined was at least 220 but only 12 were found infested 
with Anophelines. In 8 cases larvae were found and in 3 the adult fly was 
taken near human habitations. Of the 12th there are no details. Of these 
8 breeding waters, 5 were shell-holes, 2 were pools and 1 a stream. Of the 
habitations, 2 were medical aid-posts and 1 a billet. In 2 cases only were 
the larvae numerous. One observation from Ypres is important from the 
point of view of the number of Anophelines found. Out of 31 mosquitoes 
caught indiscriminately in an aid-post, 23 were Anopheles maculipennis 
At 2 centres, Dickebusch and Reninghelst, notwithstanding careful searching 
in many likely waters, negative results were obtained. The small number of 
infected waters is noteworthy and is difficult to explain. The character of 
the region in more quiet times did not appear different from the other regions 
which show a much higher proportion of Anopheline waters and the manner 
of search was the same as usually employed, so it is conceivable that the 
sparsity of infested waters may be attributed either to the lateness of the 
season or to the effect of poison gas used in fighting over this region or to 
both factors. 
Poperinghe District. This irregular district has an area of about 40 square 
miles. It is mostly level farm land and is distinguished from most of the other 
districts described by the number of small woods it possesses. The method 
of search employed was to make a detailed survey of the land in the vicinity 
of the roads radiating for about 3-5 miles from Poperinghe and traversing 
the country to the villages Woesten, Elverdinghe, Vlamertinghe, Abeele, 
Watou and Proven, as well as of two other small regions (totalling 7 square 
miles), one in the neighbourhood of Hamhoek and La Lovie and the other 
