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Tanganyika Territory. He has received most cordial and valuable assistance from the Senior Commissioner, Tabora, and the District Commissioner, Shinyanga, as well as from the Veterinary and Education Departments. The cattle-owning Sultans are showing much interest in the scheme, and their help will contribute greatly to success.

Drs. Johnson and Lloyd have continued their excellent work in Nigeria, and two reports have been received from them during the past year, one of which is still unpublished. They have devised a new method for rapidly estimating trypano- some infection in tsetse-flies, which yields more accurate statistical results than earlier methods. The percentages of infected flies have thus been found to be far higher than had been previously supposed. Valuable information has been obtained as to the food and breeding habits of G. tachinoides and G. morsitans, and as there seems to be an indication that the postponement of grass burning may interfere with the free breeding of morsitans, a large scale experiment will be carried out to test this. Another experiment for which arrangements are being made is the fencing of one of the dry season foci of the flies to prevent likely mammalian hosts from entering it.

Unfortunately I have to record that Dr. Johnson has found it necessary to give up the tsetse work and return to his medical duties. This will be a great loss from our point of view, for his knowledge of the country and people, his technical skill, and his enthusiasm have been invaluable.

In Kenya and Sierra Leone appointments have been sanctioned of entomologists whose time will in part be devoted to tsetse-flies.

Finance.-A statement showing the sums received and expended during the year will be found in Appendix II. The only items that call for special comment are the travelling expenses and the Suspense Account. The former are unusually high, because they include £73 for the Director's voyage to Australia and £152 for Dr. Neave's visit to the West Indies during January and February. The item of £200 in the Suspense Account represents an amount paid in advance to the Stationery Office for printing and goods to be supplied. They asked that such a payment should be made quarterly in advance, and on the matter being referred to the Colonial Office it was suggested that the arrangement should be provisionally agreed to, pending its confirmation by the Managing Committee. Our annual expenditure with the Stationery Office varies from about £1,500 to £2,000.

Appendix III shows our present cash resources and outstanding liabilities, from which it will be seen that the balance in the general Bureau Fund amounts to £3.871. An estimate of the revenue and expenditure for the current financial year will be found in Appendix IV, the estimated surplus being £917.

2. Pear Slug.

In order to obviate the heavy loss of first brood larve that was experienced last year through the rapid wilting of the cut twigs of pear foliage used as food for them, six three-year-old William pear-trees were procured towards the end of last year and planted in tubs. A special device has been arranged to trap the larva as they fall for pupation.

Tsetse-Flies.

(B.) FOR NORTHERN NIGERIA,

From 14th September till 22nd December last, the breeding of supplies of Syntomosphyrum glossina was conducted either in the Entomological Laboratory or in the boiler-room-which is devoid of daylight. During this period only one parcel of 863 infested Calliphora puparia was shipped to Lagos.

On 22nd December, the central chamber of the new heated insectary became available, and within a month good stocks of the parasite were worked up. Then from 16th February to the time of writing, parcels of infested Calliphora puparia have been shipped every fortnight-representing in all 5,815 puparia.

Wheat-stem Sawfly.

(C.) FOR CANADA.

A little over 900 lbs. of stubble and soil, dug up from selected sites in the field, has been sorted out for infested stubs. Unfortunately, it has produced no more than one infested stub for every 9 lbs. of stubble and soil examined.

The wheat referred to in the last report as about to be sown in a specially constructed insect-proof insectary has given considerable trouble, its growth being too rapid; efforts have been made to hinder this, but it is possible that its condition will be too advanced for the wheat-stem sawflies and parasites when these normally emerge.

However, two webbing muslin-covered field cages have been made, and will be erected over wheat grown in the field to ensure that this work shall go forward.

(D.) GENERAL.

Owing to the constant pressure of work very little progress has been made towards completing papers for publication. But every effort will be made to accomplish this.

A certain amount of laboratory work has been constantly in progress.

APPENDIX II.

STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED

31ST MARCH, 1924.

APPENDIX I.

REPORT BY MR. G. M. ALTSON ON WORk Relating TO EXPORT OF PARASITES AT ROTHAMSTED, OCTOBER, 1923 MARCH, 1924.

1.

Common Earwig.

(A.) FOR NEw Zealand.

Twenty-two cages of earwigs have been carried through from last year. From this stock three hundred segregated females are being used to breed from to supply the earwigs required for propagating the parasites this season. Several hundred nymphs are already available.

A few puparia of Digonochæta setipennis were retained from last year's breed- ing to form the nucleus of the material required for propagating the species this season. Additional supplies of puparia are being obtained in the field.

A number of earwigs fed on the eggs of Rhacodineura antiqua last year were retained, and it is anticipated that from these an adequate number of flies will be obtained to meet all requirements for propagating this species. The study of the effectiveness of this parasite is still in progress. A new point in the bionomics of this species seems to have come to light, in that a small number of puparia obtained in the cages and in the field in October and November last have remained quiescent up to the present. The discovery of these puparia suggest that there may be two rhythms in this species.

Government Grants..

Interest on Deposits

Review of Applied Entomology Bulletin of Entomological Research Salaries

Queen's Gate Office Library.

Office and Library Furniture

Travelling Expenses Specialists' Fees

General Expenses Provident Fund Sundry Publications Export of Parasites Tropical African Fund Suspense

Received. £ s. d.

Expended.

£ s. d.

12,769 15 7

249 3 11 396 13 1

326 2 2

1,615 3 6 803 12 2 7,167 4

9

569 3 8

160 13 7

68 1 0

246 2 2

129 6 9

142 6 5

358

7 6

29 2 0

£13,770 169

99 4 0 407 13 9 165 5 1 200 0 0

£12,131 4 3

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TILLIT 885/26

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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