The genus Leicesteria was founded by Theobald in 1904 (Entomologist, xxxvii, p. 211) for a species of mosquito found by Dr. G. F. Leicester in the Malay States, the most remarkable character of which was the great length of the female palpi, a condition known otherwise among the Culicidae only in Anopheles, Megarhinus and Mucidus, all genera to which the new species was obviously unrelated. Subsequently Dr. Leicester* placed on record his discovery of four other species essentially similar to Theobald's Leicesteria longipalpis; for one of these he created the new genus Chaetomyia. Additional species referable to the genus have since been described by Theobald.†

A short stay on the island of Upolu, German Samoa, during the summer of 1913, afforded an opportunity to make a few observations on mosquitos and flies, which I wish to record. As practically all my time was taken up with another problem, only fragmentary notes could be made on these insects.

Leaving the Government post on the Amala river, at an altitude of 5,500 feet, on 25th July, I moved down the west bank of the river and camped at a spring known as Ol-otu-lomot, at an altitude of 5,200 feet (see accompanying sketch-map). The next day I moved further down the river in search of an old Masai native, by name Ol-botor-ol-joni, who was reported to be familiar with the places in which tsetse-fly (Endorobo of the Masai) was to be found. I found this old man at the place marked on the map and camped there at an altitude of 5,100 feet.

The first time that this beetle proved itself to be a pest of coffee to any great extent in this country was on native coffee, Coffea robusta, in the Chagwe District, in 1910, at which time I began to investigate it. Since the first outbreak it has been found attacking C. arabica on several estates. Some of the estates have suffered serious damage, especially the older ones which are badly affected by the coffee leaf-disease, Hemeleia vastatrix. With a single exception, I have been able to trace the origin of the outbreak to plots in which leafdisease was already present and in which, consequently, the trees were the least vigorous.

The types of the seven new species described in the following pages are in the British Museum (Natural History). The subjoined list shows the countries in which the species have been obtained.

This paper deals with a number of Coccids which have been forwarded through the Imperial Bureau of Entomology from the following countries: The Dutch West Indies, Barbados, British Guiana, Zanzibar, Uganda, Nyasaland, and Nigeria. Five species are herein described as new to science, the others, for the most part, are Avell-known pests affecting cultivated plants in various parts of the world.

Our knowledge of the Aphididae of Africa is as yet very limited, this important group of insects having been but little studied, except in Europe and North America. At present only thirty-five species are recorded for the whole African continent, about the number one can collect in a single afternoon in one's own garden in England. It will be noticed that several common European species are recorded, and that they are as destructive in Africa as in Europe, such as the Common Cabbage Aphis (A. brassicae) and the Ribes and Lettuce Aphis (Rhopalosiphum lactucae). Several others occur which have a world-wide distribution, such as the Black Peach Aphis (Aphis persicae), and the Woolly Aphis (Eriosoma lanigerum), doubtless having been distributed on nursery stock, the former as ova and the latter as adults. Fuller has reported destroying and fumigating strawberry plants attacked by Aphis sent from Europe, and Lounsbury records the presence of Apple Aphis eggs on imported stock. Undoubtedly these insects are constantly being distributed from country to country with imported plants, trees and shrubs.

It has been pointed out by Graham* that measures designed to bring about the destruction of mosquito larvae may be divided into (a) measures intended to destroy the larvae, and (b) measures intended to destroy their food supply. He points out that very little attention has been paid to the second method, which entails an exact knowledge of the freshwater algae. Graham found that the suspended matter in water in which the larvae of Pyretophorus costalis were breeding could be precipitated by the addition of 3 per cent, of common salt, and that then the larvae became cannibalistic and destroyed one another. He considered that this phenomenon was due to the larvae being deprived of their natural food, the algae, which had been destroyed by the addition of salt. “In lesser concentration,” he concluded, “salt appears to inhibit the growth of very young larvae, probably by diminishing the supply of food, but the development of fully-grown larvae appears to be hastened in a hypertonic medium, and they pass into and through the pupal stage with unusual rapidity.”

Dr. Horvath has recorded the fact that the bed-bug described under the various names, hemiptera, rotundata, macrocephala and horrifer, are all the same species, and that this insect must be termed hemiptera, as that is the oldest name. The insect iu question is widely distributed over the tropics of both the Old and New World. The type specimen is still preserved in the Copenhagen Museum, and through the kindness of the authorities there I have recently been able to examine it, and can confirm Dr. Horvath's views. The type example of Clinocoris foedus, Stal, which was described from an example taken in Columbia, is in the Stockholm Museum, and was also submitted to me. This insect differs from hemiptera by having the lateral margin of the pronotum slightly but distinctly explanate and curved upwards. Whether this character is due to the shrinkage of the example, or whether it is really there, it is impossible to tell. In any case, should foedus, Stal, utimately prove to be the same as hemiptera, the name would simply form one more synonym of this species, though in all probability, when more material is discovered, foedus will be shown to be a distinct species.

The following paper gives a list of those insects of economic importance which have been collected or bred from various crops in Nyasaland during the first three months of the planting season 1911–12 and the whole of the season 1912–13. No attempt has been made to describe the various species mentioned, but their actual economic importance is stated in each case, so far a3 it has been possible to ascertain it during so short a period. All insects have been included as pests which have been found to feed en any particular crop in sufficient numbers to justify their inclusion in that, category. In many cases the actual damage done may be slight, but at any time one or all of those species which feed regularly on crops may assume the position of dangerous pests, and so insects of apparently minor importance are included with those of definite and proved powers of destruction. The insects of first-class importance, which annually inflict heavy losses on the planters, are ten in number. These ten are confined to cotton, tobacco and maize, of which cotton is the worst sufferer, since it is attacked by a greater variety of insects than any other crop that has come under the writer's notice. Except where the contrary is specially mentioned, insects included in this paper are from the Shire Highlands.

P. 65, line 25, for “gemmatalis” read “gemmatilis.”

P. 69, legend —, for “Fig. 2. Dactylopius obiusus, Newst.,” read “Fig. 6. Ceroplastes coniformis, Newst.”

P. 72, legend —, for “Fig. 6. Ceroplastes coniformis, Newst.,” read “Fig. 2. Dactylopius obtusus, Newst.”

P. 155, line 29, for “Rapha” read “Raphia.”

P. 179, line 28, for “(see p. )” read “(see p. 173).”

P. 244, line 27, for “Miscrosporidium” read “Microsporidium.”

P. 249, line 5, for “C. punctata” read C. punctatus.”

P. 249, line 26, for “trilobiformis” read “trilobitiformis.”

P. 269, line 19, for “Somoa” read “Samoa.”

Plates XXIX., XXX., and XXXI., for “Bull. Ent. Research. Vol. IV. Part 3, read “Bull. Ent. Research. Vol. IV. Part 4.”

P. 314, line 5, for “aurantiae” read “aurantii.”

P. 321, line 34, for “Indes” read “Indies.”

P. 325, line 11, for “aurantiae” read “aurantii.”

P. 350, line 4, for “amplectams” read “amplcctens.‘