It has been well known since the studies of Taschenberg (1864–1872) that the larvae of Leptohylemyia coarctata, Fall., attack wheat and rye. The damage due to this fly has been observed many times in almost all European countries, and many papers have been devoted to its life-history. Of these papers the most important are those of E. Ormerod (1882–1895), S. Rostrup (1905–1911), T. Hedlund (1906- 1907), P. Marchal (1909) and finally the recent work of Kurdjumov (1914).

Aspidoproctus armatus, Newst.

PortugueseCongo: San Salvador; on tree of unknown species (Dr. Mercier Gamble).

Aspidoproctus ? glaber, Lind.

Nyasaland: Mlanje; on “ mwanga ” tree, x. 1913 (S. A. Neave).

A small undersized female, unfortunately imperfect. I have placed it here, as it agrees, apart from its size, with Lindinger's description.

Howard, Dyar and Knab in their monograph “ The Mosquitoes of North and Central America and the West Indies,” in discussing the rearing of mosquitos, emphasise the importance of larvae in specific determination. They write (Vol. I, p. 181) “ Many species of Culex are of uncertain determination without the associated larvae, while some Aëdes have identical adults, yet dissimilar larvae. The characters of the larvae reside in the modifications of the chitinous appendages of the skin and the arrangement of the hairs. As these are fully retained by the cast skins, it is possible to preserve both the larva and the adult of the same identical specimen, thus assuring absolutely correct associations.”

So much has been said about insects since the War began that it is, I think, advisable that some attempt should be made to summarise our knowledge of the more important insect-borne diseases and their vectors. While insects have long been suspected of being responsible for the transmission of serious diseases, it may be said that practically the whole of our knowledge of insects in this rôle has been acquired within the past twenty years. So rapidly, however, has the charge on this offence been made out against them that, although it is common knowledge that they have been proved guilty, it is not generally realised upon how many counts the verdict rests.

The hypothesis which I have previously suggested, that the limit of morsitans coincides more or less with that of the park (at least in Katanga), has just been confirmed by several new observations.. But sometimes the range of the fly terminates before the disappearance of the park. This double disappearance is generally gradual.

Between 9° and 5° S. Lat. the western limits of the park and of G. morsitans coincide roughly with the Lualaba-Lomami watershed, but most frequently they disappear a little to the east of this line, that is to say, they do not quite reach the Lomami basin.

In this region, between the Lualaba and the Lomami, the park and morsitans gradually disappear in the neighbourhood of 5·30° S. Lat., that is, a little south of Kongolo.

The Kabala-Albertville Railway is an important section of that great river and railroad route by which one can now cross the whole of equatorial Africa from Banana to Daressalaam, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, without having to walk a single step. It is therefore a railway with a great future, which deserves to be studied from all points of view, and particularly with regard to the distribution of tsetse-flies, as the region traversed by this railway was ravaged a few years ago by sleeping sickness and the railway is probably destined in part for the transport of cattle.

Coelalysia glossinophaga, sp. nov.

♀ Testacea; capite nigro; mandibulis fusco-ferrugineis; scapo fusco; flagello nigro, articulis 40, articulis 15–28 albis; tarsis articulo apicali fusco; terebra, abdomine paullo longiore, nigra; alis hyalinis, iridescentibus, venis nigris.

The material on which the following report is based was received by the Imperial Bureau of Entomology some months ago, but without any note as to the host attachment of the examples forwarded or any other indication of their special importance. For this reason the two species of Chalcids recorded below remained unworked for some time. A more recent letter from Dr. J. J. Simpson disclosed the interesting fact that both had been bred from puparia of Glossina; and although I am unable at present to deal fully with them, it seems advisable to publish some notes and a preliminary description of one species which seems certainly new.

It will probably be of interest to workers on Coccids in other parts of the world to know which species have been introduced into South Africa and to what extent they have become established. Moreover, since so many of these are constantly found during the inspection of our nurseries, etc., it seems desirable to place on record their known distribution (August, 1917) for future reference. Fifty-five are included in this list, which is considered to be approximately complete. Others, such as Lecanium bituberculatum, Targ., L. corni, Bouché, Pulvinaria betulae (L), Sign., Diaspis rosae (Bouché), Aspidiotus piri, Licht., and A. ostreaeformis, Curt., have been stopped at the ports of entry, but since these species are not established in the country they are not included.

In the following list the species marked with an asterisk were described as new from the material collected by the author.

Subfamily Monophlebinae.

1. Monophlebus raddoni, Westw. Food-plant unknown.

2. Icerya caudatum, Newst. On crotons.

3. Icerya nigroareolata, Newst. On coffee and crotons.

4. Icerya seychellarum, Westw. On Monodora myristica, Eranthemum bicolor and mango.

5. Icerya sulphurea, Lind. On Castilloa rubber and guava.