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expended on shelving, mainly for storing the surplus stock of our publications. A sum of £48 was handed to Professor Poulton to be disbursed in connexion with Mr. A. H. Hamm's investigation into the enemies of Hypericum, referred to below. From Appendix II. it will be seen that the estimated surplus in the Bureau Fund stands at £2,170, or £400 less than last year. Actually it should be taken as being still less than this, for unfortunately at current prices our holding of Funding Stock has depreciated fully £300.

In Appendix III. is given an estimate of the income and expenditure for the current year, showing a probable excess of expenditure of over £1,000. This is due in part to the greatly increased cost of the publications, and in part to the additional ten per cent. war bonus granted to the staff (to bring the bonus up to the Civil Service rate) and the engagement of an additional assistant at £255 a year. It is abundantly clear that in the face of the heavy all-round increase in working costs it is impossible to maintain the present organization of the Bureau with grants that were fixed on pre-war estimates; and the Finance Sub-Com- mittee has adopted the view that the proper policy is not to curtail our activities in order to conserve our surplus, but to utilise the reserves to meet the resulting deficits. In this way we could continue on the present basis for another two years, before the end of which it is to be hoped that the grants will have been revised.

Review of Applied Entomology-The total matter published was somewhat less than in recent years, being 740 pages, as against 808 in 1918, and 176 in 1917. This reduction was due in some measure to attempts to shorten the abstracts as much as possible owing to the great increase in the cost of printing. Accounts have been received for only four parts, and it is estimated that the cost of the paper and printing for the twelve parts and two indices will have been about £680-as against a pre-war cost of about £260.

There has been a satisfactory increase in the number of subscribers to both series of this periodical, but the chief factor in the marked increase in the net sales has been the demand for back volumes. The following statement gives the par- ticulars for the last two years :—

Subscribers to Series A

Subscribers to Series B

Total net sales

Cost of distribution

1918. 178

1919.

207

188

210

£133 3 8 £115 0 0

£219 9 3 £138 10 0

The cost of distribution, which includes the postage on large numbers of free and exchange copies, has been increased by the renewal of numerous exchanges that had been in abeyance during the War. The net deficit, exclusive of salaries. is thus about £600. In spite of the higher price charged for the current volume it seems probable that the sales will be even better in 1920, but the deficit is estimated at £700 to allow for the renewed rise in the cost of paper.

Library. The library has increased during the year by 350 volumes, the total number being 1,870; in addition, there are some 8,500 pamphlets and reports. We are at present receiving 380 serial publications, exclusive of Annual Reports. Before very long a further outlay on bookshelves will be necessary, as the avail- able space will not suffice for more than another year's additions.

Stegomyia Survey in the Far East.-Dr. A. T. Stanton returned to England in December last, and shortly afterwards handed in a report on his investigations, which has recently been published in Vol. X., part 3, of our Bulletin. From a practical point of view the two most important points that emerge from this appear to be (1) that grave doubt is cast on the generally accepted idea that infected individuals of Stegomyia are frequently liable to be transported from one country to another in ships, and (2) that all the traffic from Panama to India passes by way of Japan and China, areas in which S. fasciata appears to have been unable to establish itself. The Committee is now asked to consider what further steps, if any, are to be taken in connexion with this inquiry.

Glossina Investigations. All the members of the Committee have already received a copy of the proposals* drawn up by the Glossina Sub-Committee for a series of investigations which it is hoped will form the basis for a comprehensive and practical effort to cope with the tsetse-fly problem. As no objections to the scheme have been received by our Secretary, the proposals are being despatched by

* No. 101.

25.5

the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the various African Governments con- cerned, with a view to securing their financial support.

season,

Hypericum Investigation. Mr. A. H. Hamm, of Oxford, has sent a short account of his search for enemies of Hypericum perforatum during the past He found some six or seven species of moth caterpillars attacking the plants, but the injury was negligible, except in the case of a Tineid larva (Depres- saria liturella) that spins the apical leaves and flower-heads together; but as this injury results in a stimulation of lateral growth, flower production is but little impaired. The larvæ of a Cecidomyid fly (Perrisia hyperici) were observed to do a slight amount of damage to the apical leaves. But the only important injury was that done by a beetle, Chrysomela varians, which is local, but fairly abundant where it occurs; the larvæ feed very largely on the flowers, both expanded and unexpanded, thus greatly diminishing the quantity of seed. Unfortunately, no direct enemies of the seed have been found, and the wisdom of introducing the beetle into Australia has already been called in question. Observations will be continued throughout the coming summer.

May, 1920.

APPENDIX I.

STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE for the Year Ended 31st March, 1920.

Government Grants

Carnegie Fund

Interest on deposits

Review of Applied Entomology

Bulletin of Entomological Research Salaries

Queen's Gate Office

Library

Office Furniture

Translations

Travelling expenses Specialists' fees Hypericum investigation General expenses

Received. Expended.

£ 8. d. £ 8. d. 3,546 5 8

3.000

0 0

320 0 8

291 11 2 1,117 4 0

251 10 10

562 15 4 3,586 12 6

299 0 11

111 9 3

54 3 10

28 9 7

42 9 11

27 2 6

48 3 3

130 1 0

£7,409 8 4 6,007 12 1