On 6 November 1939, shortly after the invasion of Poland, the professors at the Jagellonian University of Cracow were summoned to attend a lecture on “Nazi Science”, to be delivered by a high German official. Those who obeyed the order were arrested. The charge brought against them was, in brief, that they had been attempting to fulfil their duties at the University, and were thereby guilty of striving to keep alight the flame of Polish national culture. For these offences the unfortunate professors—some of them old and feeble— were imprisoned and robbed of their property. After being jailed in Cracow they were taken to a convict prison at Breslau and thence to a concentration camp at Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg (near Berlin)—where, of course, many of them died.

1. While investigating the parasites of the holly leaf-miner (Phytomyza ilicis Curt.) with a view to utilizing them in the control of this troublesome pest of holly in western Canada, a species of Opius, which on examination proved to be new to science, was reared from the fly puparia.

2. A fairly complete account of the general systematics, distribution, biology, and morphology of the various developmental stages of this parasite is set down in the preceding pages. The primary larva is particularly interesting because of its unusual orientation. After the anatomical details had been worked out it was discovered that the concave side of the larva, which would normally be regarded as the ventral surface, is actually the dorsal one.

3. The genus Opius, whose distribution is world-wide, contains a very large number of species which parasitize important economic pests. In temperate regions the insects which suffer most from their attacks are species of Pegomyia, Agromyza, Rhagoletis, Phytomyza and Cerodonta, whilst in tropical and subtropical areas the most favoured hosts belong to one or other of the two genera Dacus and Anastrepha.

4. The host relationship of the genus, because of its importance from both economic and taxonomic standpoints, is discussed at some length.

5. In the first stadium Opius ilicis is a larval parasite, but the three succeeding instars live in the host pupa, and the imago emerges from the puparium. A very interesting phase in the life history of this parasite occurs towards the end of the first stage. At this point the development of the larva is arrested and further growth cannot take place until the host has pupated.

6. Very little work has so far been carried out on the larval morphology of the Opiinae, but that done up to the present, including the foregoing descriptions, would seem to indicate that the larvae of this tribe form a fairly homogeneous group. The main distinguishing characters of these larvae are listed in section VII of this paper.

7. It is pointed out that O. ilicis, in spite of being intrinsically inferior to Chrysocharis gemma, is responsible for the destruction of a certain number of hosts which escape the attentions of the latter parasite, and although the percentage accounted for is small (maximum parasitism in 1939 4%), it nevertheless fills a particular niche of its own, and so must be of some definite value in the scheme of control.

8. The chief method employed by the first instar of Chrysocharis gemma in the destruction of rival Opius larvae would appear to be direct mandibular attack. Several reasons have been put forward to account for the decided inferiority which is exhibited by the Braconid when it comes into conflict with this Chalcid.

9. In section X, a number of interesting points which have a general bearing on the study of parasite larvae are discussed. These include the cephalic skeleton and its probable function in successive instars, the taxonomic value of this structure in the parasitic Hymenoptera, the apparent absence of a tracheal system in the second and third instar larvae of O. ilicis, and arrested development in the Opiinae and some related forms.

1. Isolated unmated female body-lice were worn in pillboxes between the skin and the clothes. They were kept constantly on the body but, by a simple device, groups of ten were permitted feeding periods of different length. These groups were fed for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hr. per day respectively. Another group of ten were never allowed to feed after the last moult.

2. Some of the figures for egg yield were high. Lice in the 24 hr. group were able to maintain a rate of ten eggs per day for 4−5 days at a time.

3. No significant difference in longevity or rate of egg-laying was found to exist between the 12, 16, 20 and 24 hr. groups nor between the 4 and 8 hr. groups but a pronounced and significant difference exists between the 8 and 12 hr. groups. Below 12 hr. there is a sharp fall in longevity and rate of egg production. The unfed group all died, without laying, on the third day.

4. The rate of laying as shown by the mode increases progressively with increase in time allowed daily for feeding.

5. With regard to the mean eggs per louse the position is less clear. It is felt that the 24 hr. group may differ significantly from the 12, 16 and 20 hr. groups but this is uncertain.

1. The egg distributions of five chalcid parasites of the knapweed gall-fly have been studied in a small area.

2. A distinction is made between search for hosts by random movements, and random search in the sense of Nicholson; these terms are defined. Random movements may give rise to a distribution of parasitism different from that expected if search were purely random.

3. The species discussed do not all distribute their eggs at random amongst the hosts. Some species superparasitize the hosts more, and one (Eurytoma curta) much less than would be expected if the egg distribution were purely random, owing to peculiarities in oviposition behaviour.

4. Parasitism by E. curta is unevenly distributed in space, being higher in areas of high host density. This suggests that search is not exactly random, but is also concentrated in space. A tentative explanation is advanced based on the assumption that search is by random movements.

5. Parasitism by E. robusta is very patchy. This non-random distribution is attributed to random movements performed by a very few parasites.

6. It is concluded that these spatial discrepancies do not seriously affect the numerical accuracy of the assumption that search is random in small areas, and that the theory of Nicholson & Bailey may be accurate to a first approximation.

(i) Sensory responses

The reactions of the body louse to temperature, humidity, smell, contact and light have been tested in an arena divided into two halves.

Temperature. A temperature of 29–30° C. is preferred before 32° C. or 27° C. As the alternative temperature rises above 32° C. or falls below 27° C. the avoidance becomes increasingly strong. Different individuals vary in sensitivity.

These results are in accordance with those observed in a linear gradient of temperature, in which the lice collect chiefly in the region from 28 to 31° C.

The response is always to air temperature; there is no response to radiant heat from objects at 20–45° C.

Humidity. The louse is generally indifferent to humidity over the range from 10 to 60 or 75% r.h. Higher humidities are avoided. But when offered two humidities the choice is greatly influenced by the conditions experienced by the louse in the immediate past; it avoids any change; hence different individuals may show quite different responses. Moreover, when offered the choice of very moist air (95 % r.h. or over) and very dry (47 % r.h. or under) the louse becomes more readily adapted to the moist air and begins to avoid the dry.

Smell. The louse prefers cloth that has been in contact with human skin to clean cloth or cloth smelling of dog or rabbit. The smell of other lice and of their excreta is also attractive. Many substances serve as repellents; a refined petroleum with a very faint odour has been chiefly used for the experiments.

Contact. When offered smooth and rough materials the louse chooses the latter. It moves more rapidly on smooth materials and does not come to rest so readily. It shows little response to air currents unless very strong, when they are avoided.

Light. The movements of the louse are arrested or retarded by sudden exposure to a bright light, and sometimes it may show avoiding movements. But the movement of the louse towards dark places is mainly a response to directed light received by the horizontally placed eyes. Slight differences in the light received from different directions exert a much greater effect if the louse is exposed to a low level of general light intensity.

The movement of the louse towards relatively small dark objects is probably a manifestation of the same response.

Extracts of caterpillars and other insects are shown to inhibit the infective power of tobacco mosaic and tobacco necrosis viruses. The inhibitor is not sedimented after spinning for 2½ hr. at 30,000 r.p.m. Experiments with non-vector insects such as caterpillars have shown that the virus of sugar-beet curly-top, of tobacco ringspot and other viruses, are destroyed within the body of the insect. On the other hand, tobacco mosaic virus passes through the body of the caterpillar unchanged though greatly reduced in concentration. By the use of the specific insect vector and artificial feeding methods it was possible to recover the virus of curly-top 24 hr. after it had been injected into the blood of the caterpillar but the viruses of tobacco mosaic and tobacco necrosis could not be so recovered. Experimental evidence is given to show that the virus of beet curly-top is present in the saliva of viruliferous insects.

Over 3000 samples of hair from the scalp have been examined from four places in Africa and three in Asia. In every sample (except one small one) infestations of crab-lice (Phthirus pubis) were found; in each place they were found in less than 1% of heads.

The view is emphasized that the crab-louse has several ways of spreading through the human community.

Elsewhere (paper in the Press) the author has shown that the majority of species originally described under Goniodes, although somewhat diverse in form, are fundamentally similar and cannot be separated generically. However, there are certain species originally placed in Goniodes which are generically distinct and should be separated. Among these is a group of species, forming the new genus described below, which is distinguished in both sexes by the small size of the first segment and the characters of the terminal segments of the abdomen and in the male by the form of the clavi.