![‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’ [‎136r] (271/900)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000117/IOR_R_15_2_1544_0271.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’ [‎136r] (271/900)")
‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’ [136r] (271/900)
The record is made up of 1 file (448 folios). It was created in 31 Aug 1942-18 May 1943. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
I>
MIDD LE EAST ANTI LOCUST UNIT
INFORMATION SERVICL.
INSTRUCTIO NS T O OBSERVERS
Sv/arm s of adult locusts^ - First of all state date and locality
of observation. If possible record longitude and latitude of
locality, but in any case state carefully the direction and distance
of the locality from some v/ell known place v/hich can be found on
an ordinary map.
Record the species of locusts observed, and if in doubt take
a wing and sena this in with your report. Also note the colour
oi the locusts, that is to say whether pink and soft which indicates
very young fliers; whether red or brownish, indicating sexually
immature fliers or whether yellow which indicates sexually mature
fliers aoout to lay eggs*
If the swarm is flying record the direction from which it has
come and tov/ards which it is moving and if the swarm is settled
state v/hether they are egg laying or feeding.
Additional facts which are of importance are the following
(a) Size of swarm which may be roughly estimated in the case of
a settled swarm by noting the approximate area covered or,
in the case of a flying swarm, by recording the width of
front and the timej.it takes to pass a fixed point.
(b) The shape of the sv/arm, especially whether loose or compact.
(c) Height of flight. That is to say v/hether the lower part
of the swarm is close to the ground, or several hundred
feet up but each locust visible, or so high that the swarm
itself is only just visible.
(d) The time at which the swarm was seen.
(e) The direction from which the v/ind v/as blowing at the time.
(f) What the v/aether has been likely recently.
(g) Any other observations which the observer may think of
interest.
2 ) D gg Layin g. As before do not forget to record the kind of
locust, the locality and the date, that is to say the date when
the eggs v/ere laid or v/hen they hatched.
Record the size of the area in which the eggs have been laid
and the approximate number of egg clusters per square metre. The
type of soil and any characteristics of the place, that is to say
if sandy desert, bushy, grassland or valley and so on, should
also be noted.
The weather conditions both previous to egg laying and to
hatching should also be stated.
3) Hoppers. As before record the locality, the date, the kind
of locust the area covered and the sort of place v/here the
observations were made. Note.the colour of the hoppers, i.e.
v/hether plain green, green with black markings, or yellow with
black markings. In addition state the approximate age of the
hoppers, that is to say whether they are very small, medium sized,
or about full grown with well developed v/ing buds. If you are
in doubt about their age simply give the approximate length of
the hoppers.
'H
About this item
- Content
Correspondence, reports and other papers relating to efforts, undertaken by representatives of the Middle East Anti-Locust Unit (MEALU), to control desert locusts (first reported in western India in August 1942 (f 3)) along the Arab coast between Bahrain and Oman. The principal correspondents include: the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Chief Locust Officer (Reginald Charles Maxwell-Darling) and Locust Officer (Leslie Desmond Edward Foster Vesey-Fitzgerald) of MEALU, who arrived in Bahrain to carry out their work in October 1942; the Defence Officer for the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel H T Hewitt); representatives of the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC); and representatives of the Bahrain shipping agent Gray, Mackenzie & Company.
The file includes:
- reports from Maxwell-Darling and Vesey-Fitzgerald, as well as from numerous other British officials from across the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. region, including the British Minister at Tehran, Sir Reader William Bullard, on locust observations. The observations include estimations of the size of swarms, movement and direction of insects, age and colour of animals;
- correspondence relating to arrangements for the shipment of locust poison bait from the Sudan Government in Khartoum, to Bahrain;
- correspondence relating to the arrangements of facilities for the MEALU team on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , chiefly arrangements for suitable vehicles (arranged with the assistance of CASOC and the Defence Officer for the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ), experienced drivers and motor mechanics, finances, and rations;
- papers issued by MEALU, including instructions on reporting locust swarms (ff 136-137), and notes on locust campaigns in sparsely inhabited countries (ff 194-195, ff 385-386);
- a copy of a booklet entitled Methods of Locust Control , produced by the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research and published by the Government of India Press, Calcutta [Kolkota], 1941 (ff 226-236);
- a reprint of an academic journal article entitled Some results of studies of the Desert Locust (Schistocerca Gregaria, Forsk.) in India , by Rao Bahadur Y Ramchandra Rao (ff 266-278). The article is a reprint from the Bulletin of Entomological Research , volume 33, part 3, published December 1942;
- some papers relating to anti-locust activities in southern Iran.
The file contains a single letter in Arabic, a letter to the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. from the Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī (f 334).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (448 folios)
- Arrangement
The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 424-449) mirror the chronological arrangement.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 450; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-423; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’ [136r] (271/900), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1544, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034852386.0x000048> [accessed 19 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034852386.0x000048
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034852386.0x000048">‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’ [‎136r] (271/900)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034852386.0x000048"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000117/IOR_R_15_2_1544_0271.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000117/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/1544
- Title
- ‘File 16/37A-I Anti-Locust Measures’
- Pages
- 136r:136v, 194r:194v, 385r:386v
- Author
- Middle East Anti-Locust Unit
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.