t ^^«' .-« ^ ♦; •'•» 'f.'f, ., Article by 30 Gonioctena pallida , 81 Gortyna cataphracta 21 Gossard, H. A., Article by 73 Government Work and the Patent Office (36 Grapholitha interstinctana 41, 73 Grasshoppers, trip to investigate dam- ag' s from 68 Gryllotalpa borealis 8, 86 Guignard, J. A., Article by 98 Hsetnatobia alcis 95 ' ' serrata 95 Hair snakes 8 Harrington, W. H., Article by 89 Hippodamia convergens 57 Historic notes 77 Horn fly 58, 82, 95 Howard, L. O., Article by 67 Hyphantria cunea 76 " textor 13 Insecta : Hyatt and Arms 96 Insects and insecticides ; Weed 100 Japanese insects, notes on 89 Kellicott, D. S , Article by 58 Kerosene emulsions, experiments with 78 " " and pyrethrum . . 55 Larch saw fly 13, 27 Leptura i^roxima 79 Librarian, report of 4 Library, resolution respecting 4 Life areas, note on 22 Locusts, destructive 8, 45, 68 " occurrence of, in 1891 45, 62 Lycfena Couperi 8 " lygdamus 8 Lyctus striatus 80 Lyman, H. H., Articles by 17, 26, 99 Maple borers 79 Mediterranean flour-moth 18 Melanoplus atlanis 47 ' ' bivittatus 47 ' ' devastator 47 " difi'erentialis . . 47 " femur- rubrum 47 ' ' ponderosus 47 " spretus 46 Melitsea Carlota 21 Melittia cucurbitie 54 Meromyza Americana 12 Microscopical examination of unex- panded wing of C. promethea .... 31 Microscopical section, report of 5 Mofl"att, J. A., Article by 31 Mole-cricket, the northern 8, 86 Montreal ii ranch, report of 2 Moose fly 95 Myrmeleon abdominalis 21 Mytilaspis pomorum 13 Nematode leaf disease 55 Nematus Etichsonii 13, 27 Notes of interest 50 the season , 57, 58, 63, 81 Oak borers 80 Page. Obituary 95 Oblique-banded leaf-roller 11 Orgyia leucostigma 76 ( )rmerod. Miss G. E 15 Miss E. A 14 " Article by 58 Ornithological Section, report of 4 Osborn, H., Articles by 68, 73, 78 Oyster-shell bark-louse 13 Packard's Forest-tree insects 14 Pamphila Manitoba and its varieties. . 26 Parasites, note on 67 ' ' of grasshoppers 73 Paris green, use of 13, 57, 58, 78 Peach borer 64 Pear-tree slug 13 Pea weevil 1 2, 16 Phyllotreta vittata 12 Phymatodes dimidiatus 80 Phytonomus punctatus 63 Plum curculio 65 Pcecilonota cyanipes 80 Popenoe, E. A., Article by 62 Poplar gonioctena 81 Prionus laticollis 53 Pyrgus cajspitalis 21 ' ' centaure?e 21 Pyrethrum powder 55 Report of Botanical Section 16 Council 9 " Delegate to Royal Society . 5 " Librarian and Curator 4 " Microscopical Section 5 " Montreal Branch 2 " Ornithological Section .... 4 " Treasurer 3 Riley, C. V., Articles by 55, 66 Sanmina exitiosa 64 Saperda Candida 64 " concolor 80 Scudder's Fossil insects 15 Selandria cerasi 13 Silk culture, note on ..... . ... . . 79 Silver-top in grass 12 Smith, J. B., Articles by 51, 54, 63 Snow, F. H., Article by 83 Snow, W. A., Article by 95 Southwick, E. B., Article by. ...... . 76 Sphenophorus sculptilis . . 65 Spray machinery, standard fittings for. 75 Squash borer 54 Statistics of loss from insects 40, 43 Tent caterpillars 13, 16 Teras minuta 11 Tmetocera ocellana 10 Townsend, C. H. T., Articles by 49, 50 Treasurer, report of 3 Turnip flea-beetle 12 Ulocha3tes leoninus 8 Vanessa Californica 8 Wallace, P., Article by 79 Warble fly ' 60 Weed, H. E., Article by 57 White grub of Allorhina 50 Willow galls 81 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO- To the Honorable the Minister of Agriculture : Sir, — I have the honor to present herewith the twentj'-second annual report of the Entomological Society of Ontario, in accordance with the provisions of our Act of Incorporation. The annual meeting of the Society was held in London, on the 25th and 26th of November, 1891 ; the lateness of the meeting being caused by the severe illness of our President, who was on that account unable to attend earlier. At this meeting many papers of interest were read, the reports of officers received, officers for the ensuing year elected, and general business connected with the conduct of the Society transacted. The first reports were al.so received from the sections engaged on other branches of science, by whose work the Society hopes to be much benefited. The various reports of the officers and sections, together with the audited annual statement of the Treasurer, the annual address of the President, the papers read at the annual meeting and the report of our delegate to the Royal Society of Canada, will be found in the following pages. There is also presented a full report of the very important meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists held in Washington in August last, under the presidency of our Vice- President, Mr. James Fletcher. This Society was first organised in Toronto in 1889, and now includes amongst its members all the leading scientists in North America who are engaged in the study of practical entomology ; its proceedings are therefore of the highest interest and value to all concerned in any department of agriculture or horticulture. The Canadian Entomologist coi tinues to be issued regularly and is now the oldest Entomological publication in America. It numbers amongst its contributors the ablest students of the science in the United States as well as in Canada, and also some celebrated Entomologists in Europe. I have the honor to be. Sir, Your obedient servant, W. E. SAUNDERS, Secretary. 1 (EN.) fh ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. Tlie annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario was held in its rooms in Victoria Hall, London, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 25th and 26fch, 1891 ; the President, Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, Warden of Trinity College School, Port Hope, occupying the chair. On Wednesday moining, at 10 o'clock, a Council meeting M'as held, at which their annual report was prepared and adopted, the mailing list of the Canadian Entomologist was carefully gone over, and other business was transacted. At 2 p.m. a genei'al meeting of the Society was held, at which the following members were present : — The President ; Kev. T. W. Fyles, South Quebec ; Messrs. James Fletcher and AV. H. Harrington, Ottawa; G. Geddes, Toronto ; J. M. Denton, W. E. Saunders, J. A. MofTat, H, Stevenson, N. Stevenson, Foote and Roger, London. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The following gentlemen were elected officers for the ensuing year : — President— Rev. C. J. S. Bkthune, M.A., D.C.L., Port Hope. Vice-Presideut — W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa. Secretary — W. E. Saunders, London. Treasurer— J. M. Denton, London. Directors — Division 1— Jamhs Fletcher, F.R.S.C, Ottawa. Division 2— J. D. Evans, Sudbury. Division 3— Gamble Geddes, Toronto. Division 4— A. H. KiLifAN, Ridge way. Division 5— J. Alston Moffat, Loudon. Librarian and Curator — J. A. Mopfat, London. Editor of the Canadian Entomologist~Re\, Dr. Bethune, Port Hope. Editing Committee— H. H. Lyman, Montreal ; J. Fletcher, Ottawa ; Rev. T. W. Fylks, South Quebec. Delegate to the Royal Society of Canada — The President. Auditors — J. H. Bowman and W. E. Saunters, London. REPORT OF THE MONTREAL BRANCH. The following, the eighteenth annual report of the Montreal Branch of the Society, was read and adopted : — The Council in submitting their report for the year 1890-91 are pleased to be able to state that the year has been one of decided progress. Ten monthly meetings, most of which were well attended, have been held during the year ; the June meeting, held at the residence of Mr Trenholme, Cote St Antoine being principally devoted to collecting moths. The presence of Mr J ames Fletcher, Vice President of the parent society at the Febuary meeting, and of the Rev. Mr Fyles of Quebec, on several other occasions gave an increased interest to those meetings, and the Branch is indebted to these gentlemen for the interest they have taken in its success. During the year, one old member Mr E. D. Wintlehas rejoined, and one new one Mr H B. Cusbing has been added to our roll. The following papers have been read during the year : 1. Notes on Argynnis freya, A. Chariclea and A. Myrina. H. H. Lyman. 2. Notes on Coleoptera (several papers.) J. F. Hausen. 3. A Day in the Woods. Rev. T W. Fyles. 4. Notes on the Lepidoptera of 1890. A. F. Winn. 5. Description of a New Species of Pterostichus (P. Hornii.) J. F. Hansen. 6. Quebec representatives of the gen as Phisia. Rev. T. W. Fyles. 7. Diseases of the Chrysanthemum caused by Insects, J. G. Jack, (selected.) F. B. Caulfield. 8. Tortoise Beetles. F. B. Caulfield. 9. On the occurrence of Gracilia mimita at Montreal. J. F. Hausen. 10. A preliminary paper on the genus Chionobas. H. H. Lyman. 11. Notes on Gryllidae, Field Crickets. F. B. Caulfield. 12. Notice of three new Species of Pterostichus. J. F Hausen. 13. Notes on some methods of collecting insects. H. F Winn. 14. Report on a collection of Lepidoptera from the north of Lake Huron. H. H. Lyman. 15. Can Insects survive freezing ? H. H. Lyman. Of the above, Nos. 1 and 9 have been published in the Canadian Entomologist ; 3, 6 and 8 in the Annual Report for 1890 ; and 5 and 12 in the Canadiaii Record of Science. The report of the Treasurer shows that the Branch is flourishing financially. The Council would again urge upon the members increased activity in the collection and study of the insects of all orders in this locality, and especially of the more neglected ones, in order that we may obtain a better knowledge of those occurring here. Only about 1,400 species are as yet recorded, and this number could be very materially increased by even one summer's cai'eful work. Your Council would suggest that occasional collecting excursions be held during the coming summer, as a means of stimulating the interest of the members in this science. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Council. H. H. LYMAN, President. The following officers were elected for the coming year:— President, H. H. Lyman ; Vice President. F. B. Caulfield ; Secretary-Treasurer, A. F. Winn ; Members of Council, J. F. Hausen and W. C. Adams. (Signed) A. F. WINN, Secretary. REPORT OF THE TREASURER. The Treasurer Mr. J. M. Denton, presented his annual statement of the finances of the Society and explained the various items to the meeting. On motion it was adopted as follows: — Receipts, 1890-91. Balance from last year $153 90 Membership fees : 292 88 Sales of Canadian. Entomologist 192 16 Pins, cork, etc 73 32 Government grant . 1,000 00 Interest 6 07 $1,718 33 Expenditure, 1890-91. Printing Canadian Entomologist, etc $595 96 Report and meeting expenses 210 25 Library tn nn Purchase of Collection 50 00 Expense account (postage, stationery, etc) 92 50 Rent 12000 Insurance ^5 00 Pins, Cork, etc - 48 00 Grants to Editor and Curator 293 14 Balance __239 93 $1,718 33 ^^!; We certify that the above is a correct statement of accounts for the year ending August 31st 1891, of the Treasurer of the Entomological Society of Ontario, as shown by the books and vouchers. (Signed) W. E. SAUNDERS, J. H. BOWMAN. EEPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN AND CURATOR. Mr J. A. Moffat presented and read the following report, which was, on motion adopted : The library was completely gone over in the beginning of the year, and each book checked by its No. in the library register, wlien it was discovered that there were live volumes that could not be accountedjfor, viz : Nos. 100, 296, 619, 729, 994. f _j 102 books, including a gift of 38 volumes from the Presidents, have been added to the library during the year ; the full number on the register being 1,1G8. According to a suggestion at a previous meeting, a sectional catalogue has been commenDed, which, if approved and published, will inform tlie members what books in the library deal with entomological subjects. The number of volumes issued to local members daring the year was 74. Exchanges, such as reports and proceedings of societies, bulletins, magasines and periodicals of various kinds received during the year, average thirty per month. As recommended by the Secretary, and approved of at the last annual meeting, an inventory of the back volumes of the (■anadian Entomologist was taken. The information obtained thereby enabled the Society to offer some of the volumes to members at reduced rates, which were taken advantage of by many. The Society's collection of native lepidoptera has been almost entirely renewed, and many additions made of recent captures, making it a good representative collection of Ontario lepidoptera up to date, 'j i t/i It is to be regretted that the coleoptera collection still remains in a very defective state, many blanks requiring filling in. The other orders of native insects remain about the same, with ho chance of extension, fronn a want of cabinet accommodation. The exotics, so greatly increased by the purchase of the Pettit collection, have been made conveniently accessible, and have been a source of much interest and gratification to visitors. A beginning has been made in arranging the European collection of coleoptera, which, when com- pleted, will be valuable for reference, and the duplicates made available for sale or exchange. An effort has been made to catalogue the wood-cats and electrotypes, giving the No. of the drawer in which they are to be found, the name of what the cut represents, and the number of the annual report in which it has been described, which, when perfected, will enable anyone to trace the cut required with com- parative ease. Respectfully submitted, (Signed) J. A. MOFFAT, Librarian and Curator. Resolution re Library. The following resolution regarding the library was adopted : — That the chairmen of the various sections of the society, and the librarian be appointed a committee to draw up regulations for the use of the librarian, tlie same to be submitted for approval to the President and Mr. Fletcher, after which they shall be published with the catalogue. It was also moved and resolved " that the thanks of the Entomological Society of Ontario be given to Professor Penhallow, of McGill University, Montreal, for interesting specimens of an East Indian Rhyncophorous beetle kindly presented by him to the Society's cabinet. The reports of the sections of the Society being called for, Mr. Saunders presented and read the following : Report of the Ornithologica.l Section. To the Council of the EHtomological Society of Ontario. Gentlemen, — In presenting ^he first report of the London Ornithological Section of the Eatomo logical Society, it is fitting that the Section should acknowledge its indebtedness for the privileges enjoyed and for the opportunity of organizing under the tegis of the Entomological Society. The advantages o being in touch with the more important of the other branches of natural history, and of having experts t refer to in matters of dispute or inquiry, are not eisily overestimated. Under such circumstances t h section has made good progress during the time since its commencement. The membership, while not larg e is enthusiastic, and meetings, at which the attendance has been very good, have been held monthly or oftener, ever since inauguration. The section has compiled a list, presented herewith, of the birds breeding in Middlesex County, as well as supplementary lists of probable present and probable former breeders, of whose breeding we have not specific evidence. To this is added a snort note on "Faunal Areas," from which point of view Middlesex occupies a peculiarly interesting position as a borderland, on which the different areas appear to meet. (Signed) W. E. SAUNDERS, Chairman. W. A. BALKWILL, Secretary. In connection with this section a paper was read by Mr. R. Elliott on " Life Areas," referring to the distribution of birds in the neighbourhood of London ; and a list was presented by Mr. W, E. Saunders- of the various birds known to breed in the County of Middlesex. Report of the Microscopical Section. Of the Entomological Society was presented and read by Mr. Foote, as follows : As no report of the meetings since organisation has been made to the Society, I have much pleasure in presenting the following : — Upon March 15th, of last year (1890) a meeting was held in these rooms to consider the advisability of organizing a microscopical section. Prof. Bowman was elected chairman jjro tcm. The meeting was called at 8 o'clock. Those present, Messrs. Bowman_, Dearness, Arnott, Stevenson, Foote, Magee, Wilson, and Drs. Hodge, Gardner, Arnott and Hotson, all expressed their opinion in favour of the movement, and the section was fully organized, appointing Mr. Denton permanent chairman. Meeting.^ were held regu- larly upon the second and fourth Friday of each month, from that time till postponement at last general meeting, held in April, and opened again upon Friday, Oct. 9th. The meetings and attendance are as follows : 12 regular meetings ; 4 open, (3 for the public, and one for the benefit of the ladies of Hellmuth Col- lege). — Total, 16 meetings and one outing. Average attendance of members, 10. The following are some of the subjects taken up. For a fuller report I refer you to the minute book : — Manipulation of the Microscope "\ Angular Aperture \ I -o c -o Chromatic and Spherical Aberration. f ^''^^- -^^owman . Test objects— Pleurosigma, Heliopelta. J Mounting and Mounting-media— Mr. Burkholder. Fungi— Mr. J. Deabness. Examination of Algae, Spyrogyra, Draparnaldia, ) n«- ,, Oscillatoria ; A Sexual division of Spyrogyra. / ^'■- Burkholdkr. Black Knot-Mr. J. Dearness. Fertilisation and Growth of Ferns \ ^ j j)^^-^^^^^_ Structure oi an Exogen. J ^^■"- ^i^anniLa^. Examination of the results of an outing to the ponds — Daphnia, Cyclops— an unknown larva found in the pitchers of the pitcher plant. Drawings were taken for future reference. London, Nov. 25, 1891 . REPORT FROM THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO TO THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. BY THE REV. THOMAS W. FYLES, F. L. S., DELEGATE. Canadian Entomology i:^ the outgrowth of the last thirty years, and in its develop- ment the Entomological Society of Outaiio has played no unimportant part. The fir.st movement towards the formation of this Society was made in 1862 ; and at that, time according to the statement of the naturalist Grote (19th Report of the Ento- mological Society of Ontario, p. 62), there were probably not one hundred species of Lepidop- tera named and determined in any collection on this continent. The Society was fully organized on the 16th of April, 1863. la August of 1868 it commenced the publication of its monthly organ, the Canadian Entomologist, which ante-dated by one month the Aimricaa Entomologist, edited by Walsh and Riley. In 1871 the Society was duly incorporated, and since then, under the fostering care of the Ontario Government, it has maintained its important position as one of the leading Eatomoiogical societies on the continent of America. One of the conditions of the Act for its incorporation, was, that it should present to the Minister of Agriculture for Ontario, an annual report of its proceeding.?. Twenty-one such reports have now been issued, the whole embodying a vast amount of valuable entomological information. The report for 1890 contains an account of the proceedings at the annual meeting of the Society, the address of the president, and the various reports and papers read on that occasion. It contains also, full and interesting notes of the proceedings at the Indianapolis meeting of the Eatomoiogical Club of the American Association for the advancement of Science, and of the American Association of Economic Entomologists held at Champaign, Illinoi.s. These notes were jiresented by Mr. Fletcher, who had attended the meetings of the associations as the Society's representative. They are followed in the report by various original papers, thought to be of interest both to entomologists and to the general public. The titles to these are : " Kitchen Garden Pests and How to Deal with Them " ; " An Outbreak of the Army Worm in Maryland " ; " Tortoise Beetles"; " Quebec Representatives of the Genus /'^^sia " ; "Origin and Perpetuation of Arctic Forms"; "Fuller's Pi,ose Beetle"; " Hymenoptera Parasitica"; "Insects Injurious to the Elm " ; " The Entomology of Shakespeare " ; and " Experiments for the Destruction of Chinch Bugs." The rest of the leport is made up with selections, and notices and critiques of the most important entomological publications that had apoeared in the course of the year. The Canadian Entomohgist has reached its twenty-third volume. It is still under the able management of the Rev. Dr. Bethume, D.G.L. It has now been permanently enlarged to twenty-four pages, and " continues to receive contributions from all the most eminent entomologists in North America, and to circulate in all parts of the world." (■21st report, introductory letter from the Secretary to the Honorable the Minister of Agri- culture). In the volume for 1890, articles appear from thirty-five contributors who are pursuing their investigations in various parts of British North America, the United States of America, Great Britain, British India and Germany. No less than seventeen new species of insects are described in its pages. The constitution of the Society provides for the formation of branch associations ; and in Montreal an important branch has flourished for a length of time. It was chiefly through the instrumentality of Mi-. F. B. Caul field, that this branch was called into existence ; and it still enjoys the benefit of his services as vice-president. Under the presidency of Mr. H. H. Lyman, the branch is raising up a number of young and enthusi- astic entomologists who give promise of attaining eminence in their favourite pursuit. At its monthly meetings original papertj have been read, and descriptions of several species of beetles discovered by Mr. J. F. Hansen, one of its members, have been given. The secretary of the branch is Mr. A. F. Winn. The scheme for the formation of sections, which was put into operation last May, continues to work admirably. The sections formed in London, the head-quarters of the Society, are four : — the Botanical, the Ornithologica], the Geological and the Microscopical, all of which are doing good work. The value of all these sections to the parent society will be readily perceived : of the Botanical, in determining the food plants of insects, and in tracing insect ravages and their efiects ; of the Ornithological, in discovering what insecti- vorous birds act as checks upon the undue increase of particular kinds of insects, and in answering such inquiries as that which called forth a volume from the United States Agricultural department — whether the English sparrow (which was said to destroy large numbers of injurious larvte) was of benefit to the community or not ; of the Geological, in showing what kinds of soils are favourable to the growth of certain food plants, and thus indicating the localities for particular insects, and also in tracing the impressions left by extinct species in various Geological formations ; and the Microscopical, in noting the structural peculiarities of insects, and in aiding to classify minute forms. The Botanical section numbers 16 members. Its chairman is Mr. J. Dearness ; vice- chairman. Professor Bowman, and secretary. Dr. S. Carson. Meetings for study and mutual assi-stance are held by it every Saturday evening, from Ist of May, until 1st of October. A number of excursions have been carried out, and some new species added to the already well examined flora of the environs of London. Two new mosses have been discovered by Mr. Dearness, and a surprisingly large number of new fungi — more than 60 now named, and some yet unnamed. These fungi are for the most part new not to Canada only, but also to the whole of America. The Ornithological section also is flourishing. It is engaged in gathering up facts of seneral import to ornithology, and is commencing a systematic list of the breeding- birds of Middlesex county to be presented at the annual meeting of the Society. Its chairman is Mr. ^Villiam Saunders, and its secretary, Mr. N. O. Balkwell. The Geological section has nine members. Dr. S. Wolverton being chaii-man, Mr. T. Green vice-chairman, and Mr. J. L. Goodburne, secretary. The members have made regular weekly excursions, and the district around London has been well worked by them, and numerous interestincj fossils have been added to the Society's collections ; taken altogether the year's work done by this section has been very satisfactory. The interest of the members has not flagged at any time, but each has seemed anxious to do what he could towards adding to the general stock of information. The Microscopical section has also been active. It numbers twelve members, and it has in use eleven first-class micioscopes. Ten meetings have been held by the members for piivate study, and two public entertainments for the benefit of the young people of the cit.y have been given. Special attention has been paid by this section "to fungi, mil- dews upon fruit trees, rust in wheat, etc. Mr. Joim Denton is chairman of the section, and Messrs. Bowman and Dearness, microscopical directors. It is generally conceded that the formation of these sections was a happy proceduie that strengthened the Society and increased its usefulness. At the last annual meeting the Socif-ty secured the services of Mr. J. Alston Moflfatt one of its member.s who engaged to take entire charge of the Society's rooms, library and collections, and to be a permanent resident official in London. It is felt that the greatest care will be taken by Mr. Mofl[att for the preservation and arrangement of the Society's valuable collections of insects. These have lately been enlarged by the purchase from Mr. Johnson Pettit of Grimsby, of several well filled and well-arranged cabinets of coleoptera, etc., the results of many years' intelligent labor on the part of Mr. Pettit. Among the tokens of public recognition of the value of its collections, the Society preserves the medals and diplomas awarded it at the Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, in 1876, the Int^n'national Fisheries Exhibition in 1883, and the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886. The library of the Society now numbers 1,100 volumes. Among them are such costly works as the Challenger Reports, 20 vols. ; Smith's Collection of Abbott's Illustrations, 2 vols. 1797 ; Drury's Exotic Entomology, 3 vols. ; Stephen's P]ntomology, 8 vols. ; Kirby's Entomology, 4 vols. ; Say's Entomology, 2 vols. ; Edwards' Butterflies of North America, 2 vols. ; Scudder's Butterflies of New England, 3 vols. ; McCook's American Spiders, 2 vols. ; Packard's Monograph of Geometrid Moths ; Lord Walsingham's Illustrations of Typical North American Tortricidaj, 2 vols. ; The American Naturalist, 20 vols. ; Scud- der's Fossil Insects, 2 vols., ete. It is being continually enriched by the printed reports and periodicals from the principal Entomological societies of Great Britain, Australia,. Austria, France, Germany, Inr'ia, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, South America and the United States of America. The Society's collections, library, electrotypes, etc., are insured for $3,500. The Society reports, through its president, the unwelcome re-appeai"ance of the Hes- sian fly [Cecidomyia destructor, Say), and recapitulates the best methods of dealing with this pest. Another intruder that has been brought under the notice of the Society is the grain Aphis {Siphonophora avena;, Fab.), which has appeared in many localities in Ontario. The Larch saw-fly {Newaius Erichso7in, Hartig.), after doing incalculable harm to the tamarack forests of Canada, is now diminishing in numbers. A new importation allied to this {Neniatus pallidiventris, Fallen) has made its appearance on willows brought from Russia by the late Mr. Charles Gibb. The Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia KiihnieUa, Zeller) whose appearance two years ago in a large milling establishment in Ontario, caused so much consternation, and called forth such vigorous action on tlie part of the Ontario Agricultural Department seems happily to have been stamped out. In these days of rapid transit and intercourse with foreign countries, the advent of new insect pests may be looked for. According to a wise provision the directors of the Society must be representatives from the diflerent Aqricultural sections of Ontario. By this arrangement it is hoped the appearance and operations of injurious ie.sects in any part of Ontario will be speedily made known to the Society, and receive careful attention. The Society has noted with the greatest satisfaction the vahiable work done by Mr. Fletcher, the Dominion Entomologist at Ottawa, who, by his entomological publications and his public addresses in various parts of the country, is diffusing knowledge that will be of the utmost importance to the community. The president of the Society has truly said that " the re-^ult of his work must in course of time be the saving of hundreds of thousands of dollar.-? to the farmers and fruit-growers of the Dominion." (President's address, 21st annual report, p. 10). A paper by Mr. H. H, Lyman, of Montreal, on " Pamphila Manitoba, Scudder, and its varieties," was read by the President, in the absexice of the writer. Various matters of interest were then brought up and discussed by the members present. Among them may be mentioned a consideration of the prevalence of the des- tructive Locust (or Grass-hopper) in some of the North- western States, and the proba- bilities of a further attack next year. The successful use of ''Hopper-dozers" was mentioned, and much credit Vv^as given to Mr. Lawrence Bruner for his valuable investiga- tions. The occurrence of an imported species of Saw-dy on the Eai'opeaa alder was noted ; and mention was made of the destruction of Hawthorns ICraUpguH) by the Vjeetle Anthonomus quadriyibbus. Mr. Fletcher exhibited a specimen of Vanessa Californica, t:iken by Mr. W. H. Danby on Vancouver Island, September •20th, 1890, being the first recorded capture o this butterfly in Canada. He also exhibited (1) a very rare and extraordinary beefele, taken by Prof. John Macoun, in 1887, at Victoria, B.C.; it is a large longicorn, but with its «:hort wing-covers looks more like a rove beetle (Stapht/Iini'l) ; its name is UlochceUs leoninus : (2) a specimen of the mole-cricket (GnjUotalpa borealis), which was taken al Leamington, in the County of Essex, by Mr, W. W. Hilborn, and gave an account of its curious and interesting habits : (3) a specimen of the pupa of Clirysuphamt^ fhoe, which he had raised from the egg ; he procured from a pair of the butterflies in captivity twenty-four eggs, of which one hatched and went through all its larval stages to the pupa, feeding on dock {Riimex) ; the remaining eggs will evidently remain dormant till next spring : (4) a spscimer. of the cut-worm Agrotis ochrogaster, Guen, which is so injurious in the North-VVest, and compared it with A. turris, Grote ; he stated that all grades of variation between the two forms had been obtained from one brood of the caterpillars, and that it was now accepted that they were all of one species, which should be known by the former name, Mr. Fyles exhibited specimens of (I) Golias interior and C. philodice, var. Lauren' tina ; (2) Lgccena Couperi, taken at Braiitford, Ontario, regarding the idenriw of which with the southern form, L. Lygdamus, a discussion took place, leading to the conclusion that they were local forms of the same butterfly : (3) a " hair-snake," {Gordius), ten inches long, taken from the body of the larva of an Acrongcta, which was remarkable, as the.se creatures are usually found infesting grass-hoppers and crickets of . the order Orthoptera. The meeting adjourned at 5.30 p. m. EVENING SESSION. In the evening the Society held a public meeting in its rooms at Victoria Hall which was largely attended by members and other friends from London and the neigh- bourhood, amongst whom the following were noticed : Mr. Jam-is Fletcher (Vice President), and Mr. W. H. Harrington, of Ottawa ; Rev. T. W. Fyles, of Sou'-h Quebec ; Captain G. Geudes, of Toronto ; Messrs. J. M. Denton, W. E. 10 Saunders, J. Alston Moffatt, Rev. ^Y. M. Eogers, Dr. Woolverton, Dr. Wilson, Prof. J. H. Bowman, J. Dearness, H. Stevenson, W. Stevenson, D. Arnott, W. Foote, W. Scarrow, and — Wiire, of London. The Rev. Dr. Bethune, \Yarden of Trinity College School, Port Hope, President of the Society, took the chair at 8 o'clock. The annual report of the Council was read, and upon motion by Rev. T. W. Fyles, seconded by Prof. Bowman, it was adopted and referred to tiie Editing Committee 'for publication. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. The Council of the Entomological Society of Ontario beg to present the following report of th' ir proceedings during the past year : — They are happy to be able to congratulate the members of the Society upon the large increase in numbers during the past year, and the continued interest that is taken in its vai'ious departments of work. The Twenty-First Annual Report on Economic and General Entomology was sent to the Minister of Agriculture in December last, and was printed and distributed in the following April. It consisted of 105 pages, illustrated with 47 wood cuts, and contained many useful and valuable papers. The Cayiadian Entomologist has been regularly issued at the beginning of each mouth ; the December number, which will complete the twenty-third volume, is now passing through the press. It is now the oldest publication of the kind in North America, and continues to maintain a high reputation among scientitic entomologists, both from the value and interest of its papers and the eminence of many of its con- tributors. The number of pages has been much increased in the current volume. Nearly every issue has contained from 20 to 2-1: pages, and that tor November extended to no less than Si. The whole volume will consist of over 280 pages, being more than forty in excess of the usual number. Over one hundred volumes have been added to the library during the past year, in- cluding a handsome gift of 38 volumes from the President. Among the purchases may be mentioned the valuable work, by Mr. S. H. Scudder, on the Fossil Insects of North America, in two volumes, quarto. A large and valuable addition to the cabinet of the Society has been made by the purchase of Mr. J. A. Moflatt's collection of Lepidoptera. The following sections of the Society have been in active operation during the past year, viz.: The Botanical, Geological, Microscopical, and Orijithoiogical. The reports of their proceedings are submitted herewith. It is gratifyin* to find that the formation of these sections has proved so successful and that it has led to an increase of our num- bers and the performance of much valuable work. It is earnfjiBtly hoped that all per- sons interested in natural science, in London and the neighbourhood, will become mem- bers of the Society, and take part in the proceedings of one or more of the sections. During the month of August important meetings were held at Washington. D.C. The Association of Economic Entomologists was presided over by our Vice-President, Mr. Fletcher, and was the most important, and the best attended, of any hitherto held in North America. A full account of its proceedings will be published in our annual rt port. At the meeting of the Entomological Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Mr. Fletcher acted as our representati^'^,' and has given a report of the papers and discussions in the October and November numbers of the Canadian Eiitomologist. 11 The reports of the Montreal Branch, and of the Rev. T. W. Fyles, delegate to the Royal Society of Canada, are presented herewith. The accounts of the Treasurer, and the reports of the Librarian and Curator are also submitted. The Council desire to express their satisfaction at the manner in which the Curator has discharged his dutias during the past year, in the care and arrangement of the library and cabinets, and of the rooms of the Society. All which is respectfully submitted. CHARLES J. S. BETHUNE, Pi'esident. ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. The President cordially welcomed all present and proceeded to deliver the annual address upon the chief topics of entomological interest which had taken place during the year. Gentlemen. — I have much pleasure in welcoming you all to the annual meeting of our Entomological Society. I am sorry that we have been unable to hold it at an earlier and more favourable period of the year, and that we should thus be debarred from having an outing together, like that of our memorable field-day last year. I was unfor- tunately laid up with a severe illness during the latter part of the summer, and my colleagues thought that it would not be advisable to hold this meeting without your President ; it was consequently postponed to this late date. Owing to my being confined to my room for so long a time, I can only give you a meagre account of the principal events of the year in the entomological world. In doing so let me first refer to the most noteworthy injuries caused by insects during the past season. The most serious insect pest of the year to the fruit grower in Canada was " the Eye" spotted bud moth," {Tmetocera ocellana, Schiff). This tiny insect (Fig. 1) has become very abundant of late and very widespread throughout the country. In Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia it has been very injurious to the apple. The crop of fruit this year has been so unusually large that the loss occasioned by this insect has not, perhaps, been much noticed, but it is much to be feared that if it should be let alone to increase and multiply' undisturbed, its ravages will become very Fig. 1- serious and very conspicuous in the future. The object of attack, as the name of the insect indicates, is the opening bud of the apple ; this is pierced by the young caterpillar, which forms a habitation for itself by drawing together portions of a dried and blackened leaf and lining them with silk to form a protecting case. As it grows lai-ger, the worm often destroys a whole cluster of blossoms or of young fruit by drawing them together with silken threads and devouring the stems and foliage to such an extent that they wither and die. It occasionally also eats into the extremity of the twig from which the blossom proceeds, and by boring into it causes the destruction of the bloom and all hope of subsequent fruit. The caterpillar is of a dull brownish colour, with a few short hairs on its body proceeding from tiny warts. It usually becomes fully grown in June and forms its chrysalis in its larval case, from which the moth emerges in July. This is a pretty little creature, ashen gray in colour with a broad whitish band across the middle of the anterior wings. Its specific name is derived from the two little eye-like spots on each of these wings. A good deal may be done to check the spread of this insect by pulling off and crushing the clusters of withered leaves containing the caterpillars, but the best remedy is no doubt the spraying of the trees in early spring with a weak mixture of Paris green and water, not more than one quarter of a pound of the poison to fifty gallons of water, but it would be well to begin with a lower strength than this for fear of injuring the foliage of the trees. 12 Fig. 2. Closely associated with the insect I have just referred to is "the Lesser Apple-leaf Folder" [Teras minuta, Robs), which has also been very abundant this year, (Fig. 2), The caterpillars of this insect appear in early spring and commence their de- predations upon the tender foliage which has just come forth from the opening buds. They draw the opposite sides of the leaves together to form a habitation, and devour the foliage nearest to them. When they occur in large numbers they cause the trees to look as if they had been scorched by fire at the extremity of the branches. The moth is about a third of an inch long, with bright orange fore wings and silky white hind wings. There are two bi-oods in the year, the first moth appearing early in spring and the later ones towards the end of July. The larvie of another and larger moth, " the Oblique-banded Leaf-roller," (Cacossia rosaceana, Harris), have also been very numerous and destructive. This insect feeds upon a large variety of plants, both fruits and shrubs, but has been especially injurious to the apple during the past season. Like the two species already mentioned, it begins its attack in early spring by rolling up the young leaves of the plant and fastening them with silken threads. In the hollow cylinder thus formed the caterpillar (Fig. 3) takes up its abode, and when disturbed at one end quickly slips ?ut at the other and lets itself down and away from the threatening danger by means of a silken thread. There are a great many species of leaf-rollers known to entomologists — they belong to the family of Tortrices and are well repre- sented everywhere. Their habits are much the same in all cases, and when numerous they become a positive injury to the plants they attack. The moths may be at once recognized by their peculiar fiat shape, lesembling the outline of a bell when the wings are closed, (Fig 4) and having the outer margin of the fore wings wavy (Fig. 5.) In the species now referred to the fore wings are of a cinnamon or brown colour, and the hind ones a lighter yellow. The best remedy for this insect and the leaf-folder is the use of Paris green in the manner I have already described. Canker-worms, the larvi\i of the moths Anisopteri/x vernata, Peck and A. pomMaria^ Harris, which are injurious almost every year in the Maritime Provinces, have this year been injuriously abundant in the eastern counties of Ontario, and have also been particu- larly destructive at Winnipeg, where they have in many cases stripped of their foliage the large trees of the ash-leafed maple which are there grown in the streets fur shade. There are two classes of remedies for these insects. The object of one is to prevent the wingless female from climbing up the trees from the ground in order to lay their eggs after their emergence from the chrysalis state, which they pass in the earth. A common mode of doing this is to encircle the trunk of the tree a short distance above the ground with a band of cloth or thick paper, folded to a width of four or five inches and thickly smeared with tar or a mixture of tar and molasses. This should be applied to the tree in the autumn and kept on till the leaves are expanded in the followii.g spring. The tar requires to be renewed from time to time, and should be looked to whenever any mild days occur at the beginning or close of winter. Tin and wooden troughs filled with oil have been used for the same purpose ; also collars of tin, sloping downwards like an in- verted funnel have been found effective in preventing the female moths from ascending the tiees. The other style of remedy is that directed against the caterpillars when they Fig. 3. Fig. 5. Fig. 4. 13 have gained possession of the trees, and consists of spraying the trees with Paris green or London-purple — a method that may be very properly described as a universal remedy for all foliage eating insects. The irrepressible Cut-worm has made his unwelcome presence known in many parts of the country. In Alberta territory they were very numerous and destructive in the early part of the season. In reply to an appeal for instruction in the modes of dealing with this pest made by the editor of the Macleod Gazette, I sent him copies of our last report and Mr. Fletcher's bulletin containing directions upon the subject, and advised him strongly to have the poisoned traps used by the farmers in the neighbourhood. The remedies were duly published in the Gazette and I have no doubt were found very effec- tive by those who tried them. The species of cut-worm in question is evidently Agrotis ochrogaster, Guen, which has also been found in abundance at Lethbridge. Its habit is to attack vegetation of every description, and thus it may be rated as one of our most destructive species. It is evidently very widely diffused throughout the Dominion, as it has been found in abundance at Cape Breton. In Manitoba another species, Agrotis campestris, Grote, has been most prevalent and injurious. The insect producing the well-known injury called " silver-top " in grass {Meromyza Americana) was very abundant this year in many districts of Ontario. In most instances it was attended by its parsite (Coilinius meromyza, Forbes), which may be relied upon to keep it in check eventually. In the meantime it will be wise for farmers to break up their old meadows, wherever " silver-top " has appeared, and put in a crop with plenty of manure. The turnip flea-beetle, {Phyllotreta vittata, Fab.) is almost ubiquitous and always injurious. Sometimes it is so numerous on the plants that on the approach of a disturber it hops off from leaf to leaf with the pattering sound of fine rain or hail. This year it has been abundant in some localities and requires measures for its destruction. In this country, where it is not the practice to feed sheep upon the turnips in the field, it is quite safe to employ a mixture of Paris green and land-plaster in a proportion of one hundred times the quantity of the latter to that of the former. The best time to apply the poison is when the leaves of the plant are wet with dew. Another " pestilent fellow " that requires constant watching is the pea-weevil {Bruchus pi'^i, Linn) (Fig. G.) It appears, unhappily, to be on the increase in this Province, As large quantities of choice varieties of peas are grown in order to export the seed, it is a very important matter that they should be perfectly free from this pest. The first precaution to be taken is to make sure that the seed intended to be sow^n is free from the weevils ; in fact, this is about the only thing that can be done owing to the habits of the in- sect and its working inside the pod. Should the .seed be found to be infested with the weevils, the utmost care should be taken to kill them. There are several modes of doing this, but the most effectual is to place the seed in a perfectly tight vessel and to put on the top of the peas a saucer containing a little bisulphide of carbon — one quar- ter of a pound is enough for three hundred weight of peas. This substance, when exposed to the air, becomes con- Fig. g. verted into a gas, which being heavier than the atmos- phere, sinks down through the mass of peas and kills all living things exposed to it. it is necessary to exercise the utmost care in its use as it is highly inflammable and any light brought near it will cause an explosion. It is advisable, therefore, to put the peas to be treated into a barrel or other receptacle that can be moved out of doors before the cover is taken off. , 14^ The next insect on my list of the troublesome is the striped cucumber beetle (Dia- hiotica f/i^afa, Fab.), a little yellow-striped creature (Fig. 7) that is no doubt familiar to everyone. Dr. Weed, of the Ohio State Experiment Station, has satisfactorily shown by a series of careful experiments that the best mode of preventing injury from this insect is to so protect the plants that the beetle cannot get at them, and that this can be most cheaply and successfully done by " protecting each hill by a piece of plant-cloth, or cheese-cloth, about two feet square. This may be done simply by placing it over the plants and fastening the edges down by small stones or loose earth. It is better, however, to hold it up by means of a half barrel hoop, or a wire Went in the form of a croquet arch." The Pear-tree slug (Selandria cerasi, Peck), Fig. 8, has been very abundant and injuri- ous in many quarters, completely destroying the foliage of cherry as well as pear trees. It is too familiar a pest to require description at my hands. An effective remedy has been found in the application of a weak mixture of Paris green and water. Last year I referred to the exceed- ing abundance in all parts of this Province of the fall web-worm [Hyphantria textor, Harris). I regret to say that this year it has been more abundant than ever, so much so that it may be regarded as the most noticeable attack of the season. It has become widespread through- out Canada and the United States as far south, at least, as Virginia. The larch saw-fly [Nematiis Erichsordi) continues to be very abundant and destruc- tive. Unfortunately it is a kind of attack for which there seems no practicable remedy. The tent-caterpillars (Clisiocampa) have again, I am happy to say, been conspicuous by their absence. It is to be hoped that this immunity may long continue. The oyster-shell bark-louse {Mt/tihtspis pomorum, Bouche), Fig. 9, has become very injurious in orchards and gardens, but few fruit-growers seem to realise how much injury ic occasions, because it is so inconspicuous. Scraping the bark of the trunk and larger limbs, or scrubbing them with strong soapsuds will be found useful, but when the insect covers the smaller branches and twigs, as it soon does when undisturbed, it becomes necessary to resort to some other method of treatment. Syringing with a kerosene emulsion just before the buds burst in the spring, or late in the autumn immediately after the fall of the leaves, will be found most eflective. As far as I have been able to ascertain, these are the most noteworthy insect attacks of the year. There have been, no doubt, many others in par- ticular localities, but these that I have referred to were for the most part widespread and general. You will probably have noticed that I have given Paris green as the remedy for most insect pests. Its use has now been pretty thoroughly tested both here and in the United States, and there is no doubt that it is by far the simplest and most effective remedy for the codling-moth of the apple, the plum cur- culio, and all leaf-eating insects. It is, of course, absolutely necessary that great care should be exercised when handling so virulent a poison, to prevent injury to human beings or animals, and that the directions given by skilled entomologists, who have made careful experiments, should be strictly carried out. It must also be borne in mind that satisfactory results cannot be expected without the use of proper pumps and nozzles. The great point to be aimed at is to envelop the tree in a fine mist of the poisoned mixture, not to simply cause the foliage to drip from the squirting of a stream of the liquid. For full information regarding desirable appliances for this purpose and the quantities to be employed, J would refer those interested to the Bulletin No. 11, issued by the Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa, and prepared by Mr. bletcher. It is entitled " Recommendations for the Prevention of Damage by some Common Insects of the Farm, the Orchard and the Garden." It is a most admirable little manual, and 15 contains within its thirty pages a wonderful amount of conciso information regardin^j our commonest insect pests and the best way to deal with them. If any intelligent farmer or gardener will faithfully carry out the directions given, he will reap an abundant reward in the saving of a very large percentage of his crops or I'ruits, and he will at the same time gain a practical knowledge of insects that will stand him in good stead all the days of his life. If Mr. Fletcher had done no other work, and we all know how much valuable work he is always doing, the preparation of this little treatise would amply justify his appointment as Dominion Entomologist. 1 hope that I have not wearied you with so much pi actical entomology to-night, but there is no doubt that our department of science is just now more concerned with eco- nomic rather than with technical investigations. An evidence of this may be found ia the record of the proceedings of the meeting of economic entomologists held at Wash- ington in August last, under the presidency of our colleague, Mr. Fletcher. It was a remarkable meeting, both as regards the number of distinguished scientists who were present, and the ability and usefulness which characterised the large number of papers read and the discussions that resulted from them. I trust that a full account will be published in our forthcoming annual report. Since our last annual meeting many publications on economic entomology have been issued fi-om the press, for the most part in the form of bulletins prepared by the ento- mologists attached to the Experiment Stations in various States of the Union. They are too numerous to mention in detail, but are always useful and interesting, and in many cases most valuable contributions to the knowledge of the subject. The Division of Entomology at Washington must not be overlooked when referring to work of this kind. Besides the ])ublication of Insect Life, which is by far the best periodical of its kind that we have ever seen, many valuable papers on both scientific and practical entomology have been issued. About ten years ago (in 1881) what was then called the United States Entomo- logical Commission, consisting of Mes.srs. Eiley, Packard and Thomas — three very emi- nent men — issued a work by Dr. Packard on " Insects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees," (Bulletin No. 7), a goodly volume of 275 pages, well illustrated and replete with valuable information. Recently a revised and much enlarged edition of this work has been issued by the Department of Agriculture at Washington, bringing the original work more nearly down to date, and furnishing, as far as is possible, a complete manual on the subject. The new volume is more than three times the size of the former edi- tion, consisting of no less than 950 pages, illustrated by over 300 wood-cuts and 40 plates, 12 of which are coloured. Some idea of the extent of the work, as well as of the importance of the subject, may be formed when I mention that descriptions are given of over 300 species of insects that affect the oak, and the names of nearly 150 more are mentioned ; 61 are described as attacking the elm., and 30 more mentioned ; 151 described that affect the pine, and a list of 20 more given; and so on for a large number of other trees. Economic entomologists for the most part devote their atten- tion to the insects that attack fruit trees, crops and vegetables, as these most directly affect the public; but surely no more important matter can be studied than the preser- vation of our forests, which are annually being depleted for the purposes of commerce, as well as by fire and inrects. It is high time that more attention was paid to this matter, and that people generally should be aroused to the dangers that will surely result if we allow our country to be stripped of its woods and forests. In some coun- tries of Europe, notably in Germany, a very rigid oversight of the forests is maintained by the Government, and no wanton or careless destruction is permitted. In connection with this, they encourage scientific men to devote their studies to the insect enemies of the trees, and ar; a result some magnificent books have been published. Chief among these are the grai:d work of Eatzeburg, and the perhaps less widely-known publications of Kaltenbacb. Along side of these Dr. Packard's book will assuredly take its place. Miss £. A. Ormerod, we are happy to say, continues her valuable work in Eng- land with unceasing devotion and industry. It is gratifying to know that the diffi'ulties which led to her resignation of the oflSce of Consulting Entomologist to the Royal 16 Agricultural Society have been satisfactorily composed, and that the Society, having apologised for the action which led to her resignation, will now be able to count once more upon her invaluable assistance in all matters that relate to ]>ractical entomology. A very remarkable testimony to her ability and worth was afforded by the British press when the fact of her resignation was first made known. The leading agricultural jour- nals and the newspapers, including the Times, spoke in warm terms of her merits and deprecated the action of the Society ; social papers, such as the Queen, discussed the case and took up the cudgels in her defence ; and all alike bore lively testimony to the inestimable value of her services. Her sister. Miss Georgiana E. Ormerod, has recently published a series of coloi'ed diagrams of insects injurious to vegetation ; they are 30 in number, and include all the most prevalent attacks upon crops, fruits and trees. They are beautifully executed and will be found most useful for the illustration of lectures to classes or addresses to farmers' institutes. Though intended for England, nearly all of them are equally appli- cable to this country. In technical entomology the year has been marked by the publication of Mr. S. H. Scudder's grand work on Fossil Insects of the Tertiary Period. He has devoted to its preparation about a dozen years of patient toil, and it stands forth in conjunction with his marvellous volumes on " The Butterflies of the New England States and Canada," as a monument to his great ability, industry and learning. In this work he gives descrip- tions of no less than 612 species, for the most part collected in Colorado, Wyoming and British Columbia, with some from Pennsylvania, and Scarborough in this Province. Nearly all the species are beautifully figured on large lithographic plates. Mr. W. H. Edwards continues to issue his work on "The Butterflies of North America," with its unsurpassed colored illustrations. The twelfth part of the third series is now announced as ready for distribution. To turn for a few moments to our own affairs, I think I shall voice the feelings of you all when I say that we have much reason to congratulate our&elves on the progre.ss and continued ?uccess of our Society, which is testified to in the reports of the council, and the treasurer and curator, which will presently be laid before you. It is well, how- ever, for us all to remember that membership of a society carries with it the duty not only of paying the annual subscription to its funds, but also of giving some of our time and some of our work to furthering the special objects which it has in view. Much could no doubt be done by even the youngest and least skilled of our mem- bers by collecting specimens for our cabinets, making field observations on the habits of insects, or rearing them through their preparatory stages. Much remains to be learnt regarding the life history of many of our common butterflies, and there is still a boundless field to be surveyed among the moths and the other orders of insects. Short notes of original observations will always be of value and will be welcomed for publication by the editor of your journal, the Canadian Entomologist ; he will also be pleased, especially at the present time, to receive contributions of an economic character for the pages ot the annual report. I beg to thank you, gentlemen, for your kind patience with me while I have attempted to lay before you those matters of entomological interest which have presented themselves to me daring the past year. I am happy to feel that my somewhat meagre remarks will be well supplemented by those gentlemen who are to follow me with addresses to night. Mr. Fletcher moved a vote of thanks to the President for his admirable and enter- taining address, and in doing so spoke of the increasing interest amongst farmers in the practical application of economic entomology for the prevention of insect injury. The Eye-spotted bud-moth had been prevalent over a very large area in North America this year, extending through Canada from the Maritime provinces to western Ontario. There were still varying opinions as to the manner in which the insect passed the winter. The peculiar flattened eggs are laid in July, and Dr. Lintner had reared one almost to its full size before the end of August. Prof. Fernald stated that he had bred them and that they passed the winter amongst the fallen leaves. He himself had found larvae in New 17 Brunswick which he considered belonged to this species, which were in a sort o£ cocoon in the crevices of the gnarled fruit spurs of apple trees. He hoped members would try and settle the question for their own locality, as the decision as to this point is of great importance in deciding what is the best remedy to apply. He had secured good results in treating this insect as well as the leaf-rollers and canker-worms on apples by spraying early with Paris gteen. With regard to Out-worms (Agrotis ochro(/aster) the red-bellied cutworm had been complained of also by many of his correspondents. Several specimens had been sent to him from Lethbridge, a large proportion of which ibad proved to be para- sitized. At Ottawa the species had also been abundant, and from rearing a large number he felt sure that the red form known as Ag. turris and the pale ochrogaster were the same species. Mr. Fyles had at the meeting a pair representing both forms taken in copulation. A new turnip pest had appeared in the Northwest Territories in the shape of a handsome chrysomelid named EnLoraoscelis adonidis. Several consignments were sent in during August. Mr. J. Dearness had much pleasure in seconding the vote of thanks He quite agreed with the mover in the practical value of such an address as the President had given them. Speaking of the pea weevil, Mr. Dearness had heard from farmers in the school districts he had visited that this pest was not so prevalent as last year. With regard to the Eye- spot bud-moth, he suggested spraying both the ground and the twigs during the winter. He mentioned having recently noticed a number of webs or tents on trees. The President in acknowledging the vote of thanks explained that the tent cater- pillars in the spring and the fall web-worms are two distinct insects, and that while the latter is very abundant, the former is scarce. Mr. Denton had noticed that the Clisiocampa referred to by the President as beinw conspicuous by its absence in most parts of the Province during the past season, was unusually abundant in some orchards about London ; he had collected no less than 103 nests in an orchard of three acres. Capt. Geddes had also noticed the insect to be abundant in the state of New Jersey Mr. Denton referred to the injuries of the pea-weevil, and pointed out the importance of making its habits and life history known so that farmers should take the proper precautions against sowing infested seeds. Mr. Fletcher said that frequently many of the beetles left the peas in the autumn and hibernated about barns and similar places, and therefore seed should be treated with bisulphide of carbon as soon after harvesting as possible. This substance is so inflammable and dangerous that it could not be recommended for general use by farmers, but most of the large seed dealers who handled peas had a special house built for treating their seed peas. This was especially the case in Prince Edward County. EEPORT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION. The report of the Botanical Section was then read by the Secretary and adopted as follows : — During the past year this section has held regular weekly meetings through the spring, summer and early autumn months, as well as occasional meetino-s durino- the winter. The proceedings of these meetings have been a source of great profit and pleasure to all the members. Under the leadership of Mr. Dearness the primary instruction of a vear a»o o-ave place to earnest work of a more advanced order. A collection of native plants was begun, and there are now in the herbarium over three hundred species, all neatly arranged in a cabinet provided by the parent society. The success that has attended our work in this particular has been largely due to the 2 (EN.) 18 kindness of Mr. White, of Edmonton, and Mr. Morton, of Wingham, each of whom has furnished us with a large number of specimens ; also to Mr. Balkwill, whose untiring energy has enabled us to have the plants arranged in their present orderly condition. The object of the section is to establish a reference collection in London, by which botanists in Western Ontario may be enabled to identify specimens. Among the botanical finds of the year are twenty species of Phanerogams — not heretofore reported from this locality — four of them (viz., Buchnera Americana, Physalis Grandiflora, Acerates Viridifiora, and Isopyruni Bi-ternatum) being new to the Canadian flora as reported before. Besides these a very large number of rare plants have been brought in and examined. Of mosses, our leader has discovered two new to Canada, while in the fungi Mr. Dearness has been able to add upwards of seventy species to the American list. A floral calendar was kept from the united observations of the members, which we expect to be a source of interest for comparison with those of succeeding years. During the year there were several very interesting outings participated in by the members of the section, the principal points visited being within a radius of a few miles. Profs. Bowman and Dearness and several of the other members explored the botanic treasures of the drowned lands of Huron and Middlesex, and the vicinity of Port Franks. These fields aflforded several of the most notable of the recent additions to out herbarium. We hope that the work so begun will be more actively and systematically carried on in the year to come, and we believe that the spirit and energy of the younger and newer members afford us a guarantee that such will be the case. M. W. Althouse, Secretary Botanical Section. After the reading of the botanical report, upon invitation by the President, Prof. Bowman also spoke of the work of the section and expressed the view that the establish- ment of the different sections had been of great service to the parent society, having interested many students who were not specially devoted to the study of insects loer se. He spoke also of the good service done by Mr. Dearness in naming and exhibiting specimens of fungi at the various meetings. Dr. Woolverton reported upon the work of the Geological section. CAN INSECTS SURVIVE FREEZING? The President read the following paper by Mr. H. H. Lyman, of Montreal : — In a foot note to his paper on " The Butterflies of Laggan " (Can. Ent. xxii. 129), Mr. Bean says, " I hope none of my younger readers entertain the absurd mediaeval super- stition that hibernating caterpillars pass the winter in a frozen condition. In successful hibernation they do not get near to such a condition ; but if they do absolutely freeze, then are they undone caterpillars. Valkyria gives them sleep, unmixed with dreams, and they wake in Valhalla." Without entering into any discussion as to my relative age in comparison with Mr- Bean's I may confess that I have long believed that some caterpillars as well as insects in other stages can and do survive freezing, and finding my belief so distinctly challenged, I have endeavoured to find some further light upon this subject from such literature as is accessible to me and from personal testimony. The first work to which I turned was Scudder's "Butterflies of New England." 19 In this work there is an Excursus, No. xvii, on "Lethargy in Caterpillars" and another, No. xxn., on " The Hibernation of Caterpillars," but in neither is any light thrown upon this question. In the same author's " Butterflies " but little more is said upon this subject. On page 135, writing of Colias Philodice, he says "winter overtakes at once caterpillars of various ages, chrysalids and butterflies, and probably eggs. The experience of breeders, and the diversity in the time of appearance of the butterflies in the spring, render it probable that the cold season kills not only the butterflies and eggs, but perhaps the chrysalids as well, leaving the caterpillars to renew the life of the species in the spring." But though I have failed to gather from his works any information upon this subject I have learned from him personally and by letter some facts which may be thought to throw some light upon this question. About 35 years ago Mr. Scudder was prodding for beetles in some hole of a rotten stump in winter, at Williamstown, Mass., and came across several caterpillars of Isabella, and breaking at least one in two, found it brittle like an icicle and he believes he noticed crystals within, and therefore took two or three home to his room to see it" they would come to life, which one or more did. Mr. Scudder, however, does not lay much weight on these facts and adds " I may or may not have bi'oken more than one and do not at all remember whether only one or all came to life, but, of course, I 7nay have broken only one and that one already dead." I have recently seen somewhere, where I cannot now say, though I have spent hours in searching for the reference, an account of a caterpillar being found frozen into a cake of ice. The finder cut out a cube of the ice containing the caterpillar by means of a red hot poker, and then left the block on the sill outside his window for several days while the temperature ranged below zero. Upon bringing it into the house and thawing out the larva it revived and became quite active, but further experiment was prevented by its sp nnirg its cocoon. In Mr. Fletcher's report for 1889 (Experimental Farm Reports, 1889, p. 79) it is recorded that four larvae of the Mediterranean Ylour Moth {Ephestia KuhnieUa, Zeller), were placed in a glass phial out of doors for half an hour when the temperature was only 5 degrees above zero F. and as a result were frozen hard so that they "rattled like glass beads against the sides of the bottle." Of the fo-ir, two never recovered at all, but the other two revived partially and retained their natural appearance for about a fort- night and moved their bodies a little though they finally succumbed. The Rev. T. W. Fyles has kindly given me the following particulars of his experience with larvae of Coleoptera. " In the winter of 1864-5 I was splitting up decaying hemlock logs in my pasture at Iron Hill, P.Q., intending to burn them in the spring. On several occasions I found in these logs numbers of the larvae of Orthosoma unicolor in a torpid state. In some cases the water had percolated into the burrows of the insects and frozen around their occupants. One day I picked out a number of the largest grubs from their icy envelo))- ments and found them rigid and seemingly lifeless. I took them to my house and watched them as they slowly thawed into activity." Dr. John Hamilton, of Allegheny, Pa., on the other hand, found, as related in his interesting paper in Can. Ent. xvii. 35, that he could not revive specimens of Coleoptera which were unquestionably frozen though some larvae inclosed in cylinders of ice were still found to be flexible and regained activity on a rise of temperature. Though Dr. Hamilton's experience was decidedly against the theory that actual freezing does not necessarily cause death in insects he still admits that a good deal of evidence has been adduced on the other side and that records of the survival of frozen insects cannot be sum- marily dismissed. To turn to some of the older writers on entomology I may quote the following from Kirby and Spence's " Introduction to Entomology," Vol. ii., second edition. On page 231, after referring to some very extraordinary instances of the survival of insects under such trying circumstances as immersion in gin for 24 hours and immersion in boiling water, the authors say " Other insects are as remarkable for bearing any degree of cold. Some gnats that DeGeer observed, survived after the water in which they were was frozen into a solid 20 mass of ice, and Eeaumur relates many similar instances." Later on, pages 452-3 of the same volume, in treating of hibernation of insects, I find the following very interesting remarks : " But though many larvte and pupse are able to resist a great degree of cold, when it in- creases to a certain extent they yield to its intensity and become solid masses of ice. In this state we should think it impossible that they should ever revive. That an animal whose juices^ muscles and whole body have been subjected to a process which splits bomb- shells and converted into an icy mass that may be snapped asunder like a piece of glass, should ever recover its vital powers, seems at first view little less than a miracle, and if the reviviscency of the wheel animal ( Vorticella rotatoria) and of snails, etc,, after years of desiccation had not made us familiar with similar prodigies, might have been pronounced impossible, and it is probable that many insects when thus frozen never do revive. Of the fact, however, as to several species, there is no doubt. It was first noticed by Lister, who relates that he had found caterpillars so frozen that when dropped into a glass they clinked like stones, which nevertheless revived. Reaumur, indeed, repeated this experi- ment without success, and found that when the larvae of Bombyx Pityocampa, F. were frozen into ice by a cold of 15" R. below zero (2" F. below zero) they could not be made to revive. But other trials have fully confirmed Lister's observations. My friend, Mr. Stickney, the author of a valuable " Essay on the Grub " (larva of Tipula oleracea) to ascertain the effect of cold in destroying this insect, exposed some of them to a severe frost, which congealed them into perfect masses of ice. When broken, their whole interior was found to be frozen. Yet several of these resumed their active powers. Bonnet had precisely the same result with the pupae of Papilio hrassicce, which, by exposing to a frost of 14° R. below zero (0'' F.), became lumps of ice and yet produced butterflies. Indeed, the circumstance that animals of a much more complex organization than insects, namely, serpents and fishes, have been known to revive after being frozen is suflficient to dispel any doubts on this head." In Burmeister's " Manual of Entomology " the above instances are also referred to though at much less length, but as no additional facts are adduced it is unnecessary to quote from his work. The above would seem sufficient to establish the proposition that some insects can survive freezing, and indeed when one remembers that insects successfully maintain their existence in the most arctic lands which have ever been visited by man, it seems strange that any one should ever have questioned it. Is it conceivable that these tiny crea+ures, when in a state of lethargy and partaking of no nourishment, could successfully resist yielding to frost in regions subject to a temperature of over 70" F. below zero, and when in summer the soil only thaws to the depth of 12 or 15 inches, the ground below this depth being perpetually frozen ? The meteorological tables of the English Arctic Expedition of 1875-6 show that the mean temperature of the winter months at the stations of the two vessels. Alert and Discovery, varied from 5" F. below zero in Octotier and 17" F. below zero in April to 40" F. below zero in the middle of the winter, and that the minimum temperatures recorded were: — 73f " F. at the winter quarters of the first named v^essel, and — 70-8" F. at the station of the latter in Discovery Bay. In spite of these terrible temperatures the naturalists attached to the expedition were very successful, and Mr. Robert McLachlan, F.R.S., to whom the collections of insects were submitted, wrote as follows in his report : " The materials brought home from between the parallels 78" and 83" N. latitude, showed quite unexpected, and, in some respects, astonishing results, I have no hesitation in saying that the most valuable of all the zoological collections are those belonging to the entomological section, because these latter prove the existence of a comparatively rich insect fauna, and even of several species of showy butterflies, in very high latitudes." But the most interesting account of experiments on this subject which I have seen, is that given by Commander James Ross, R.N., F.R.S., and inserted by Curtis in the Entomological Appendix to the "Narrative" of Sir John Ross's second arctic voyage. The 21 experiments were tried upon the caterpillars of Laria Rossii, a very abundant species in Boothia Felix, and, doubtless, all through the arctic regions of this continent. The account (page Ixxi.) is as follows : "About thirty of the caterpillars were put into a box in the middle of September, and after being exposed to the severe winter temperature of the next three months, they were brought into a warm cabin, where, in less than two hours, every one of them returned to life, and continued for a whole day walking about. They were again exposed to the air at a temperature of about 40° below zero, and became immediately hard frozen ; in this state tliey remained a week, and on being brought again into the cabin, only twenty-three came to life. These were at the end of four hours put out once more into the air, and again hard frozen ; after another week they were brought in, when only eleven were restored to life. A fourth time they were exposed to the winter temperature, and only two returned to life on being again brought into the cabin. These two survived the winter, and in May an imperfect Laria was produced from one, and six flies from the other." That a caterpillar infested with parasites should have been able to survive such severe treatment and spin its cocoon is most remarkable, and it is not to be wondered at that alternate freezing and thawing should have been disastrous to the majority of those experimented upon. Many other similar accounts doubtless exist, but I think that the records which I have thus brought together are sufficient to prove that actual freezing is not necessarily fatal to insects, and that Mr. Bean had no sufficient warrant for the statement quoted at the beginning of this article. Mr. Dearness was of the opinion that it was clearly the thawing not the freezing of plants which caused the injury Mr. Fletcher asked him whether he did not think that the rupturing of cells and tissues by the crystallization and expansion of the contained liquids was the chief injury. Mr. Dearness thought not, because if care were taken in thawing out frozen plants slowly many of them would sustain little injury. He recounted the experience of a friend who had endeavoured to get very early potatoes by planting them before the usual time. After they were well above the ground a severe frost occurred. He went out very early in the morning and watered a part of them with cold water ; these were all killed, whilst others under a fence were uninjured. He accounted for this from the fact that at the time he watered the plants the temperature of the air was below the freezing point, and as soon as the water fell upon the plants they were temporarily thawed out and then froze up again, and were scorched by the sun as soon as it fell upon them. Geranium slips, he said, could be buried beneath the surface of the ground and would receive no injury if the thawing were gradual. Prof. Bowman thought that insects were better able to withstand freezing in some stages of their growth than in others. Dallinger had found in his investigations of bacteria, that a kind of bacterium which could, at a certain stage of its development, withstand the effect of boiling water, would at others be easily destroyed. He thought that the woolly covering of plants and insects, as well as the cocoons of the latter, were intended to protect them from the effects of too rapid changes of temperature. Mr. Harrington gave a most interesting account of a trip to Japan, which he illus- trated with a number of beautiful and remarkable specimens. Mr. Fletcher gave a very interesting account of a visit he made in August last to Mr. W. H. Edwards, the celebrated author of the great work on " The Butterflies of North America," who lives at Coalburgh, in West Virginia. He was especially interested in the methods of breeding butterflies through all their stages from the egg to the imago. Among many valuable points that he referred to, there may be mentioned that when eggs are placed in a glass bottle preparatory to hatching, it is best to use a tight plug of cotton batting rather than a cork ; when the insects hatch out they usually do not require any food for twenty-four hours ; it is best to have a plant of the required kind growing in a 22 pot if possible, and transfer the young caterpillars to it, keeping the whole covered with gauze ; a small plant may be kept under a glass lamp chimney with gauze pasted over the top ; the larvas will wander about if the plant is not the usual food-plant of the species, but they can usually be got to eat an allied plant of the same botanical genus. When the working table is covered with twenty or thirty breeding jars it is well to have a con- spicuous coloured label for those that require frequent or regular attention. Bags for enclosing larvae feeding on plants out-of-doors should be very neatly made, in order that there may be no corners for the insects to hide in. It is very important that the breeding- jars or cages should be kept "scrupulously clean. Among the butterflies he saw at Coal- burgh there may be especially mentioned Argynnis Diana, which was first found in the mountains near by ; Argynnis Gyhele, remarkable for the large size of the specimens ; Papilio Philenor, Debis Fortlandia, of which there are two broods in the year, etc. Single Zinnias were found to be most attractive to butterflies of all kinds, and should be freely planted in the collector's garden. The next paper on the list was read by the Rev. T. W. Fyles on JVematus Erichsonii, the larch saw-fly, which has become so excessively destructive in the lower Province during the last few years. The meeting adjourned at 10.45 p.m. THURSDAY MORNING. The Society met again in their rooms at 10.15 a.m. An interesting letter was read by Mr. Fletcher from Mr. Edmund Baynes Reid, who is now in charge of the Government Meteorological Station at Esquimalt, British Columbia. Capt. Geddes read a paper on his recent visit to Germany and the entomologists whom he had met there. Mr. Harrington described a method of packing beetles and other insects for transport- ation in rolls of paper, which he had found very simple and effective. Mr. Fletcher mentioned the capture at Ottawa'of the rare Southern moth, Erebus odora. Mr. Fyles read a paper on the larvse of Gelechia gallm-diplopappi and a parasite which he had pro- cured from it, and exhibited coloured drawings in illustration. The paper will be published in the Canadian Entomologist. Mr. Harrington said that the parasite was evidently, as Mr. Fyles said, a Bracon, but that the genus was a difficult one, and it was hard to say whether it was a new species or not. Capt. Geddes exhibited a specimen of Melitcea Carlota taken at Scarborough, near Toronto. Mr. Fletcher exhibited a specimen of Pyrgus centaiireoi, taken at Wabigon tank on the Canadian Pacific Railway, by Mr. W. Mclnnes, of the Geological survey, and one of P. ccespitalis, .which resembles it very closely, from British Columbia, where it is not uncommon. Mr. Moflfatt read a letter from Miss Emily Morton, of Newburgh, N.Y., in which she described her experiences in rearing hybrids of the large Emperor moths, some of which remained for twenty-three months in their cocoons, and related her chief captures during the season, especially referring to her success in collecting at willow catkins last April. Mr. Moffatt also read his paper on the results of his examination under the micro- scope of an unexpanded wing of Callosamia p)romethea. Mr. Fletcher drew the attention of the meeting to specimens which he exhibited of (1) Argytes longulus, Lee, a rare Sylphid taken on Vancouver Island by Prof. John Macoun in 1887 ; (2) Entomoscelis adonides, a showy red and black chrysomelid which has occurred as a pest to turnips and cabbages in the Northwest territories during the past season ; {?>) Acronycta funerali^, bred from white birch at Ottawa ; (4) Gortyna cata- phracta, which is a troublesome pest in gardens, boring into the stems of tomatoes, lilies, and raspberries ; and a single specimen which had entered the stem of a grass, Elymus Canadensis; (5) Myrmeleon abdominalis, bred from larvae collected near Indianapolis, Indiana, and exhibited at the last annual meeting. The meeting, which was throughout very enjoyable and successful, then adjourned. 23 NOTE ON LIFE AREAS. With regard to the distribution of birds, ornithologists have hitherto accepted as approximately correct the faunal areas as defined by Prof. J. A. Allen, of New York. By him the breeding areas of certain birds were considered to fall within the limits of one or more of these faunse. For instance the Slate-colored Junco {Junco hi/emalis) was held, during the period of reproduction, to be limited in its southward dis- persion by the Canadian fauna ; the Wood Thrush (Turdus mustelinus) by the Allegha- nian, and the Cerulean Warbler (Dendroisca ccerulea) by the Carolinian. The mean summer temperature being considered the most important factor in determining these divisions, latitude bad less to do with the question than altitude. For instance, mountain tops in low latitudes were correctly held to be isolated portions of the Arctic fauna. But Middlesex is uniform in its physical features, and yet representa- tives of the three faunae given above have been found breeding in the county under almost identical climatic conditions. Deep, cool swamps occur, which may account in part for the presence of the more northern species, but on the whole there is such an abnormal admixture of birds usually found in summer so far apart as to throw doubts on the feasibility of maintaining such divisions. It is probable that the researches of Prof. Merriam, Ornithologist for the Department of Agriculture at Washington, who has lately given much attention to the problem of distribution, will prove that there are but two life provinces in North America, viz : — The Boreal (Northern), and the Sonoran (Southern) according as the forms of life inhabiting each have reached this continent from the north or south. When the limits of these two great divisions are mapped out it will likely be found that Middlesex occupies a neutral position, being on the whole Sonoran rather than Boreal, but with a strong tinge of the latter. LIST OF BIRDS KNOWN TO BREED IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY, ONTARIO. BY THE LONDON ORNITHOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Those birds which are decidedly and directly beneficial on account of their feeding habits are marked (a). Those which are neutral or nearly so are marked (6). Those which are open to doubt as being possibly injurious are marked (c). (6) Aix SPONSA — Wood Duck. — Residents around the pond at Dorchester say it bred there up to about five years ago. {h) BoTANRUS LENTIGINOSUS — Bittern — A nest of unfledged young found on the flats at Arva in 1889, by W. A. Balkwill. (6) Ardea herodias — Great Blue Heron — A few heronries containing sometimes as many as several hundred nests are known in the county, though they are becoming gradually deserted. Occasionally single nests are found in high deciduous woods. (6) Ardea virescens — Green Heron — One nest found within two miles of the city in 1888 by W. A. Balkwill. Pairs are believed to breed in other parts of the county, having been seen regularly in summer. (b) Philohela minor — American Woodcock — Not very common. (b) AcTiTis MACULARius — Spotted Sandpiper — Breeds commonly in fields and waste places near water. (a) tEgialitis vocifera — Kildeer Plover — Not very common, perhaps one pair to a square mile. {h) CoLiNus virginianus — Bob-white — Abundant in the west and south, but quite rare in the north-east of the county. 24 (b) BoNASA UMBELLUS — Riiffed Grouse — Common in most large or thick woods at a reasonable distance fi-om the towns. (6) Meleagris gallopavo — Wild Turkey — Formerly quite common. A nest was found in Delaware Township in 1878 with thirteen eggs. {b) Zenaidura macroura — Mourning Dove — Not as common in Middlesex as it is farther west in the peninsula. (a) Cathartes aura — Turkey Vulture — A nest was found in 1890 by J. IST. Sullivan near Kerwood. Several other pairs probably breed in the county. (a) Circus hudsonius — Marsh Hawk — Breeds in almost all large sphagnum swamps, also in fields occasionally ; one nest found in London South in June, 1890. (c) AcciPiTER VELOx — SJiarp-sMnned Hawk — Three nests only are recorded ; not many pairs spend the summer here. (c) AcciPiTER cooPERi — Cooper's Hawk — Breeds sparingly. (a) BuTEO borealis — Red-tailed Hawk — Tolerably common. {a) BuTEO LINEATUS — Red-tailed Hawk — Our most common hawk in the breeding season. (a) Falco SPARVERius — American Sparrow Hawk — Rather rare. Probably not more than one pair in three or four square miles. (a) Asio wiLSONiANUS — American Long-eared Owl — Only one nest found, by R.Elliott near Plover Mills. (a) Megascops asio — Screech Owl — Not uncommon, though nests are not often found. One by W. A. Balk will near London in 1890, and 1891 in the same hole. {a) Bubo virginianus — Great Horned Owl — Tolerably common. {a) CoccYzus amerioanus — Yellow-billed Cuckoo — More common than the next, lay- ing smaller sets of larger eggs. Believed to have increased in abundance during the last ten years. (a) CoccYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS — Black-oilled Cuckoo — Contrary to its custom else- where, nests have been found with six eggs. Sets of this size in other parts of the country have generally been reported as being partly hatched, the eggs being laid at considerable intervals so that the first eggs are hatched before the last are laid. (6) Ceryle alcyon — Kingfisher — Common. (a) Dryobates villosus — Hairy Woodpecker — Rather rare ; nests usually escape detection until the young are hatched. [a) Dryobates pubescens — Downy Woodpecker — More common than the last. (a) Sphyrapicus varids — Yellow-bellied Woodpecker — Rare. (a) CEOPHLffiUS pileatus — Pileated Woodpecker — Very rare. (a) Melanerpes erythrocephalus — Red-headed Woodpecker — Common. (a) Melanerpes carolinus — Red-bellied Woodpecker — Very rare. (a) Colaptes auratus — Flicker — Common. Holes made by this species and by the Red-head are occasionally found so close to the ground that the eggs are almost on the ground level. (a) Antrostomus vocifsrus — Whip-poor-will — Tolerably common in suitable locali- ties. Appears to be less common this year than formerly. {a) Chordeiles virginianus — Night Hawk — Common. (a) Chaetura pelagica — Swift — Common. Still breeds in trees occasionally. {a) Trochilus colubris — Ruby-throated Hummingbird — Rather rare. (a) Tyrannus tyrannus — Kingbird — Common. (a) Myiarchus crinitus — Crested Fhjcatcher — Tolerably common. 25 (a) Sayoenis phcebe — Phcebe — Common. Most suitable bridges contain one pair, and nests are also built in the upturned roots of trees in the woods. (a) CoNTOPUS viRENS — Wood Peioee — Common, (a) Empidonax minimus — Least Flycatcher — Common. (a) Otocoris alpestris praticola — Prairie Horned Lark — Common, (c) Cyanocitta cristata — Blue Jay — Tolerably common. (c) CoRVis AMERICANUS — Crow — Common. {a) DoLiCHONYX ORYZIVORUS — BohoUnk — Common. (c) MoLOTHRUS ATER — Cowhird — Very Common. (a) Agelaius phceniceus — Red-winged Blackbird — Common. [a) Sturnella magna — Meadow Lark — Common. {a) Icterus galbula — Baltimore Oriole — Common. (c) QuisCALUS QUiscALA ^ENEUS — Bronzed Grackle, — Common. (c) Carpodacus purpureus — Purple Finch — Uncommon. (b ) A CANTHis LiNARiA — Bedpoll — A single nest found near Hyde Park by J. A.Morden in 1879. Birds not seen, but eggs identified by comparison with European specimens from the same species. {a) Spinus tristis — American Goldfinch — Comraon — Spotted eggs have been found on rare occasions. (a) Pooa^TES gramineus — Vesper Sparrow — Very Common. (a) Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna — Savanna Sparrow — Common. {a) Chondestes grammacus — Lark Finch — Rare. A single nest found in 1890 a few miles west of the city. (a) Spizella socialis — Chipping Sparrow — Common, (a) Spizella pusilla — Field Sparrow — Common in certain localities. (rt) JuNCO hyemalis — Slate-colored Junco — Common in certain localities, particularly so in the north-eastern part of the country. (a) Melospiza fasciata — Song Sparrow — Very common. (a) Melospiza georgiana — Swamp Sparrow — Common in marshy places, but only one nest found, by R. Elliott. (a) PiPiLO erythrophthalmus — Towhee — Common. (a) Habia ludoviciana — Rose-breasted Grosbeak — Appears to be less common than formerly. (a) Passerina cyanea — Indigo Buntiyig — Tolerably common. (a) Piranga erythromelas — Scarlet Tanager — Tolerably common. {a) Progne subis — Purple Martin — Much less common than formerly. This species has suffered by the pre-occupation of its breeding places by the English sparrow. (a) Petrochelidon lunifrons — Clif Swallow — Less common than formerly, owing to the same cause, somewhat, as the former species. (a) Chelidon erythrogaster — Barn Swallow — Common. (a) Tachyctneta bicolor — Tree Swallow — Tolerably common. (a) Clivicola riparia — Bajik Swallow — Common in suitable localities, although not so common as formerly, (a) Stblgidopteryx serripennis — Rough-winged Swallow — Uncommon. (a) Ampelis cedrorum — Cedar Waxwing — Tolerably common. (r/,) Lanios ludovicianus excubitorides — White-rumped Shrike — Rare, 26 (a) ViREo OLiVACEUS — Eed-eyed Vireo — Common. (a) " GiLvus — Warbling Vireo — Rather common. (a) " FLAViFRONS — Ydlow-throated Vireo — Eare. (ffi) MiNiOTiLTA VARIA — Black and White Warbler — Common in deep woods, but only one nest found, by W. E. Saunders in May, 1881. (a) Helminthophila chrysoptera — Golden-winged Warbler — Rather rare. (a) " ruficapilla — Nashville Warbler — Limited to a few localities ; a single nest found by Wm. Saunders near London in 1882. (a) Dendroica ^estiva — Yellow Warbler — Common. (a) " PENNSYLvANicus — C he stnut- Sided Warbler — Tolerably common. (a) Seiurus aurocapillus — Ovenbird — Tolerably common. (a) " NOVEBORACENCis — Water Thrush — Rather rare. (a) Geothlypis trichas — Maryland Yelloio Throat — Common in suitable localities. (a) Sylvania canadensis — Canadian Warbler — Rather common. Partially fledged young found in several localities near London. (a) Setophaga ruticilla — Redstart — Common. (a) Galeoscoptes carolinensis — Catbird — Common. {a) Harporhynchus rufus — Broion Thrasher — Locally common. {a) Troglodytes av^bojh— House Wren — Common. (a) Troglodytes hiemalis — Winter Wren — A single nest found with one egg ; not uncommon in deep cedar-swamps. (a) Certhia familiaris Americana — Brown Creeper — Rare. A nest of young found nine miles from London in June, 1880. (a) SiTTA CAROLINENSIS — White-breasted Nuthatch — Not very common. (a) Parus atricapillus — Black-capped Chickadee — Not common. (a) PoLiOPTiLA CERULEA — Blue-gray Gnatcatcher — Tolerably common. (a) TuRDUs MUSTELiNUS — Wood Thrush — Tolerably common. (a) " fuscescens — Wilson's Thrush — Common. (a) Merula migratoria— ^o6i« — Abundant. (a) SiALiA siALis — Blue Bird — Common. A few sets of white eggs have been found. Supplementary List — No. 1. Birds which have probably bred in greater or less numbers in the past, but have now become so rare that it is unlikely that their nests will be found : (b) Lophodytes cucullatus — Hooded Merganser, (b) Ectopistes migratorius — Passenger Pigeon. Supplementary List — No. 2. Birds which are observed in summer and are likely to be found breeding as the fauna is better worked up : (a) Eallus virginianus — Virginia Rail. \ (a) Porzana CAROLINA— Carolina Rail. l^'" probably be found in some of , . ^ ^ „ . , 1 our larger marshes. {a) Gallinula galeata — Florida Galhnule. \ (a) Syrnium nebulosum — Barred Owl — Scarce resident. 27 (a) Nyctala acadica — Saw-whet Owl — Young have been taken near St. Thomas, in Elgin County, in July. (a) Empidonax pusiLLUS TRAiLLii — TrailVs Flycatcher — Frequently observed in May and June. (a) CoNTOPUS BOBEALis — OUve-sided Flycatcher — One observed June 2nd, 1891 Common summer resident in Bruce County. {a) Icterus spurius — Orchard Oriole — Common in parts of adjoining counties, and observed every spring. (ci) ZoNOTRiCHiA ALBicoLLis — White-throated Sparrow — Observed at different points in summer. (a) Dendroica caerulescens — Black-throated Blue Warhler.\ {a) " CAERULEA — Blue Warbler. I (a) " BLACKBURNi^— 5?ac^i«rman Warbler. \ ^-'^"^^^^^^ r^'^^^^'l^^ (a) " viRENS — Blach-throaied Green Warbler. i T Iv ' (a) " viGORSii — Pine Warbler. I {a) Geothlypis Philadelphia — Mourning Warbler. J (a) CiSTOTHORUS PALUSTRis — Long-billed Marsh Wren — Nests will likely be found in some of our larger marshes. {a) Regulus satrapa — Golden Crowned Kinglet — Has been observed twice in June in the spruce swamp near London. (a) TuRDUS AGNALASHKAE PALLASii — Hermit Thrush — Heard singing in June in cedar swamps. PAMPHILA MANITOBA (SCUD.) AND ITS VARIETIES. BY H. H. LYMAN, MONTREAL. In 1874, Mr. Scudder published his paper on "The Species of the Lepidopterous Genus Pamphila," in the Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History, in which the following species were described as new • Nevada, Colorado and Manitoba ; and Sassacus, Ottoe, Juba, Comma of Europe, and Sylvanoides were also treated of. None of the descriptions are detailed, but are altogether comparative pointing out the differences between the closely allied forms, and in the case of Manitoba, the compari- sons instituted are exclusively with the European Comma. The four specimens (two males and two females illustrated) are all from the west of the continent, or rather, I should say, from the west and centre. One specimen was from Lake Winnipeg, one from Colorado, and two from British Columbia. The figures show specimens of which the underside of secondaries is dark greenish or greenish brown, and with considerable varia- tion in the prominence or restriction of the markings. Though no figure of any eastern specimen is given, it is stated in the text that the species had been taken at Riviere du Loup by Mr. Couper. Since then it has been repeatedly taken on the Lower St. Lawrence by other collectors at Oacouna and Riviere du Loup, Metis, and even as far as Gaspe by myself, in 1888. The form found on the Lower St. Lawrence is very uniform in colour and has the outer third of the underside of the fore wings and the whole of the underside of the hind wings, with the exception of the inner margin and hind angle, of dark brown colour, though occasionally with a slightly greenish tinge. In 1890, on returning east from a trip over the Canadian Pacific Railway, I stopped for a day at Regina, the date of my visit being Aug. 5th, and as usual devoted a good 28 part of the day to collecting lepidoptera. Among other things I collected a good series of males of a Pamphila of the Manitoba group which was new to me, but only succeeded in securing one female, it apparently being a little early for that sex. During October of that year I paid a flying visit to New York and Boston taking a few specimens with me for comparison, among them a specimen of this skipper which I showed to Mr. Henry Edwards, who said that he did not know it and thought it must be new. Mr. Scudder said it might be new, but one needed a very full series in that group. I after- wards showed it to Mr. Fletcher and asked him if he had ever seen that form and he immediately said " Yes, at Regina." He added that he had sent a specimen to Dr. Henry Skinner who had pronounced it to be only Manitoba, but Mr. Fletcher expressed to me the opinion that it was at least a very distinct variety. The point in which this form chiefly differs from Manitoba of the Lower St. Lawrence is that those parts on the underside which are brown in the latter are of a very pale greenish yellow or yellowish green in the Eegina form, but it also differs somewhat above in that the males are usually of a yellower tone while the brown of the female is decidedly darker and the spots of the fore wing decidedly lighter, some of them being almost white, than in the eastern specimens. Wishing to get further light upon the probable relationship of these forms, I this year took a number of specimens of each with me on a trip to Boston and New York before returning home from a short holiday on the Atlantic coast, and through the kind- ness of Mr. Scudder was enabled to examine his original types of Manitoba. One of these agreed exactly with my specimens from the Lower St. Lawrence, while the ones from British Columbia and Colorado were greener, but none agreed with, or even approached the average of the Regina specimens. Mr. Scudder, however, on account of the close similarity of the markings seemed to be of opinion that the Regina form must be a variety of Manitoba. At New York Mr. Neumoegen kindly allowed me to com- pare my specimens carefully with the Pamphilas in his magnificent collection, but no specimen was found which at all agreed with the Regina form, and Mr. Neumoegen expressed the opinion that I would be safe in describing it. But in order to guard against all danger of being accused of rashness I took the specimens out to New Brunswick, N. J., to Prof. J. B. Smith, who very kindly at my request dissected the male abdominal appendages of one of the Regina specimens, which upon examination were seen to be practically identical with the illustrations of those of Manitoba drawn by the late Mr. Edward Burgess and published by Mr. Scudder. The form would therefore seem to be only a variety of Manitoba, but Prof. Smith expressed the opinion that it might very properly receive a varietal name as a distinct geographical race. Mr. Scudder, however, in his " Butterflies of New England " would seem to have adopted this form as a basis of his description of Manitoba, as he describes the underside of the hind wings as being, except for the markings, "almost uniformly greenish yellow," although he has no speci- men of the Regina form in his collection. I am, however, strongly of opinion that the difierence between the eastern specimens and these from Regina is sufliciently great to be worthy of being indicated by varietal names, and if the name Manitoba is to be restricted to the dark brown or greenish brown specimens, as I believe it was originally applied, I would suggest the name, var. Assini- boia, for the light greenish-yellow Regina form. If, however it is preferred to call the latter Manitoba I should suggest the name, var. Laurentina, for the dark brown form of the Lower St Lawrence. NEMATUS ERICHSONII: A RETROSPECT. BY REV. THOMAS W. FYLES, SOUTH QUEBEC. The fecundity and voracity of this species must have arrested the attention of foresters and entomologists at a very early date after its introduction to America. It is believed to have been brought over on Larix Eurojioea , and its operations were first noticed in 1880, by Professor C. S. Sargent, Director of the Arnold Arboretum at Brook- 29 line, Massachusetts.* In 1881 and 1882 it came under the notice of Dr. Packard in the State of Maine ; and in 1883 I observed it in vast numbers in the border townships of Bury and Lingwick in the Province of Quebec, and drew the attention of the Entomo- logical Society of Ontario to the fact. Early in the summer of tlie following year I witnessed a flight of the perfect insects at Quebec, and gathered a number of the exhausted flies from the decks of the ferry-boats plying between Levis and that city. In that same year the tamaracks around my residence were completely defoliated by the larv.-e. It was impossible to approach the trees with comfort. The creatures were crawling every- where around ; and the sound produced by the droppings of their excrementa upon the undergrowth was like an incessant pattering of rain-drops. By this time their ravages had been traced through the length of eastern Canada and into the maritime Provinces. It was at first thought that the tamarack would survive the assaults of the Nematus — the more because a second growth of verdure appeared on the trees after the larv^ had left them. So eminent an observer as Dr. Packard was inclined to this opinion ;t but Professor Riley seems to have had a clearer view of the consequences of the insect's attacks. I Many entomologists watched the Nematus through its metamorphoses hoping to dis^ cover parasitic foes of the insect. I have not learned that any were successful. The European parasites of the species (if such there were) did not appear; and our native Hymenoptera parasitica had not, it would seem, acquired a taste for the immigrant. Predacious insects, ants, § and ground beetles, || were found to prey upon it, but their attacks made but little impression upon the hordes of the invaders. This was owino' probably to the fact that swamps, in which the tamarack abounds, are but ill suited for the abodes of ants and ground beetles. The pest wjxs clearly beyond human control. Ornamental trees around dwellings or in parks might, it was thought, be saved by "spraying," but beyond this nothing could be attempted. The appearances, the life history, the operations of Nematus Erichsonii have all been minutely described ; and allusions have often been made to the destruction wrought by the insect in Canada, ble but sordid, vulture-like follower, the " prospector," means to the uneducated eye a public benefactor, who may find that purest but most degrading metal, the search for which is the mainspring and motor of so many lives. Who that has travelled in the far West has not seen the magic effect in removing difficulties of the words " I am working for the Geo- logical Survey !" And yet — I say not as a wail— there is no such respect for the " bug sharp " or " grasshopper tenderfoot," who has saved them there, in that very country, the very means of subsistence, and he is only treated to shakes of the head and sinister looks, as though he were some dangerous character, when in answer to their questions " What are they for?" " What do you do with them T he can not assure his interrogators that he either eats or, that which last of all he would do, sells his specimens. But I have said that the change for the better in this respect has even now set in. Already the most highly civilized nations of the world, nobly headed by the Government of the most practical and energetic people on the face of the gh'be, the inhabitants of the United States of America, have seen the advantage of appointing specialists who can devise means for the prevention of the enormous losses of revenue due to the attacks of injurious insects. Germany, England and her colonies, notabl_y Oauada and particularly the province of Ontario, France, Italy, and other nation.';, all have followed the lead, and our favorite science has now changed from a study and amusement of the few to one of the most important branches of practical agriculture, the elements of which must be known by all engaged in tilling the soil or they will surely suffer. Already it finds a place upon the curricula of many of our schools and colleges and before long will force itself upon the notice of others. There has been a rapid development in this line, not only in this coun- try but everywhere, during the last two or three years, and many new men have come to the front. My presumption does not carry me so far as to criticise these or other work- ers ; but perhaps I may be permitted to refer to some of the dangers which beset a newly appointed entomologi.st, and particularly a young one. In such a task one must necpss- arily (for safety's sake) refer to what has occurred to himself in his own experience. The first consideration must of course always be to succeed in the work which you have undertaken, and I can not help thinking that some eir considerably when they think that they will be expected to know everything and must answer every question off hand. On this point I am speaking particularly of our relations with farmers, who are as a rule very practical men, made so by the exigencies of their lives, but who are frequently those who have not had the advantages of a liberal education, and conse- quently have not the consideration and moderation wliich that alone gives. Moreover, as there is no policy so poor, because it is invariably seen through, as that which prompts an entomologist, when seeking information from one whom he knows is better posted than himself, to try and hide his lack of knowledge by making excuses why he does not recognise that exact specimen, or by asking indefinite questions in the hope of getting what he requires, without in so many word5 acknowledging his ignorance, so in the same way does he expose hitnself to the contempt and want of confidence 40 from those m whom he most desires to inspire respect, by trying to put them off with an indefinite answer. It has been my experience that a modest and honest acknow- ledgment of ignorance is no disgrace and brings no degradation with it, whilst an assumption of knowledge which we do not possess is a constant menace, which if once detected is never forgotten. It is the old tale, " honesty is the best policy ; " but this must not end the matter ; we must be honest with ourselves, and having once detected our lack of knowledge upon any subject which comes under our notice, we must use every means in our power of supplying the deficiency, and if we make a systematic study of every investigation which we undertake, taking all the time careful records of what we see, even with regard to the commonest insects, we shall fi-equently have the satisfaction of finding out that not only have we observed all that others have, but many other things besides, which will raise our simple investigation ironi a mere study into a scientific record. No man can possibly know everything even about his favorite study, and the sooner he knows this the better for his work. A subject frequently referred to, but which can not too often be repeated is the necessity, or even, if we put i-t in another way, policy, of making the fullest acknowledg- ment of all assistance received from others, whether it be from their writings or otherwise. I know of nothing which so belittles a man's work as to find that it is derived without acknowledgment from some one else. It is not at all infrequent, I am sorry to say, to find whole sentences and clauses inserted in published writings without even quotation marks. An evidence of this is found in the innumerable mistakes which are perpetuated and handed down from author to author before they are detected as errors. Again, too great stress can not, I think, be laid upon the propriety of invariably acknowledging the source of all illustrations used. These are of the greatest assistance, and yet they are frequently used without a word of acknowledgment. Now, all of this is essentially unwise from the base standpoint of policy alone ; for although nothing may be said about the matter, be sure that every instance is noticed and stands forth as a black blot on the face of good work. A defect which is occasionally discernible in some writings upon economic entomology is the want of a thorough grounding in the first elements of the science. This is easily detected ; there is an uncertainty and indefiniteness about the work. It is like that of an artist who begins to paint pictures before he has learned to draw well. A far greater blemish, however, which has, I think seriously impeded progress and effective work, is the fact that entomologists as a rule do not know enough about the collateral subjects which affect their studies. Their efforts are for the most part directed towards the protection of farm crops, and yet how few make a study or have much knowledge even of the elements of farming and horticulture, the growth and management of the various kinds of crops, the effects of different fertilisers, early and late planting, and the rotation of crops, the pruning and cultivation of trees and shrubs. All of these are of paramount importance. The knowledge is necessary, and there- fore must be acquired. A certain knowledge of botany is most important and will be con- stantly giving advantages to the one who possesses it over those who do not. With regard to the presentation of the results of our labors for the use of others, one thing which should be avoided as much as possible is the recommendation of remedies which we have not actually tested ourselves. There are so many useless and untrust- worthy remedies now published, particularly through newspapers, that great caution is necessary. Different conditions sometimes require differing remedies, according to circumstances : but I think that the best and fewest possible remedies should be given for any insect treated of, so as to simjilify the application as much as we can. There is no doubt that the most valuable remedies are those which are simplest. As the late Mr. Frazer Crawford, of South Australia, has well said, a remedy must be (1) effect- ive, so as to attain the object aimed at ; (2) itiexpensive, so as to be practical — worth the trouble and expense of application ; (3) simple, so as to avoid as far as possible all chance of mistakes in applying it. At the last meeting of the Association, in Champaign, 111., I had the honor of a con- versation with Assistant Secretary, the Hon. Edwin Willits, and he mentioned that he 41 was frequently asked for information as to the advisibilty of large expenditures for entomological purposes, and that although entomologists frequently spoke of the large losses from insects, we did not provide politicians — and particularly himself — with data by which they could explain and justify these expenditures, which those who understood them knew to be of such enormous importance, and when we wished to point out the great injuries done by insects we had to go back continuously to old published records which we had all been quoting for upwards of ten or twenty years. Now we find upon investigation that accurate estimates of damage done by insects are exceedingly difficult to arrive at, and the figures are so large that we are rather afraid to quote them ourselves lest we should prevent rather than encourage investigation, and it has been the custom of entomologists to minimise the estimates for fear they should not be believed. Now the necessity has arisen, I think, and I lay it before the Association for action, in the direction of gathering together some reliable recent statistics in a sliort form, which may be printed for distribution, and which will cover the more important injuries to date, and the part the work of the entomologist has played in reducing injury or preventing loss, so that we may overcome this difficulty and provide legislators and ouiselves with data with which to meet this argument. After a careful examination and great effort to obtain data I have found that there are certain of these large estimates which appear to be reliable. I think better results will follow the publication of a few quite reliable statistics, which may be taken as typical instances, than by accumulating a large number of items which would increase the chance of error and might not be read so carefully. By way of example T will refer to the Chinch bug. I have examined carefully the esti- mates which have been published concerning that particular insect, and the following are probably quite reliable and appear to have been made with due regard to all collateral considerations, as the increased value of the saved crop, the cost of remedial measures, and similar subjects. In 1864 Dr. Shimer's estimate, which I find was drawn up with very great care, put the loss in the one state of Illinois to the corn and grain crops at $73,000,000. In Dr. Riley's Reports on the injurious insects of Missouri, we find in 1874 there was a reliable estimate of the loss to that State by the same insect of $19,000,000. In 1887 Professor Osborn's estimate, founded upon the reports of the correspondents of the State Agricul- tural Society' of Iowa, put the loss in that State on corn and grain at $25,000,000 ; and lastly, Mr. Howard's estimate, as given in the entomologist's report for 1887, for the nine States infested by the chinch bug in that year, was $60,000,000. Now, gentlemen, I think these statistics of the injuries to crops by one insect alone are probably as reliable as any that we can get, and they give a good argument which we may use as showing the depredations of insects ; but it is not sufficient that we can con- vince people that great injury is going on ; we must show that we are doing something to mitigate this injury. In Professor Comstock's Report for 1879 the estimate of the possible annual loss in years of general prevalence of the cotton Aletia is placed at $30,- 000,000 through the cotton States. The injuries by grasshopers in the different States of the Union and also occasionally through the British North American provinces have been so enormous that figures hardly give an idea of the injury they do, but they are known by all to be enormous. As an instance, however, of what may be done to mitigate their attacks I would merely mention those for this year, which seem to have been very considerable. In the States of North Dakota and Minnesota it is probable that at least $400,000 have been saved on account of work done by direct advice of entomologists — work they have in some instances forced upon the farmers. Two hundred thousand dollars is a probable estimate of the amount saved by plowing the land last autumn. Another equal amount has been saved by the use of " hopperdozers." Professor Bruner tells me that a sufficient number of grasshoppers have been actually taken this year, wliich if left alone and allowed to lay their eggs might next year have devastated the whole crops of those two States and the adjoining parts of Manitoba. These successful operations have been carried on by the state entomologist of Minnesota, Professor Lugger, and by Professor Waldron, of North Dakota, ably aided by the advice and assist mce of the agent of the Department of 42 Agriculture, Professor Bruner under Professor Riley's instructions ; and I think it is no exaggeration to say that at least $400,000 have been actually saved in hard cash on this year's crop, not to speak of the enormous loss which would most probably have followed next year had they been left alone, and had climatic conditions been favorable for their increase. The amount of damage done to crops every year is so vast that the figures excite in- credulity from those who do not study crop statistics. The agricultural products of the United States are estimated at about $3,800,000,000. Of this it is thought that about cue-tenth is lost by the ravages of insects. This is in many cases unnecessary. In short a sum of $380,000,000 is given up without a mui-mur and almost without a struggle by the people of the ITnited States. Crops of all kinds are injured, and simple remedies are known for many of the attacks and are more or less adopted. Some have already come into general use. Paris green is now applied to potato fields almost as much as a matter of course, as manure is to fertilize the soil. As an instance of how a saving may be made even in well-established methods, I give the following : Through the work of Mr. W. B. Alwood, of the Virginia experiment station, improved machinery and the water mixtures of poisons have come into general use amongst the farmers and potato-growers in the Norfolk region, and some of the largest growers now claim that they at present do for from $40 to $60 what used to cost them from $500 to $600. To-day in California and Florida, orange trees are universally treated with kerosene and resin emulsions or poisonous gas for scale insects. In the treatment of cabbage caterpillars, pyrethrum diluted with four times its weight of common flour, and then kept tightly closed for 24 hours, leaves nothing to be desired, and thousands of dollars are yearly saved to small growers who most need the assistance. Many excellent remedies have been devised by a mere modification of existing agri- cultural methods. Instances of thase are found in the early and late sowing or harvesting of some crops, as sowing turnips between the broods of the turnip flea-beetle, the late planting of cabbage for the root maggot, the late sowing of wheat for the Hessian fly, etc. In the 1879 report of the U. S. Department of Agriculture was first detailed the only succes.sful method of treating the clover-seed midge by cutting or feeding off the first crop before the young larvie are sufiiciently matured to leave the heads and go into the ground to pupate. This was simply the change of one week, by which not only is the insect destroyed, but the clover is saved in better condition than under the old method. During the present summt;r Professor Osborn has discovered that a serious pest of the clover plant, Grapholitlta inter stlnctana, a small moth, may be destroyed in all its stages by simply stacking the hay soon after it is cut. In the Southern States Mr. Howard Evarts Weed writes to me with regard to the cotton worm : " The loss would indeed be great were it not for the fact that the planters keep it in check by the prompt application of Paris green in a diy form. The only method now used is to apply it by means of two sacks attached to a pole and borne through the plantation by a negro mounted on a mule who rides down the rows of plants. This gives perfect satisfaction, and the farmers of the state tell me that they want no better remedy for this insect." Mr. F. W. Mally writes on the same subject : " The benefit which the public generally derives from the researches of economic entomologists is well illustrated by the result of the cotton- worm investigation published in the Fourth Report of the U. S. Entomological Commission. In that report estimates of damage, etc., are given, and I will only allude to the benetit which the planters have derived from the report. Formerly, planters waited until the August brood of the Aletia issued and depredated on their cotton. This brood may be called the migratory one, since it spreads over vast areas of cotton fields. At that time, too, the planters used Paris green just as they purchased it from the dealers. They have now been educated to know that the Aletia propagates in certain quite well- defined centres earlier in the season, and that if taken in July (or about five weeks earlier than they had been accustomed to), they can prevent their spreading to larger areas. Now, too, they dilute the Paris green with flour and finely-sifted wood ashes, greatly re- ducing the cost of the poison per acre. At the same time the acreage or area to which poison is now applied has been reduced tenfold, at least. For example, here in the Red River Valley, for 30 miles up and 50 miles down the river in July there were only two plantations (together about 2,000 acres) upon which Aletia was found. In August this brood would have spread over almost the entire section mentioned. Paris green was applied to this limited infested area, and the larger areas saved from injury. The saving is hardly to be estimated. The above appears to me to be one of the greatest triumphs of economic entomology, and, I may truthfully sav, also of my most estimable chief, Dr. C. V. Riley." With regard to another injurious insect, the following facts well illustrate what may be done by following the advice of an experienced entomologist. During the year 1885 the Hon. Moses Fowler, a wealthy banker and landowner of Lafayette, Indiana, applied to Prof. F. M. Webster, an agent of the United States Department of Agriculture, then located at that place, for relief from very serious depre- dations by an unknown enemy to his corn, which was damaging some of his fields from 5 to 75 per cent., he having this year 10,000 acres of land devoted to this crop. Upon examination the depredator proved to be the well-known corn-root worm, the larva of Diahrotica longicornis. Mr. Fowler estimated the loss in his fields by reason of this insect at .$10,000, with a probability of still greater injury the following year. On the advice of Mr, Webster, the next season he sowed 5,000 acres of the worst infested lands to oats, and the following year the other 5,000 acres was treated in the same manner, the first 5,000 acres being this year again devoted to corn. As a result of a continuation of this rotation the pest has been practically exterminated, thereby, according to Mr. Fow- ler's estimate, saving him $10,000 per annum. Professor Osborn has shown that grass insects destroy much j)roduce. He estimates that the small leaf-hoppers {Jassidm) destroy as much food from two acres of pasture as would feed one head of stock. From recent experiments he has found that it is possible by the use of hopperdozers to reduce the numbers of these insects so materially that, ■upon two plots, chosen for their similarity of the conditions of the growth, the amount of hay produced upon a plot which was once treated with the hopperdozer was 34 per cent, greater than upon the corresponding untreated plot. I have said that the study of economic entomology is many sided and requires many workers. It is equally true that all who would keep up with the rapid development which is going on all the time must work day and night, early and late. The various habits of so many different objects of study, many of them nocturnal, require constant attention. In conclusion, I would urge on everyone the great importance of keeping the most careful notes of everything which affects their work, not only of what is seen in one's own investigations, but of whatever is found in the literature of the different subjects studied : there is perhaps no detail of our work which so well repays the slight extra trouble which it involves as making all notes carefully, completely and neatly, and then putting them away systematically, so that they can be found when required suddenly on some future occasion. Our " private notes," as we call them, should, I think, be made with the greatest possible care, not only for our own sakes, but to insure that they may be. of use to others alter we are gone. Who has not felt the disappointment on looking through the collection of some great worker suddenly called away from this life, of find- ing rare and interesting specimens, without a single note of locality, date, or other infor- mation, and how comparatively useless such specimens, and even the labor by which they were bred or procured, are thus rendered. We all know this, and yet how, too often, do we put aside material without labels, thinking that we know and shall remember all about them. After many years of much wasted labor I have come to the conclusion that a few speciaiens well preserved, properly mounted, and with full notes, are far more valuable than a large number of specimens without these characters. 44 When a collector once gets the habit of accumulating a large number of specimens of everything he sees, he very soon gets careless about putting them away while they are in good condition, and has not time to make the proper notes. Not only should notes be taken of what we ourselves have seen, but much time'will be saved if an index book be kept of all literature which passes through our hands. Even in this we must protect ourselves. The time of an enthusiastic entomologist is necessarily short, and he has not time to " look through " books on his work to see if they are good, with the idea that he will remember where to get the contained information at some future time. All reading must be done earnestly and keenly as though we should never again have an opportunity of seeing the book in question. Let all our labour be work, not play. I think it is John Ruskin wrho defines work as systematic effort with a definite end in view, while unsystematic efibrt, no matter how severe the labour may be, if it have no definite end, is merely play. In the index book should be entered a reference to the page where any facts which strike us as useful are to be found. Some restraint will be necesaary, when this work is once taken in hand systematically, not to index what is not useful, as well as that which is. It is very easy to get a mania for indexing, and then the gems we are picking out may soon be lost amongst less valuable matter. Whatever we have to read or whatever we have to see, let us give it our fullest possible attention with the idea that at some future time the information may be useful. A tale that is told about Henry Ward Beecher illustrates this very well, and is probably known to many of you. Upon one occasion he was driving in the country and his horse cast a shoe. He had always made it a rule of his life that whenever he had to see anything done he gave it his fullest attention, with the idea that at some time he might require the knowledge so obtained. He had frequently stood by whilst his horse was being shod, and consequently, when after a time, he reached a country village and found that the smith was away from home, the tale goes, he felt so confident of the knowledge he had acquired from watching carefully other horseshoes made that he lighted the tire, fashioned and finished a shoe, and shod his horse. He drove on about ten miles and reached another village. Upon passing the forge of the village blacksmith he thought it wise to have his work examined, so went in and explained the circumstances and asked the man to see if all were well. The smith looked critically at the shoe, examined it from every point of view, looked at the nails and the way in which they were clinched, and then raising himself up, said : " Look here, mister, if you made that shoe yourself and put it on, as you say, you had better give up preaching and take to smithing." Gentlemen, I thank you for the kind hearing you have given me, and I trust we may have a pleasant and useful meeting. Mr. OsBORN, in discussing the address, thought that the subject suggested by the President, of the great importance of careful statistics, could hardly be overestimated. He moved the appointment of a committee of three to operate with Mr. Fletcher to pre- pare, if possible, some careful statistics as to the amount of insect damage, and as to the benefit resulting from the work of economic entomologists. Mr. Riley indorsed the sug>estion. He had been greatly gratified with the address and with the many valuable ideas which the president had put forward. Most entomo- logists who bad treated of the losses occasioned by insects to agriculture have followed in the wake of Walsh, who had stated a quarter of a century ago, upon general estimates that the annual loss from injurious insects in America was $300,000,000. Since his time the values in crops had greatly increased and the proportionate injury should have also increased ; but we must take into consideration the advance in economic entomo- logical knowledge, which has greatly reduced the proportionate loss. The loss is at most a relative thing, and we must always remember that with a decrease in the amount of 45 the crop its money value is correspondingly increased. The present year is an exception, and we have abundant crops in this country with high prices as a result of failure in other parts of the world. He hoped that Mr. Osborn'.s motion, which he seconded, would be adopted, and he felt sure that such a committee would accomplish good results. Mr. Smith spoke of the unreliability of the testimony of farmers on the question of insect damage, and adduced as an instance the fact that this year the Melon Plant louse is very abundant in New Jersey, and that all melon injury is attributed to this insect, but upon careful examination the main trouble is found to be a bacterial disease. Mr. Weed spoke in the same line, and stated that in Mississippi great damage was attributed t:> the Boll Worm of Cotton, which was not done by this insect, a number of species uniting in producing it. Mr. PoPEVQE had found a similar misapprehension with regard to affairs in Colorado, and damage to the potato crop by the Colorado Beetle was laid at the door of the locust so abundant there, Dissosteira longipennis. Mr. Fletcher was of the opinion that the statistics should be gotten up by the entomologists themselves by the most careful personal examination and without reliance upon the statements of farmers. Mr. Smith called particular attention, not to the confusion of the damage done by different insects, but to the confusiqn of insect damage with that brought about by fungus or bacterial disease. The motion was put and carried, and the President appointed Messrs. Riley, Osborn, and Smith as the committee. On motion of Mr. Howard it was resolved that the committee be authorized to publish their results in case sufficient data for publication should be collected before the next annual meeting. The Secretary reported that the minutes of the last meeting had been published in No. 5, Vol. III., '* Insect Life" ; that the past Secretary had transferred the treasury to him with a deficit of 38 cents, and that he had been at some expense for circulars, post- age, and posters. On motion of Mr. Oook, a tax of $1 was levied on each member present. By vote of the Association, Dr. James Stimson, of Watsonville, Cal., was elected a member. The credentials of Mr. H. E. Weed, of Mississippi, were presented by Mr. Fletcher ; those of Mr. F. L. Washburn, of Oregon, by Mr. J. B. Smith ; those of Mr. J. W. Tourney, of Arizona, by Mr. Weed ; those of Mr. F. H. Chittenden, of the De- partment of Agriculture, Mr. A. B. Cordley, of the Department of Agriculture, and Mr. F. J. Niswander, of Wyoming, by Mr. Howard. All were inscribed as members of the Association. Mr. A. S. OUiff, of Sydney, New South Wales, was inscribed as a foreign member. A communication was read from Mr. Forbes concerning the desirability of holding the meeting of 1893 with the Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Action upon this com- munication was deferred. On motion of Mr. Smith, it was resolved that all insecticide papers should be brought together on the programme for Tuesday afternoon. 46 DESTRUCTIVE LOCUSTS OF NORTH AMERICA, TOGP^THER WITH NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCES IN 1891. BY LAWRENCE BEUNER, LINCOLN, NEBR. In introducing this subject it is my intention to speak shortly upon the various sprcies of locusts which have appeared in injurious numbers within the limits to be desig- nated with each species. Some of these species have covered a vast area of territory, and have caused extensive injury from time to time, while others have appeared over limited areas and have caused but slight injuries; yet these injuries have been sufficient ta necessitate their mention among the destructive species of tiie country. Taking them all together we have exactly twelve destructive locusts within the territory designated. Selecting the species as they occur to me, I will mention first the Long-winged Locust, Dissosteira longipennis. During the early part of July reports came from the dastern and south-eastern portions of Colorado of locust depredations. The first of these was that trains had been stopped by grasshoppers getting on the rails of the Santa F^ Railroad 100 miles or thereabouts east of Deaver. Shortly after this reports appeared in the newspapv-^rs of serious damage being done around the point where they were first mentioned as stopping trains. About this time other reports of dejjredations came in from North Dakota and Minnesota and other portions of the West and North-west. On the strength of these reports Professor Riley instructed me to visit the localities for the pur- pose of ascertaining the extent of country over-run, the actual and possible future injury which might result, and the exact identity of the species concerned. Being a Nebraska man and looking out for first interests, I naturally went to Colorado, the nearest locality to my home from which reports had been received. I first visited Akron, Colorado, the nearest point on the Burlington and Missouri line to the region infested. There securing a team and driving to the south only about six miles, the advance guard of the enemy was encountered. Imagine my surprise at finding here an entirely new insect as far as destruc- tive locusts are concerned. Here in Colorado, and in immense numbers, was the Dissosteira longipennis, an insect usually considered rare in collections, and one heretoffre only known to occur over the higher portions of the plains lying to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, in the States of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. This insect, as ascertained from inquiry, covered an area of about 400 squai-e miles of territory in sufiicient numbers to materially injure the grasses growing on the ranges of the entire region, and amongst these grasses the species of Bouteloua or Cramma grasses, and the Buffalo grass, Buchloe dactijloides. Grains and other cultivated plants did not appear to be es|)ecially attractive to it. In fact very little or no injury was done by it to the culti- vated crops growing within the region infested. About the same time that 1 was investi- gating this insect upon its northern line of injury. Professors Snow and Popenoe were studying it upon the southern border of its range, and they found practically the same food habits there that I had noted in the north, and by inquiry found that the insects had come into that country from the south last fall and had laid their eggs over a large area. This year when the eggs hatched, the young began to move from their breeding centres in all directions, seeking open places and the edges of plowed fields and following roadways. This trait of seeking open spots this season is probably due to the habit of the insect of naturally living on open ground, where grasses are short and scattering. The present year was very wet in this particular region and caused an undergrowth of grasses ; hence the desire to find the natural conditions under which the insect lives. The young began moving, and, finding these open places, congregated there. Having thus congregated, they must naturally feed, and they swept the grasses clean around these spots. So noticeable was this that, in certain spots where they had gathered about the hills of a species of ant which raises mounds of small gravel and cuts away the vegeta:- 47 tion for some distance around them, they had enlarged these areas in some places for fully half an acre. This year Messrs. Snow and Popenoe ob.served them Slying southward with such ease, by reason of their long wings, that they resembled birds. Dissosteira obliierata, Thomas. — Closely related to the above, and very similar in appearance to it, is a second species of these large, long-winged locusts, which was found in injurious numbers along with Camnida peihicida in Idaho last year. It was ([uite common in the Wood River country lying north of Shoshone and in the vicinity of Boisd City, Idaho. One form of this species was described by Saussure as Dissosteira spurcata in his Prodromus CEdipodorum. Tliis is not the (FAipoda obliterata of Stoll. Camnula pelhtcida. — This is the insect which has occasionally been very destructive in parts of California and Nevada. It has since spread eastward into Idaho, where it is very destructive the present season, covering an area of at least 1,300 square miles of territory. It also appears in great numbers, with several other species, in the Red River Valley of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba. 1 also observed it abundantly in the Prickly Pear and Gallatin Valleys of Montana, near the mouth of the Yellowstone^ in North Dakota, in portions of Wyoming, Colorado, and the extreme western part of Nebraska. It also occurs in the New England States and British America. This is a species which readily adapts itself to any new locality, being the most easily acclimated of any of our injurious locusts. When once domiciled, it is there to stay, and will require our earnest attention from time to time in the future. In fact I consider this locust, though not migratory, fully as destructive as the Rocky Mountain or true migratory locust, from the fact that it so soon becomes acclimated. Acridium americanum, Drury. — This large, handsome locust is the species which occasionally devastates Yucatan, Central America, and Mexico, and even reaches the United States in injurious nnmbers along our southern coasts. It has also been known in dangerous numbers as far northward as the Ohio River, and occurs sparingly as far north as the northern States, but I imagine never reaches British America. Dendrotettix longipennis, the Post Oak Locust of Texas. — During the spring of 1887, while visiting Washington County, Tex., to investigate a local outbreak of an injurious locust, I heard of a species that was attacking the oaks of that particular region, and in some places entirely defoliating them. On my way from the region where I had been working to the city of Brenham, we passed through the infested locality, and I obtained some of the insects in question, which were then in the larval stage. A careful exam- ination proved the insect to be new and congeneric with a species heretofore collected only in the vicinity of St. Louis, Mo., and which also occurred only on oak. About a year later this species was described by Professor Riley under the above name. The insect occurs in two forms, long-winged and short-winged. The former flies with great ease and often leaves the trees in midday and alights in fields and other clearings ; with the least disturbance it flies to the tops of the adjoining trees. The larvse and pupte are also exceedingly active and run over the branches and trunks of trees with great rapidity. The eggs are laid in the ground around the bases of the trees. An area of at least 50 square miles of forests was completely defoliated by these insects during that and the previous year. Melanoplus sprretus, Thomas, the Rocky Mountain or Migratory Locust. This is the insect which is generally referred to as the destructive locust of North America, and has caused more injury during the past 20 years than any dozen of the other species combined. It is this species which we most fear on account of its migratory habits ; so marked is this trait that swarms hatching on the Saskatchewan have been traced to the Gulf of Mexico in one season. Its habits have been so frequently described that further mention is unnecessary. Suffice it to say that at the present time it is again decidedly on the in- crease along our northern boundary. During the present year reports of its injury were received from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba by the Department of Agriculture, and upon investigation I found these reports to be only too true. In Minnesota and Dakota 48 the authorities, ably assisted by the efforts of settlers, have been carrying on a vigorous warfare with marked results, which will doubtless save their crops from devastation next season. Melanoplus atlanis, Riley, the Lesser Migratory Locust. — ^This locust, which very frequently becomes very injurious on account of its excessive increase, is somewhat smaller than the Rocky Mountain species. It is also migratory in its habits, but to a much less degree than is spretus. In its distribution this insect is much more widely spread than the preceding, being common in almost all parts of our country from the Mexican boundary to the fifty-third degree of north latitude, and even beyond in some parts of the country. It is the species which most frequently does the locust injury in the New England States, much of that in our Northern States, and some in the extreme Northwest. It has also been known to become injurious even in the Middle or Southern States. In its distribution atlanis appears to be more partial to hilly or mountainous country, and especially is this noticeable in reference to its appearance in destructive numbers. It also seems to prefer wooded or mixed country to the open prairie or plains. As would naturally be expected from its wide distribution, this particular locust presents some variation in its size, color, and, to some extent also, its structure. At any rate there appear to be three well-marked forms of the species to be met with within the confines of North America. Melanoplus devastator, Scudd. — A third species of the genus Melanoplus is the one that occasionally appears in destructive numbers in portions of California and the adjoining States. It is about the same size as the atlanis just mentioned, and often does considerable injury to the crops of the regions where it occurs. Although this locust is known to inhabit almost the entire region lying to the west of the main divide of the Rocky Mountains and to reach even beyond in Montana and Colorado, it has never, to my knowledge, been injurious except in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Oregon. This species also occurs in two forms, viz., small and large, being the spring and fall broods as nearly as I have been able to decide from specimens in collections. Melanoplus bivittatus, Say, the Two-striped Locust. — This is our common species of native grasshopper all over the country, and the one that so frequently becomes injurious in our gardens and about the edges of fields. It occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Saskatchewan. Its increase in destructive numbers appears, however, to be confined chiefly to the regions lying between the Rocky Moun- tains and the Atlantic. This locust also appears to vary considerably in its size and colour. There are, however, two well defined forms, the one receiving the name bivittatus and the other going by that of femoratus, the latter occurring only northward. Melanoplus dij^erentlalis, Thomas, the Differential Locnst. — Next to the species just mentioned we frequently find a second species of our large native locusts appearing in destructive numbers. This latter species occurs in the Western and Middle States only, and here is very often known to become unduly numerous and destructive to both the field and the garden crops. It has been reported at different times to have been present in such numbers in portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. A melanic or black form is quite frequent in portions of Nebraska and Kansas, but otherwise it is quite permanent in its character. Melanoplus ponderosus, Scudd., the Ponderous Locust. — An insect very closely related to the preceding is that known to the entomologist by the above name. It is a native of several of our southern states, and has on several occasions been a depredator of crops in portions of central Texas. As the name would imply, it is of robust form, and has a somewhat similar appearance to the dij^erentialis. Melanoplus femur-rubrum, De G., the Red-thighed Locust. — Last on the list of destructive locusts for North America north of Mexico, is herewith presented the one that 49 perhaps enjoys the greatest geographical range of all our species. It is the common locust in all parts of the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Arctic circle to Central America. Its devastations, while perhaps not as vast as some of the preceding, have been more frequent and have occurred at more localities than those of any other one. Like the bivittatus, diff'erentialis, and several of our non-destructive species, femur-rubrum is a frequenter of rather low places and rank vegetation. After giving the.se brief notes on the various species of locusts that have been known in .the past to have been connected with the injuries from this class of insects within the country, it will not come amiss for me to say a few words about the subject for the present year, and to give my opinion as to the probable outlook for the coming year. Briefly, then, let me say that there have been received reports of locust injury from the following states : — Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Idaho, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and New York. In fact, there have been more separate reports received the pre.sent year than ever heretofore from this cause. Now a word or two as to the different species of these destructive locusts that are responsible for the injuries of the ])resent year. In California the devastator is present ; the Camnula pelhtcida is known to be unduly common in Idaho, Minne.sota, North Dakota, and parts of the Rocky Mountain region ; the Rocky Mountain or migratory locust is the one that is responsible for much of the injury that has been reported from the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota as well as in Manitoba to the north of the international boundary ; MeJannpI na differentialis is the one that must receive much of the bhime for Kansas and Nebraska injury, while in the states of Indiana and Ohio femur rabrum and bivittalus are the guilty parties. Melano- plus atlunis is present in injurious numbers in the Red River Valley along with bivittatus, spretus, and the Camnula petlucida. In Colorado and New Mexico for the first time Dissosteira longipennis has appeared as one of the injurious species of the country. While all of these locusts, along with almost every other species of the group which is native to North America, are to be counted as injurious, the particular one that has been the dread of the whole country, and especially of the region lying between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, is the migratory species — Melanoplus spretus. This insect is now on the increase in a limited area on our northern boundary and across the line in the province of Manitoba. By continuing the prompt and enerj^etic eff"orts that are being carried out by the populace and state authorities of the states of Minnesota and North Dakota we can be assured of success only provided the Canadian government will also see the advantage of co-operation at this time. This, let me state, is all the more necessary at this particular time, as all reports seem to indicate that at present this locust is not present in abnormal numbers in any other part of the entire country. A stamping out of the pest in this region might, therefore, forever give immunity from their further injury. Finally, let me urge on the inhabitants of all infested regions that " a stitch in time saves nine." In other words, we do not know what the climatic conditions may be a year hence — whether they will be such as to favor the hoppers or not — so we should do the wise thing and stamp out the pest. This has been done time and again in the past, and the recent work in the north shows how very profitable is the warfare when carried on per- sistently. By the plowing under of the eggs laid last fall, and the use of the kerozene pans or hopperdozers in the destruction of the young locusts that did hatch, the twelve counties in the two states of Minnesota and North Dakota saved, by actual computation, on wheat alone, the sum of ^400,000. This, mind you, was in a year not considered a locust year, and does not take into consideration what was saved in the region in other crops and the injury that might have resulted next year had the hoppers not been destroyed. With every fav. uring circumstance, the comparatively few locusts of this one species that have thus far been de.stroyed the present year in this region would have been sufficient to overrun, at least calculation, the entire area of the state of Minnesota, the two Dakotas and Nebraska, along with portions of Iowa and Kansas. True, these favouring circumstances might never occur, but it is always best to be on the safe side. This we should know from our past experiences with this same insect. 4 (EN.) " Native " locusts, while perhaps not to be dreaded equally as much as the species just spoken of, certainly can commit an equal amount of injury when size and numbers of the insects are taken into consideration. They cannot, it is true, get up and fly away to regions new, but they are equally rapid breeders, with favouring conditions They can be destroyed equally as well, if not better, than cin t!ie Rocky Mountain species, on account of their local restrictions, even in the regions where found. Mr. South wick had noticed Melanoplus femur-rubrum flying to the tops of grasses towards sunset in the fields near New York City. Mr. O.sborn had noticed the same habit. He spoke of the great difiicalty of estimat- ing the damage done by grasshoppers. Some discussion followed upon this point by Messrs. Southwick and Atkinson. Mr. Cook stated that M. feviui'-ruhrum had been very abundant in Michigan for three or four years back, but that he had no ditficulty in estimating the damage to oats. He thought that the outlook in Michigan was not at all serious, and considered that perhaps Mr. Bruner's prediction was too doleful. Mr. Bruner stated that we cannot take any chances. The black picture is justifiable if we make people work to destroy the insects and the local species have it in their power to become serious pests. Mr. Webster stated that fhnur-ruhrum is the species which is doing the damage in Ohio. He had noticed a fungus parasite working to a considerable extent near Columbus. Mr. Smith thought that Mr. Bruner's point that it is unsafe to predict comparative immunity on account of a tendency of farmers to shirk work was a very good one. Mr. Cook stated that there was another side to be considered, for if the entomologists predicted danger and the farmers did no work and the plague did not come, the entomol- ogists would be forever discredited. Mr. Weed spoke of the cotton worm, and stated that where the planters were always ready with their stock of Paris green they were in condition to fight the worm whenever it appeared in numbers. Mr. Webster thought it was always best to tell the truth and to frankly admit all inability to give valid predictions. Mr. Fletcher was of the opinion that in all probability predictions can be made more confidently in the westein country worked over by Mr. Bruner than in Canada and the region spoken of by Professor Cook. CHILD SACCHARALIS Irs NEW MEXICO. BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, N. MEX. On July 8, 1S91, I found a considerable number of stalks of young corn on the college farm infested with a borer. The borer enters by a hole in the stalk a short distance above the ground, and bores down into the root. It makes its burrow exactly down through the centre of the stalk, and some go upward a considerable distance also. The infested stalks are easily known by the tassel and most of the top being entirely withered and white or yellow. Some stalks showed the work of more than one borer evidently, unless the sami^ one had eaten out and then eaten in in other places. In several stalks the live chry.salids of the borer were found near the bottom of their burrows, in the root, about even with the surface of the ground. From these pupse two of the moths were bred, issuing July 12th. Sorghum grown near the infested corn on the college grounds could not be found infested by the borer. The same borers were sent to the college from Eddy, New Mexico, with report of much damage to corn. In many cases on the college 51 farm the chrysalids were found dead and decaying in the burrows in the stalks. A dead larva was also found some distance above ground in a stalk. More dead pupa? than live ones were found, and probably this is the result of irrigation, which makes it too damp for the pupa- lodged in the roots and engenders disease. In discussing the paper Mr. Weed said that this insect damaged corn to some slight extent in Mississippi, and considerably more so in Louisiana. Mr. Howard said that this species is spreading northward rapidly through the Southern states and has reached the southern border of Maryland, but that it is not a pest to be feared with the methods of careful cultivation in vogue at the north. A NOTE ON THE WHITE GRUB OF ALLORHINA. BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, N. MEX. On the 30th of April, 1891, I had a spot of ground on Judge Wood's place, rear Mesilla, dug into for white grubs. The particular spot dug into was selected- because white grubs had been found in it before, although I was assured by Judge Wood that not a par- ticle of vegetation, not even a weed, had grow a on it for at least three years, and probably four. It was a bare spot in the back yard, and by digging over a square foot or two of ground sixteen grubs were secured, at from six to ten inches below the surface. These grubs were all about the same size, and apparently nearly full grown. The ground con- tained no roots of any kind, but their food habits in this barren soil were explained in this manner : They were left over night in a tin can in earth in which was also placed an elongate white larva about an inch and a half long that had been found in the earth at the same time with the grubs. The next morning nothing but the caudal extremity of this larva could be found ; the white grubs had devoured it. If this carnivorous habit is known of AllorJtma I am not aware of it. I know that some other Scarabaeid larviB have been found occasionly carnivorous. But Allorhina I had supposed lived only on roots of grass or other plants. There is no complaint in this country of injury to roots of alfalfa or grasses by white grubs, jet the adults swarm in the summer and destroy much fruit, and the ground is full of their grubs. Ten of the above grubs were placed in ajar of earth to breed. On July 24th, 1891 two imagos of A. nitida were found in the jar on the surface of the earth. Mr.Alwood stated that he had bred a dipterous parasite from the adult of Allorhina nitida. Mr. Marlatt thought that this instance of Mr. Townsend's was interesting, but that it proved no general habit. He considered that the ground was probably rich in vege- table matter so as to afford food for the white grubs. Mr. Smith thought that it would be interesting to know what the other larva fed on. Mr. Popenoe expressed himself as surprised at the extreme south-western distribution of the species. Mr. Marlatt then read a third paper by Mr. Townsend. NOTES OF INTEREST. BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, N. MEX. A specimen of the Colorado Potato-beetle {Doryphora 10-lineata) was taken Julv 12th, 1891, on our common wild purple-tiowered Solarium here. It is the only specimen I have seen here. 52 The Bean Epilachna is in full force on the college farm. All stages, from eggs to adults, found last of July. Some experiments in s[)raying with Paris green were tried. The results up to August 1st were negative, neither the insects nor the plants being killed. The solutions were purposely made very weak. The latter part of July, 1891, the Bollworm i^Heliothis armigera) was found in nearly every ear of corn in a patch on the college farm. They were of all sizes and colours, and were accompanied almost invariably by large numbers of Coleopterous (Elaterid 1) larvse, which seemed to work entirely independently of the worms, and bored all through the ripening kernels, doing much destruction. A leaf-miner was found on the vine during June, 1891, but was not bred. It mines the substance from between the two skins of the leaf, and its gallery may be seen plainly, with its small grub at the terminus of it. On the 15th of June, 1891, I found a rather large number of adults of a Rose Chafer {Macrodactylus sp.) on the leaves of the vine in the vineyard about a mile from this place. They had eaten the leaves very badly and were nearly all in coitu, but were found on only two or three vines. They soon afterward all disappeared. A leaf miner on the cottonwoods here [Po pubis fremontii) annually destroys the whole tirst crop of leaves on nearly every tree in the valley. April 30th, 1891, nearly every cottonwood presented a thoroughly blistered appearance, caused by the inside of almost every leaf on the tree having been entirely eaten out, leaving the blistered-like skins of the leaves alone on the trees. This appearance continued for a couple of weeks until the trees gradually put forth a whole new crop of leaves. The second crop of leaves was but little infested this year, though I am told that in some years they also are nearly destroyed. I was unable to breed this miner. The vine-leaf hopper has been studied. Eggs deposited singly, last of April, beneath skin of leaf, marked by a minute globule of exuded sap. Hatched last of May or first of June. Kerosene emulsion on the young hoppers, diluted fifteen times, proved effective ; I. X. L. compound only partially so. Owing to a misunderstanding of one of the names in this paper a slight discussion on the habits of Ahochara followed. Mr. Schwarz considered the larvse of these beetles not to be true parasites, but simply predatory. Mr. Fletcher had bred larvte of this genus from puparia of the cabbage maggot, in which no holes of egress or ingress could be discovered, and considered them to be true parasites. Mr. Schwarz said that Mr. Coquillett had noticed the larvae of Ahochara enter the puparia of Anthomyia, and stated, moreover, that the beetle larva has no approach to the parasitic habitus. Mr. Southwick mentioned the occurrence of mites upon Scarites subterraneus. Mr. Webster mentioned the abundance of Urupoda americana at Columbus, on Diahrotica and a large number of other insects. Mr. Alwood and Mr. Atkinson spoke of the abundance of beetle mites in their localities. NOTES ON BLACKBERRY BORERS AND GALL MAKERS. BY JOHN B. SMITH, NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. Blackberries are raised in New Jersey on a very large scale, and near Hammonton, in Atlantic County, several hundreds of acres are devoted to this fruit. After many trials the '' Early Wilson " was selected by growers as the most satisfactory variety for siz^\ flavour, date, and shipping qualities, and it forms the bulk of the crop. A few other 53 FiR.I. 0- varieties are raised to extend the season; but the " Wilson" is the staple. Unfortun- ately it adds to its many excellent qualities that of extreme susceptibility to insect attack, and of all the varieties grown in New Jersey this only is killed down in a lew years unless carefully looked after. I began my studies on the insect pests of the black berry in the early part of the present year, before yet the canes had begun to leaf out, and found that all the pests infested cane or root. One of the chief pests is the well known Agrilus ruficollis, or red-necked blackberry cane borer (Fig. 10). Its life history has been worked out by others,and I have nothing of any importance to add. The well-known galls (Fig. 11) usually indicate the position of the borer, and how to get rid of it is the question. I say the galls usually indicate the position ofS|the borer, because, though there can be no gall without a borer, we can have a borer without a gall. If a gall be split the length of the cane it will be seen that the wood is not involved in the gall growth, but only the bark. The insects emerge from the canes iu early summer, May 25 to July 10, the month of June being the time of greatest abun- dance. The egg is laid by the female at the base of a leaf stalk, and I believe it is not thrust into the tissue, but is simply laid at the base of the stalk or in the bud there starting. It was not until late in July that any larvfe were found. The first sign of their presence was a dead bud at the leaf axil, and where the stem was carefully examined almost every dead bud showed traces of having been eaten into, the minute and very slender young larvse being found under the bark near by. Usually they run up the main shoot ; but where laterals have become well developed they often go into these, especially where more than one egg was laid in the same place. In neglected fields, often as many as three eggs may be found at a single point, and five leaf axils may be infested on a single stalk. The young larva bores upwards in a cork screw channel in the sap wood, until early August. Some are at that period only one fourth of an inch long and almost nothing in diameter, while others are half an inch in length and reasonably stout. Sometimes a larva will make only two or three long circles around the cane and then, while yet minute, will pierce the cane and get into the pith. Where this is done, no visible gall forms. Others, however, and usually those in large, stout canes will circle the stalk half a dozen times or more in succession, the girdles not more than one-eighth of an inch apart. The first trace of a gall I found in early August, when a slight ridge appears over every larval gallerji, so that the course of the borer is perfectly traceable on a smooth stem. As the cane grows the sawdust and excrement in the galleries seem to swell and enlarge and also to destroy the vitality of the tissues around it, until instead of the girdlings becoming smaller, they really become more prominen:, and the abnormal growth of tissue continues. In some cases, as stated, no galls appear ; but this is somewhat exceptional. In raspberry I have not found the galls, while borers have been found not rarely. This indicates that some of the exempt varieties of black- berries may simply form no galls, I am the more inclined to believe this, because I have seen beetles in no small numbers in "exempt" fields. [ believe, too. that killing the cane is due, not to the injury in the pith, but to the injury done under the bark. Beyond this, the history of the insect is well known ; but I am not aware that the gall formation has been as fully observed. Of course the remedy is obvious. Cut- ting the galls out thoroughly in early spring and burning the cuttings is certain This is already practised by our best fruit growers, and they are not much troubled. Unfortu Fig. n. 54 nately there are many who seem unable to understand their own interests, and will delay cuttinoj or refuse to burn. Some fields, too, belong to men of other occupations, and as they become unprofitable, they allow them to go to ruin and to become breeding places for all sorts of pests, fungus and insect. Next in order, and indeed sometimes even worse, is the larva of a Sesiid, pro- bably Bemhecia viarginata, Harr. The eggs of this insect, which I have not yet seen, are laid late in August or in September. The young larva hatches that same fall, and in the following spring is found in canes of the previous year's growth, boring only a short distance up from the roots. It is then less than half an inch long and of a faint reddish tint, whicli it loses as the summer advances, in July it leaves the cane on which usually no fruit has set, and attacks a new shoot, eating around the base and burrowing up between baik au(i wood. Tiie sliooo wilts, but the larva seems not to travel more until the following spring. It is then an inch long, white in colour, and with a brown head. It eats at the crown until the new shoots are large and vigorous, and early in July the wilting shoot in infested fields indicate the where- abouts of the larvse. They pupate in August, one pupa newly formed being found on the 10th, and a number on the 2.3rd, but at these dates no imago was yet noticed. One pupa had wriggled otit through the stem at the latter date, apparently ready to transform. The insect is important because it cuts two year's growth of infested hills. The remedy is also mechanical. It consists in cutting the shoots as they wilt close to the crown, and destroying the contained larvae. Fig-. 12. Sometimes in June a hill will suddenly wilt and die as if burnt. Search will in all cases reveal an enormous longicorn larva, (Fig. 12) which I make out to be that of Prionus laticollis (Fig. 13). In some old fields it is very mischievous, boring huge channels in the main root. I am not aware that this has been heretofore noted as infesting blackberries, and simply record the habit: Another insect infesting growing canes escaped me during the present season because unexpected and unnoticed In cutting some new shoots I found them marked, through the pith from base nearly to tip, a distance of three or four feet, by a larval channel. The new canes had been already topped a first time and I missed the culprit. In some fields not yet topped I found that the borer had emerged or had been parasitized, fragments only remaining, which seemed to prove it Lepidop- terous. No apparent damage was done by the insect and none of the bored stems died. A little gall on young shoots, found very locally only is formed by a Cecidomyiid very near to Lasioptera fari- nosa, if not identical with it. The young shoots are al- Fig. 13. ways trimmed out before the imago emerges in spring, and no damage is done. The larva is also parasitized qtiite frequently, and only a few imagos were obtained. The relations of the parasites to each other are still somewhat obscure, and one of the species may be secondary. 55 AFTERNOON SESSION. Meeting called to order at 4 p.m. by President Fletcher ; 29 persons were present. THE SQUASH BORER, MELITTIA CUCURBITS, AND REMEDIES THEREFOR. BY JOHN B. SiMITH, NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. The most dangerous enemy to squash culture in New Jersey is undoubtedly this borer. Its life history is already fairly well known, and the question of remedies is the vital one. Those usually recommended have not proved eminently satisfactory in prac- tice, and cutting out is still most generally relied upon. Summer squashes are badly infested, but have a large stout stem and usually mature a crop before the borers can kill the vine. Of the later varieties the Hubbard is the favorite, not only of the grower but of the borer. The missing links in the life history seemed to be in the egg stage, and these were carefully observed by me during the present season. I found in every case one or more eggs at the base of the plant, as near to the root as possible, and usually on the underside of the stem, i. e., that portion of it resting on the ground. The moth evidently gets as near to the base of the plant as possible, and deposits her eggs as far towards the root as her ovipositor will extend. Rarely the egg will be found at the axil of the first or second leaf stalk ; but it is at such points that the insects rtst at night. The egg itself is chestnut brown in colour, in form a flattened disk and of quite large size. The shell is quite hard and chitinons, but brittle. It is not readily pervious to the kerosene emulsion diluted 12 times, but is readily crushed. This stage is quite a protracted one, la.sting at least 12 and probably often 15 days. The young larva when it leaves the egg moves off" less than an inch and immediately enters the stem. This habit accounts for the ill success of the arsenical mixtures applied to the stem. The difficulty of getting all around it is great in the first place, and the larva eats so little that it has at least an even chance for t^scape. The kerosene emul- sion might be more satisfactory but for the difficulty of getting the application on the under side of the stem. When the egg-laying habits were observed the experiment patch was examined, all the spare vines pulled up so as to verify the universal presence of eggs, and then with the fingers the bases of the vines were rubbed thoroughly. This was intended to crush the eggs, and it was effective. The process was twice repeated, and two or three larvae only escaped. The other vines continued healthy and free to date. Where planting can be deferred to July the vines will be free from borers, and this is the plan adopted by some large growers In small or garden patches, rubbing the stems of the vines near the base will prove effective and is a simple and cheap remedy Planting summer squashes as traps and destroying the vines before the insects mature would also be a good way to avoid injury. Mr. Riley asked whether Mr. Smith had tried the ordinary method of mounding the vines with ashes. Mr. Smith said that he had not, and that he thought that this practice would simply oblige the moths to lay their eggs higher up the stalk. Mr. Alwood said that he had found all cucurbitaceous plants quite resistent against the injurious effects of kerosene, and inasmuch as he had been successful against Diabrotica with kerosene emulsion, he thought that this substance would be available against the borer. 56 NOTE ON A COTTON OUT-WORM. BY G. F. ATKINSON, AUBURN, ALA. [Secretary's abstract.] During the early part of July the author visited Greensboro, Ala., at the request of a cotton planter who complained that great damage was being done to the young cotton by worms. He found that an acre had been entirely stripped and bad been plowed under and replanted. He found Noctuid larvae at the roots of 20 or 30 of the plants, which he subsequently reared to the adult stage and proved to be Agrotis annexa. Experiments with Paris green seemed to show that this insect could be treated with this substance. He also found the larva) feeding on Amarantus. NOTE ON A NEMATODE LEAF DISEASE. BY G. F. ATKINSON, AUBURN, ALA. [Secretary's abstract.] This worm has been found by Dr. Byron D. Halstead affecting the leaves of Chrysanthemum and CoUus in New Jersey. It makes no swelling or deformity as do many other Anguillulids, but causes a brown patch upon leaves. Mr. Atkinson has determined this as a species of the genus Aphelenchus. He entered into some details as to the distinguishing characteristics between Aphelenchus and Tylenchus, and showed that this species is somewhat aberrant in the genus in which he has placed it. Mr. Smith asked whether the characters of the genitalia are constant. Mr. Atkinson replied that they are within generic limits, but that they do not differ with species except as regards the distance trom the anal end of the body to the genitalia. Mr. Atkinson further stated that he thinks that these Nematodes reach the leaves by being borne up in the axils of the leaves as the plants grow. Mr. Riley asked whether it was not possible that the young might work their way up the plants to the leaves during rain. Mr. Atkinson agreed as to the possibility of this method, and further stated that he had received what he supposed to be the Tylenchus tritici or scatidens of Europe, from grass in Colorado. KEROSENE EMULSION AND PYRETHRUM. BY C. V. RILEY, WASHINGTON, D. C. In the Eural New Yorker of June 20th, 1891, Dr. Albert E. Meuke, director of the Arkansas Experiment Station, criticises a review of Bulletin No. 15 of his station, published in Insect Life. The principal point raised by Dr. Menke is that kerosene extract of pyrethrum, made into an emulsion with soap and water, is entirely different from an aqueous extract of pyrethrum made into an emulsion with soap and kerosene, as recommended by Professor Gillette. He also disputes the statement that the idea of combining kerosene and pyrethrum was given him by Prof. Jerome McNeill. Prof. McNeill has experimented with both the Gillette and the Menke combinations, and in a recent communication he confirms the statement that he first suggested the combination of these two substances to Dr. Menke and gives the results of his experience as follows : In preparing, in accordance with your directions, Dr. Menke's mixture, I used the proportions given in Bulletin No. 15 of the Arkansas Station, The extract of 57 pyrethrum was made by simply digesting the powder iu kerosene for three or four hours. The resulting emulsion is good, and it is about as effective on the Oabbage Worm as he claimed it to be on the Cotton Worm. Mr. Gillette's mixture I made with the same proportion of soap, kerosene and pyrethrum as the first mixture contained. * * * The emulsion was made in the usual manner, and then it was diluted with the kerosene tea. When Dr. Menke's mixture was diluted equally, there was no difference between the two in appearance or odor. In using dilutions of the strength, fewer worms survived the application of Mr. Gillette's solution, but the difference was immaterial, as when I applied the mixture without knowing which I was using, I could not always tell which of the two I had employed. Such in brief are the conclusions I have reached after a considerable number of experiments with the two. I shall not be satisfied, however, without further trial of these mixtures upon different worms. One thing that has dis- turbed my satisfaction with these experiments is, that in many cases where [ had applied a dilution of a given strength to larvge of different age, the younger larvfe seemed less affected than the older. Concerning the difference between an aqueous extract of pyrethrum made into an emulsion with kerosene and soap, and a kerosene extract of pyrethrum made into an emulsion with soap and water, there is no practical difference. It may be of some slight interest to scientific people to know that the aqueous extract and the kerosene extract are technically different. As far as their use is concerned these two are absolutely one. If there is any practical difference between them, the aqueous extract emulsion is preferable. I have never made any public claim to having originated the idea that kerosene would dissolve the insecticide principle of pyrethrum. What I wanted to announce the discovery of was, that the two insecticides, kerosene and pyreth- rum, could be combined in an emulsion which would be more effective than either. When I was assured by Mr. Mally (an agent of the Division) that he had made such a mixture while working with Mr. Gillette, my personal interest in the matter ceased. Dr. Menke claims to have discovered an " entirely new " insecticide which is remarkable for its cheapness. 1 think 1 have shown that it is composed of the same materials which may be used in the same proportions, so that the difference between his emulsion and Mr. Gillette's is in method of preparation, and in this respect his method is decidedly the inferior. The chief difficulty in the use of pyrethrum in kerosene emulsion is the cost when compared with the cost of the arsenites in the form of powder or in solution. ****** Mr. Smith had tried the kerosene-pyrethrum combination according to Menke's formula, but had found it of no use against the Rose Chafer. In response to a question by Mr. Smith, Mr. Alwood stated that he buys imported powder for from 38 to 40 cents per pound at wholesale in New York For buhach he has to pay 75 cents per pound and considers that one is as good as the other. He finds that he can keep the powder in bulk for two or three years, with care. Mr. Webster stated that he could buy it by the 10 or 20 pounds in Lafayette, Ind., at 30 cents per pound. Mr. Alwood stated that in his opinion this powder must be adulterated on account of the cost of production in Dalmatia. Mr. Smith buys in Philadelphia for 25 cents per pound. Mr. Weed had found kerosene combined with pyrethrum perfectly useless against the Harlequin Cabbage Bug. Kerosene emulsion is also ineffective against the same insect. Mr. Alwood, however, had found it effective for this insect. Mr. Weed stated that he had killed the plants but not the bugs. He has found the eggs of this insect to hatch in three days in Mississippi (first brood), those of the second brood hatching in two days, and those of the later brood in four days. These periods, how- ever, are not definite, and considerable variation occurs. Mr. Smith finds this species in southern New Jersey, but never upon cabbages. Mr. Doran stated that the bugs can be caught upon Mustard before the cabbages are set out. 58 Mr. Weed said that he had experimented in that direction and recommended the application of pure kerosene upon the first brood of bugs upon Mustard. Mr. Bronk had traced an attack of this Cabbage Bug from Kale to Cabbage, the Kale having been destroyed and but three plants accidentally left. Mr. Osborn said that Mr. Gillette conducted his kerosene-pyrethrum experiments nearly a year before his results were published, awaiting confirmative evidence. Mr. Riley said that the great efficacy claimed for these combinations of Mr. Menke and Mr. Gillette will not be borne out by further experiment. Against the Boll Worm his agents have not found them thorough antidotes. The association then adjourned. AUGUST 18, MORNING SESSION. The Association was called to order by President Fletcher at y. 30 a.m. Thirty-four persons were present. The minutes of Monday's meeting were read and approved. On motion, a nominating committee, consisting of Messrs. Howard, Weed, and Bruner, was appointed. WORK OF THE SEASON IN MISSISSIPPI. BY H. E. WEED, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MISSISSIPPL [Secretary's abstract] There has been no one great outbreak the present season. Last year stock was injured by the Screw Worm quite extensively, but the planters are now treating with carbolic acid washes and are lessening the damage. The Cotton Leaf-worm and the Boll Worm are the principal insect enemies of the State. The former is only just appearing and will not be des- tructive. The Boll Worm was injurious last fall owing to wet weather. jEgeria pyri occurs abundantly in apple trees, but not in pear. Hippodamia convergens (Fig. 14) he has proven to be an inju- rious insect, as he has seen it feeding upon the leaves of cabbage. Moreover, he has poisoned with Paris green and killed the beetles. The Chinch Bug occurs in the western part of the State on corn. The cabhage crop is almort invariably destroyed by the Harlequin Bug and other insects The Plum Curculio is very abundant upon peaches. Cattle Ticks {Ixodes bovis) are very abundant in the southern part of the State. The emedy in use is to feed the cattle equal parts of sulphur and salt continuously. The question of the action of the sulphur was brought up by Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Marlatt, and Dr. Marx stated that the sulphur was eliminated by the sudoriferous glands, thus bringing it into contact with the ticks. Mr. Smith considered Mr. Weed's experiments with Paris green against Hippodamia convergens not conclusive as indicating their phytophagic habit, as the beetles might have been feeding upon plant lice and thus have been poisoned by the Paris green. Mr. Popenoe stated that he had found Hippodamia feeding upon rust spores. Mr. Weed described the treatment of Cotton for the Cotton Worm by means of a long pole carried across a mule's back with a bag of Paris green hanging to each end of the pole. In this way four rows of Cotton can be treated at once with undiluted Paris green. Mr. Webster stated that in Louisiana four sacks were thus strung upon a single pole. 59 NOTE ON THE HORJ^ FLY IN OHIO. BY D. S. KELLICOTT, COLUMBUS, OHIO. Since the full accounts of the Horn Fly given in Insect Life and elsewhere, T, as many others, doubtless, have sought for it wherever I had an opportunity. I remember no reports of its occuring west of the Atlantic border, but it certainly has a foothold in central Ohio. During the first week of July last I found it in great numbers on the farm of Mr. A. Freed, Pleasant Township, Fairfield County. Large patches were seen on the backs and about the horns. The animals referred to had been dehorned, but the fly, true to its instincts, congregated about the stumjjs. At Sugar Grove, 8 miles south, a few were found, whilst at Rockbridge, 4 miles farther down the Hocking Valley, none were to be found. There appears to be none north of the first-named station, as I had a fair opportunity to examine cattle at Lakeside (Licking reservoir). They have not been seen at Columbus. It seems from the limited observations I have been able to make that it is spreading southward from near Lancaster. The Baltimore and Ohio Railway passes but a short distance north of this place, and it is easy to see that it is possible, or indeed probable, that it was introduced by transportation in cattle cars from the East. Mr. Smith stated that the Horn Fly was not injurious in any part of New Jersey last year, stockmen adopting the plan of .spraying with fish-oil compound. He also stated that the plastering of the dung was practised in his State in small stock yards. Mr. Howard said that even in large grazing fields this latter plan is often practicable in spite of the objections which stock-growers urge. At the time when the flies are ovipositing the cattle are generally congregated in some one spot for shade. Mr Lintner said that he heard of the fly in the southeastern portion of New York State. Mr. Osborn said that there had been an unverified report of its occurrence in Iowa. He believes that the plaster treatment of the dung will be practicable in his State. Mr. Fletchtr said that many remedies which are considered impracticable by farmers prove eventually to be very practicable, and he instanced the poisoned ball system for cut Avorms, and said that standing grain can be sprayed with knapsack pumps. NOTES OF THE SEASON. BY ELEANOR A. ORMEROD, ST. ALBANS, ENGLAND. The Secretary then read the following, which was addressed to the President, Mr. Fletcher : You pay me the compliment of suggesting that I should send a short report of my entomological work of this year up to present date. But though it would indeed be a gratification to me if anything I could mention should be thought of interest, yet I feel such a hesitation in submitting anything I can say to sucli a supremely well skilled tribu nal as that of the meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists at Washington, that I will rather endeavour to give, in letter form to yourself, some notes of what we have been doing, from which, if you judge fit, you could lay some points, with my best respects, before the meeting Paris green. — I think that I maj' now report the use of Paris green in fluid state (as a remedy for attacks of orchard caterpillars) as having thoroughly taken root in this country. It is not yet as widely spread as could be wished, but the very large amount of inquiry sent me during the spring and summer months as to the nature and method of application of the remedy gives me good hope that its use is extending. 60 We have nearly, if not entirely, overcome the clamour as to the use of a "deadly poison," and now I have rather to attend to the other side of the question and warn as to the necessities of care. My correspondents are not without a sort of dry jocoseness in the matter, for having cautioned one inquirer that if he sprayed his gooseberries he had better have a large gooseberry pie made and consumed by himself and household as a proof that all was right, I presently received a donation of as fine green gooseberries as could be desired. Did he wish to transfer the experiment, I wonder ? About effect of Paris green on leafage, one of my correspondents reports to me that in his plum garden (32 acres) he syringed twice with Paris green at a strengh of 1 ounce to 10 gallons, using the " Gelair" sprayer. He did not begin until the plum blossoms fell, and had to syringe twice because of the bad- ness of the attack, also because rain came. The syringing was very carefully done so that there was no observable dropping from the leaves, and on the 10th instant he wrote me : " I have an extraordinary crop of plums in consequence." With regard to foliage of the sprayed trees, he says : I find that the Pershore Egg Plum, Victoria, and Damsons, have their foliage quite uninjured and looking very healthy : but Czar and Rivers Early Prolific are decidedly injured, and New Orleans in a lesser degree. These are all the varieties I grow. Evidently same varieties of plums are much more easily injured than others by Paris green. (I.R.) T hope, before preparing my next annual report, to obtain detailed information on this subject from various quarters, but I think the further observation of my cor- respondent (M. J. Riley, of Putley Court, W. Ledbury) well worth attention here until we are more experienced. I syringed 60 acres of apple trees which were badly attacked by caterpillars, 1 ounce to 20 gallons, which seemed to kill the caterpillars, so that one naturally asks, why make it any stronger for plums? (I.R.) But I find difficulty in persuading people to be moderate, as they desire a strong spraying to do all the work at once. M. J. Riley further notes, relatively to effect of method of spraying, that last year (before we could procure proper sprayers) he had only common garden syringes ; that he syringed " Damascenes," badly infested, with the same strength of Paris green now used with success on several kinds of plums, namely, 1 ounce to 10 gallons, and too much being put on so that the trees dripped, the lower branches were killed. After our real difficulties, and the boundie-^s and fathomless amount of damage and trouble predicted last year, it is a very great satisfaction to me to have trustworthy reports of the excellent state of foliage of trees pioperly sprayed last year, and also to find the greatly lessened amount of caterpillar presence which occurs compared to previous ap- pearances where Paris green applications or banding have been properly attended to. But I should be ungrateful and fail in proper thankfulness if I did not acknowledge that, for this benefit to British fruit-growers from the use of Paris green, we are indebted, I believe, primarily, to the exertions of our respected friend, now holding the distin- guished office of Entomologist of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America, and likewise to the careful working forward of the subject both in the United States of America and Canada, and for myself I am bound to say (and I hope you will permit me to acknowledge) that but for the efficient and kind help you were good enough to give myself and our Gresham committee, I greatly doubt if we could have pushed the subject to its present well-based standing. Our Gresham fruit committee is doing good work by the investigation of the members being extended to all our noticeable injurious fruit attacks which they discover to be present. These are entered on at their meetings. Where the insect pest is un- known to them they forward it to me and I identify (or procure its identification) for them, and with the addition of their practical observations of life history, and means of prevention and remedy, added to what we find recorded, we make service- able advance. It would be very advantageous if we had more such committees, for the work is so 61 very real. No make believe or fanciful remedies gain the stated formal approval of a body of experienced fruit-growers whose returns depend on the treatment of their crops. This year we have been working up for one thing, the Raspberry Beetle, Byturus tomentosus. Fab., which Mr. 0. D. Wise finds at the Toddington fruit grounds may b© best got rid of by shaking down into bags moistened or sprinkled with paraffin. The Raspberry Bug Caterpillar of the Lampronia ricbiella, Bjerk., has also been greatly troubling raspberry growers by its injury to the young buds and sometimes in the canes. We hope by gathering the infested buds or neighbouring bunches of leaves in which the larva has pupated, and destroying these, to have forestalled much recurrence of next year's attack. Plum Saw-fly has also made a slight, and Apple Saw-fly a very decidedly injurious appearance. I conjecture that the similarity (to general inspection) of the attack of the latter to that of the Codling Moth Caterpillar has caused it not to be generally noticed before, and I hope to be able to add some notes on the changes in appearance of the larvae. In all respects of habits and appearance preceding pupation this Saw-fly larva agrees with such descriptions as I have access to of that of the Tenthredo testudinea, Klug {^^lloplo- campa testudinea^ Klug), but previously I find that instead of the head being tawny or pale chestnut, and little trace of colour above the caudal extremity, that the head is pitchy black, and there is also a pitchy black plate above the tail preceded by a cross band and a few small markings also pitchy or black. We have traced this change by the observer (Mr. Wm. Coleman, of Cranfield, Beds.) watching specimens for me in natural conditions through their transformations. I think that if this change has not been noted it will be of serviceable interest to record it, as on first glance the variously marked larvje appear to be of different species. For prevention of recurrence of this attack I am suggesting lightly shaking infested trees over cloths sprinkled with some mineral oil, so that the caterpillars which are very fairly active should not escape. Plum Saw-fly has been only reported from one locality. The bud-galls on Black Currant caused by the Phytoptus ribis or Black Currant Gall Mite have been present to a seriously destructive extent. We know of no rem^dy for this attack excepting use of soft soap and sulphur wash, or, as a preventive of spread, breaking off the bud-galls. We, however, have found this year that parasites are at work in the persons of Chalcids, which we have not yet identified specifically, and from some small amount of further observation I venture to hope that we may find a dipterous larva is also aiding us in preventive service. I fear these simple matters may not be worth your attention, but I just mention them as a part of the work to which our fruit growers are giving careful attention. The field crop insects pests have been very prevalent this year, and at this time we have just begun a heavy visitation at three places in the east of England of the larvae of the Plutella cmciferarum, Zell (Diamond-back Moth as we call it). But I ought not to venture to intrude on your time more than with just two further observations. One, that I find the distorted growth of heads of Tares (Yicia sativa) which I drew attention to in my fourteenth report is originated by the presence of Oecidomyiid larvae. I found them present in large numbers, and have carefully figured the head and caudal extremity and likewise the anchor process, which agrees so minutely with that of Cecidomyia leguminicola,Lmtner, that I am looking forward with impatience to the devel- opment of the imago. My special colleague in observation of this attack (Mr. A. Ham- lin ot Chellovves Park, Lingfield), has planned an arrangement in the open field by which the imagos when they rise from the soil will (according to all ordinary habits of insect procedure) be safely trapped conveniently for examination. I am sparing no pains also myself to develop the imagos, though I have not the opportunity to attempt to rear the larvae in absolutely natural and undisturbed circumstances. My other observation is regarding the Ilypoderma bovis, the Warble Fly. We are still fighting ignorance and idleness and downwright knavery, which are the supports of 62 continuance of this attack ; but I had the great satisfaction this summer of hearing from Mr. Bailey, the head master of the Aldersey Grammar School, Bunbury, Tarporly, Che- shire, that it was not worth while to give me a detailed report again this year, as for all practical purposes the attack was now stamped out in the district. This gratifies me exceedingly. Some six or eight years ago, Warbles were described "as p'entiful as blackberries" in the district, and, under the teaching of their admirably intelligent master, the boys, who are mainly sons of farmers and agricultural laborers, set themselves yearly to clear all the cattle they had acccess to of the maggots. I had yearly detailed reports of quantity killed, and now I can point to the district and to the satisfaction of the cattle owners as a proof of what can be done by the simplest hands where head and heart go to the work. But now I ought not to add another word, and if there is anything in the fore- going pages which you think worthy of bringing before the distinguished Entomological meeting at Washington, it will be a great gratification to me. I should like much to be present myself, with the double pleasure of seeing many whom I know by their letters are kind friends to myself, and also learning much that would be of enormous benefit to me. (Torrington House, St. Albans, England, July 20, 1891.) Mr. South vick moved a vote of thanks to Miss Ormerod for her excellent paper. Adopted. Mr. Osborn spoke of the great value of Miss Ormerod's work against the Warble Fly as showing how combination among workers can bring about almost entire immunity from this pest. Miss Ormerod's plan should be adopted in this f^.ountry. Mr. Fletcher also spoke highly of Miss Ormerod's work in this investigation. Mr. Marlatt, however, stated that the plan of gathering the bots from the backs of cattle can only be practised in the East, where tlie cattle are domestic, and will not pay for the trouble in the West, where the cattle are wild and would have to be roped and thrown. Mr. Fletcher thought, however, that the saving of hide value alone would pay for this trouble. Mr. Southwick thought that it would be a very easy matter to rope and throw the cattle in the West, and considered that it would pay. Mr. Osborn called attention to the fact that the majority of Western cattle are sent East and slaughtered so that the bots have no chance of maturing. He insisted upon the ease of stamping this pest out in restricted localities in this manner, since the Hies do not migrate to any extent. Mr. Kellicott stated that he had known the Warble Fly to be very bad in Oswego County, New York. Mr. Lintner stated that it is not a general pest in New York State, but occasionally a local one. Mr. Lintner further stated that Miss Ormerod has proven tlie Plum to be less susceptible to the arsenites in England than the Apple — a remarkable fact and not at all in accordance with our experience in this country. This difierence probably depends upon climate and upon difference in varieties. Mr. Southwick suggested the reference of this question to the botanists. Mr. Fletcher stated that the different varieties of plums show with him great difference in susceptibility to this treatment. He spoke of the great variation in the texture of the leaf and in other particulars in the varieties of plums. Much work must be done in this direction. He also mentioned the great susceptibility of the peach. Mr, Alwood mentioned the fact that the addition of lime water to the arsenical mixture absolutely prevents the burning of the foliage. 63 Mr. Cook had found the Bot-fly attack much leas in cleared farms than in wooded ones. In regard to the arsenites, he said that an abundance of Aphids and consequent weakening of the vitality of the tree might make it more susceptible. Mr. Smith suggested that the water referred to by Miss Ormerod might contain lime salts so as to make the application more innocuous. He stated that the chemical reasons for the prevention of injury to foliage by the addition of lime water are given in the appendix to his annual report of the present year. NOTES ON THE RECENT OUTBREAK OF DISSOSTEIRA LONGIPENNIS. BY E. A. POPENOE, MANHATTAN, KANS. [Secretary's abstract.] July 10 to 19 the author visited the northern part of Lincoln County, Colo., on account of newspaper reports of the stopping of trains by grasshoppers. He found a strip of country 16 by 25 or 30 miles in extent fairly covered with locusts, which proved to be Dissoeteira longipejinis, a western isotype ot' the eastern D. Carolina. They were congregated especially in the boundaries of this area. The country is poor, and planted here and there to corn and sorghum, and there aie occasional patches of garden vegetation. The season has been favourable and cool. The locusts are said to have come in swarms from the South last fall, and to have settled along the Big Sandy Creek in a patch two or three miles in circumference, in which they laid their eggs in great numbers. Upon hatching this spring the young spread outwards. At the time of his visit in the northern part of the strip the insects were in the last larval and pupal stages, with very few imagos. At the south line, however, the winged individuals were very abundant and flew like birds. The young hoppers had the habit of crawling up the side of buildings for a few feet, presumably for warmth They were not strictly confined to roads, but travelled over bluffs and rounded hills, eating the buflfalo and gramma grass. The winged individuals flew always to the south, but the others spread regularly outwards in all directions. The line of march was quite visible at some distance on the hillsides, and sheep-growers had to ch inge the locilities of their tio3ks In marching, as a general thing, they preferred to follow the roads, moving quite rapidly, about one mile in six hours for six or eight hours in a day only. They are credited with all the destruction which has been done Viy all kinds of insects, and he thinks that they did but very little damage to potatoes and corn, although marching through the fields in great numbers. At the time of his visit they were marching through wheat fields in the same way, but since he left they have done some damage to this crop. Many dead ones were noticed in one locality, but no signs of parasitism were found. It is supposed that they were destroyed by hail. In his opinion the insect occurs generally upon low ground rather than upon high ground. Mr. Bruner said that this species is very seldom found below 3,000 feet, or above 5,500 feet elevation. It occurs in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and north- eastern New Mexico. It preferably locates itself on the side of the hills or the upper portion of siopes where the vegetation is scattered. Its near ally, D. Carolina, is found throughout North America following civilization in cattle yards, roads, and streets. He had also seen the dead locusts in one locality in eastern Colorado, and considered that they had been killed by hail. Mr. Popenoe said that he had really found that they had stopped trains, but upon steep grades only and by greasing the rails. Mr. Osborn has found this species in southwestern Kansas in the higher portions of of river valleys and feeding upon the grass along the roads. 64 NOTES ON A CORN CRAMBID. BY M. H. BECKWITH, NEWARK, DEL, [Secretary's abstract.] For three years the author had heard complaints in the southern counties of Dela- ware of an insect called by the people a " Cutworm." This year at the Experiment Farm at Dover many hills were destroyed by this insect which he had had an opportunity to study. The land was in timothy last year and planted to corn the present season. Large numbers of the larva? were found, sometimes thirty in a hill, working around the outside ot the stalk below the surface of the ground in silken galleries, but not boring into the heart of the stock. He had sent specimens of the moth which he reared to the Department of Agriculture and it had been determined for him as Crambus caligino- sellus. He had tried Paris green, but does not know with what effect. Mr. Smith had heard of a similar attack on corn in New Jesery. He advised the farmers to put on a heavy dose of kainit just after plowing and had heard no more complaints. Mr. Osborn suggested that if the insect works like Crambus exsiccatus plowing at the right time will prove affective. Mr. Howard said that the insect was abundant in 1886 at Bennings, Md., and that the only remedy which he was able to suggest at that time was plowing immediately after harvest. Mr. Alwood doubted whether kainit would act as well as the refuse salt from meat- packing establishments, which he had found to be a good cut-worm remedy if sowed before planting. Mr. Smith recommended kainit because it is a fertilizer as well as an insecticide. Mr. Alwood stated that kainit is a bad form of potash for tomatoes and potatoes, Mr. Southwick said that his grandfather used to drop a salt herring into each corn hill as a preventive against Cutworms. Mr. Beckwith said that he had applied a fertilizer and salt in Delaware for cabbage and thus prevented Cutworms, as he proved by a check experiment. Mr. Alwood uses tobacco alsoin fertilizers as insecticides. NOTES or THE YEAR IN NEW JERSEY. BY JOHN B. SMITH, During the spring of 1890 the larva? of the Clover-leaf Beetle, Phytonomus punctatus, appeared in great numbers and threatened to become seriously destructive. A fungoid disease opportunely attacking them, the vast majority were killed off before they were more than half-grown. Some few escaped, however, and the threat of injury was repeated during the spring of 1891. The numbers were not so great, however, and the fungus disease stepped in as before, destroying the larvae before they had done serious injury. Complaints of twig blight in apple were made early in the season, and on investiga- tion two coleopterous insects were found to be concerned in it. One of these, the larva of Eupogonius tomentosus, bored through the centre of the new wood, or rather that 65 Fig. 15. meetings. It is Paris green and Fig. 16. made during the previous year, and killed the twig. The beetles appeared in June. The other was a small Scolytid, probably Hypothenemus, which made short galleries in the extreme tip of the twigs infested by the Longicorn larva. It is probable that this attack is secondary, and not made while the wood was sound. Some discussion was had at our last meeting concerning the points of the tree attacked by the larva of Saperda Candida. (Fig. 15.) This led me to observe carefully during the present season, and I find that while in quince the attack is almost exclusively at the base of the tree, in apple and pear, any part of the trunk and even the larger branches may be attacked. The larvie are more numerous at the base, as a rule, but the other localities are not by any means exceptional. I know that no other larvaj were concerned, because I cut out pupaj and imagos as well, and am certain of my facts. Peach borers, the larva? of Sannina exitiosa (Fig. 16), are now largely treated by mechanical coatings to the trunk. The favourite means is the onerecom- I mended by me in the bulletins of the station and at farmers' simply a thick whitewash with glue added. I have never discouraged the use of other mechanical coatings, but have taken great pains to explain that no remedial results must be expected ; that the measure was protective merely. The use of paint, as suggested by Mr, Alwood, does not find favour, owing to a fear that injury may result to the tree. Blackberry insects have been particularly observed ; but as I have already described these, a mere mention here is all that is needed. The Eose-chafer, Macrodactylus suhspinosus, has been less destructive than usual. My studies on this insect have appeared in bulletin form, and I need only emphasize here that all my tests of remedial measures were made in the field under ordinary field con- ditions, and that the results are such as would likely be obtained by a farmer employing them. The Grape Flea-beetle made its appearance very early in the year, before even the leaves had made their appearance, and began eating the buds. I recommended collecting in kerosene pans early in the day, and this proved effective. About a pint of the beetles were sent me in grateful acknowledgment. Root maggots have been very abundant, and onions have been most severely at- tacked. In some places the young sets have been completely destroyed. This pest is now pretty well distributed in the trucking districts around Philadelphia. Aphides on orchard fruits, and particularly on apple, became very abundant during a three weeks drought near New Brunswick, and blackened tips everywhere caused serious alarm. A cold storm, lasting two days, broke the drought, and apparently checked the multiplication of the species. There was no further increase of injury, at any rate, and no other complaints reached me. The melon vines have suffered greatly from attacks of Aphides, but still more from a bacterial disease. The damage done by the latter is quite usually attributed to the Aphides, I have made some study of squash insects, more particularly of the "Borer" Mellittia ceto, of which I have previously spoken. The Stripped Beetle, Diahrotica vittata, does not bother our large growers very much. When they seem abundant, they use lime or piaster on a day when there is a gentle wind, sowing it on broadcast. The beetles fly before it and are driven off the field. The rext man takes up the work on his field, and so the beetles are driven olF until they reach some unguarded field which is then usually injured quite seriously, Epilachna borealis has been very abundant, and 5 (en.) 66 has eaten characteristic patches at the edges of the leaves. The insects made their ap- pearance as soon as the squashes were well up, but did not begin mating or ovipositing until the middle of July. Larvae were not found until August. This gives quite a long period for the mature insect. It is easily kept in check by the use of the arsenites. The Corn Bill-bug, Sphenophorus sculptilis, appeared in large numbers in Burlington, Salem, and Gloucester Counties, and perhaps in other surrounding regions. The beetle drilled the characteristic holes in the young plants at or near the surface and thus destroyed many acres of corn. I advised replanting after a short delay, and the second crop of plants was undisturbed. The insect was a new one to growers, and its appearance in such numbers caused consternation. They were most numerous on old sod, but by no means confined to such land. Diplosis pyrivora has been complained of as an injurious species for the first time. It has reached Newark, Montclair, Elizabeth, and Paterson, so far as my information extends, and has probably been in some orchards for at least three years. Where it first made its start in this State I have been unable to ascertain. The Lawrence pear is the one most generally attacked, in one orchai-d over 90 per cent, of the fruit being infested. From an examination of the infested fruit I believe the egg is laid in the ovary, or if not that, the young larva does not pierce the fruit, but follows the pistil into the ovary or seed chamber, the opening in this variety of pear being quite wide. In many cases also this same passage is used by the larva to leave the fruit where it remains sound and does not crack. This promises to be one of the most dangerous of the fruit pests. Spraying fruit trees with London purple has been very generally practised in New Jersey, and always with most gratifying results. An unexpected result has been the destruction of the fungus on the pear which so generally disfigures varieties like the Bartlett. Fruit on sprayed trees is fine and clean, that on the others is spotted and clouded and of an inferior grade. The Plum curciilio has made a plum crop almost impossible in New Jersey. I made only one experiment myself during the season, spraying one tree with the kerosene emul- sion, 1 to 12, once a week for six weeks. At the end of that pariod nearly every plum on the tree had from one to six larvae, and I called the experiment a failure. Several growers who had a few trees only report a favourable result in spraying with the arsenites, and there seems little doubt but that a certain percentage of fruit can be saved in this way. For small trees of choice varieties I suggested cutting out the egg. This was done in a few cases with absolute success. It leaves only a trifling scar, no more than that of the original puncture, and is certain in effect. Of course this would not answer on a commercial scale, but for choice fruit in the garden it is not impractical, and might be used to supplement spraying with arsenites. I have followed out my inquiries into the action of certain fertilizers as insecticides, and am more than ever convinced that in kainit we have a powerful agent for the destruc- tion of forms infesting sod-land. Where this material is used before planting corn even on old sod, cutworms and wireworms will do no injury. In addition, I always advise fall plowing to give the winter a chance. Direct experiments in the laboratory show that Elater larvae will die in soil that contains kainit, though it acts slowly and two weeks are required to produce a complete result. The experiments will be given in detail elsewhere. Mr. Alwood, in discussing, said that ne had recommended London purple against Fuscicladium for some years. 67 GOVERNMENT WORK AND THE PATENT OFFICE. BY C. V. RILEY, WASHINGTON, D.C. [Author's Abstract.] The paper was based on a patent recently obtained by three parties in California for the treatment of trees by hydrocyanic acid gas for the destruction of scale-insects and other insects that injuriously affect trees. It reviewed at length the efforts of the Department in this line of investigation, and showed conclusively that this gas treatment had originated and been perfected by one of the agents of the Division of Entomology, who had, in fact, for the past five years, been carrying on a series of experiments in this particular line under the author's direction ; that so soon as the treatment came to be recognised as of the greatest utility and perfected so that it was cheap and available to all needing to use it, application for a patent was made by the parties in question, and in spite of an official protest from the Department of Agriculture pending the application, a patent was finally granted, as, under the law, the Commissioner of Patents has no rio-ht to consider ex parte testimony pending examination, even though offered by an officer of the Government in the interest of the public. The fact that the process had been fully described and recorded in official reports from the Department of Agriculture did not prevent the issuing of the patent. So valuable is this treatment considered that an efl:brt has been made in southern California to subscribe the sum of $10,000 to buy the ri^ht from the patentees. The author remarked that he personally had no hesitation in advisin^ the orange-growers to pay no heed to the claims of the patentees, and that it would be wiser to combine to oppose them if suit were brought than to subscribe to give them an undeserved and valuable royalty. His own conviction was that the patent was invalid and the certificate but a piece of paper carrying no absolute evidence of priority of invention ; and it is greatly to be regretted that, through legal technicality or otherwise, it should ever have been granted. The author mentioned other cases of this kind where, after years of labour and lar»e expenditures on the part of the Department of Agriculture, valuable results had been obtained. In some cases they took the form of mechanisms, which were described and figured in the official reports ; in other cases of mere discoveries. He said : " There is nothing more discouraging to an officer of the Government en^^af^ed in original investigations, with a view to benefiting the public, than the efforts of various private individuals to appropriate the results, of which the foregoing case is an example. I have been engaged now for nearly a quarter of a century either as a State or Govern- ment officer in investigations, having for their object in the main the protection of plants and domestic animals from the attacks of injurious insects. Either directly or with the -aid of assistants these investigation have resulted in some important discoveries of uni- versal application, and I can say with pride that, though often urged to take personal advantage of such discoveries, I have in no single instance accepted a fee for information given, or received a dollar from any application of these discoveries, even where others have reaped fortunes. As a salaried officer my duty was plain, and I make the statement, without boastfulness and simply to emphasise the discouraging fact, that in every instance where the benefit to the public has been great, either the honour has been contested by private parties or else means have been taken by private individuals to control, throuo-h patent or otherwise, the discoveries for their personal ends." It would seem that on this account the Patent Office should endeavour, in considering applications for patents for objects which the Government is already endeavouring to accomplish, to ascertain fully what the Government has done, as any other course will tend to pervert, discourage and neutralize all honest etfort3 made by other Departments of the Government for the public good. It would seem, also, that there is need of some modification of the law in so far as Government evidence is concerned. 68 Mr. B. P. Mann said that no patent can be held valid unless held by the inventor. The Government ought to get out a patent on the broad invention, and it could then prevent the present holders of the patent from using it. Mr. Riley and Mr. Mann further discussed the subject. The president announced that a reception, to which all were invited, would be held at Mr. Kiley's residence, Sunbury, Wyoming avenue, at 7 o'clock this evening. The meeting then adjourned. AFTERNOON SESSION. The meeting was called to order at 2.30 p.m. by President Fletcher. Twenty- eight persons were present. The minutes of the preceding session were read and approved. The committee on nominations reported the following nominations for the ensuing year : For president, J. A. Lintner, of New York. For first vice-president, S. A. Forbes, of Illinois. For second vice-president, J. H. Comstock, of New York. For secretary, F. M. Webster, of Ohio. On motion, the report of the committee was adopted, the committee was discharged, and the officers named were declared elected. The name of George H. Hudson, of Plattsburg, New York, was presented by Mr. Lintner ; that of H. A. Morgan, of Louisiana, by Mr. Weed ; that of B. P. Mann, of the District of Columbia, by Mr. Bruner, and that of Miss M. E. Murtfeldt, of Missouri, by Mr. Riley. All of these names were ordered to be inscribed upon the roll of members. On motion of Mr. Howard, seconded by Mr. Smith, it was resolved that the next meeting of the society be held at the place of, and two days preceding, the next meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mr. Riley read a paper entitled " Dermestes vulpinus and Tobacco," which is held for publication elsewhere. Mr. South wick stated that he had found Dermestes under the bark of a mahogany log in New York, and that it had entered this crevice for pupation after having originally fed upon some animal matter. A NOTE ON PARASITES. BY L. O. HOWARD, WASHINGTON, D. C. The object of this brief note is to impress upon the members of this Association the fact that one cannot be too careful in statements for publication concerning the relation between a given parasite and its host. The possibilities for error are very great, as a few instances will show. In 1882, while studying the Army Worm at Huntsville, Ala., I noticed an Ichneu- monid walking about a fence-rail over which the worms were swarming in countless numbers. The parasite was apparently excited, walked and flew from one part to another, occasionally lighted upon a caterpillar and brought her ovipositor into position. I captured her, and in my notes wrote " Found ovipositing upon the larva of Leucania unipitncta" Now it transpires that this Ichnenmonid was Bassus scutellaius, and as the consensus of rearing experiments shows, the species of this genus are parasites of Diptera, and my inference was in all probability entirely mistaken. If the original observation had been published it would have been absolutely necessary for perfect safety to have detailed the circumstances in order that future students should not be misled. 69 Recently a well-known entomologist sent to Professor Riley specimens of the common Pteromalus puparum with the record " Reared from the cells of a mud- wasp." From what we know of the habits of this parasite we may take it for granted that had the entomolo- gist in question examined the cells of his mud- wasp he would have found specimens of some lepidopterous larva or pupa stored up as food for the young of the wasp and that from these stored-up insects the parasite had emerged. Within the last few weeks specimens of a Chalcidid were received from a most care- ful observer and excellent collector, with the statement that they were reared from the eggs of a saw-fly deposited in a willow leaf. While I am not in the habit of discrediting any statement which this gentleman makes, and while I have learned by experience that his accuracy is something astonishing in this world of error, the fact remains that this parasite is plainly from the known habits of its near relatives an enemy of some lepidopterous or dipterous leaf miner, and that never under any circumstances would it have been an egg parasite. He had probably put his willow leaf in a pill box and had later found the parasites in the box. He did not examine the leaf carefully for traces of a leaf miner or he would never have sent in the record. Where the parasite is reared from a gall or from a twig burrowed by some other insect it often happens that it is assumed to be parasitic upon the gall maker or upon the most abundant iwig borer. Such an assumption should never be made without a complete statement of the facts and without the most careful examination of gall and twig, to see whether they were not inhabited by other insects either as inquilines or parasites, or in the case of twigs as perhaps unnoticed borers. Instances like these might be multiplied, but this will sufiice to indicate the absolute necessity, first, of extreme care in forming conclusions, second, of detailing all circum- stances which may possibly have led to error. It is only by such careful work as this that we can ever arrive at proper conclusions concerning the group habits of parasites. Our present published records are full of errors and require a most careful sifting of evidence, which in many instances can no longer be obtained. The most heterogeneous and unlikely errors in many genera are published, and the discriminating work is of extremely slow accomplishment. Mr. Fletcher stated that he had seen an Ichneumon ovipositing upon a glume of wheat upon which there was no insect. Mr. Doran stated that he had reared a parasite from Bnichus sciUellaris. Mr. Howard stated that this parasite was probably an undescribed species of Mr. Ashmead's genus Bruchophagus. REPORT OF A TRIP TO KANSAS TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED DAM- AGES FROM GRASSHOPPERS. BY HERBERT OSBORN, AMES, IOWA. In accordance with instructions received July 24, to visit and report on grasshopper injury in western Kansas I started the following morning for Kansas and improved every opportunity on the way to learn of grasshopper injury. The following account is in ad- vance of a report prepared for Dr. Riley. At Des Moines, where I waited a few hours for the Kansas City train, I went through a large number of Kansas papers, kindly placed at my service in the office of the State Register and Iowa Homestead, without, however, getting any information except assertions in some places that there were no hoppers in Kansas. From a gentleman lately through Arizona, I learned of the appearance of consider- able numbers in that Territory, and the expectation that these might be travelling east- 70 ward. At Kansas City I was equally unsuccessful, the only information received there being the statement ot railroad men as to the occurrence of hoppers on the railroad in Colorado (the case investigated by Professors Snow and Popenoe), and of some in Arizona, along the line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. At Topeka I went first to the office of the State Board of Agriculture. The Secretary, Mr. Mohler, was absent, but the gentlemen present, Messrs. Longshore and Niswander, kindly gave me a full statement as to the information the office contained. They receive reports from over 600 correspondents who are scattered over the entire State, the western portion being well represented. They assured me that not a single report had been received by them which mentioned injury from grasshoppers, and they were posicive that no damage was being done. At the newspaper offices I received similar replies, except that in the office of the Kansas Democrat I learned of a report that some damage had been done in Kearney County. As this report, however, was somewhat indefinite, I hesitated to make it the basis of a special trip to the extreme southwest part of the State, and Lawrence being so near at hand, I concluded to go there to see if Professoi" Snow had any recent information. Professor Snow was absent, but his assistant, Mr. V. L. Kellogg, kindly gave me all the information he could. He said that they had heard nothing from the region that had been examined by Professors Snow and Popenoe in Colorado except that the winged insects were moving south, and he was sure that none of these had entered Kansas. He also informed me that they had received information of injuries at Garden City, and showed me specimens of Caloptemis diff'erentialis and hivittatus received from there. This information tending to substantiate the report of damage in Kearney County, I decided to visit Garden City, and took the first train for that place. On the way I kept, careful outlook for any signs of damage, and improved the opportunity of occasional stops to collect specimens and inquire of residents as to the prevalence of grasshoppers. All answers agreed in denial of any unusual numbers of grasshoppers or of injury from them, and it was not till I reached Garden City that I learned of any damage. Here I was told that the alfalfa fields were being ruined, and it was only a short time after my arrival that I was in a held a mile from town where the conditions showed at once the state of affairs to be serious. The alfalfa was badly stripped, the blossoms and seed entirely eaten up, and in many patches the stems were stripped bare of leaves, looking brown and dead. The grasshoppers, mostly diferentialis, with a considerable number of bivittatus, when rising in front of me as I walked through the field, formed a cloud eight or ten feet high and so dense as to hide objects beyond them. Here I noticed a number of grasshoppers dead from the attacks of parasitic Tachina. From this field I went to another, owned by the same man, which was also well filled with grasshoppers, but the injury here was less, especially around the buildings, where a large number of turkeys were doing excellent service in killing the hoppers and at the same time adding rapidly to their own weight. In a field of sorghum directly adjoining there was also considerable injury, but differentialis seemed scarce, while a bright green species, Acridiuia frontalis, Thos., was abundant and apparently the principal agent of destruction. This species was also noticed here and in other places occurring in great abundance on the wild sunflower so common on these plains, and the question arose whether this was not its natural food plant and its attacks on sorghum incidental. The day following I spent the forenoon with Dr. Sabin, who kindly furnished a horse and cart and accompanied me in examining a number of farms within five miles of Garden City, where alfalfa fields and orchards were injured. 1 met and talked with a number of farmers who had suffered from grasshopper depredations, and the information received from them with what I gained by personal observation satisfied me that losses could be avoided by proper measures. 71 I learned that the same injuries extended fartlier west along the river where alfalfa was grown, and I proceded from Garden City to Lakin, observing on the way that all alfalfa fields showed presence of grasshoppers, but that in some cases the bloom was still free from serious injury or destroyed only in patches. At Lakin I learned that injury had been serious, especially on the place of Mr. Longstreth, some two miles from town. Some fields near the river and occupying low land were noticed in full bloom and .showing little damage, but still grasshoppers could be found in abundance by closer inspection of the fields. Mr. Longstreth's son, being in town, drove me out to his father's farm, and accom- panied me on a tour through his extensive orchard of ten acres, his oat fields and alfalfa fields, in all of which the damage had been serious. Many of the trees in the orchard were entirely stripped of leaves, and in some cases the Vjark had been eaten from the limbs. The alfalfa presented the same appearance as observed in other fields. I found here a great many dead grasshoppers, whose empty shells attested the activity of Tacldnce. I was told by Mr. Longstreth that skunks were amongst the most active enemies of the grasshoppers, and he believed played an important part in reducing them. He had even seen one up in an apple tree catching hoppers on the limbs. I learned at Lakin that alfalfa was also grown in the next county west, at Syracuse, and that damage was also reported there, but on reaching the plaee found the injury slight as compared with the other places visited. In fact, aside from one farm on which some damage to alfalfa and orchard had occurred I could learn of no loss. Caloptenus differentialis I found in some numbers, and there is little doubt that unless some effort is made this fall and next spring to destroy eggs and young they will multiply as in other localities, and probably by next season prove as destructive as in them. As this point carried me into the westermost row of counties in the State, and there was no report of damage farther on, I determined to cross northward to the Missouri Pacific Road, in order to follow up some rumours regarding damage from grasshoppers at some points intervening, and which, from the descriptions given, seemed possibly to be due to Dissosteira longipennis. No point where serious loss occurred was found, however, and this species occurred but sparingly at points between Syracuse and Tribune, and occurred at Horace only in small numbers, too few to cause any apprehension for the immediate future at least. Taking the Missouri Pacific, I passed through to Kansas City without finding any evidence of damage from grasshoppers, and as T could learn of no other localities in the State than in the three counties examined where such damage was re- ported, I returned to Ames, and will now proceed to a detailed account of the territory examined, the species observed, and the special measures needed to meet the outbreak in this section. THE TERRITORY AFFECTED. The damaged territory is quite easily defined and might very properly be said to coincide with the irrigated portion of the Arkansas Valley lying in Finney, Kearney, and Hamilton Counties in southwest Kansas. The entire irrigated district, however, is not equally injured and there are some fields much less damaged than others. The whole area covered extends with occasional breaks a distance of about fifty miles along the river and forms a strip from one to five miles wide but limited entirely to areas where irrigation has been practised, and within this limit is dependent upon the kind of crops raised. The greater damage was observed at Garden City, though nearly as bad was seen at Lakin, and but little was found at Syracuse, corresponding as near as I could learn pretty closely with the length of time since alfalfa has been made a principal crop on the irri- gated lands. THE CROrS AFFECTTD. Alfalfa is the crop in which there is the most loss, but orchards are suffering badly and were they extensive throughout the district would very probably present the heavier loss. 72 The alfalfa crop is a very profitable one aud easily grown with irrigation and has been very extensively planted, the fields devoted to it covering many thousands of acres. The injury to this crop is of such a nature that I believe practical remedies may be adopted, and. as will be stated later, active measures should be adopted this fall and next spring. THE AMOUNT OF INJURY. The great loss this year has resulted from the destruction of the seed crop. In many fields this has has been a total failure, and the loss may be considered as covering thou- sands of acres and involving many thousands of dollars. One man who had something over 100 acres in alfalfa considered that his loss amounted to about $2,000. While he expected to cut and use the crop for hay, the damage had been such that the hay would •be little better than after the seed crop had been secured, and he reckoned the full loss of the seed crop for the season. In some cases farmers were cutting for hay when they had intended to allow the crop to go to seed, and in this way were reducing the amount of their loss by the value of the crop of hay cut early over what the hay would be worth after maturing seed, the latter, of course, being much less valuable than the hay cut before seed matures. In many cases the farmers had been ccpending largely upon the crop of seed to help them out of debt, and the loss from the grasshopper injury falls heavily upon them. THE SPECIES DOING THE DAMAGE. The Differential Locust is, I think, chargeable with fully nine-tenths of the de- struction, both in alfalfa and orchards, and the reasons for its increase in this section seem to be quite evident. The irrigated fields of alfalfa furnish it with favourite food in abundance throughout the year, and have given it an opportunity to multiply rapidly without exhausting its food supply. The ditches which traverse the fields and possibly parts of the fields themselves furnish a most excellent location for the deposition of eggs, the ground being compact and for the most part undisturbed throughout the year. That the eggs are deposited in or alongside the ditches is indicated by several facts, though at the time of my visit the locusts, while pairing, were none of them ovipositing. In the first place, the greatest damage had occurred in strips on either side of the ditches, and only in the worst fields extends over the entire field ; second, at the time of my visit the pairing individuals were quite evidently collecting more particularlj'^ in these locations ; third, the testimony of those who seemed to have observed most closely agreed in placing the greatest number of young hoppers in spring along the borders of the ditches, a point which is clearly sup- ported by the injured strips so plainly to be seen. No one whom I questioned had seen the locusts in the act of ovipositing. The ditches contain no water during a large part of the year, and in fall the com- pact bottom, which doubtless affords more moisture than the fields in general, would seem an excellent place for the deposition of eggs, as well as the banks on either side. Judging by the habits of these and allied species in other locations it would be hard to conceive a more favorable place for the deposition of eggs, and it seems to me very probable that this, as well as the suitability and abundance of the food, may be considered an import- ant factor in the rapid increase of the species in the last three or four years, an increase that has taken place directly with the cultivation of alfalfa by irrigation. It would seem also that this habit renders the insect especially open to attack, and 1 see no reason why concentrated effort may not entirely prevent a repetition of the damage another year. MEASURES RECOMMENDED. The situation, it seems to me, is one deserving serious attention, but one which ofiers every hope for successful work, if the residents of the affected localities can but be in- duced to make a little effort at the proper time. 73 The injury for the present season is mainly past, as the grasshoppers are in large part mature, many already pairing, and the loss of the seed crop, the heaviest part of the loss, beyond repair. The effort, therefore, must be toward preventing +he damage another year, and it seems to be very desirable that the Division should distribute to the people of this section a careful set of directions for their guidance this fall and next spring in working against the grasshoppers. The means which appear to me from the inspection of the ground to promise most successful results would be as follows : (1) To thoroughly break up the surface of the ground in and along the ditches before winter by harrowing thoroughly, cultivating or shallow plowing, thus exposing the eggs to winter weather and natural enemies. (2) Wherever practicable, to flood the ground for a day or two at the time young locusts are hatching. I was told that the young hoppers were entirely unaffected by water, as they would crawl up the alfalfa stems and escape, and it is probable that suflScient flooding to accomplish much good in this region is out of the question. My only hope in this line would be in watching carefully for the time of hatching, and using the water before the hoppers had obtained any growth, and if abundant along the ditches, putting a little kerosene on the water. (3) A use of the hopperdozer as early in the season as possible, when I believe the treatment of a strip eight or ten feet wide on each side of the ditches would destroy so large a part of their number as to prevent any serious damage. As I learned from a number of parties the hoppers are scarcely half grown when the first crop is cut, it would seem that immediately after cutting the first crop would be the best time to use the hopperdozer. The hoppers would be large enough to jump readily and the dozers could be run very easily. It would be diflicult to use them at any other time then directly after a crop was cut, as the dense growth of alfalfa would obstruct their movement. My strongest recommendation would be the urging of effort in breaking up egg masses before winter, and then in case locusts still appear in any number in spring to resort to the dozers at first opportunity. I believe active use of these measures will be effectual, with a cost but trifling compared with the value of the crop to be saved. The information as to the species and the measures needed are covered very fully in your Bulletin on Destructive Locusts, and with some specific instruction regarding the treatment of ditches in this special locality would, I think, give the people of the district affected all the information necessary to protect themselves, and it would seem advisable to send a number of copies of that bulletin to the postmasters at G-arden City, Likin and Syracuse, to distribute to farmers who would make use of them, as well as to those whose names I will furnish for this purpose. OTHER SPECIES OBSERVED. The species next to differentialis that I should call most abundant in the injured fields was hivittatus, but taken alone its damage would have been insigni&oant. Its habits are so nearly like those of diferentialis that I see no occasion to give it further mention, and I have little doubt that any measures adopted against differentialis will prove as eflfective against this species. Still other species occurred, but seemed generally distributed, and so far as injury in the devastated fields is coucerned need no mention. THE LONG-WINGED LOCUST. Dissosteira longipennis was taken in some numbers at all points visited in Finney, Kearney, Hamilton and Greeley Counties, and as this species has caused so much injury in eastern Colorado this season, I took rather special pains to note its abundance and inquire as to any destruction resulting from it. At no point did it occur in destructive numbers, and I should not look for any injury from it in these localities in the near future at least. 74 Most of those noticed were winged, some still fresh from the pupa stage. In general all the winged ones, when disturbed, moved southward, but nothing like a general migra- tion was seen. At Lakin 1 was told by a Mr. Logan that a large black-winged grass- hopper had been common near that place, and when winged had travelled uniformly- southward. PARASITES AND DISEASE. The many parasitized grasshoppers noted indicated a multiplication of such forms, and these will undoubtedly accomplish much in reducing the numbers that can deposit eggs this fall, but I should deem it unwise to depend on them and to omit the active measures already urged. The most general parasite was apparently the Tachina flies, as the great majority of dead hoppers were found to be completely devoured within, and in most cases the opening through which the maggot had issued was to be seen. Adult Tachimr were also observed in the infested lields. Some of the dead grasshoi)pers had the appearance of having been affected with Entomophlhora, and I gathered a number in order to make an effort to cultivate the disease, but as yet have nothing to report in this line. The dfead hoppers will be kept with living ones, and if the latter take the disease we may hope to still further mul- tiply the disease by inoculating still others, and then an effort can be made to distribute the disease in the lields. Its spread, however, is evidently slow, and I do not think other measures should be neglected this season for a plan which is still uncertain. Among the natural enemies observed, toads were perhaps the most common, some of the fields containing great numbers of them, especially of half-grown individuals, and these would seem capable of greatly reducing the numbers of hoppers. A dead one^ which saved me the necessity of making a dissection to get positive proof, showed in the partly decomposed stomach the legs and other parts of grasshoppers, proving that, as would be inferred from the presence of toads in the fields, their mission was to feed upon the grasshoi)pers. The attacks of skunks upon grasshoppers, as stated by Mr. Longstreth, have already been mentioned. As the tendency is for natural enemies to multiply with the increase of any species of insect, we may look for increased assistance from this source by another year, and in connection with the measures already urged, these ought by another year to keep the insect entirely within the limits of destructiveness. THE CLOVEE-SEED CATERPILLAR. (Grapholitha inter stinctana, Clem.) BY II. OSBORN AND 11. A. GOSSARD, AMES, IOWA. On the evening of the 23rd of May many small dark brown moths were noticed flying about a clover field upon the College Farm. They were resting upon the blos- soms and among the leaves, and upon being disturbed would fly a few paces and then settle again. These moths proved upon examination to be Grapholitha inter stinctana, Clemens, the parent forms of the clover-seed caterpillar mentioned in the Entomolo- gist's Report to the Commissioner of Agriculture in 1880. We had during the past winter received specimens of clover-seed which we suspected of being damaged by this pest, which has been reported as injurious in some of the states east of us in the last year or two. The moths are also remembered as occurring at Ames in numbers some eight or ten years ago. They were not, however, at that time connected with any damage observed in clover fields. 75 The moths increased in number from the time they were first observed until, by the 3rd of June, in the early evening, when the field lay between the observer and the sun, a perfect cloud of them could be seen hovering over the blossoms as far as the eye could reach. They would spring up from under the foot like grasshoppers in a meadow on a sunshiny day. It was also noticed that they were pairing freely at this time. On the 2 1th of June an examination of 177 heads of clover taken from the field before mentioned showed 91 heads infested with the caterpillar of the moth as against 86 not infested. Many of the larvte were full grown and some were spinning their cocoons. The hay was cut at this date. An examination the next day, June 25, of 48 clover heads takenfrom scattered launches on the college campus, showed 8, or 16| per cent., of the whole infested. Examining 42 heads from a different field, cut on the 23rd and 24th of June, only 3, or 7 per cent., were found infested. The damage was done by eating into the young florets, and later into the seed vessels, causing the heads to dry up and the flowers to shell from the receptacles like ehaff. The larva is a small, greenish white caterpillar, with a dark brown head, about .25 to .30 of an inch long when full grown, many of them becoming tinged with red toward the hinder extremity as they approach the time of pupation. About the 24th of June the adults had nearly all disappeared, a few stragglers only being found by dili- gent search. Of a numVjer of larvae preserved in a breeding cage the first pupa was found July 14, but a visit the same day to the field before mentioned proved the second brood of the adults to have already appeared. An examination of dried bunches of hay left on the field disclosed some larvte in the heads, which had spun their cocoons to pupate, from which it is concluded that the caterpillars can live in the cut hay for a considerable time if not hampered in their movements. An examination of the hay from the same field stored in the barn showed all the larvse to be dead. A dead pupa was also found, but nothing living. There were no empty pupa cases found to indicate that any moths had escaped from the hay thus stored. It seems certain, theiefore, that everything that was subjected to the pressure and heat incident to storage was killed. The remedy, then, for this pest, which has caused the destruction of probably 50 per cent, of the clover seed in the field observed, is to cut the hay soon after the first brood of larvse appears, or in early June. The hay should be carefully cleaned from the field, -so that no larvfe will find harbour in stray bunches which have not been gathered up. Scat- tered clover growing by the roadsides and in the fence corners should also be carefully mown at this time, and the heads at least disposed of in some manner to insure the destruction of the larvje they may contain. This method can not but prove effective in reducing the second brood of the moths, and will also operate against the clover-seed midge Cecidomyia leguminicola. The track of the larva is very uniformly from the base of the head upward, and the younger larvae are almost invariably found near the base, and beginning their work on the florets there. It would seem, therefore, that the eggs are deposited at the base of the receptacle, and the larvaj upon hatching may begin at once upon the older florets. In working upward, roughly speaking, they usually form an irregular spiral track around the receptacle. The delicate, white, silken cocoons of this insect are spun in the head among the dried florets, frass and bits of eroded but undevoured flowers so covering them with brown as to make them difficult of detection. The pupa- work their way entirely out of their cocoons and drop to the ground before bursting their pupa cases, which may be found in abundance on the ground from which a brood has just issued. The second brood was observed pairing during the last week of July, and August 5 the larvae were found in great numbers, one having at that time spun its cocoon preparatory to pupating. The rate of growth would seem to establish that there are three broods per year at Ames, and possibly, though not probably, four. [In advance from a forthcoming bulletin. No. 14, of the Iowa Experiment Station.] 76 STANDARD FITTINGS FOR SPRAY MACHINERY. BY WILLIAM B. ALWOOD, BLACKSBURGH, VA. (Abstract by Author.) It is my desire to briefly present to this Association a matter with which doubtless many of your members are already familiar, and which I feel confident will meet the hearty approval of all the economic workers. At the Champaign meeting of the Associa- tion of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, held in November, 1890, I pre- sented a paper before the botanical section, dealing with some of the newer forms of machinery used in fungicidal work, and pointed out the great inconveniences under which we labored from the diversity of styles and sizes of fittings and thread connections used in the various machines now offered by manufacturers. The subject was considered of such importance that a motion was carried to ask the sections of entomology and horti- culture to unite with the botanists in appointing a conjoint committee, which should be charged with recommending to manufacturers such styles and sizes of connections and fittings as were thought to be most convenient in the practical work of treating injurious insects and the fungus diseases of plants. This committee, as finally organized, was composed of the writer, as chairman, Mr. G. D. Fairchild, assistant mycologist of the Department of Agriculture, and Prof. James Troop, horticulturist of the Indiana Experi- ment Station. This committee issued a circular letter to manufacturers which met with a very general and cordial response from them. Nearly every one fully endorsed the ideas sei forth by the committee, and most of the prominent parties agreed to carry out the committee's sug- gestions so far as practicable with the state of their business. By the time standard styles of fittings could be circulated among the makers of spray machinery the season of '91 was so far advanced that we could not hope to efiFect much change during the current year. However, now that interest and sympathy with this efi"ort have been awakened, we believe that it is possible through united effort to secure all we ask in this line. While we are all aware that the members of this Association are in a large part station entomolo- gists, it is also true that some very prominent members are not connected with station work ; hence my reasons for bringing this subject before you for discussion. To any one who has had actual experience in field work the importance of better, and, I will say, uniformly standard sizes of fittings, can not be doubted, and to aid in securing this desideratum is the chief purpose of my paper. I shall at an early date publish an illustrated circular dealing with the question of styles and sizes of fittings, which will give detailed information, both for the use of manufacturers and the special workers. On motion of Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Lintner, it was — Resolved, That the Association of Economic Entomologists heai tily indorses the work of the committee from the Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, appointed for the purpose of consulting the manufacturers of spray machinery, with the end in view of securing the adoption of standard sizes of connections and attach- ments on such machinery. Further, the Association of Economic Entomologists urges upon the manufacturers of this machinery the importance of acceding to the request of this committee. The Association requests the committee to publish its recommendations, with drawings and descriptions for the information of manufacturers and special workers, and to include in this publication a list of all manufacturers who have agreed to conform to the standard sizes. Mr. Kellicott stated that in his opinion firms which will not comply with the request to manufacture standard fittings should be requested to furnish an adapter to their machines which will enable their use with the standard fittings. 77 ENTOMOLOGICAL WORK IN CENTRAL PARK. BY' E. B. SOUTHVVICK, NEW YORK, N.Y. [Authox^'s abstract.] The work of the entomologists of the department of public parks is in the care of trees, shrubs and plants, under the directions issued by the president of the board of commissioners. The work of removing the egg masses of Orgyia leucostigma was the first done in this department, when twelve men were employed to clean the trees, benches, walls, and stone- work in the parks. The first autumn of our work we collected thirteen bushels of these cocoons and egg masses, leaving those cocoons that were apparently parasitized until the final cleaning. The large elms on the Mall were thoroughly cleaned with steel brushes made for the work, and each tree received a wash to destroy any insects that might be in the crevices of the bark. This work of collecting (and burning in the furnace) has been carried on each year as the force would allow, in this way keeping them in subjection. We now treat them in four different ways : (1st) By hand-picking, of which bushels are each year taken from the trees with tools especially adapted for this work. (2nd) By jarring the larv;e down with a pole, so arranged that a blow from a mallet on a projection placed at the large end of the pole will jar any down that may be on the branches. With a sudden blow most of them will fall to the ground, where they can be crushed. (3rd) By poisoning the foliage with London purple, which is quite effective and usedi especially on very large trees that can not be treated otherwise. (4th) By poisoning or spraying the trunks of large trees with an emulsion of petroleum and carbolic acid. This penetrates most of the cocoons sufficiently to kill the inmates, the disadvantage being that it kills the parasites too. This method is only resorted to when the egg masses are very numerous and we are short of help, and as a means of reducing the next'brood. Large numbers of trees were so treated this season to arrest the late summer hatchings. The next insect in abundance and destructive working was the Bag Worm, Thyri- dvpteryx ephemercpformis. Whole portions of the parks were literally stripped of their foliage • many of the trees on the drives were nearly as bare as in winter. So abundant were they that the branches were strung with their cases, and with one push of the instru- ment prepared for collecting them, a handful of these cases would be taken. Four kinds of tools were made for this work, and the cases were collected and destroyed. In this way nearly twenty-two bushels have been collected and destroyed. The Datanas have always been abundant in the parks, and as many as fifteen pounds of caterpillars have been taken from a single tree. These are collected while massed, as is their habit, and then destroyed. Hyphantria cunea is very abundant in our parks and has been destroyed by cutting down the webs as far as was possible. If the tree was too valuable, they have been twisted out with poles made especially for this work. In some cases spraying has been resorted to, but as this does not remove the unsightly web, the most practical thing to do is to remove the whole colony. Clisiocampa americana has this year appeared in our parks for the first time, and in great abundance. The webs that appear on the trees before they are in full leaf can be easily i-emoved, and in this way the finer trees can be protected. The eggs are alsO' removed in the late autumn and winter, as they are very conspicuous. Fig. 17. 78 Vanessa and Grai^ta sp. are sometimes very abundant, and are collected and destroyed as soon as discovered. Cecropia and Eacles are always abundant and on many of the smaller trees do much damage. These are hand-picked and destroyed. Alypia octomaculata (Fig. 17) is one of our most troublesome caterpillars, the great abundance of Ampelopsis vines in the parks, and especi- ally around it, covering " squatter sovereignty " houses, affords congenial food for its rapid propagation. In the parks the vines are twice annually treated with a solution of London purple, applied with a spraying machine. This is found most effective and the vines do not seem to be injured as easily as most plants by the arsenites. The Elm Beetle, Galeruca xanthomelcena, has given us an immense amount of trouble, and many thousand trees have been sprayed each year for their destruction, and with good effect. The means we have adopted during the past three years is rather more in the preventive line. As soon as the tirst eggs are found that part of the tree is at once sprayed. I am inclined to think the Elm Beetle is double-brooded with us. The Elm Borer, Zeuzera pi/rina^ is getting to be very destructive with us, already twelve species of trees and shrubs are affected by it, and during the past year two men were kept during May at collecting the larvae from broken branches. All branches as soon as detected in a weak or broken state are removed and the larvae extracted. In very choice trees the limbs are carefully examined and where holes can be found bisulphuret of carbon is put in with an oil can and putty put over the hole. This is only resorted to in the case of rare trees and shrubs. For scale insects the trees are washed with preparations and then cleaned with steel brushes, leaving all in fine condition. Many thousand trees and shrubs have in this way been put in fair condition. A large number of poisons have been experimented with for Aphis and other insects, due notice of which will be given in reports soon to be published. The spraying machine used by the department of public parks is a two-barrel machine manufactured by the Nixon Nozzle Company, Nixon, Illinois. This machine, to better adapt it for city work, has been entirely remodelled. A set of strong cab-wheels, with a strong axle, was first made, then a pair of stron g easy springs, so as to make the tank less liable to jars. The tank was lined with zinc entire, and on top of the tank was placed a well about a foot high to keep the liquid from flushing over. Un the rear of the tank was placed a box for poisons, hose, etc., and o-n the. front a box for ccats, lunches, and collecting cases and bottles. On one side of the machine and running' nearly to the horse's breast was placed the bamboo pole used to elevate the h. ose and on '.the other side long handled pruning shears. Thus equipped the men drive a'll over the city and are at any time or place ready for work at short notice. Our parks comprehend nearly 4,000 acres, and are from one extreme to the other sixteen miles apart. The work with the present force and appliances is chiefly centred in the island parks and places. SOME HISTORIC NOTES. BY A. J. COOK, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MICHIGAN. Upon special request, T am very pleased to state the following facts regarding the early use of the kerosene emulsion and of the arsenites. I used kerosene and soap mixture, as I then called it, successfully in 1877. I used very nearly the same proportions that I prefer now, heated it to dissolve the soap, and I 79 think made a permanent mixture. Dr. C. V. Riley argues that I only made a temporary mixture, which he says was made years before, although I have been unable to find the record. Whether it were an emulsion or not, it was very successfully used, as success- fully as in later years. That I appreciated the importance of the emulsio7i, or even recog- nized it or produced it except as an accident, is not true. Messrs. Birnard, Hubbard, and Riley did this as the result of extended experimentation, and heralded the facts forth to the world, and I gladly accord to them the chief credit. As to Paris green, I believe my friend Hon. J. S. Woodward, of Lockport, N.Y., was the first to announce it as a specific against the Codling Moth, which he did in the autumn of 1878. He relates to me that he advised a neighbour to use it to destroy the canker worms. The neighbour observed that the trees treated were very free from Codling Moth larvse, and Mr. Woodward divined the cause. I had a very similar experience the same year. Mr. J. W. Tafit, of Plymouth, Mich., came to me in 1878 with specimens of canker worms, which he said were destroying his orchard. I advised Paris green, which housed with the same results that greeted Mr. Woodward's neighbour. Mr. David Allen reported the facts to me. I said, " Can it be possible that the poison has worked this double benefit 1 1 will test the matter." Mr. Woodward had already announced his belief in the matter. In 1879 I made the first careful te.st and proved by a most crucial test that Paris green was not only a specific against the insect but safe to use. The results of these experiments were given at the Boston meeting of the American Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science, August, 1879. The results which I then socared were remarkable beyond what may usually be expected or hoped for. This was because I treated a small tree and took special pains that every fruit should receive the poison. As great care to-day will meet with the same success. Thus while Mr. Woodward was the first to suggest and announce this remedy, I was the first to prove and announce positively that it is both safe and efi"ective. So far as I know I was also the first to determine the best proportion — 1 pound to 200 gallons of water — and to show that it is safe to pasture in an orchard at once after the poison is applied if the applici- tion is properly made. AN EXPERIMENT WITH KEROSENE EMULSIONS. BY HERBERT OSBOEN, AMES, IOWA. The most satisfactory method of preparing the valuable kerosene emulsion is desired 'by all, and a comparative test made this season may be of interest. The first was a preparation in which the formula advocated by Professor Cook was carefully followed, using the hard soap and not the soft soap formula, the materials while still hot being thoroughly mixed with an egg beater. The result was that we had what appeared to be an excellent emulsion, but in a glass jar we could soon see a separation taking place, the white emulsified part rising to the top and the water or soapsuds gradually increasing at the bottom. This continued until there was about two-thirds or a little more of soapsuds and one-third or less of emulsion above it. While this at first could be readily mixed again a day later, the soapsuds in the bottom had hardened into a jelly that when mixed with additional water would but imcompletely dissolve and the clots included caused great inconvenience by clogging the nozzle. The other preparation, made according to the usual formula for soap emulsion (the Riley-Hubbard formula), emulsified and remained fixed with but a very few drops of soapsuds gathering at the bottom, even after days of standing, showing that the pro- D rtions were such that the soap water and kerosene balanced each other. This thick- ened to a buttery consistence, but dissolved perfectly in water, and only a trace of oil arose to the surface when thus mixed. 80 A microscopical examination of the substance prepared by Professor Cook's formula showed the buttery mass above to be apparently a good emulsion, and the jelly-like mass below to contain scarcely any traces of oil globules. A similar examination of the second preparation showed in different samples as usual a uniform emulsion. I conclude that in the first case I formed an emulsion, that is, the oil was broken into minute globules and these coated with a film of soapsuds so that they did not coalesce, but that there were such an excess of soapsuds that the emulsion separated therefrom and rose to the top. It is evident, I think, at sight that the preferable preparation is the one which combines the proportions so that no excess of either ingredient results, for, as indicated, the hardening of the thick soapsuds results in clots and these interfere with spraying, while to skim oflf the emulsion and leave the mass below is a useless labor and loss of material. In the Riley-Hubbard formula we have evidently the exact proportions carefully determined, and I feel obliged to recommend this formula when giving advice to those wishing instructions as to preparation of kerosene emulsion. A NOTE ON SILK CULTURE. BY PAUL WALLACE, LOS ANGELES, CAL. [Secretary's Abstract.] The author reviewed the attempts which have been made to raise Silkworms in this countrv, and stated that they had proven the entire adaptability of the United States to this industry. He stated that all that was needed to make it a success was either a bounty paid by the Government or an import duty upon raw silk, but to his own personal knowledge attempts in this direction were thwarted by the work of large silk manufac- turers who were bitterly opposed to the establishment of silk culture in America. He urged that the Association should use its best efforts to foster a popular sentiment an- tagonistic to such efforts on the part of the manufacturers of silk. Mr. Lintner, in discussing this paper, contended that there is no question as to our ability to raise good silk, but that it will not pay. He spoke particularly of the work of the division of entomology in experimenting in this direction. NOTES ON A FEW BORERS. BY G. C. DAVIS, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MICHIGAN. If we go on the principle that " every little helps," even though it be slight and incomplete, then perhaps a few notes incidentally picked up on our forest borers may be of some utility at this time. Dr. Packard's work on forest insects, so recently is-ued, is of inestimable value to the working entomologist, but by the reporting of the few obser- vations we happen to make while at our other work we can make the volume still more complete and helpful. Perhaps the habits of some of these species may already be known, but as they have not been specially reported in this work, reference is here made to them. From the maple was reared the Cerambycid borer Acanthoderes decipiens. It was found as a pupa in the rude chip case just under the bark. The cylindrical burrow made in its exit extended well in toward the heart of the tree and through quite sound wood. Another Cerambycid, Leptura proxima, was found quite numerous in blocks of hard maple sawed from the tree the winter previous. The grubs were quite large, and it was 81 thought that they would pass through the transformations that season, but it was not until a year from the following May that the first beetle issued. From the data given it seems that the borer must require two or more years to reach maturity. In " Forest Insects " Dr. Packard mentions Lyctus striatus under the list headed " Found in rotten oak wood ; not known to be injurious." We have quite recently found them issuing from a red oak floor in one of our college halls. The floor was laid two years previous to the time of this appearance, and the lumber was seasoned at that time. The beetles issued from the sap wood only, and probably were feeding there when the tree was sawed into lumber. In order to learn more of their habits quite a number were placed in a glass jar con- taining a branch of green oak, one of dead oak, and a seasoned stick from the shop. The beetles preferred the latter when first introduced, and made themselves at home by boring a hole entirely through it diagonally the first night. Mating took place in a few hours after issuing and eight days later ovipositing was first noticed. Mating again took place before each egg was deposited. This seems essential, as a female was placed by herself immediately after mating the first time, and, although watched for several weeks after the others had died, no sign of ovipositing was noticed. The branch of green oak was preferred in depositing the eggs, and none were placed on the stick from the shop. Ovi- positing occurred about once in half an hour and lasted but one day. One week after oviposition young larvte were found. We are in hopes to get the complete life history from them. From the oak posts of one of our summer houses were taken quite a number of Phymatodes dimidiatus along with P. variws. Four different kinds of wood — elm, maple, hickory, and ironwood — besides the oak, enter into the construction of the chalet, but none of the others showed signs of borers, while the oak was well perforated. The species seem to work mostly just beneath the bark. Two specimens of Alaus oculatus were taken in the trunk of a white oak near the partially decayed heart. A full-grown larva of this was also found in the trunk of a " sappy " aspen. On the 10th of June a piece of bark was torn from an aspen (Populus tremuloides) that had but recently died, and under it signs of insect depredations were quite evident. Upon further investigation the bark and wood were found to be almost entirely separated. Underneath, the wood was yet sound and quite green. Here were found galleries pene- trating almost to the heart, and in them were found Enchodes sericea in the imago stage, although some of them were yet in the pupa case and nearly as soft and white as a pupa. These beetles belong to the family Melandryidse, which contains a number of quite diversified genera that in general live on fungi or under bark. As far as their habits are known those living under bark do not seem to be injurious as borers, and whether we can consider this species as merely working in decayed wood or as a borer in green wood can hardly be decided by this one instance. It is certain that the larvee are capable of pene- trating sound wood. The beautiful little Buprestid, Pcecilonota cyanipes was reared from the aspen. When found, June 9th, it was in the pupa state in the axil between the body of the tree and quite a large branch. So much had been eaten around the base that the branch was already dead. Mr. Harrington reports capturing the species on a dead Avillow stump, and Mr. Fletcher a specimen on a dead aspen stump in Ontario. Galls made on branches of the willow, Salix discolor by Agrilus torpidus have been found quite common in certain districts near here, and in other districts was found Saperda concolor in galls equally as numerous. In no case yet noticed have the two been found in close proximity. The galls made by the Buprestid are an oval swelling of the live branch very similar to the one made by the Saperda. Inside there is a ditierence in the architecture of the home. While the Saperda remains mostly within the swelling and makes its exit through it, the Agrilus bores an oval gallery downward from the gall, sometimes in the pith, but oftener indiscriminately through the wood, and makes its exit often an inch and a half below. The imago issued about a month later than the Saperda. 6 (EN.) 82 From the Saperda galls were reared two specimens of parasites. One of these is Pimpla pedalis and the other belongs to the genus liracon, which we have yet been unable to get named. Galls on the willow also yielded us a few specimens of the handsome Sesiid, Sciap- teron trioincta, as named by Professor Fernald. The galls did not differ in appearance exteinsilly from the others. Inside the gall a tunnel was made downward along the centre for an inch. The whole cavity was lined with a soft, delicate, though very strong, buff cocoon, and undisturbed in this silken bed the larva passed through its transforma- tions to the moth. From Ilylesinus acuelatus, the Ash Scolytid, was reared a species of Bracon, pro- nounced by Mr. Aphmead as probably a new species. From a species of trefoil, Plelea trifoliata, was reared a species of the Tineid genus Ilyponomeuta. Wherever the shrub was found the thin white web was quite common early in the spring before the leaves were out. The.se webs were always at the terminal portions of the green shoots. Tlie caterpillars, entering the stalk usually at tlie terminal bud, would bore down through the pith some three to six inches in the shoots connected by the web. The larvae seem to remain in the stalk only part of the time, but spend the remainder of the time above in the web. The twigs, of course, are killed down as far as the iarva^ go, which greatly mars the symmetry and beauty of the bush. This habit of boring is probably a generic characteristic, as several European species are mentioned as having similar habits. THE POPLAR GONIOCTENA. BY A. .J. COOK, AGRICULTURAL COLLKGE, MICHIGAN. The past spring the poplars about the Michigan Agricultural College were seriously and extensively defoliated hj a Ohrysomelid beetle, Gonioctena pallida Linn. The larvse were first found in early June, so that we did not have the eggs. The larva is much like the Elm-leaf Beetle in form and colour. The beetles appeared June 21. They are yellowish brown, except the eyes, epicranium, two horn-like spots, and a central oval spot on the posterior portion of the prothorax, the scutellum, two large spots, one on each elytron near the scutellum, two nearly as large rounded .spots near the suture, and just posterior to the centre, three small spots along the lateral margins, and the entire under- side of the body except a narrow margin, which are black. The beetles came forth late in June, but we found no larvae or eggs. NOTES OF THE SEASON FROM SOUTH DAKOTA. BY J. M. ALDRICII, BROOKINGS, S. DAKOTA. Cutworms have been more injurious than ever before. From limited data, I judge that the loss in the State reaches several millions of dollars. Corn, flax, gardens, and other crops suffered about in the order mentioned. At our station the large Willow Sawfly {Cinibex americana) is much less injurious than for several years. I have reared six or seven species of parasites from it, four of them being numerous. The Cottonwood Leaf Beetle is with us in large nuiibers, as usual. Our experiments in spraying with arsenites for this insect are more successful than heretofore, and I now feel confident that it can be controlled (though not exterminated) by this method. Our new Russian poplars, so desirable in other respects, are chosen by the beetle in preference to Cottonwood. Gooseberries have suffered from a combined attack of the Spanworm (^Eiifitchea ribearia) and the Sawfly. 1 have not observed the latter in our State till this year. The Ash Borer (Trochilimn /raxini,Lugger) is still increasing rai)idly, and will probably destroy most of the ash trees in the neighbourhood of the station in two or three seasons more. The Ash Sawfly and the Sphinxes (Ceratomias) are assisting to a noticeable ex- tent. The ash is a V)ad investment in our locality. In May the station procured five colonies of bees, aiming merely to see what they would do, with ordinary care, in a region devoid of natural timber with its accompanying honey plants (the nearest is five miles away). We have now increased to ten strong colo- nies. I have taken off 35 pounds of line honey, and shall probably get 100 pounds or so of fall honey. Considering that the original swarms were weak, I think the record good so far. Of course the winter will try them. A building 16 by 32 was erected this year for our department. It has a win^ 12 feet square for bees. In the main part we have au olKce and a small breeding room. We moved into the new quarters July 1. A NOTE ON REMEDIES FOR THE HORN FLY. BY WM. B. ALWOOl), BLACKSBURG, VA. This plague to cattle, which has now become so common throughout several of the Atlantic coast States demands attention from workers in economic entomology. Doubtless some very good recommendations have been made by Dr. Riley, Professor Smith, and others, but as conditions vary we are bound to treat such questions from the standpoint of local practicability. The recvjmmeudation to lime the droppings when practical may prove a very good way of dealing with this pest, but with me it is quite impractical from the fact that lime is neither cheap nor easy to procure, and this is the case in many parts of Virginia. Some two years since, from a suggestion of mine in a lecture at Charlottesville, Va., the late Henry M. Magruder began the use of kerosene emulsion on his dairy cattle. The ap]:>lication was made with a Japy knapsack pump, and though it liad to be repeated vith frequency, proved a considerable success. During the year 1890 I frequently recommended this remedy, stating that the standard emulsion (Hubbard formula) should be diluted ten to fifteen time.s. The Horn Fly did not become troublesome at our place, which is in the upper mountains of southwest portion of the State, until late in 1890, and I did not as a consequence, have opportunity to treat this insect myself. However, the present year they showed themselves in abundance in July, and I concluded to try my own recom- mendations. The experiments were made upon ten dairy cows, beginning with plain emulsion diluted ten times. I found that this killed a majority of the flies actually wetted with it and produced considerable immunity from attack for the space of one or two days. De- siring to make the treatment more effective, I used as diluent a water extract of tobacco waste, made by thoroughly boiling one pound of tobacco in each gallon of water. This used with emulsion, 1 to 10 parts, gave almost perfect immunity for a period of three days. My work shows that two treatments with this preparation per week almost entirely relieve the cattle from annoyance. I make the application with a knapsack pump fitted with a cyclone nozzle. The work is most conveniently done just after milkin"- in the morning. Two men treat the cows rapidly, requiring about one minute per cow, and using from one to two pints of liquid. The preparation as given above cau.ses no particu larly unpleasant odor, and thus far the milkers have made no complaint whatever con- cerning its use on cows. 84 The President announced that he had received letters of regret from Mr. J. H. Oom- stock, Mr. C. W. Hargitt, Mr. H. Gartnan, Mr. 0. P. Gillette, and Mr. C. H. Tyler Townseod. On motion of Mr. Alwood, seconded by Mr. Smith, it was resolved that Mr. Riley be requested to publish the proceedings of this meeting in Insect Life, and on motion of Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Bruner, the Secretary was instructed to send an abstract of the proceedings to the Canadian Entomologist. On motion of Mr. Southwick, the Association passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Riley and the members of his office force for the courtesies to members during the meeting of the Association. On motion of Mr. Osborn, a vote of thanks was extended to the President for his able efforts to make the meeting a success. The Association then adjourned. L. 0. HOWARD, Secretary. Just after tho adjournment of the meeting the following communication was received from Mr. Snow, one of the vice-presidents of the Association, which, although it can not properly be incorporated in the minutes, may be properly appended here : THE CHINCH BUG DISEASE AND OTHER NOTES. BY F. H. SNOW, LAWRENCE, KANS. In response to your circular letter asking for notes of work done in economic ento- mology during the past year I beg to submit the following brief and incomplete account of the work done in Kansas this year under my direction in the matter of the artificial dis- semination of a contagious disease or diseases among chinch bugs : The legislature of the State of Kansas at its last session in the winter of 1890-'91 made an appropriation of $3,500, available during the years 1891-'92, for the purpose of carrying on these experiments. With this money I have been enabled to largely increase the facilities of my laboratory and to conduct on a rather extended scale practical experi- ments in the field. According to a provision in the act of appropriation, I am required to make a monthly report to be printed in the official State paper of Kansas, the Topeka Dally Capital. From my l--jst report, made on July 15, I quote as follows : Since making the last report, June 15, the wheat has ripened and mostly been har- vested. The chinch bugs at harvest time left the wheat fields and invaded the fields of young corn. The experiments of 1889 and 1890 were carried on among bugs in the corn fields, and the experiments of this year in wheat fields are thus new features in the work. The results have been gratifying, but the reports from this year's corn fields and the in- vestigations of my field assistant, Mr. Hickey, show that the massing of the bugs in the hills of corn offers more favorable conditions for the successful workings of the disease than the usual conditions incident to the presence of bugs in wheat. The hatching and appearance of the young bugs is a feature in the work added since the last report. It is with satisfaction that I note the evident communicability of the disease from old to young bugs by contact. The young bugs are as susceptible to the infection as the old ones. The part of the State reporting bugs in the corn fields lies between 96° 30' and 98'* 30' west longitude ; or between a line drawn through Marshall, Pottawatomie, along the eastern boundary of Geary, Morris, Chase, and along the eastern boundary of Greenwood, Elk and Chautauqua Counties, and a line drawn along the eastern boundary of Jewell, Mitchell, Lincoln, Ellsworth, Rice, Reno, Kingman, and Harper Counties. This bug-in- 85 fested belt extends clear across the State from north to south. Scattering reports of the presence of the bugs are in from various eastern counties, and from a few west of the 98'^ 30' line. Up to date (11 a.m., July 15) infected bugs have been sent out from my laboratory to 1,700 applicants. To several of these applicants second lots of infected bugs have been sent, owing to failure to use the first lot for various reasons, and occasionally because of failure to get good results from the first experiment. But as many, if not more, persons have got dead bugs from fields wherein the bugs are dying because of infection sent out from my laboratory as have received bugs directly from me. Each successful field ex- periment has been the means of establishing a secondary distributing centre. It is evident that the experiment of killing chinch bugs by infection with fungoid and bacterial disease is being given a trial on a large scale. The reports for the past month (June 15 to July 15) have been gratifying, in that they show a good percentage of success. How- ever, reports are not made out as carefully as they should be, and worse, many experi- menters make no reports. I desire to have a report on every lot of infected bugs sent out. Because of the difficulty of getting careful reports from the field, I sent out Mr. E. C. Hickey, an intelligent university student doing special work in natural history, as a fi^eld agent. Mr. Hickey's last trip was through Chautauqua, Harvey, Sumner, Cowley, Butler, Greenwood, and Elk Counties, lasting from June 12 to July 6. He visited seventy-two persons who had experimented with infected bugs, and found over 80 per cent, of the seventy-two experiments successful. Mr. Hickey personally visited the corn fields, and verified by careful observations the statements of the farmers. The laboratory facilities for sending out infected bugs have been largely increased, and all demands can be promptly met. Application for infected bugs received in the morning's mail are answered with bugs and directions on the noon outgoing trains, The work of scientific investigation in the laboratory is going on steadily and carefully. In- oculation experiments from pure cultures of Sporotrichum will be reported on next month. A feature of the work unnoticed previously in this report is the prevalence of Empusa, the fungus with which the first successful experiments were conducted. Empusa and Sporotrichum develop side by side in the infecting cages, and dead bugs sent in from fields where the bugs are dying show both fungi. At the close of the season I hope to present a full report of the laboratory investigations, which the brief monthly reports oflTer no space for. Prof. S. A. Forbes, the eminent State entomologist of Illinois, who has experimented in his laboratory on the development of parasitic fungi in insects and who early noted the bacterial disease of the chinch bugs, visited my laboratory last week. He expressed the hope that a series of field experiments such as are now being carried on in Kansas could be conducted in Illinois. In closing, I may say that the outcome of the work so far this year is highly en- couraging. Since making this report the requests for infected bugs have grown much less numerous. The laboratory experiments have been carried on with more attention paid to bacteria. So far I have been unable to successfully infect bugs in the laboratory from pure cultures of Sporotrichum. The Sporotrichum grows readily on a medium composed of beef broth and Irish moss, and pure cultures are easily obtained. Other experiments with these cultures are necessary, however, to make this statement i)Ositive. Empusa will not fruit on the plates. It behaves very peculiarly. Long erect filaments are sent out strikingly different from the customary hyphpe, but no spores are produced. As re- gards the bacteria, I am assured that the forms in my cultures are identical with Burrill's Micrococcus insectorum, two slides of which have been furnished me by Professor Forbes. This Micrococcus is found almost without exception in bugs which have died in the field and been sent in for examination. Another Micrococcus, larger and almost perfectly cir- cular in optical plane, is often present in dead and dying bugs. Spraying experiments with fluids containing this Micrococcus give no successful results in infection. I am not in position at present to make a full report of the season's work in the field and laboratory. This report I shall make late in the fall. 86 Other injurious insects besides the chinch bug in Kansas especially noticeable this year were the Hessian Fly, in about the same abundance as usual. Much damage is annually done by this pest. The Wheat Straw Worm {Isosoma tritici) was reported from a dozen or more counties of the state in June. It occasioned considerable alarm and really did some damage to the wheat in central and western Kansas. I received reports of the presence of the worm from twenty-seven correspondents. It appeared in wheat which had been planted on stubble ground, though the state of affairs shown in one or two reports contradicted this general condition. One correspondent reports the worm in wheat planted on sod ; another in a field of 40 acres new ground, only grown to wheat once before, plowed last fall and after the wheat had come up fed off so close that the field looked quite bare. The Wheat Head Army Worm (Leucania alhilinea) was reported in June from a few fields. However, little damage was done. An attempted grasshopper scare was put down by a little investigation. Grasshop- pers were reported to be in immense numbers in eastern Colorado and overflowing into Kansas. I made a trip to the infested region and found the grasshoppers to be a local species (Dissosteira lo7igipermis) which was in great abundance over about 300 square miles of country near Arriba, Colo. Of course, no danger to Kansas was to be feared from these locusts. Arriba is 70 miles west of the Kansas line. The limits of the in- fested area extended approximately from Limon 16 miles east, 9 miles north, 7 miles west, and diagonally southeast to Hugo, 15 miles. Within this area the two favoured grasses of the range, buffalo and gramma grass, were eaten to the ground. The swarms when visited (July 17) were almost entirely composed of pupee. Reports agree that the eggs from which these swarms were hatched were deposited last fall by the locusts which flew into this area in August and September from the south. And by observations during my trip and by regular reports received since then I discovered that the locusts as fast as their wings were acquired were flying south. Whenever there was a favouring wind from the north the winged individuals would rise high in the air and fly directly southward, having massed in great numbers along the southern boundary of the infested area. When the wind was from the south, however, no flying would be indulged in. The rate of progress of the army of immature locusts was northward at the rate of 9 miles in about two weeks ; eastward at the rate of 2^ miles in 12 days. Over the face of the country traversed by the hosts the ground looked bare and brown, owing to the almost complete destruction of the grass leaves. When the devouring multitudes were at work upon the grass the noise of the grinding of their jaws was distinctly audible as a well-defined crackling sound. About the station of Limon the hogs of the town were fattening upon the locusts, which also furnished food for turkeys, chickens and hawks. ENTOMOLOGICAL CLUB OF THE A. A. A. S. The Entomological Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held its annual meeting at Washington, D. C, August 19-22, 1891, the President, H. Osborn, of Ames, Iowa, in the chair. This meeting was one of the most successful ever held both in point of attendance and interest ; seven sessions were held, at which forty- two persons were present, the average attendance being twenty-two. The Entomological Society of Ontario was represented by its Vice-President, Mr. J xmes Fletcher, of Ottawa. A full official account of the proceedings has been published in the October and Novem- ber numbers of the Canadian Entomologist (1891) tD which the reader is referred. 87 THE NORTHERN MOLE CRICKET. {Gryllotalpa borealis, Burm). BY JAMES FLETCHER, OTTAWA. The above-named and most interesting insect is I believe rare in Canada, as I have for some years endeavoured unsuccessfully to obtain Canadian specimens. Good luck, however, has at last favoured me. During the month of September last I was much pleased to find amongst several packets of " live-stock " sent in for identification, one con- taining a fine living female Mole Cricket. This was sent by Mr. W. W. Hilborn, who had caught it in his garden at Leamington, in Essex county, Ont. My correspondent stated that the insect was the first he had seen, and that none of his neighbours knew it. Upon opening the box carefully an exceedingly active seal-brown velvety creature was seen to buiTow down out of sight beneath the light earth with which the box was half filled. The contents of the box were then emptied into a tall glass jar, which I keep for the purpose ot examining strange or refractory prisoners when they are first sent in. I at once recognized my visitor as the long looked for mole cricket, and my pleasure was much enhanced by finding it a far more beautiful and interesting creature than I had anticipated. The only way to understand the habits of insects properly is to study them in a living state, and the pleasure thus derived is so great that all who once begin this method of investigation soon become fascinated with it. The Mole Cricket seems to be easily domesticated, and I have now had this specimen in confinement for nearly three months in a glass jar in my otfice, and it is apparently in perfect health. From being noc- turnal in its habits and passing nearly all its life beneath the surface of the earth, it is rather difiicult to observe. Its movements as it runs over the surface of the ground or over the hands are less insect-like than those of any member of that class which so far has come under my observa- tion and remind one very forcibly of the movements of an otter. Its bright black eyes and the way it turns its head and looks up at you giving it a very animal-like appearance. A few weeks after the arrival of the female another specimen was sent to me from the same locality, by Mr. George H. Mills, of Leamington. It had been found in a ditch which was being cut through a swamp, and it was stated that it had appeared to be per- fectly at home in water, swimming with great ease. This proved to be a male but it had been injured in some way during its journey of 500 miles in the mail bag and died a few days after arrival. The Mole Cricket (Fig. IS) belongs to the order Orthoptera, which contains the grasshoppers, locusts, cockroaches, etc., and to the family Gryllidce or crickets. It takes its name from its resemblance in burrowing habits to the small mammal after which it is called. For these habits it has its front pair of legs similarly modified so as to especially adapt them for digging. They are certainly the most remarkable feature about this insect and deserve special attention. They are short, but exceedingly strong. The tibije or shanks, which can be closed tightly into grooves on the thighs, are flattened and broadly triangular in shape, bearing on the lower edge four curved and hollowed claw like projection.s, the outer two of which are dis- tinctly articulated at the base. These digging " hands " are turned somewhat obliquely outwards like those of the mole, and this throws the tarsi or feet to the outside where they are attached to the shanks at about its centre. The feet are no less remarkable than the shanks ; they consist of three joints, the first two of which are broad, flattened and claw-like, the first much larger than the second. These two joints lie obliquely in front of, and reach as far as the tips of the two articulated claws of the shanks, which undoubtedly strengthen them very much when in use. The third joint is small, oval in shape, and bears two weak, almost straight claws ; this joint lies at the back of the first two and is almost hidden Vjetween them and the two corresponding claws of the shank. The other legs are comparatively weak and the hind legs are not formed nor strengthened as in other crickets for leaping, they are twice as long as those of the second pair ; but are only slightly swollen. Fig. 18. 88 The female which is larger than the male, is a little more than 1 J inches in length from the front of the head to the end of the abdomen, and the antennae and tail-bristles are each about half an inch more. The head is small, dark brown and moveable, the eyes oval, black and shining, and when the insect is alive the facets do not show by reason of their small size. Between these two compound eyes, but higher up, are two simple eyes or ocelli. Pro-thorax large and prominent and like the powerful fore legs which it bears is covered with a short velvety pile of a rich seal-brown with a golden reflection. The wing-cases are short, | of an inch in length, pale gray, broadly veined with black, some- what oval* in outline, with a deflexed outer margin, and lie flat on the back. The wings themselves are also small and lie folded up like a fan beneath the wing-cases, the tips exceeding them in length by about |^ of an inch and reaching rather more than half way down the abdomen as two slender white bristles. The whole body is covered with a fine velvety down which is most conspicuous on the forelegs and the inner side of the shanks of the second pair of legs, there are also scattered over the body a few slender hairs 1|- to 2 mm. in length, which are most abundant on the tail-bristles. The female does not chirp and has no ovipositor. She is distinguished from the male by having no notched nervure on the wing-covers and having the nervures more regularly arranged. The females, too, have only 7 segments to the abdomen while the males have 8. The habits of this little creature aie strictly nocturnal, and it is possible after all that it may^ not be so rare in Canada as is suppcsed. Prof. Oomstock says " It is not a common insect, but occasionally it is found in great numbers in a limited locality. It in- habits nearly the whole United States east of the great plains, from Louisiana to Massachusetts." It lives in light moist ground, near streams, burrowing beneath the surface and sel- dom coming out except at night time. Prof. J. A. Lintner .says (Rep. VI. 189U, p. 150) " it burrows into moist earth to a depth of 6 or 8 inches by means of its front pair of legs, which are admirably constructed for digging. Its eggs are laid in these galleries in a tough sac, to the number of from two to three hundred, within a chamber scooped out for the purpo.se. Here it feeds on such roots of plants as may come in its way. Occasion- ally these crickets occur in large numbers, when they may become very injurious, destroy- ing grass and garden vegetables, and in one instance they are said to have nearly ruined a crop of potatoes. Their chirp differs from that of other crickets in being a dull, inter- rupted, jarring sound, which has been compared to that of the goat-sucker. The song of the male during the warm nights of early summer has been described as 'a low, continued, rather pleasant trill, quite similar to that of the common toad but more shrill.' Mr. S. H. Scudder has written at some length on the chirp of the Mole cricket, in Psyche,, for October, 1885, 1. p. 105-6. He has written its notes and has described them as a guttural sound like grilor greeu repeated in a trill ir«deSnitely, but seldom for more than two or three minutes and often for a less time. It is pitched at two octaves above middle 0." The food of the Mole Cricket like that of the Field Cricket (Gryllus) seems to be both vegetable and animal. I have never, however, been able to see my specimen feed, and when worms or insects have Vjeen placed in its way it has shown fear, and either run quickly backwards or burrowed down out of sight, but Brehm in '• Les Insectes " I. p, 448, gives the following of G. vulgaris the European speciea. The autopsy of a large num ber of Gryllotalpaj revealed along the whole intestinal canal, legs and antennae, heads of auts perfectly recognizable. I easily kept some in captivity for several weeks in jars filled with mellow earth, and fed them with meal worms and miid worms, upon which they rushed eagerly, when presented to them with forceps." The Bev. J. C Wood in " Insects at Home," says they relish raw meat. The habits of the European Mole Cricket appear to closely resemble those of our Canadian species, and the following kindly translated for me by Prof. J. A. Guignard from Dr. J. Ritzema Bos's valuable treatise " Animals Injurious and Beneficial to Agriculture " (Tierische Schadlinge und Nutzsing fur Ackerbau, etc.) will give a clue to some points not yet observed with regard to our Northern Mole Cricket. There is a difference in the nature of the egg receptacle as stated by Prof. Lintner and Dr. Ritzema Bos. * Less so than shown in the figure. 89 " Shape ungainly ; teelers and testers (palpi) very long, as well as the tail-bristles. The forelegs are real digging legs and at first sight seem very much like the fore-paws of the mole. The thighs are broad aud flattened, the legs likewise short and flat ; bear in- ward five (sic) saw teeth. The joints of the foot are small ; the foot is implanted on the outer edge of the leg and can be folded backwards. The two leathery fore-wings cover each other almost completely and the posterior wings only in part. The latter are mostly folded in the shape of a fan and lie on the back in the shape of two little tails. The Gryllotalpa is of a dark brown color." " This insect lives generally in swampy ground containing some sand or clay, and besides in all kinds of soil rendered cohesive by much manure. Its occurrence is also local. It hybernates in a torpid condition ; it leaves its retreat very early in the year. Its burrows may be found as soon as March, extending at a small depth under the surface of the ground. At the spot where the female intends to build her nest, the burrow slopes a little downward ; the walls of the nest are hardened by pressure with the hard back, so that the nest can be extracted in one mass from the ground. The diameter of the nest is about 4 cm ; the entrance is narrow and somewhat crooked. The number of the eggs varies usually from 200 to 250. They are not laid all at once ; after having laid a little heap of eggs, the female leaves the nest and comes repeatedly back to it. The eggs are about the size of a rape seed, but are egg-shaped and yellowish. All the eggs in one nest are also not of a uniform size. One month after being laid they hatch ; the young are at first white, but soon become brown above and dirty yellow beneath. On their emerg- ence they are already of a shape similar to their mother's. The latter watches faith- fully over her brood, remaining with her young until the last egg is hatched ; meanwhile the nest is enlarged in size to make room for the growing insects, while at the same time new food is laid bare in the roots successively uncovered." The young grow rapidly, and after the first moulting remain still under the care of their mother ; they may then go out of the nest, but never to any great distance. They can only after the second moult do without the mother's care and begin their inde- pendent life. The third moult follows in October or November, they then bury them- selves, still without their wings, in their winter quarters. The fourth moult takes place in April or May next, when the wing cases appear, and after the fifth moult, in May or June, the Gryllotalpa attains its full size and has become an adult winged insect. From what precedes it follows that it requires a whole year for its evolution. The Gryllotalj*a lives in orchards, gardens, meadows, even in nurseries and woods, and is everywhere equally destructive. Generally it prefers dry ground to wet ground, without altogether avoiding the latter. It gnaws the roots of various plants, and not a single plant can be named which it does not attack ; it does not even spare the roots of fruit or forest trees, though preferring herbaceous plants to the harder roots of trees. Consequently when the Gryllotalpte are very abundant they do considerable harm. Witewaall, a skillful Dutch farmer, writes as follows on the subject : " In a vegetable garden the damage by the Gryllotalpse was constantly very great ; the owner paid his men a penny for every captured specimen. One day, after very hot weather, it rained heavily, so that the garden was partly flooded. When the water had been absorbed by the ground the men went on to a plot where cabbages were severely damaged by Mole Crickets. The plot was dug up, and on a surface of two-fifths of an acre there were obtained 1,400 full grown Mole Crickets. " This insect burrows close to the surface of the earth, and in so doing raises some- what the surface after the same fashion as the Mole. Young plants are thus raised out of the ground, and older ones also die when the Mole Crickets burrow amcngst their roots. In vegetable gardens whole rows of peas in a bed are often seen to die suddenly as a result of the operations of a single individual. Over the nest all plants wither. In short this insect must rank as one of the most injurious, and the opinions of those authors who consider Mole Crickets injurious only on account of their burrowing and not on account of the injury they do by gnawing the roots appear to be quite mistaken. In sucn localities as Mole Crickets occur abundantly the roots are gnawed ofi" to such an extent that plants can be raised up by the leaves." 90 Besides the above a great deal of interesting matter concerning these insects is to be found in Westwood's " Modern Classification of Insects." It is there stated that " of all vegetable food they prefer potatoes; but if raw meat were offered thorn they attacked it in preference to anything else with great greediness. Gould also states that he fed a Mole Cricket for several months on ants." Remedies. — There would seem to be no doubt that where these insects occur, as is sometimes the case, in large numbers that they cause serious injury to crops. The best remedy would probably be poisoning the adults either by dipping slices of potato or raw meat in some mixture containing arsenic, as White Arsenic, Paris green or London purple, and then placing these in or near their burrows. In Germany, where they are often abundant, says Dr. Bos, " The best remedy is the destruction of the nests, preferably in June. These are sought for in spots where the plants are dead and weakly. The nest must be carefully taken out whole when its presence has been ascertained by the finger. Flower pots with their holes plugged may be used as traps by burying them m the ground so that thfir edge be on a level with the burrows. The insects pair in the spring, and in early summer they may be entrapped in glazed pots partly filled with water and sunk up to their edges in the alleys between the beds. Pouring water in the burrows has also been recommended, and the Mole Crickets are then killed when they have thus been driven out, but I doubt the efficiency of this method, as the insect has more than one entrance to its retreat. Finally, horse manure may towards winter be thrown into ditches between the beds of vegetable or flower gardens. The Mole Crickets like warmth ; they can thus be enticed into the manure and then killed." The figure (18) used above has been kindly lent to me by Prof. J. A. Lintner, and is the same as was used to illustrate the article cited in his Sixth Report. NOTES ON JAPANESE INSECTS. BY W. HAGUE HARRINGTON, OTTAWA. My absence from Canada during the past summer interrupted my studies of our own insects, and has prevented me from preparing any paper upon them. I venture, however, to offer a lew observations of a general character upon the insect fauna noted in my some- what extended travels in the Sunrise Kingdom ; my object being briefly to indicate wherein the fauna of that country more closely resembles, or difi"ers from, that of Canada. Leaving out the many small islands which stretch far to the north and south, we find that the four large ones (Yezo, Hondo, Shikoku, and Kiushiu) which constitute Japan extend from 31" north latitude to 45° north latitude, or in other words, from the latitude of New Orleans to that of Ottawa ; the capital, Tokio, (and Yokohama) being in the lati- tude of Cape Hatteras. This extent of one thousand miles from north to south aff'urds room for much variation of climate, which is further greatly influenced by the Kuroshiwo or Black Stream (the Gulf Stream of the Pacific), and by other currents flowing along the coasts and between the islands. The country is also intersected by many mountain ranges, and has many lofty peaks, some of which are active volcanoes. The naturalist may find in a few hours' climb upon one of these mountains almost as great a range of vegetation as if he travelled to the northern extremity of the empire. As an instance of such changes in the flora I may mention that in a trip from the railway station at Go- emba to the summit of Fuji-san the first four miles of our road ran through fine cultivated fields with a light soil composed largely of fine ashes thrown out by tlie volcano in past ages. Then from the village of Nakabata there was the same distance over a plain cov- ered with wild grasses and flowering herbs, intermixed with shrubs and a few stunted 91 trees, the soil composed more largely of ashes and getting coarser as we advanced, and with thinner vegetation. Then the ascent became more abrupt and we entered a wide belt of forest containing many varieties of trees, but none of large size. Further up there were shrubs, grasses, etc., many of them in flower and attracting many insects. A few species of plants went far up the ashy slopes, probably to a height of 10,000 feet. Although I do not intend to give lists of the insects or to enter into particulars regard- ing the dates and localities of those captured (a few of which I have brought for your inspection), it may still be convenient to refer separately to the members of the various orders. Neuroptera ; Pseudoneuroptera. — Walking up the Bund on the morning of the 12th of August, having just landed by sampan from the good ship Empress of India, 1 was at once interested in the number of dragon-flies, of two or three species, which darted to and fro along this fine promenade. The profusion of Odonata then indicated was noticeable throughout the country, and was doubtless due to the abundant opportunity for breeding offered by the wide-spreading rice-fields. These are always kept submerged, or at least partially so, and in addition there are numerous ponds and myriads of irrigation channels cutting the plains in all directions. Many of the species of Diplax, Calopteryx, Libel- lula, etc., were very handsome, and I much regret that I was able to bring back only a few examples, and these of the common species. The insects are called by the natives tombo, possibly from their hawk-like flight, as the name for the large kite which is so abundant near the cities is very nearly the same, viz., tombi. Many other neuropterous insects were observed, with species closely related to those which occur in Canada, such as Caddis-flies, Laced-winged flies (Ohrysopa), Scorpion flies (Panorpa), which were very common, Chauliodes, etc. Near Yokohama f twice obtained with sweeping -net several young specimens, about one-eighth of an inch long, of the curious larvtB (in shape like miniature stag beetles), of Ascalaphus, which is a relative of the ant-lions, but could not determine on what plants they had been, although I made a care- ful examination of the foliage. A species of white ant is quite abundant. Orthoptera. — Of both terrestial and arboreal grasshoppers (Jap. Batta or liata-hata) large numbers were observed. The former are especially numerous in the cultivated plains, and upon the grass-covered- mountains and wastelands such as occur in the Hakone district. The name inaqo is given to a species which is known as the rice-locust, and which is reported to do serious damage to the principal crojj of the empire. One very common, yet striking, grasshopper was a slim, bright green species, nearly four inches long when fully grown ; the head being elongated and the antennpe flattened. The outline of the insect is that of a blade of grass and the insects are very diflUciilt to see when they are at, rest among the grass, even on a closely cut lawn. Some specimens (apparently a variety of the same species) had a row of white dashes along the wing- covers and frequented grasses with such markings upon the blades. Along the paths between the tields and on the grassy hills I saw great numbers of a very large robust grasshopper, resembling very much the big American species called Acridium americarium, but belonging probably to a diflferent genus. These large voracious insects must devour an immense amount of vegetation. ' Very interesting both in appearance and habits, were the numerous members of the katydid and tree-cricket tribes, the dwellers in the trees and shrubberies, whose notes were very often piercing and prolonged. One large species was very frequently kept in little bamboo cages by the natives, but I cannot say that its song was very pleasing, although tbere was plenty of it. A pair kept near my brother's house used to shrill for long periods each evening, producing a noise which I at first took for the running of some machine, so loud and monotonous was the prolonged strain. Another conspicuous iasect was a large species of Mantis (Jap. Kamaklra or toro) which was quite abundant, i frequently saw them devouring grasshoppers and other insects. The curious insects known as walking-sticks were abundant, as in this country, upon oaks, etc., and looked much like our species in the immature stages, in which alone I observed them. 92 Of crickets (Jap. koriji) there were big fat fellows in scores under any heap of weeds or rubbish ; and cockroaches (Jap. ahura-mushi) scuttled about the houses, which are sometimes much infested by them. Dertnaptera. — In Canada this order is represented only by the small and very rare Labia minuta, which is probably known only to entomologists. In Japan, however, ear- wigs were very numerous and swarmed among dead leaves, etc., and especially along the beaches among the windrows of cast-up sea-weeds. Some resemble greatly in appearance our own rare little species and probably belong to the same genus. IIemipte7-a. — The Japanese name for bugs appears to be the same as that applied to insects in general, viz., Mushi. The hvg par excelle7ice, that species which, in not very remote regions of this country, makes the wooing of sweet sleep often moi^e of a necessity than a luxury, is said to be unknown in Japan, and I certainly did not meet with it in any of my travels either on land or water. The ponds and ditches contained water-bugs very closely resembling our species, including a Belostoma like the big water-bug which is seen so frequently upon our side- walks since the introduction of the electric lights. Of terrestrial Hemiptera there were numerous species of Reduviina, Capsina. Lygseidit', Alydina, Pentatomina, Scutellerida3, etc., some of the phytophagous species of which were so abundant that they must have done serious injury. The members of the sub order Homoptera were, however, much more noticeable because the large species of the Cicadid?e made such an outcry during the hot weather that the most indifferent person (unless afflicted with deafness) could not help being aware of them. The most vociferous species was a large smoky -winged Platypleura that was very abundant in Yokohama, and sent forth his loud, shrill me-me-me from every lawn and grove. There were also three or four clear-winged species of Cicada, with lusty voices which joined in the concerts, and added noise if not melody. The children caught numbers of these l)ig bugs by means of slender bamboos with a little rice glue on the tip, and were very expert at getting them from their resting places in the trees. They also caught in the same way dragon -flies, for what purpose I know not, and an apparatus of this kind might often be of use to an entomologist for bringing down insects from other- wise inaccessible situations. The Japanese name for the Cicada is Serni, probably in allusion to its shrill notes. Several species of small Fulgoridae were taken, but I did not see any of the large Lantern-flies such as occur in China. A bright green species about two-thirds of an inch long was common, both young and full-grown, on lawn shrubbery. There were also various tree-hoppers and frog-spittle insects, of which some were very prettily marked and coloured. These were closely allied to Canadian forms, but there, occurred also abundantly a handsome little insect belonging to the sub-family Ricaniida, which is unrepresented in North America. This pretty insect looks more like a little butterfly than a bug, as the wing-cases are expanded and held horizontally. They are of a brown color, with two transparent bars, and when the insect is alive they are covered with a rich irridescent bloom, and have each a sort of eyespot near the margin. Unfortunately the fine powdery coating rubs oflT very easily, so that my specimens have lost the greater part of their beauty, and do not so much resemble lepidoptera. A beautiful green bug, looking like a small moth with drooped wings, occurred in great numbers, at times forming a regular fringe on the stems of plants. When disturbed they slipped very cunningly around to the opposite side of the twig. This species belongs to the genus Ormenis. Coleoptera. — Beetles are well represented in Japan, some of the species being exceedingly, and destructively, abundant. Many of the species are very large and hand- some in comparison with those of the more boreal fauna of Canada, which is especially noticeable in such families as the Scarabaiida3 and Lucanidie. Of tiger-beetles there was a very brilliant species, which was abundant near Yokokawa (about one hundred miles inland from Yokohama), and also at Chofu, near the Western entrance to the Inland Sea. It was of a rich green and blue colour with bands of ruddy gold or bronze across the thorax and elytra. Upon the upper slopes of Fuji (at perhaps 8,000 93 feet of altitude) I obtained several specimens of a Oicindela which was of the dark colour of the ashes among which it lives, and could be seen only when it was in motion, so closely did it agree in colour with the ground. The same species also occurred upon the volcanic mountain Asama, the slopes of which are likewise of dark ashes and scoriae. Of Oarabidaj I captured very few specimens, but received several fine species from my brothers. I have seen no Oarabids corresponding to our large species of Oalosoma and only one Carabus, but some striking specimens of Damaster occur. These are elongate black beetles, with the elytra resembling those of some tenebrionids (Blaps), but with the thorax much elongated, and the legs very long, so that they must be able to run rapidly. Only one living specimen was seen by me. The other carabids observed were mostly Harpalus, Pterostichus and Amara. Water beetles closely resembled Canadian ones and among them was a large Hydro- philus like H. triangularis. Staphylinidje seemed to be very rare, and of carrion beetles the most common species was a large black Silpha. Coccinelida? produced some very pretty " lady birds," but very few of the species were abundant. One of the most brilliant beetles obtained was a fine green buprestis (a species of Chrysochroa) which is found noc uncommonly in the mountainous regions of Nikko and Hakone, and probably infests the giant conifers which grow there so plentifully. In the same district occur tine species of Chalcophora, of which one is much like the C. fortis which lives in Canadian pine trees. The only other buprestid observed was a small species which occurred plentifully on grasses and flowering shrubs, and which is much like a small Brachys. Of all the Coleoptera observed, the most tropical in appearance as well as the most bulky, was a giant Scarabeid [Xylotrnpes dichotomies) which occurs abundantly in the districts above mentioned, and probably inhabits decaying sp ^cimens of the big trees. The male of this tine insect has upon his head a long horn, fl itteued and forke I at the tip, and a shorter, notched protubf^rance upon the thorax, in which the long horn can rest when the head is raised. The beetles vary considerably in size, and large ones will measure two inches in length, and more than an inch in width ; the horn on the head being one and one quarter inches long. The family Scaraba^idaj was also rich in the tl)wer-loving Cetonians, some species of which were so abundant as to be very injurious to vegetation. A greenspecies about half an inchlong swarmed in the fields near Yokohama, and destroyed especially the beans, which form an important crop. A pretty mottled green Euryomia was in such swarms upon roses, altheas, etc., thi^j all the flowers were eaten off before they could expand, and each bud would be the centre of a struggling group, which when disturbed buzzed about like a swarm of angry bees. Copris, Ge-olrupes, and other dung-beetles were numerous on the country trails where the packhorses had marked their passage. The Lucanidas, or Stag-beetles furnished two tine species of Lucanus, and also some good specimens in the genus Dorcus, probably of two species. These seem to be gener- ally distributed, epecially in the wooded regions already quoted. With such a rich and varied vegetation the leaf-feeding Chrysomelidje were naturally rich in species and numbers. Many of the species were very pretty, and among the most common were some species of liea-beetles, one just like the little striped-wing turnip fl.ja- beetle. Next to the Scarabceidje, the most interesting beetles wei'e the Snout-beetles, or weevils (Rhyncophora). The E,hynchitidtB and Attelabidae were especially well repre- sented by very pretty species. Of Curculionidse there were also numerous species, but as my specimens have not yet been mounted [ d) not know what they are. I only ob- tained one specimen of Balaninus, but found the acorns of some oaks to be greatly infested by larvie of these nut-weevils. Among the Japanese names for beetles are Kogane-mushi (gold-insects) and Yoroi- mushi (mailed insects). Diptera. — The common house-fly is not in Japan the pest that it is found to be in America, and only in a few places did I notice more than occasional specimens. Other kinds of flies are, however, abundant, and some of them are large and showy, such as a large robber-fly (Asilidt\3) with brilliant green eyes and a conspicuous tuft of white 94 pubescence at the tip of the abilomen. Large horse-flies (Tabanus) were annoying along some of the pack-horse trails, and I received quite a severe bite on the arm from one as I was returning from the ascent of Fuji. The great areas of wet fields offered ample opportunity for the propagation of aquatic insects, and mosquitoes were therefore abundant, except in the higher mountain- ous districts. The common species is smaller than those of this country, and is nearly black with white markings on the legs. Its bite I did not find very severe, and they are troublesome only from their numbers, and the long period during which they abound. The native name for this insect is Ka., and the mosquito net which is used at night in all houses in infested regions is called Ka-ya, or mosquito-house. Fleas were exceedingly abundant in all parts of the country I visited, and in the native houses where we slept on the floors we often had to make a liberal use of insect powder to insure a night's repose. They find good hiding places under the matting which covers the floor, but would not be so troublesome if bedsteads were used. (Jap. Nomi.) Lepidoptera. — In this favorite order I saw many beautiful insects, the most con- spicuous being the large black swall ow-tailed butterflies, which flitted about the mountain roads and over the grassy plains, and hovered about the flowering shrubs such as the abundant Hydrangea. Of yellow papilios, however, I saw few specimens, but these were very similar to our common P. turnus. In the woods, which are often almost impenetra- ble from bamlioo scrub, creepers, etc., were many fine Satyrids, Graptas, etc., and a pretty Limenitis having a pale blue band across the wing. The small blue butterflies were sometimes in immense numbers, as along the road leading across the plain from the foot of Fuji to Nakabata, where they rose in swarms from every moist spot. With these oc- curred also great numbers of bright sulphur-yellow butterflies (Colias). Of white butterflies there were tine large species, and I also saw flying in Yokohama examples of what I took to be the common white cabbage butterfly, P. rapes. Skippers did not seem to be in any variety, but on the other hand there were some common butterflies quite unlike those of Canada. High up on one of the mountains, where the flora began to have a home-like appearance, I saw Vanessa antiopa, and I also saw on the wing what was apparently Pp-ameis atalanta. The Japanese name for butterflies is Cho, and for the silkworm Kaiko. Of moths I often saw very pretty specimens, but did not attempt to collect any, and cannot even say what groups were most abundant. It will not be out of place here, however, to make a few remarks on what is to Japan a most important species, viz., the silkworm moth, Bombyx mori. The rearing of silkworms and the manufacture of their products employ a large part of the population and contribute greatly to the prosperity of the country. The silk is produced chiefly in the central and western parts of the main island of Hondo, and in these regions enormous tracts of land are devoted to rais- ing the various varieties of mulberry whose leaves supply food for the innumerable and voracious worms. In the Shinshiu provinces the extensive plains were almost covered by mulberry bushes, so that we saw little else from the car windows as we passed through them. At the flourishing city of jSTagano, the chief town of the province, the shops con- tained enormous numbers of cocoons, and in almost ever} house along the neighbouring roads were displayed the same white objects heaped in trays and baskets. In each house also the women were busy reeling the silk from the cocoons with small hand wheels. The main production is by the spring brood, but in some localities there is also a summer one. I did not see any worms feeding at the time of my visit (the middle of Sept.) but saw the moths emerging from the cocoons. At various places in the country I saw large factories for the manufac^'ure of silk (including one at Gifu, since destroyed by the great earth- quake of 28th October), but the greater part of the silk is still, I believe, woven upon hand looms. Hymeuoptera. — I collected a fair number of insects belonging to this order, but have not since examined them. The honey-bee does not appear to receive much attention, and the only specimens I saw were at Nikko. All the honey used in Yokohama is obtained from San Francisco. Possibly the flora may not furnish a succession of nectar-bearing flowers sufficient to make the keeping of bees profitable. 95 Humble-Dees appeared at first to be wanting, but later I saw a few species, but not many individuals of any. One very handsome species was velvety-black with the last two segments of abdomen red. I took one specimen of a carpenter-bee (Xylocopa) very like our X. virginica, and two or three examples of a lari^e, stout black Megachile (Lithurgus*?), the only leaf- cutting species almost which I observed. Species of Andrena, Halictus, Prosopis, eLc, were more or less common. Wasps were more abundant than bees, and a very large dark Vespa (mandarina ?) abounded both in Yokohama and in the country districts. Its nest was constructed of a coarse, heavy mottled paper made from bark, which I frequently saw the wasps obtaining from a maple tree on the lawn. The nest is of large size, and is built in trees, under the eaves of temples^ etc. I saw two servants destroying a large one which was suspended in a small tree near the gateway of one of the " foreign " houses in Yokohama. One captured the wasps, which having been disturbed were crawling about on the nesbs, by means of a slender bamboo, with rice glue on the tip, and the other knocked theaa off and killed them as captured. When disturbed these wasps buzz around in a very alarm- ing manner, and from their size have a very formidable appearance, but though often threatened I was never stung. A smaller black and white species was also common, but I did not see its nest. Polistes were very numerous, and built their small expo.sed combs in the shrubs, especially in the closely-trimmed cedars, which give a good shelter. Fine species of Sphex, Pompilus, Ammophila, etc., were common, as were also Crabronidae, Scoliadse, etc. I only saw one Mutilla, which was captured in a very shady^ corner, near a small shrine embow- ered in camphor trees, and which gave me a shirp sting before I recognizeil what I was catching. The only other sting received while in Japan was from a stout black Scolia which I picked up in one of the temple grounds at Nikko, and almost dropped again. Did these insects think that their cajjture in such sacred precincts was an act of sacrdege de.serving of instant punishment, and " Make the punishment fit the crime?" Parasitic hymenoptera seemed to be less numerous than the stingers, and I obtained but few specimens of ichneumons and braconids, although a few fine species of Pimpla, etc., were seen. It was perhaps too late in the summer for these insects, as there seemed to be very few larvse feeding to be attacked by them. In the Ueno National Mu-ieum in Tokio I saw an interesting braconid with an ovipositor about twice as long as thit of our large Thalessa atrator, although the insect was smaller. The insect collection in this museum embraced all orders, but was a small one consisting only of a few cases. Chalcids and Proctotrupids were very rare, although I kept a good look out for them, especially when using my sweeping net. One fine species of Smicra was common, especi- ally about shrubs on the lawn and on some of the rows of broomcorn, which are planted on the tnargin of fields, and which sometimes attract many hymenoptera and diptera to feed on their exuding juice. Saw-flies were at first abundant, especially when I was in the Hakone district, but it was late in the season for them, and they rapidly disappeared I noted some interesting larvae, especially a large one somewhat like the larva of Oimbex, but having a row of fleshy spines along the back. Gooseberry and rose bushes suffer as they do here, and I saw on willow leaves globular galls of Nematus almost like those seen upon our Canadian trees. Some of the galls also contained, as they do here, inquilinous weevils (a smill black Apion). In conclusion, I may say that Spiders were numerous, some of the species being very large and handsome and constructing gigantic webs. Some of the species were also very curious, (^specially those with thin attenuated bodies, in shape like young walking-sticks, and green or black in colour. Ugly looking Centipedes, three or four inches long, occur under rubbish, etc., even entering the houses, and are said to be venemous. The observations and collections (not yet mounted or studied) which form the subject of this very hastily prepared, and, therefore, very fragmentary papar, were made between the 12 th of August and the 22nd of October. 96 THE MOOSE FLY— A NEW H^MATOBIA. BY WM. A. SNOW, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, LAWRENCE. Entomologists will be interested to learn of the occurrence of a near relative of the Horn Fly, HcBinatohia serrata, in the middle of the great cranberry swamps of Northern Minnesota. These vast low areas extend for hundreds of square miles in the vicinity of the Lake of the Woods. They are the favoured home of the American moose, and the hope of obtaining some specimens of this animal for the museum of the University of Kansas, led Professor L. L. Dyche of that institution to traverse these dangerous marshes. Professor Dyche has recently returned after remaining for over three months in the very centre of the swamps, camping upon the occasional sand ridges which cross the region ; and to him I am indebted for specimens of a new Hcematobia, which I have named H. Aids. The flies were noticed first upon skinning the first moose, when a number of them were discovered in the animal's rectum, into which they had crawled for two or three inches in order to deposit their eggs in the excreta. The dejecta upon the ground were also found to contain hundreds of the eggs. Altogether nineteen moose were killed, and in almost every case these flies were observed about them, remaining upon their carcasses as long as they lay unskinned, which was often twenty-four to thirty hours. For some time after the death of the animal, the Hcematohice could be seen only with difiiculty, con- cealed as they were by the mosquitos, which were incredibly numerous, lingering in clouds upon the dead moose as long as any of its juices could be extracted. The flies seemed to prefer the regions of the head, rump and legs, where the hair is shortest. It is highly improbable that they find a resting place upon the horns of the moose. The male moose go thrashing about in the underbrush with tremendous enerj^y. They use their horns during a great part of the year to sciape away the bark from trees ; and they have a way of winding them in among the bushes when a rival is near, as a challenge. The females, as is well known have no horns. The present species is very probably indigenous, infest- ing as it does an animal not in domestication ; and inhabiting such secluded inland por- tions of this continent. The moose obtained by this expedition were all killed far within the swamp, fifteen to twenty miles from firm land ; and it is only in such places that this now rapidly disappearing animal can be found. This region is rarely visited by white men, and the few Indians that venture there wait until the surface of the fens is frozen over. It is not altogether unlikely that this fly infests the caribou also. It was hardly possible to observe its actions on the living moose ; but we know that it lays its eggs in the excrement, and in all probability it resembles H. serrata in other habits as well. Professor Djche heard no complaints from owners of stock on the borders of the swamp of the ordinary Horn Fly, or of any similar fly. The cattle are, however, tor- mented with mosquitos, and smudges are kept constantly burning to which they may run for relief. OBITUARY— HENRY EDWARDS. This well-known and highly-esteemed entomologist died at his home in New York Oity, at 1.30 a.m., on the ninth day of June, 1891. His death was caused by dropsy and other complicated troubles, which affected the heart. In him the world has lost an earnest devotee to science and art, and those who knew him, a kind-hearted, generous, true and sympathising friend, [n his death, entomological science has lost one of its most active and energetic workers, and his loss is deeply felt and deplored by all who knew him, and he has passed out of this earthly domain with the afiectionate regret of many grateful and loving friends. Mr. Edwards was born in Ross, Herefordshire, England, August 27th, 1830, and was destined by his father to become a lawyer. After studying for some time without evinc- ing any particular aptitude for the profession, he entered a London counting house, and frequently appeared in amateur theatricals, for which he had much talent. He finally 97 decided, much against the wishes of his parents, to adopt the professional stage. In 1853 he embarked for Australia, where he made his first appearance as an actor, and where he passed many prosperous years. From Australia he drifted to Peru and Panama, and in 1867 he reached, San Francisco, California. In about 1877 he made his first appearance in the east, at Boston, and finally in 1879 he came to New York. In 1889-90 he again visited his old home in Australia, from where he returned last year. During all these years he was constantly connected with the stage, until only a short time previous to his decease, when he was compelled to retire on account of his illness. At the time of his death he had just returned from a trip to the Catskill Mountains, where he was staying for his health, and three and a half hours later he entered into rest and the everlasting silence. As an entomologist Mr. Edwards was world-known, and was considered one of the greatest authorities of the science, to which he was attached ever since his boyhood days. He was chiefly known by his excellent papers on the Pacific Coast Lepidoptera, which contain the descriptions of many new and interesting species from that region. He was also known by his articles on North American ^geriada?, of which family he described nearly all our American species. Besides these papers he has also written many other articles on descriptions of new species and transformations of Lepidoptera. He also edited three volumes of the journal " Papilio." The last large work he published was his " Bibliographical Catalogue of the Described Transformations of North American Lepi- doptera," which is now in the hands of all our working entomologists. Mr. Edwards spent much money for the increase of his collection of insects, and devoted all his leisure time to his favourite study. His travels afforded him many rare opportunities for collect- ing material for his collection and writings. The collection consists of about 300,000 specimens of insects of all the orders from all parts of the globe. It contains the types of all the species he described, about four hundred and fifty, except a few which are in other collections. It also contains a number of Grote's types of Noctuidaj and Pyralidae, and many of Fish's types of Pterophorid;e, and types of other writers. It contains also the unique pair of Oniticelhis californicus, and many other uniques, oddities and rareties of considerable value. The collection is one of the largest private collections in the world. His library consists of about five hundred voiumes of entomological works, and about double the number of pamphlets, and about two thousand volumes on travels and other topics. (1 am not sui-e about these figures.) Mr. Edwards belonged to many scientific and other societies. He was for some time vice-president of the California Academy of Sciences, life-member Brooklyn Entomological Society, member of the Torrey Botanical Club, Players' Club (New York), Bohemian Club (San Francisco), corresponding member Boston Society Natural History, San Fran- cisco Microscopical Society, San Diego Natural History Society, Belgium Natural History Society, etc. He leaves a widow who deeply mourns his loss, and we would here add our condol- ence and sympathy and heart-felt regret to her irreparable bereavement. Wm. Beutenmuller. BOOK NOTICES. Insecta : By Alpheus Hyatt and J. N. Arms. Boston : D. J. Heath & Co. This handy volume forms the eighth of the series of the " Guides for Science Teach- ing," issued by these well known publishers of educational works. The series is intended for the use of teachers who wish to give practical instruction to their classes in Natural History. The volume before us forms a marked advance upon those previously issued, inasmuch as it consists of 300 pages, with over 200 illustrations, while none of the others was more than a fourth of these dimensions. This great enlargement is due, no doubt, to the growing popularity of Entomology as a subject for the teaching of observation in schools, as well as for intelligent recreation and serious study on the part of individuals. The volume before us is an admirable manual for teachers who wish to instruct their pupils in the science of Entomology, and will be found most useful also by private stu- 7 (en.) ^8 dents. It is full of admirable diagrams and illustrations, for the most part original, and it takes up for discussion some of the commonest insects in the different orders that can be readily procured by any one. For instance, the external structure and the internal anatomy of insects are first taught by means of the common locust {Caloptenus), which can be taken in quantities anywhere ; a May fly (^Ephemera), a Dragon-fly, a Cockroach, a May-beetle, the Archippus butterfly, etc., are used to illustrate the different orders. No teacher or student need be at a loss for material with which to follow out the instructions in the book. The whole book is excellent, and we have no doubt that it will be found most valuable in the various agricultural colleges especially, as well as in other educational institutions. We may quote the following advice from the opening chapter : — " Encourage child- ren to watch living locusts .... Better a child should learn to handle one animal, to see and know its structure and how it lives and moves, than to go through the whole animal kingdom with the best text-book, under the best teacher, aided by the best charts ever made. The former would have learned what real knowledge is and how to get it, while the latter would have simply learned how to pass at his school examinations." C.J.S.B. Among the Moths and Butterflies : By Julia P. Ballard. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York ; pp. 237, 1890. This beautiful book is an enlarged and revised edition of " Insect Lives," published in 1880, and contains recent studies and many additional illustrations. It treats especially of rearing butterflies, sphinges and moths frona the caterpillars,and is based wholly on the personal observations of the author. Without previous knowledge of entomology, Mrs.. Ballard found herself attracted by some species of caterpillar, and followed it up to pupa ■ and imago, making original discoveries at every step, and gaining experience day by day, she has become an expert in that line. Many of the species treated of, if their earlier history is mentioned at all in books, have never been so carefully studied as here ; witness the story of the Great Leopard Moth, the Bulrush Caterpillar, the Monkey-faced Moth, the Beechnut Box, the Rosy Dryocampa. Of many others, better known than these, there are interesting notes, as Orgyla lencostigma, Deilephila lineata, Cerotocampa regalis. The enthusiasm of the authoress is contagious, and makes the reader wish that spring would hurry along. I do not know of any book — certainly there is none in America — which has attempted to enter the field now taken possession of by Mrs. Ballard. If any good pater, or aunt, or cousin, wishes to do a good turn to an active boy or girl, they could not do better than put this book in the young person's hand — at the same ticie a net and cjllecting apparatus (which our good friend John Akhurst will be happy to fur- nish), and bid them, when spring comes, search the fields and woods as Mrs. Ballard has done. The difference between eyes and no eyes is wonderful, and occupying the former will keep young people out of mischief, at least giving them something to do and to think of. Once let a boy put his foot over the threshold of this temple of ours and catch a glimpse of the inner mystery, and there will be no idle and wasted hours. And to this end the authoress of " Moths and Butterflies " has well served her generation. W. H. Edwards. Manual of Animals Injurious and Beneficial to Agriculture : By Dr. J, Ritzema Bos, Lecturer at the Agricultural College of Wageningen, Holland. Berlin, 1891. This magnificent volume in German makes one wish that English-speaking farmers and gardeners, as well as Entomologists, possessed in their own language, and for their respective countries, a similar compendium of knowledge on the " Animals injurious and beneficial to agriculture, Cattle-breeding, Forestry and Horticulture." This work of 876 pages contains all the information necessary concerning the forms, occurrences, life history in relation with man of his various animal friends and foes, and the curative and preventive measures against their attacks. The newest discoveries of OJ^ workers in this field, and original researches by the author are recorded, and 477 figures, engraved with scientific accuracy, show the appearance of the different mammals, birds, insects, snails, and worms, the details of their structure, and many devices for resisting the injurious kinds or assisting those that war against the latter and are thus precious allies of the farmer and gardener, The first 30 pages are devoted to considerations on the causes of occurrence of obnox- ious animals, and on the general means of protection against them. Then 80 pages treat of mammals from the bear to the mouse and the bat, 120 of birds, 460 of insects, 130 of snails and worms. The depredations of insects, which have been particularly studied by Dr. Bos, are especially dwelt upon. At the end of the book are tables of the animal pests arranged according to the place where they live. This table is most useful, for, with its aid, anyone who has found any form of animal life preying on man, cattle, domestic animal, tree, or plant, or in granary, barn, or house, and wishes to know its name, habits, the nature of its ravages, the remedies against it, etc., can with very little trouble find the page in the volume where the desired information is given. For instance, the first item of this table is as follows, with reference for each animal to the page in the book : — Bee, bee hive : — Foxes, marten, polecat, bear, honey-buzzard, tits, occasionally other bird species ; — spiders ; — wasps ; — the brown bee louse [Braula cceca, a winged louse) ; — the so-called black bee louse (larva of an oil beetle), which, however, leads usually its cuckoo life only in wild bees' nests ; — bee moths, wax moihs ; bee-beetles ; — earwigs. Similar lists follow for cat, cattle, dog, domestic birds and eggs, goat, horse, man, pig, rabbit, sheep. The references to apple tree pests are arranged under the diflferent heads : In roots, in wood, under bark, in bark crevices, on and in buds, on young shoots, on one year's twigs, on buds and leaves, in the fruit, ravagers of the fruit ; and similarly for all common trees and plants of field, garden, or forest. J. A. Guignard, Ottawa. Annual Report of the Experimental Farms: Ottawa: p.p. 314; 1891. The Director of the Experimental Farms of the Dominion of Canada has recently issued his report for last year, and a very interesting '' blue book " it is. The record of experiments with two-rowed barley is particularly valuable and important at the present time, and concerns everyone who is interested in the welfare and prosperity of this pro- vince. The reports of the Agriculturist, who treats especially (f dairying, of the Hor- ticulturist, Chemist and Poultry Manager, are all u.seful and instructive ; but the one which especially interests us is, of course, that of the Entomologist and Botanist, Mr. James Fletcher. His share of the report occupies over fifty pages, and is illustrated by some wood cuts of noxious insects, and nine beautiful full-page plates of various useful grasses. The insects treated are the American Frit Fly (Oscinis variabilis), the Cabbage Maggot {Anthomyia brassicce), the Diamond-back Moth {Plutella cruciferriruni), whose larvse attack the leaves of cabbages, the Mediterranean Flour Moth {E])hest{a Kuhniella), the Pea Weevil {Bruchus pisi), the Strawberry Weevil {Anlhonomus muscuhcs), and the Van- couver Island Oak Looper (Ellopia ■•^omniaria). In each instance Mr. Fletcher fully and carefully describes the mode of attack, and then gives the most satisfactory remedies. It is hardly necessary to tell our readers, who are familiar with Mr. Fletcher's work, that these articles are as complete and accurate as is possible in a limited space. It is very cheering to find that the mill that was so badly infested with the Ephestia moth year before last (of which the writer was an eye-witness), has been completely cleared of the pest by scrupulously carrying out, though with no little labor and expense, the directions of the entomologist. In spite of this example, it is surprising to find that the proprietors of other mills and feed stores in the same city are too apathetic and careless to take any measures to exterminate this insect when it appears on their premises. They will soon find that such neglect means utter ruin to their busin(ss, iinless they take warning in time. The remainder of Mr. Fletcher's report is almost entirely devoted to the subject of grasses, of which he has been cultivating for the sake of experiment over a hundred different kinds. C. J. S. B. 100 The Bdtterflies op I^orth America : by W. H. Edwards. Third series; Part XT. It is hardly necessary to do more than chronicle the issue of a new part of this mag- nificent work. The beauty and accuracy of the plates, and the excellence and value of the descriptive letter-press are too well known to need any further commendation. The part now before us illustrates and describes the complete life history, in all its stages, of Apatura flora, Edw. Satyrus Meadii, Kdw., Chionobas chryxus, Doubleday,with its variety, Calais, Scudder. The last mentioned species is of peculiar interest to us, as it is found throughout the Eocky Mountains from Colorado to Canada. A most graphic account of its habits is given by Mr. Bruce, who has observed the insect for several years past. Why is it that every North American lepidopterist does not possess himself of a copy of this noble work 1 It can hardly be the cost, for the numbers appear at such long intervals that a very little self-denial even on the part of the impecunious would suffice for their purchase. While the subscriber would get a joy and treasure for life, let him think what a gratification and help it would be to Mr. Edwards to have bis subscription list trebled, as it should be. C. J. S. B. Bibliographical Oatalogue of the Described Transformations of North American Lepidoptera ; being Bulletin No. 35 of the United States National Museum, by Henry Edwards, 1889. This work, issued by the Smithsonian Institution, is one of very great value to the working lepidopterists of North America, and truly supplies a long-felt want. Mr. Edwards, who has devoted so much time to the compilation of this work, is entitled to the warmest gratitude of his brother entomologists for his public-spirited labours in this connection. The work extends to 147 pages octavo, and comprises a table of the number ol species in each family, of which descriptions of earlier stages are recorded in this cat- alogue, a list of the principal authors and publications quoted, the body of the catalogue extending from page 9 to page 137 inclusive; an appendix giving references to a few species which are not distinguishable by modern authors, and a list of some of the most valuable papers which have been published on this continent on the subject of preparatory stages, food plants, rearing and describing larva^, etc., etc. Then follows an index to genera, and the work ends with a most useful food habit index. The general plan of the work is to give the names of all species of which any of the preparatory stages have been described, followed by the references to these descriptions in the order in which they are published, the dates of publication being given. Upon turning to any species one can thus see at a glance just what of its earlier stages have been described, and by looking up the references can tell whether or not they could be supplemented with advantage, while the absence of any species from the list is a very sure indication that its preparatory stages are wholly undescribed. One can thus see just what has already been done and what remains for investigation, and this is most important, for it is uudoubtedly the case that many obser- vations of interest and value are made every year without being published, chiefly, per- haps, because those who make them are unaware that they have not previously been given to the world. The amount of literature examined in the preparation of this work was very great, and the care necessary to avoid errors and omissions proportionate. The table on page seven shows that some part of the earlier stages of 1069 butterflies and moths have been described, but many of these descriptions are very incomplete, and we can thus see how much still remains to be done in working out these life histories. Of course in a work of this kind, where the field was so large, it was inevitable that some mistakes and omissions should occur, but it is most creditable to Mr. Edwards that they should be so few and so unimportant. It was unfortunate that the printing had to be done during the absence of Mr. Edwards in Australia, as otherwise most of the typograph- ical errors would unquestionably have been detected and corrected. It is, however, a mistake to refer to author's separates, instead of to the work in which the description ' originally appeared, as for example in regard to the larva of Chionohas Macounii--the reference given is "J. Fletcher, a trip to Nepigon, p. 12," whereas it ought to be, "J 101 Fletcher, Rep. Ent. Soc, Ont., 1888, p. 85." It is greatly to be hoped that Mr. Edwards will be able to fulfil his promise to issue yearly supplements, in order that the work may be kept up to date and its usefulness be thus maintained. The price of this work was fifty cents, but the first edition has already been exhausted. It is greatly to be hoped that a new edition will soon be issued, as no working lepidopterist can get on without it. H. H. Lyman. Insects and Insecticides, by Clarence M. Weed. Hanover, N.H., 1891. Under the above caption Dr. Weed has published a small volume of 281 pages, well printed and copiously illustrated, which will be found most useful by those for whom it is prepared, the farmer, the fruit-grower, the floriculturist and the housekeeper. The work consists of an introduction and six parts. The introduction gives a concise account of the transformations of insects, which are illustrated by the life history of Papilio Asterias, the Celery Caterpillar, for those which have a complete metamorphosis, and the Chinch Bug for those who pass through incomplete transformations. The differences between biting and sucking insects are explained, and the natural enemies of injurious insects are treated of. There is then a summary of the different insecticides and the best methods of applying them. The introduction closes with short instructions for collecting and preserving insects. Part I. treats of Insects affecting the Larger Fruits — apple, plum, pear, cherry, peach. Part II. — Insects affecting Small Fruits. — Strawberry, currants and gooseberries, raspberry and blackberry, grape. Part III. — Insects affecting shade trees, the rose, and house-flowers. Parts I. and III. of Dr. Weed's work have appeared previously in a small edition issued by the Col- umbus (Ohio) Horticultural Society. Part IV. — Insects affecting Vegetables. — Tomato, potato, celery, squash, cucumber, bean, pea, cabbage, onion, asparagus and rhubarb. Part V. — Insects affecting Cereals and Forage Crops — Indian corn, wheat, clover, grass. Part VI. — Insect Pests of Domestic Animals and the Household. On the whole this is a very useful and attractive volume, well arranged, easy of refer- 6ltice and well illustrated. The accuracy and quality of Dr. Weed's scientific work are ntfw too well-known to need any comment further than to say that this, his last publica- tion, is up to his usual excellent standard. J. F. 8 (EN.) TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO 1892 FEINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. TORONTO : PRINTED BY WARWICK teryx vernata 7 Annual Address of President 7 " Meeting, Association of Economic Entomologists 39 Annual Meeting Entomological Society of Ontario 3 Anthomyia brassicte 9 Apple, Insects affecting the 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 Arcyptera gracilis 76 Argynnis Atlantis 32 " Freya 30 " Montinus 32 Arphia sulphurea 76 Arsenites in the orchard 82 Aspidisea si)lendoriferella 47 Bean weevil 39 Bermuda, Insects of 21 Bethune. Rev. C. J. S , Articles by. .5, 7, 83, 86, 87 Book notices 83 Bootettix argentatus 76 Botanical Section, Report of 16 Bucculatrix pomifoliella 48 Butterflie.^, Manual of North American S7 of Compton, P.Q 28 " of the Province of Quebec 29 Cabbage butterfly 8 " root maggot 9 Cacsecia cerasivorana 45 " rosaceana 45 Canadian Naturalist, The 22 Canarsia Hammondi 45 Canker worms 7 Carpocapsa jjomonella 43 Carterocophalus Mandan 20, 31 Caulfield, F. B., Death of 13 Chimarocephala viiidi fasciata 76 Chionobas jutta 30, 31 " semidea 32 Chloealtis consperna 75 Chrysophanus epixanthe 31 Circotettix carlingianus 78 " lapidicolus 78 " maculatus . . . . 78 " verruculatus 78 Clothes moths 53 < 'o er hay moth 44 Pagk. Clover root-borer , . It Coleophora raalivorella 47 Colias interior 20, 29, 33 Conocephalus ensiger 72 " exiliscanorus 73 " nebrascensis 72 " robustus 72 Council, Report of 14 Cowdry, Dr. , Death of 7 Crickets, Songs of 62 Cut-worms 8 Cyrtophyllus concavus 70 Darapsa myron 10, 13 Debis Portlandia . 30 Diagrams of insects 87 Dictyophorus reticulatus 75 Dissosteira Carolina 77 Doran, E. W., Article by (51 Drasteria erechtea 39 Dried-fruit moth 45 Economic Entomologists, Association of . . . 39 Elf ction of Officers 1 5, 20, 42 Pilectricity vs. Caterpillars 81 Encoptolophus sordidus 7fi Entomological Club, A. A. A. S 43 Epilachna borealis 79 Eudemis botrana 46 Eye-spotted bud-moth 7 Fall web-worm 9 58 Fletcher, J., Articles by 49, 53, 59 Forest and Shade Trees, Insects Injurious to 86 Fyles, Rev. T. W., Articles by 22, 29 Gelechia pinifoliella ... 43 Geological Section, Report of 17 Gomphocerus, Song of 7(5 Gooseberry fruit-worm 44 Gosse, the late P. H., Visit to Canadian Haunts of 22 Grain pests. Remedy for 80 Grai)e-berry moth 46 " vine flea-beetle 10 " fpliinx 10, 13 Grapta gracilis 30 32 Graptodera chalybea ]0 Grasshoppers, Damage from n " Songs of fi2 Gryllus neglectus 64 Gryllotalpa borealis Gl, 63 Gypsy-moth, Report on the 86 Hadena devastator 8 " sputatrix 8 Haematobia serrata 12, 42 49 Harrington, W. H., Article by 88 Hopper-dozer, Description (f n Horn fly 1 2, 42, 49, 53 Howard, L. O., Article ry 40. IV. Page. Hylesinus trifolii il Hyphantria textor 9, 58 Insecticides and fungicides . 82 Insects, Notes on Killing, Preserving and Relaxing 59 Katydids, Song of 68 Lactista gibbosu3 77 Leaf -hoppers 11 " rollers 45 Librarian, Report of 4 Liparocephalus brevipennis 21 Lycffina Couperi 31 Lyman, H, H., Article by 32 Mamestra picta 8, 13 Maynard's North American Butterflies 87 Melanoplus femur-rubrum 11, 75 Meromyza Americana 11 Microcentrum laurifolium 70 " retinervis 69, 70 Micro-lepidoptera, Some injurious 43 Microscopical Section, Report of 17 Mineola indiginella 44 Moffatt, J. A., Articles by 35, 43 Mole cricket 61, 63 Montreal Branch, Report of 19 Mosquitoes, Experiment against 40 Moths of Compton, P.Q 28 Mud-daubers 4 Murtfeldt, Miss, Article by 58 Nemobius fasciatus 65 ' ' vittatus 64 Nepigon, Insects collected at 20 Obituary 88 Ocneria dispar 86 CEcauthus augustipennis ()7 ' ' fasciatus 66 " latipennis 67 " niveus 65 Onion-fly 14 Orchelimum nigripes 73 " sylvaticum 73 " volantum 73 " vulgare 73 Ormerod, Miss'E. A., Text-book of Agricul- tural Entomology 83 Ormerod, Miss G. E., Diagrams of Insects. 87 Ornithological Section, Report of 18 Orocharis saltatrix 67 Packard's Forest-tree insects 86 Pamphila egeremet 31 " Manitoba 31 ' ' Metacomet 31 Pear-leaf blister 9 " tree blister-mite 9, 40 " " Psylla 40 Pelopa'us cementarius 4 ' ' cteruleus 4 Phoxo])teris comptana 47 " nubeculana 40 Phytoptus pyri 9, 40 Page. Pieris rapse 8 Pine-trees, Insects affecting 45, 48 Plochionus timidus 58 Plodia interpunctella 45 Plum curculio, Exploded Remedy for 80 Power of Insects to resist action of frost 35 Provancher, Death of the Abbe 13, 88 Psylla pyricola 40 Pyralis costalis 44 Report of Botanical Section 16 " Council 14 " Delegate to Royal Society 5 " Geological Section 17 " Librarian and Curator 4 " Microscopical Section 17 ' ' Montreal Branch . 19 " Ornithological Section IS " Treasurer 3 Retinia Comstockiana 45 Riley's Directions for Collecting and Pre-' serving Insects 13 Scale, The Fluted 82 Scudderia angustifolia 67 " curvicauda 68 " furcata 66 Scudder, S. H., Articles by 62, 78 Silver-top 10 Songs of our Grasshoppers and Crickets . . 62 Spharagemon sequale 77 Bolli 77 Squash-vines, An insect destructive to ... . 78 Stenobothrus curtipennis 76 Strawberry leaf -roller 47 Thecla Iteta 31 " Titus 31 Tinea pellionella 55 " tapetzella 54 Tineola biselliella 54 Tmetocera ocellana 7 Toads, Usefulness of 83 Treasurer, Report of 3 Triraerotropis citrina 77 " Columbia ...-...- 77 " perplexa 77 " vinculata 77 Trip to Mount Washington 32 Tropidolophus formosus 76 Vedalia cardinalis 82 " Success of, in Egypt j 1 80 Virginia-creeper sphinx caterpillar 10 Warble-fly of ox 84 Web- worm tiger 58 Wheat midge 83 " stem maggot 11 Wire-worms, Remedies for 81 Xijihidium f asciatura " nemorale 75 Zanea Americana 4 Zebra caterpillar 8, 13 Zophodia grossulariae 44 TWENTY-THIED ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO To the Honorable the Minister of Agriculture : Sir, — I have the honor to present herewith the annual report of our Society for its twenty-third .year under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture of Ontario. The report contains an account of the proceedings at our annual meeting, which was held in London on the 31st of August and the 1st of September, 1892 — including the election of officers for the ensuing year, the reports of the Council, the Treasurer, fhe Librarian and Curator, the Montreal branch and the various Sections of the Society, the President's annual address and the various papers read at the meeting. The President's address will be found to contain references to all the principal insect attacks of the year. Most of these were, happily, not very formidable, but we regard the arrival from the United States of the Horn-fly pest, during the past season, as a very serious matter. In addition, therefore, to the President's remarks upon it, an illustrated account of its life-history and the best methods of dealing with it has been specially pre- pared for the report by Mr. Fletcher. Other papers of a practic aI and more or less popular character are also presented herewith, and will, it is trusted, be found interesting and useful to the general reader. Our monthly magazine, the Canadian Entomologist, has been regularly issued during the past year, and has now almost completed its twenty-fourth volume, A larger number of writers than ever before have contributed to its pages, and its high scientific character has been ably maintained. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, W. E. SA QNDERS, Secretary. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. The thirtieth annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario was held in its rooms in Victoria Hall, London, on Wednesday, August 31st, and Thursday, September 1st, 1892, the President, Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, Port Hope, occupying the chair. A Council meeting was held on Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock, at which their annual report was drawn up, and various matters of business pertaining to the society ■were transacted. At 3 p.m. a general meeting of the Society was held. Letters of regret for their in- ability to attend were read from Messrs. H. H. Lyman, Montreal ; A. H. Kilman Ridgeway ; J. D. Evans, Sudbury ; Gamble Geddes, Toronto. A letter was read by Mr. Moffat from Mr. F. G. Buckell, of London, England, upon the expansion of the wings of Lepidoptera with reference to Mr. Moffat's paper upon this subject in the annual report for 1891, p. 32. A letter was also submitted by Mr. Harrington from the Rev. G. W. Taylor, of Victoria, Vancouver Island, stating that Aphides of all kinds had been extremely abundant during the present season, but that they had been very much parasitized by Hymenoptera. REPORT OF THE TEEASURER. The Treasurer, Mr. J. M. Denton, presented his annual statement of the finances of the Society and explained the various items of receipts and expenditure. He stated that the balance on hand, ^319.13, was somewhat larger than usual, but it would all be required to meet the expenses of the remaining four months of the year, durint^ which there was very little income to be expected. RECEIPTS, 1891-92. Balance from last year $ 239 93 Membership fees 335 22 Sales of Canadian Entomolo(jist ... ... 99 44 Pins, Cork, etc 47 18 Government grant 1,000 00 Interest on current accoimt 3 55 1,725 32 EXPENDITURE, 1891-92. Printing Canadian Entomologist, etc $ 509 77 Report and meeting expenses 226 12 Library 44 25 Purchase of collection 50 00 Expenseaccount(postage, stationery, etc.) 107 54 Rent and fuel 11(5 00 Insurance 35 00 Pins, cork, etc 17 51 Salaries of ofKcers 300 00 Balance 319 13 SI, 725 32 Audited and found correct, London, Ontario, August 30th, 1892. (Signed.) W. E. Saunders, Jas. H. Bowman ;} Auditors. REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN AND CURATOR. Mr. J. A. Moffat presented and read his report as follows : The number of volumes added to the library during the year is 46, made up thus : Periodicals and reports of Societies received in exchange, which have been bound since last report, 37. Bound volumes which have been received as gifts from various public institutions, 8. By purchase, 1. The whole number on the register is now 1,214. The number of volumes issued to local members during the year was 55. The Society's collection of native Lepido])tera has received several valuable additions by gift, exchange and capture. This department now numbers 935 «pecies and varieties, mostly taken in Ontario. The Toronto list of 1883 contained 9.30 names, many of which were not then, and some of them not yet represented in the Society's drawers. Six or seven years ago when I first turned my attention to the micros there were not a hundred names of these in all our lists, now there are repressntatives of two hundred and twenty-four species in the Society's drawers, and a quantity of unnamed material on hand besides. It is quite evident that our field in Ontario is not half worked, whilst some of those that are engaged in it fail to make their success known. The arrangement of the European beetles has been completed, and they occupy fourteen drawers, numbering 952 species. There is a large number of duplicates for disposal ; some of them are very attractive specimens. Respectfully" submitted, (Signed.) J. Alston Moffat, Librarian and Curator. , REPORT FROM THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO TO THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. By the Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, D.C.L., Delegate. On behalf of the Entomological Society of Ontario I have the honor to report that it continues to prosper and to perform much useful work. During the past year the ordinary membership was well maintained, while the number of associate members (who are not resident in Canada) was largely increased. The Canadian Entomologist, the monthly publication of the Society, continues to attract contributions from all the leading Entomologists of North America, and to main- tain its well established reputation. The 23rd volume was completed in December last, and consisted of 292 pages, instead of the usual 240. Its contributo»'S numbered fifty- one, of whom fourteen were residents of Canada ; thirty-five, of the United States ; one, of England ; and one, of Germany. No less than sixty-one new species of insects were described in its pages, and the life histories of twenty-one species were recounted. Among the more important papers, besides those of a descriptive character, may be mentioned, "Notes on Canadian Rhyncophora," by W. H. Harrington; "The Position of Limenitis Proserpina," by W. H. Edwards; "Notes on Coleoptera," by Dr. J. Hamilton ; "Silver- top in Grass and the Insects which may produce it," by H. Osborn ; " Some Indiana Acridid*," by W. S. Blatchley ; " North American Ohernetida?," and " The Dysderidaj of the United States," by Nathan Banks ; " Some Destructive Locusts of North America," by Lawrence Bruner ; " A Catalogue of the Thysanoura of North America," by A. D. Macgillivray ; and the official report of the meeting in Washington of the Entomologi- cal Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Five numbers of the 24th volume have been issued during the current year, each of them with an increased number of pages ; fifty-nine new species of insects have already been described, and several papers of more than ordinary value and interest have been published. In addition to the monthly magazine, the Society presents an annual report to the Legislature of Ontario. The 22nd was published by the Department of Agriculture in January last. This report for 1891 contains an account of the |)roceedings at the annual meeting of the Society, the President's annual address and the reports of the officers, the IVlontreal Branch and the Sections, and the papers read on the occasion. The President in his address drew the attention of the Society to the most serious insect attacks of the year, and gave an account of the ravages of " the Eye spotted bud moth" (Tine/ocera ocetlana), "the Lesser Apple-Leaf Folder" (leras rainuta), "the Oblique-banded Leaf-roller" (Caco'sia rosaceana), " the Canker-worms " {Anisopteryx vernata and pometaria), "Cutworms," the " Pea-weevil" [Bruchus phi), "the turnip flea- beetle," " the Striped Cucumber Beetle " (Diabrotica vifJaia), and other more or less injurious insects. Among the papers published in the annual report may be njentioned the following: "Can Insects Survive Freezing?" and " Pamphila Manitoba and its Varieties," by Mr. H. H. Lyman; ^^ Nematus Ei-ichsojiii," the Jjarch Saw-fly, whose de- structive ravages among the tamarac swamps of the Province of Quebec are fully related by the Rev. T. W. Fyles ; " a Microscopical Examination of an Unexpanded Wing of Callosamia promethea" by Mr. J. A. MofFatt ; "an Account of some of the Collections of Insects in England and Germany," by Cipt. Gamble Geddes ; "the Northern Mole Cricket," by Mr. J. Fletcher ; "Notes on Japanese Insects," by Mr. W. H. Harrington ; " The Moose Fly," by Prof. W. A. Snow. The various Sections of the Society, which were organized about two years ago, report very satisfactory progress. The Ornithological Section state that their " membership while not large is enthusiastic ; " they have prepared a list, which is published in the annual report, of 97 birds known to breed in the county of Middlesex, Ontario, and of 20 other species observed in the same neighborhood and which will probably be found breed- ing there. The species are distinguished into those which are decidedly beneficial on account of their feeding habits, those which are neutral, and those which are open to doubt as being possibly injurious. The Microscopical Section have held numerous regular meetings and several popular exhibitions ; the subjects to which their attention was chiefly devoted were the manipu- lation of the microscope and the preparation of objects, and the examination of algoe, fungi, including the destructive Black-knot on fruit trees, ferns, etc. The Botanical Section held weekly meetings throughout the greater part of the year, and have begun the formation of a collection of native plants, which is deposited in the rooms of the Society ; a floral calendar has been kept ; two mosses new to Canada have been discovered, and seventy species of fungi have been added to the North American list. The members of the Geological Section have held evening meetings every week, at which they applied themselves to the serious and methodical study of the science, and when the season admitted, frequent field-excursions were made for practical work, During these they covered a large area of country and gathered many rare and valuable speci- mens of fossils. The formation of these Sections of the Entomological Society for the encouragement of work in other departments of science, has thus been amply justified. The results iiave been most satisfactory, and the cheerful assistance given by the member.s of one section to those of another has been most useful. While occupying widely difierent fields of study they are constantly brought into contact with one another and find the benefit of co-operation as members of one Society, as well as the advantage to be derived from its library and rooms, and complete organization. The result is to make London, the head- quarters of the Society, a centre of scientific work for the peninsula of Ontario, and to attract its residents, especially the young, into the delight-giving paths of Natural Science. The annual report of the Society contains also a full record of the very important meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists held in Washington in August last under the presidency of our colleague, Mr. James Fletcher, of Ottawa. This Society was first organized in Toronto in 1889, and has already become a very influential body, including amongst its members all the leading scientists in North America who are engaged in the study of practical Entomology. Its proceedings are accordingly of great scientific value as well as of immense practical value to farmers, gardeners and fruit- growers everywhere. The President, in his opening address, drew special attention to the want of reliable statistics concerning the ravages of destructive insects and the conse- quent financial loss to the community ; a committee was accordingly appointed to prepare a report upon the subject. During the meeting, which occupied two days, a large number of papers on injurious insects were read and discussed, and much useful information was thus brought forward and made public. While technical investigations in Entomology are by no means neglected, it is evident that our Society is becoming increasingly devoted to practical workr, and is thus confer- ring very great benefits upon the agricultural interests of the country. Every fruit- grower and gardener is obliged to wage unceasing war against the infinite variety of injurious insects, and he can only do so with any hope of success when he has been taught by experienced scientists what methods to adopt and what means to employ. The publi- cations of the Society from 'year to year set forth the best methods, and furnish instruction as to the best means for carrying on this warfare. The good work thus done will, we trust, be continued with unflagging zeal in the future. The President gave an account of the meetings held at Rochester, N.Y., during the third week of August, of the Association of Economic Entomologists of North America and the Entomological Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which he and Mr. Fletcher had attended as representatives of the Society. The Rev. T. W. Fyles read a paper on Zarcea Americana which he found feeding on the Buck Bean, Menyanthes trifoliata. He also read an interesting account of some of the rarer butterflies found in the Province of Quebec. Mr. Fletcher remarked upon the paper and gave some further information regarding the life-history of some of the species referred to. Mr. Fletcher then gave an account of a parasite of the Currant-worm. This, he described, as an exceedingly small insect which lives inside the egg of the Saw-fly, from which the Currant-worms hatch. He also mentioned that two species of Mud-daubers {Felopoe.us cementarius and cmruleu^) had been bred by him from the same mud nest. The Rev. T, W. Fyles gave a most interesting account of a visit which he had paid to the home of the late Philip H. Gosse, author of the " Canadian Naturalist," who re- sided many years ago near Compton, in the Eastern Townships, P.Q. The meeting adjourned at 5.45 p.m. EVENING SESSION. In the evening the Society held a public meeting in its rooms in Victoria Hall which was largely attended by members and other friends from London and the neighborhood, amongst whom the following were noticed : Mr. W. H. Harrington (Vice-President) and Mr. James Fletcher, of Ottawa ; Rev. T. W. Fyles, South Quebec ; Messrs. J. M. Denton, W. E. Saunders, J. Alston Moffat, J. A. Balkwill, R. W. Rennie, F. W. Hod- son, John Weld, W. Stevenson, H. Stevenson, J. H. Bowman, J. Dearness, Dr. Gardiner,, Rev. W. M. Rogers, Dr. Woolverton, C. B. Edwai'ds, W. Foot, of London and others. THE PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL ADDRESS. The Rev. Dr. Bethune, Warden of Trinity College School, Port Hope, President of the Society, took the chair at 8 o'clock, and proceeded to deliver his annual address, as follows : Gentlemen : The pleasant duty once more devolves upon me of welcoming you all to our annual meeting. It is with great gratification that I do so, inasmuch as all goes well with our Society, and the reports of the council and officers, and also of the sections, record a steady progress and a continued prosperity. It is now thirty years since Mr. Saunders and I issued a circular to the collectors of insects in Canada, who were at that time very few indeed in number, and by this means obtained the names and addresses of all who were interested in Entomology. After some correspondence had taken place, it was decided to call a meeting at Toronto for the purpose of forming a Canadian Entomo- logical Club. A meeting was accordingly held in the rooms of the Canadian Institute in Toronto, on the 16th day of April, 1863, at which nine gentlemen were present, and resolutions were drawn up for the formation of " The Entomological Society of Canada.'" It will interest you, no doubt, to hear the names of these pioneers of the science in this country. They were the Rev. Prof. Hincks and Prof. Croft, of the University of Toronto • Mr. J. H. Sangster, Dr. Beverley R. Morris and James Hubbart, of Toronto ; Dr. Thos. Cowdry * and his son, Mr. H. Cowdry, of York Mills ; Mr. Saunders, of London, and myself. We had also letters of sympathy with the project from Mr. E. Billings, of the Geological Survey, Montreal ; Mr. R. V. Rogers, Kingston ; Mr. F, Reynolds, Hamilton ; Mr. B. Billings, Prescott ; Rev. V. Clementi, Peterborough ; and Mr. E. Baynes Reed, of London. These gentlemen all cooperated very heartily in the work of the Society and largely contributed to its success. From this beginning of fifteen members the Society has gone on, grown and prospered, and it has now become a large and influential body, with a well-established reputation and a recognized scientific status. It becomes us all then, and especially the younger members, to keep up the good work and to do all in our power, both individually and collectively, for the well-being and prosperity of our beloved Entomological Society of Ontario. There is an unlimited field for work in this country, both in practical and scientific entomology. The life-histories of countless insects remain to be investigated, large areas of our country have never been explored, and in some orders of insects almost nothing has been done. In some department or other, each of us may do some good work even though our opportunities may be few and our time limited. In accordance with our long established custom it now devolves upon me to bring before you some account of the chief insect attacks of the year in this province. Among those that I referred to last year, "the Eye-spotted bud-moth" {Tmelocera ocellana, Schiff) Fig. 1, continues to be very injurious to apple-trees in many parts of the country. Canker-worms have been very abundant and destructive in various places. (Fig. 2 repre- sents the male and wingless female of Anisoptenjx Ver- nata.) At Ottawa, on the first of June, T ob- served them in vast numbers upon forest trees in the neighborhood of the city, and have since been informed that they stripped them of their foliage; they especially attacked the elm, bass- wood and ash, but wei-e rarely seen upon the ^ig. 2. apple, which is the usual food of the insect. At Winnipeg also, as no steps were taken to check their ravages last year, they have con- tinued the work of destruction upon the shade trees of the city. It is much to be deplored that the municipal authorities have not taken the trouble to protect their trees and keep the insect within due bounds. * We regret to have to record that Dr. Thomas Cowdry died on the 16th of October, 1892, at the resi- dence of his son, Mr. E. Cowdry, Simcoe, Ont., in the 80th year of his age. Dr. Cowdry had been in poor health for some time and resided of late years in Bermuda for the sake of the genial climate. He returned to Canada in the spring and died at a good old age, much beloved and respected by all who knew him. Fig. 3. Cut worms have, upon the whole, been less abundant this year. Mr. Moffat tells me that they were very injurious in gai'dens about Lon- don this spring, but owing to the long continued wet weather most of them had failed to mature, and con- sequently there were very few of the moths to be seen. Early in the season they were reported to liave been very abundant in Alberta, but I have heard no par- ticulars since. At Port Hope they were troublesome as usual when the young plants were first set out in the spring. Lately the moths of several species, especially Iladena devastator and sputatrix Agrolis jacvlifera ypsilon (Fig. 3) herilis and tricosa, have been very abundant, and will probably produce a large crop of worms for next year. The Zebra caterpillar (Mamestra picta, Harris) Fig. 4, has been unusally abundant this year. Its favourite food is cabbage, but I have found it injurious to salsify, beets, spinach, lettuce and other vegetables, and common also upon many weeds. The caterpillar (Fig. 4, a) is easily recognized, being more than ordinarily hand- some. When fully grown it is about two inches long, of a velvety black colour, with the head and legs red, and two bright yellow stripes along each side; between these stripes there are numerous cross bars of yellow, which are so striking that they have caused the worm to be known as the Zebra caterpillar. The moth (Fig. 4 b.) does not compare with it in beauty, being dull and inconspicuous in colour ; its fore-wings are deep brown, shaded with purple and marked with paler spots in the middle ; the hind wings are white, faintly edged with brown on the outer margin. It is apparently double-brooded, as we have found the caterpillars in July and August and also in October. When young the cater- pillars are gregarious and feed all together on the underside of a leaf. In the case of the cabbage they thus make a con- spicuous white spot, and the whole brood can easily be picked off and crushed under foot, but when they are older they scatter over the leaves and are much more difficult to deal with. The Cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapoe, Linn) Fig. 5 represents the male and Fig. 6 the female, has been remarkably abundant about Port Hope this year, and very common in Fig. 4. the various parts of the province that I have chanced to visit. Its injuries must be very considerable, judging from what I have observed myself. The most satisfactory method of dealing with it is the application of Persian Insect Powder (Pyrethrum.) This may be used in its pure state or mixed with four times its weight of common flour. The powder should be puffed with a small bellows into the heads of the infested cabbages as soon as the caterpillars are observed, and at diff"erent times during the season. A few applications usually suffice to destroy the insect. Another serious enemy to the cabbage is the Root Maggot {Anthomyia brassic.ce Bouche) which is reported as being specially injurious this year in the neighbourhood of Ottawa. In 1885 Mr. Saunders stated that the cabbage crop had been materially in- jured by it, and in 1890 Mr. Fletcher gave an account of it in his annual report, and mentioned that " in most parts of Canada it was the insect which gave the greatest trouble to the cabbage grower." Like most of our i)ests it has been imported into this country from Europe, but has long been naturalized amongst us. The perfect insect is a small two-winged fly, of a grayish colour. It lays its eggs in the spring upon the young plants, depositing them beneath the surface of the ground as far down as it can reach its ovipositor, or creep in some convenient crevice. In a few days the young maggots hatch out, feeding at first upon the outside, and subsequently as they grow larger boring into the stem. When there are many about the same plant, as is commonly the case, only a few of them penetrate the root, while the remainder live in the soil upon the exuding juices of the injured plant. The effect of the attack is the death of the plant as soon as dry weather sets in. Mr. Fletcher has found that the maggots can be destroyed by the application of a decoction of white hellebore. He used two ounces to three gallons of water, and after drawing away some of the surface soil forced the liquid about the roots of the plant with a garden syringe and then replaced the soil. The results of this treatment have, so far, been very satisfactory. Nitrate of soda as a surface dressing and watering with lime water have also been recommended as effective remedies. The Pear-leaf blister [Phytoptus pyri, Sheuten) has been spreading over Ontario and the Maritime Provinces during the present season. It is a tiny mite which forms a gall ,on the leaf, and from the parent gall the young mites spread and form new ones, which soon give a blistered appearance to the leaf. In the autumn they remove to the leaf buds at the ends of the twigs and jjass the winter beneath the leafy scales. Spraying with kerosene emulsion in the spring when the buds first open is recommended as a remedy, hut nothing has as yet been found to exterminate the creature. It should be watched by our fruit growers and experimeuts made for its destruction. The Fall Web-worm {Ilyphantria textor, Harris) Fig. 7, to which I find it necessary to make an annual allusion, is this year more abundant and wide-spread than ever. Though so conspicuous and so easily dealt with, I find that few people will take the trouble to destroy it, and consequently it is rapidly becoming a iBost serious pest. It attacks deciduous trees of every description and also shrubs and herba- ceous plants. It is especially injurious to , I, ,,ni 1,1,1, Ml ,11 1 ill///,/ S— 1 young trees, which it soon strips of every %P^^M0Wr^^ y vestile of foliage. Several you.^ elm trei pliinted along the streets of Port Hope were rendered quite bare a few weeks ago by this " caterpillar, who-e work was done in a few days Fig. 7. . and thus escaped notice at first. These trees have put out a fresh crop of leaves, but I fear that they will be seriously exhausted of their strength, if not finally killed. Mr. Fletcher drew attention recently in the OilavM Fidd Naturalist to the ravages of this insect, with very good results, as many people were led by his remarks to destroy the webs and their inmates wherever they found them. It is to be hoped that all the members of this Society will use their influence in the same way in any part of the country where they may be. 10 Among insects noticeable for their abundance this year, though not especially injurious. I may mention the Clreen grape- vino Sphinx (Darapta myron, Cramer) s^sasL, Fig. 9. ■^r-, o,:,^-)'<«|l^';^"!*:.^^ Fig. 10. which is very numerous on the foliage of the ^i'irginia creeper. Fig. 8 represents the i^oth and Fig. 9 the caterpillai:. Many of the caterpillars, however, are attacked by its well known parasite, Fig. 10, and it is not likely that the insect will gain too much headway. Another gnipo insect is much more injurious both to the vine and the Virginia creeper. I refer to the grape vine Flea- beetle {Graptodera cJialybea, Illig) which is a serious pest in many parts of the country. This insect passes the winter in the perfect state, and in the spring the beetle attacks the buds of the vine as soon as they begin to swell, thus destroying the future foliage and fruit in their embryo condition. It is a small, polished steel-blue beetle, varying in colour to green and purple, about three-twentieths of an inch in length, dark green beneath, with brownish-black antennuj and feet. It is called a " flea-beetle " from its immensely developed thighs (Fig. 11) which enable it to jump long distances in the same manner as the familiar insect fiom which it takes its name. After a ^QVf weeks the first crop of beetles dis- appears, and is soon followed by colonies of little worms (Fig. 12, much magnified) dark-brown or blackish in colour, which speedily make their presence known by riddling the leaves with small holes. (Fig. 13.) These attain their full growth in July, descend to the earth to assume the pupa state, and after a week or two come out as perfect beetles. They do the greatest amount of injury in early spring, but in the summer also they are frequently very injurious by entirely stripping I am informed by the Rev. W. J. Mackenzie that the vines in the neighbourhood of Milton have been so seriously injured by this insect, especially in the spring, that they have produced very little fruit during the last three years. The most ell'ective remedies, so far as known, are, first, to remove and burn all fallen leaves and other rubbish about the vines in the autumn, and secondly, to syringe the canes and young foliage with a weak mixture of Paris green and water in early spring. Strong soap suds or powdered hellebore might be employed against the larvte in the summer time, when the use of Paris green would be dangerous. Turning from the garden to the field, I find that " Silver-top " is still very common in meadows. At the recent meeting of Economic Entomologists in Rochester, N. Y., Mr. H. Osborn, of the Iowa Experiment Stations, gave an account of his method of dealing Fig. 11. the vine of its foliage. 11 with this injury. It is mainly caused by small leaf-hoppers (Jassidfe). These are collected and destroyed by the use of a " hopper-dozer." This is a thin sheet-iron pan, about three feet in width, and of any length that may be found convenient ; the back and sides of the pan are turned up about five or six inches, and the front is bent over about half an inch in order to form a smooth edge ; the pan is mounted upon low wooden runners, about two inches in height, and is drawn by means of a rope attached to either end. When ready for use the pan is smeared over with coal-tar to the depth of quarter of an inch or more, and is then dragged over the infested fields. The front of the pan, as it strikes the grass, causes the hoppers to spring into the air when most of them alight on the pan and are caught in the tar, A large area can be gone over very quickly and myriads of the insects thus destroyed. A field treated in this way before the grass has -//^ become too long, and again when it has begun to grow after cutting, will be easily kept clear of this pe.st. Mr. Osborn found it advantageous to keep the infested meado v closely cropi)ed by enclosing a larger number of cows upon it than usual. This simple machine — " the hopper-dozer" — can also be used with great advantage for the destructio i of grass-hoppers or locusts. The Clover-root borer, (Hylesinus trifolii, Miiller) is reported by Mr. Kilman to be troublesome in the neighbourhood of Ridgeway, Ont. He says that " it literally honey- combs the clover roots in all fields here during the second season of the plant's growth, and the weakened plant rarely survives the winter following. The farmers then say that theii- clover is 'winter-killed.'" Mr. Fletcher in his last year's report (1891) drew attention to the occurrence of this insect in Canada, and recommended as a remedy the plowing under of the clover when it is found to be infested. The Common red-legged Grass-hopper (Melanoplus femur-rubrum, Burm), is very, abundant just now in many parts of the Province and is doing a considerable amount of damage. It is especially injurious to oats, as it has a habit of climbing up the stalk and biting off the ear. 1 have been informed that a field of ten acres in the neighbourhood of Port Hope was severely damaged in this way. It would be quite worth the farmers' while to use "hopper-dozers" for these insects, as already described. By making the coating of tar about half an inch thick it would securely hold the grass-hoppers. The Wheat-stem maggot (Meromyza Americana, Fitch), which is also known as " the Wheat bulb worm " when it infests the roots of the plant, has been reported as injurious in some localities. Early in the spring the pup* of this insect are found in the roots of wheat and grasses ; these are the pupa; of the last brood of the previous year and have passed the winter in this .state. The flies emerge from these at the end of May and pro- ceed to lay their eggs on the leaves of many kinds of grass, and also upon the leaves of the forming stems of wheat, which has been sown in May and is well up by the first of June. These eggs produce a small glassy green maggot which eats into the base of the top joint of wheat, barley and grasses, and causes the ear to turn prematurely white before the rest of the crop is ripe. This is the "silver-top" of wheat and barley which 12 IS frequently to be seen about the first of July. From these maggots there comes a second brood of the flies in August which deposit their eggs on grasses and on any volunteer wheat that there may be, and finally a third brood is matured in September in time to attack the fall wheat before the cold weather sets in. The remedies which Mr. Fletcher proposes (Bulletin No. 11) are "(1) late sowing of winter wheat ; (2) harrowing of stubble soon after the crop is carried, so as to start the volunteer crop quickly, this latter to be plowed in early in September ; (3) the application of a special fertilizer as a top dressing when winter wheat is known to be aflected, this will help the injured plants to overcome the injury." The last insect attack to which I desire to draw your attention is, perhaps, the most formidable of all. I refer to the recent occurrence of the " Horn-fly " {Hce.matohia serraia, Kob.) in various parts of this Province. At the beginning of August it Avas first reported to Mr. Fletcher as attacking cattle at Oshawa, and soon after its appearance was announced at Toronto and London ; during the last few days I have been informed of its presence at Bowman ville, Port Hope, Kingston, Ottawa and at Boucherville near Montreal. It has, no doubt, come to us from the neighbouring States where it has pre- vailed for some time. The insect is of European origin and has evidently been brought into the United States with imported cattle. It was first observed in New Jersey in 1887, and has now spread over the Atlantic States to Florida, as far west as Indiana and northwaid to Canada. The adult is a small gray fly, closely resembling the common house-fly in appearance, but a little smaller. It derives its name of Horn-fly from its singular habit of clustering, when at rest, upon the base of the horns of cows ; it is by no means confined to this situation, however, but swarms ui)on the back between the head and foreshoulders, and on any parts which cannot be reached by the tongue or tail of the animal. When feeding it ranges over the back, flanks and legs. The injury done by this fly is by biting with its mouth-organs the skin of the animal, and sucking its blood ; as it occurs in great swarms, it seriously irritates the cattle and causes them, by loss of blood, to fall off in condition and diminish the yield of milk. The eggs are laid on the fresh droppings of the cattle and the insect passes its maggot stage in these ; it subsequently goes down to the earth to form its pupa from A.hich the winged fly in due time emerges. Dr. Faley and his assistants at Washington have carefully studied the life history of the insect, and state that " from ten to seventeen days, say two weeks, is about the average time from the laying of the egg to the appearance of the flies, and with four active breeding months, from May 15th to September 15th, there will be eight generations." We cannot then wonder at the sudden and enormous multiplication of the insect. The remedies that have been found most eifective are the smearing of the horns and all the aflected parts of the animal with any greasy sub.stance to which a little carbolic acid has been added for the sake of its healing effect ; train oil has been found especially useful as it keeps the flies away for five or six days after an application ; common axle- grease and tallow have also be^n employed with good eflect. In order to destroy the broods of the insect, the best))lan is to throw a spadeful of lime over the fresh droppings, or if the weather is dry and sunny, to rake the fresh cowdung over the surface of the ground so that it may at once dry up and prevent the maggots from maturing ; boys could easily perform this work, as there is always some place in the pasture field where the cattle gather during the heat of the day and where the dung can therefore be dealt with without much tiouble. These methods should be especially employed in the early part of the year, wherever the in&ect is noticed, in order to prevent, or at any rate reduce, the subsequent bioods. Before leaving the su\)ject of practical entomology I may allude for a moment to the splendid work that is being done all over North America by the Division of Entomology at Washington and the otlicial entomologists at the various State experimental stations. The publication of Insect Life and the many bulletins that are issued both by the Federal and the State oflicials contain a vast fund of most useful and valuable information, the vi su ts of careful experiments in the field and the laboratory, and painstaking and conscientious studies of the life histories of insects. Similar good work is also being accomplished in this country by Mr. James Fletcher, the Dominion Entomologist at the 13 Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa. He and I had the pleasure recently of attendinf; the meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists of North America, which was held at Rochester, N. Y., on the 15th and 16th of August, and of meeting there a large- number of the most eminent workei's in this branch of science. In England Miss- Ormerod has continued her useful work and published last winter her fifteenth " Report of Observations on Injurious Insects and Common Farm Pests," in which she gave a special account of the outbreak of caterpillars of the Diamond-back Moth {PiiUella cruciferarum, Zeller) over large areas in Great Britain, and devoted a chapter to the use of Paris Green as an insecticide. It is satisfactory to learn that this useful agent is gradually coming into use in England and that the prejudices against its employment are being removed. In India the Trustees of the Indian Museum at Calcutta are issuing a serial publication on Economical Entomology, entitled Indian Museum Notes, which is now in its second volume ; many of the parts are beautifully illustrated, among which we may specially mention an account of "The Wild Silk Insects of India," by Mr. Cotes, with fourteen very handsome plates. One of the most useful publications of the year is undoubtedly a work by Dr. C. V. Riley, " Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects," puV)lished by the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. In consists of nearly 150 pages and is illustrated by nearly as many wood cuts, most of them specially prepared for the work. The directions and instructions are most complete and will be found invaluable by beginners, and full of useful hints and ideas for those who are experienced in collecting. Every entomologist is frequently appealed to by beginners to recommend them some book which will teach them how to collec* and preserve specimens and how to make a start in the study of the science ; hitherto one has be^n at a loss for a manual which will meet such cases, but now the want is admirably filled. In time we may hope that this work will be followed by a manual of North American insects, which will perform the same service for Entomology that Dr. Gray's works have done for Botany. We are glad to learn that a step is being taken in this direction by Mr. S. H. Scu.lder, who is now preparing for publication a book on butterflies for boys. The author's name is a sufficient warrant that it will be all that one can desire. Since our last annual meeting we have had to deplore the loss of two of our members. On the 18th of March Mr. F. B. Caulfi^ld died at Montreal. Since 1887 he has baea a frequent contributor to the annual reports of the Society and also wrote occasional papers iov th.e Canadian Entomologist; he was also a very energetic member of the Montreal branch and did much to maintain its activity and usefulness. He was a careful and diligent collector and a keen observer. His loss is deeply felt by his associates as well as his family. We sincerely sympathize with his widow and children in their bereavement. On the 23rd of April one of our most noted Canadian entomologists departed this life. The Abbe L^on Provancher died at Cap Rouge near Quebec, in the 72nd year of his age. His earliest publications were a treitise on Botany in 1858 and a Flora of Canada in 1862. He soon afterwards turned his attention to Entomology, and after publishing a list of the Coleoptera taken at Portneuf, he began in 1874 the publication of his Faune Entomologique du Canada, the third volume of which was not comp'eted till 1890. For more than twenty years also he published his well known monthly magazine Le Naturaliste Canadien, which was only discontinued last year. He was* a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of many other scientific associations. His name will long stand out prominently in the records of science as one of the ablest and most diligent savants that our French compatriots of the Province of Quebec have produced. I feel that I have now sufficiently trespassed upon your time and attention and beg to thank you very heartily for the kind hearing that you have given me. Mr. Fletcher moved a vote of thanks to the President for his interesting and valuable address, and in doing so remarked upon the prevalence of the Zebra caterpillar {Mamestra picta), the destruction of the Tomato sphinx and the Green sphinx of the grapi- vine (Darapsa myron) by parasites, and the rapid spread of the Horn- fly in Ontario and Western Quebec. 14 The motion was seconded by the Rev. T. W. Fyles, who expressed the pleasure he had derived from listening to the address. In the course of his remarks he referred to the injuries caused by the Onion fly, and stated that it could be prevented by the use of soot, which drove away the fly, and the affected onion was then enabled to revive and complete its growth. Mr. Denton gave an account of some experiences in England where a fly had caused the death of a newly born calf and also attacked sheep. Mr. Fletcher stated that soot was not always an available remedy in this country in consequence of the prevalent use of hard coal. He found nothing better than the application of a kerosene emulsion for the destruction of this and a great variety of other insects. He proceeded to describe the ease with which an emulsion could be made and the mode of its application, as well as its effectiveness as an insecticide. EEPORT OF THE COUNCIL. The following report was then read and adopted : The Council of the Entomological Society^of Ontario beg to present the following report of their proceedings during the past year. The ordinary membership of the Society has been satisfactorily ftaintained, while the number of associate members has been considerably increased during the year. Con- tinued interest has been taken in the various departments of the Society, and much good work has been accomplished. The Twenty-second Annual Report on practical and genertil entomology was pre- sented to the Minister of Agriculture in December last, and was printed and distributed early in February. It consisted of one hundred pages and was illustrated with eighteen wood-cuts. The report contained, among other interesting matter, a full report of the proceedings at the annual meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists, and a valuable list of the birds of Middlesex County. The Council are pleased to gratefully acknowledge the promptitude with which the report was printed and distributed by the Department, and also the advantage the Society has received from having the reports distributed from Toro.^to. The Canadian Entomologist has been regularly issued at the beginning of each month, and completed its twenty-third volume in December last. It consisted of 292 pages, an increase of fifty over the usual number. Of the current volume eight numbers have so far been published, and the ninth (for September) is almost ready for distribution, the numbers have averaged over twenty-four pages each, and will make the volume at the close of the year larger than any of its predecessors. There is still a steady demand for the back volumes, which involves the occasional reprinting of a number. Some valuable additions have been made to the Library during the past year, among -which may be mentioned a set of Miss Georgiana E. Ormerod's coloured diagrams of insects injurious to vegetation, which will be found most useful for illustrating popular lectures and addresses to farmers' meetings. The Society's collections of specimens have been carefully looked after by the Curator, Mr. Moffat, many additions have been made to the Lepidoptera, and good progress has been made in the arrangement of the European Coleoptera. The Council would here express their continued satisfaction with the careful and conscientious manner in which Mr. Moffat discharges his duties towards the Society. The Sections of the Society in the departments of Botany, Geology, Microscopy and Ornithology have been in active operation during the past year. The reports of their proceedings are submitted herewith. It is earnestly to be hoped that the interest awakened in these V)ranches of Natural Science will not be allowed to flag, and that the number of their adherents will steadily increase. 15 From the Treasurer's report it will be seen that there is at present a balance on hand of $319.13, which is a larger amount than usual. The greatest care has been taken to keep the expenditure within due limits, as hitherto the amount remaining at the time of the annual meeting has not proved sufficient to carry on the work of the Society till the close of the year, during which time little or no money is received by the Society. The amount now on hand will all be required for necessary expenses before the annual subscriptions begin to be paid in January. The Society was represented at the meeting of the Royal Society of Canada, which was held at Ottawa at the end of May, by your President, Dr. Bethune, who was subse- quently elected a Fellow of the Society. During the present month of August important meetings were held at Rochester, N. Y., at which the Society was represented by the President and Mr. Fletcher. It is gratifying to record that the former was elected first Vice-President of the Association of Economic Entomologists of North America, and President of the Entomological Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the ensuing year. All which is respectfully submitted. (Signed) Charles J. S. Bethune, President. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The following were elected officers for the ensuing year : President — W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa. Vice-President — J. M. Denton, London. Secretary — W. E, Saunders, London. Treasurer— J. A, Balkwill, London. Directors — Division 1, James Fletcher, F.L.S., F.R.S.C, Ottawa. Division 2, Rev. Dr. Bethune, F.R.S.C, Port Hope. Division 3, Gamble Geddes, Toronto. Division 4, A. H. Kilman, Ridgeway. Division 5, J. Dearness, London. Librarian avd Curator — J. Alston Moffat, London. Editor of the " Canadian Entomologist " — Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, M.A., D.C.L. , Port Hope. Editing Committee — J. Fletcher, Ottawa ; H. H. Lyman, Montreal ; Rev. T. W. Fylks, South Quebec ; J. H. Bowman, London. Delegate to the Royal Society of Canada — The President. Auditors — J. H. Bowman and W. E. Saunders, London. The reports for the past year of the various sections of the Society were next read by .their respective secretaries. 16 REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTAEIO. This Section was organized for 1892 on the 16th of April, with Mr. J. A. Balkwill as Chairman and Mr. J. Dearness as Viee-Chairman. The meetings were held regularly up to August, with considerable interest mani- fested. An outing to Komoka on the 24th of May, and one to the " Swamp of Death Oxford Co., were indulged in by some of the members. Messrs. Dearness, Bowman, Stevenson and Althouse were very energetic in field work. The following rare plants have been collected : Collector. Locality. Anagallis arvensis Mr. Mofiatt Campbellville. Poterium sanguisorba " " Yalerianella olitoria Mr. Dearness Twenty Mile Creek. Viola rotundifolia " " Corydalis glauca Messrs. Dearness and Bowman . . Pine Pond ^^Swamp of Death). Dalibarda repens " " . . " Lepidium campestre ^ " " . . Twenty Mile Creek. Barbarea vulgaris ^ " " . . " Viola carnina var rupestrhs " " . . " Cassia Marilandica (3 ft. igh) Mr. Dearness Tp. of Howard. Symphoricarpus occidentalis Actinomeiis squarrosa Polygonatum giganteum (7 ft ) Silphium perfoliatum (7 ft.) Euphorbia preslii Lophanthns scrophulariaefolius . . . . Negundo aceroides (2 ft. diameter) . . Lythrura alatum " Walpole Island. Polygala sanguinea Baptisia tinctorise (fields) Silphium terebinthinaceum Tradescantia sp C?) Galium verum Mr. Bond Port Stanley. Bidens beckii . . , Mr. Stephenson Port Frank. hurinf the year a large number of plants have been carefully mounted, the total number now in the herbarium amounts to about 500. Mr. Balkwill has done much of the mounting. The Section intends continuing the work during the coming winter. Early in April a fine collection of plants was received from Mr. Wm. Scott, B.A., Mathematical Master of the Ottawa Normal School. The plants were in good condition and very acceptable, as they were collected in a district very different from that surround- ing London. The Section purposes continuing its explorations, and hopes to publish a list of the plants found in this district at some future time. 0. B. EDWARDS, Sec. 17 EEPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SECTION. Regular meetings have been held by the members of the Geological Section through' out the year, and they have been, on the whole, well attended. Interest in geological work has not diminished, and the meetings have often been the scene of lively discussion. The course of study has been based on Professor Geikie's geological works, and articles in newspapers and magazines have received careful attention. The work has been agreeably helped forward by the fact that the fine collection of specimens belong- ing to our Chairman has always been open for the use of the Section, and they have proved invaluable for the purpose of illustrating the subjects l)efore the section The members have frequently been out on excursions and have secured many interesting specimens. One of the most interesting outings occurred a short time ago, when the members were accompanied by Professor Seaborne, of Hellmuth Ladies* College, who gave some interesting and valuable hints as to the best methods of working up the geology of the London district. Those of the members who spent their holidays away from home took the inevitable hammer with them, and secured many interesting examples of the life of former ages. The Chairman particularly worked up the Niagara Falls locality, and promises to furnish the Section with his observations. There are now few parts of the district immediately around London that have not been explored. London is in an interesting district from the fact that it appears to be directly in the line of the great stream of ice which swept the northern part of the continent in the Pliocene age, and the detritus from many different geological areas are scattered plentifully around. The age to which the rocks here belong is the Devonian, but they have been covered so deeply with the glacial drift that they reach the surface in but few places. Probably the finest specimens of the trilobite, Phncops hufo, found in Canada have been procured here, while the race of Orthoceratidas is well represented in this immediate vicinity. Corals are especially abundant and some fine specimens have been secured. One of our members contemplates the arrangement of a list of Devonian fossils found around London, and hopes to be able to present it to the Society at the next annual meeting. It is with pleasure that we learn that Mr, Johnson Pettit, to whom this Society is so much indebted, is now turning his attention to geology, and we hope to have his co-operation in the future. S. WooLVERTON, Chairman. J. L. Goodburnb, Secretary. REPORT OF THE MICROSCOPICAL SECTION, I have much pleasure in presenting the annual report of our Section for the year ending August 31^t, 1892 : It is now two years since this Section was organized, and we can lookHoack with pleasure upon the work of the past. Although our membership has not increased to any great extent during the last year, yet great interest is still manifested by all the members, who are rapidly gaining experience in the manipulation of the microscope and the pre^ paration of objects. During the past year public interest in our Section has greatly increased, as the report of our outside meetings will show. On March 3rd the Section was privileged to give a microscopical demonstration at the annual meeting of the East 31iddlesex Teachers 2 (EN.) 18 Association. The Section was again invited to the Hellmuth Ladies' College and was highly appreciated. Mr. Merchant, at the request of some of our members, very kindly granted us the use of the magnificent projecting microscope belonging to the Collegiate Institute. The Principal gave a very interesting lecture on projection, explaining and illustrat- ing the elementary laws of light and their application to projection. Thirteen meetings were held last season. Total membership is 12 ; average attend- ance 9 ; visitors 8. The subjects of the various evenings during the season were as follows : Oct. 30th : Fertilization and Growth of Ferns. — Mr. Foot. Nov. 13th : Examination of the results of an outing, all taking part. Nov. 27th : Examination of Fungi. Family Erysiphte. — Prof Dearness. Those studied were Erysipha Lamprocarpaon Hydrophyllum. Uncinula clintonii on leaf of Basswood. Phallactinia on leaf of Dogwood. Dec. 11th : Examination of Fungi Avas continued on six other specimens. — Prof. Dearness. Dec. 26th : How to find and classify Diatoms. — Prof. Bowman. Jan. 15th : Life, History and Classification of Diatoms. — Prof. Bowman. Jan. 29th : Methods of mounting Diatoms. — Prof. Bowman. Feb. 5th : Fertilization and Growth of the Phanerogams. — Mr. Rennie. Feb. 19th : Mounting of Seeds and Pollen. — Mr. Rennie. Mar. 5 th : Light and its application to the Microscope. — Prof. Dearness. April Ist: Microscopical Projection. — Principal Merchant. April 15th : Examination of Frog Spawn. — Prof. Bowman. April 29th : Fungi. — Prof. Dearness. All which is respectfully submitted. William H. Foot, Secretary. REPORT OF THE ORNITHOLOGICAL SECTION FOR THE YEAR 1892. Mr. President and Members of the Council : During the past year the Ornithological Section has held a number of meetings, at which many interesting facts have been noted and some new ones brought to light. During the spring months a combined record was kept of arrivals from the south, showing that 37 species were observed by the members in the first three months, 42 in April and 58 in May, against 36, 38 and 40 respectively for the year previous. Several of the most interesting notes of the year I may perhaps be permitted to refer to briefly. First in order is the winter visitation of Crossbills. These were observed by all the members in March, April and May, the 30th of May being the last date of observation, when ten were seen. This influx included not only Red Crossbills, but also the rarer Whitewings in quantity, and one lot was seen, and two taken, of a larger form, Loxia ctirvirostra, Bendirei, which is regarded as a variety intermediate between the Mexican and the Red Crossbills, and has not, we believe, been recorded for Ontario before. Another rare species which was noted in some quantity is the Bay-breasted Warbler which IS usually scarce, but this year appeared in good numbers, being first discovered by one of our most energetic members right in the city, and subsequently found on several 19 morning excursions. It is probable we should be able to report the breeding of the Least Bittern in our county had it not been for the rapacious boy, who captured the pair. They were observed June 4th, and captured a few days later, and on visiting the locality, a thorough search by one of our members showed a nearly finished nest, probably of this species. The take of the season, however, was the Cape May Warbler, hitherto unknown in Middlesex County, though eagerly sought for during many years. The first specimen was discovered in the High School grounds, by the energetic member previously referred to, who studied the bird with creditable zeal for many minutes, and subsequently selected the species from a series of unnamed skins, only to be the more sorry he could not secure it when he was informed of its identity. All doubts which might have been cast on this record were cleared up by the capture of a pair, male and female, by a boy with a slingshot the next day near the same place The members of section regard this as the most impor- tant record of the year, and are proportionately proud of it. Our Plover Mills represent- ative, with the assistance of Mr. Joseph Beck, secured a number of specimens of Lincoln's Sparrow, which had hitherto been claimed for the county on the strength of a single specimen taken years ago in the fall. Possibly it may prove, like the Fox-colored Sparrow, to be not so very rare now that we are getting acquainted with it. Less interesting because somewhat out of the Section's range was the result of a visit of a member to Lake Wawanosh, near Sarnia, where he secured two specimens of the short billed Marsh Wren, of which probably ten or a dozen specimens were seen. They had not been previously reported in such numbers from anywhere in Ontario, although once erroneously reported near Ottawa. In nesting records, the only one of special interest is the finding of a nest of the Carolina Rail on the outskirts of the city, with seven eggs ; this being the only addition we have to make to the list of birds known to breed in Middlesex county, which was submitted with our last annual report. During the coming year we hope to open a large ledger for the birds of Middlesex in whicli all the notable occurrences with regard to each species shall be inscribed, thereby getting the result of our work into permanent form and making a good basis for any special investigations the Section may take up in the future. W. E. Saunders, Chairman. MONTREAL BRANCH OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. The following is the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Council of the Montreal Branch of the Entomological Society of Ontario : The Council beg to submit the following report of the Branch for the year 1891-92. During the past "season nine meetings have been held, most of which were well attended, and the following papers have been read : 1 . Notes on Nematus pallidiventris — Rev. T. W. Fyles. 2. Some little known Canadian Coleoptera. — J. F. Hansen. 3. Occurrence of Platynus rugiceps at Montreal. — J. F. Hansen. 4. Hepialus thule. — H. H. Lyman. 5. Notes on some species of Halisidota. — H. H. Lyman. 6. Notes on the genus Lithophane. — A. F. Winn. 7. Entomological Questions. — A. F. Winn. 8. Pamphila Manitoba and its varieties. — H. H. Lyman. 9. Danais Archippus. — A. F. Winn. 10. Notes on rearing Pyrameis Atalanta. — H. H. Lyman. 11. The genua Grapta. — H. H. Lyman. 12. Notes on Hemiptera. — J. F. Hansen. 20 Two new members have been added to our roll, viz., Messrs. Lachlan Gibb and J. W. Oushing, but three of our old members have resigned owing to continued absence from the city, and the death of our esteemed vice-president, Mr. F. B. Caulfield, has caused a great gap in our ranks which it will be difficult to fill. He was one of the founders of this Branch, and has taken the greatest interest in its welfare through all its vicissitudes during the past nineteen years, At our meetings he has read over forty original papers, and being an enthusiastic and pains-taking entomologist, the loss to the Branch is a very heavy one. The Council would again urge the members to do all in their power to increase the interest in our meetings by getting as many new members as possible, and by bringing to the meetings specimens and notes on insects. A large amount of work might easily be done during the coming summer on the neglected orders, Neuroptera, Hemiptera and Diptera, and we would suggest that each member should study at least one order besides his specialty and thus aid in increasing our knowledge of some of the many very common species of which at present we know little or nothing. The report of the treasurer shews a balance on hand of $17.08. Submitted on behalf of the Council, H. H. Lyman, President. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : President, H. H. Lyman ; Vice-President, W. C. Adams ; Secretary-Treasurer, A. F. Winn ; Council, J. F. Hausen, Ohas. Jackson. After the reading of the foregoing reports was completed Mr. Harrington gave an interesting account of a visit which he and Mr. Fletcher had made to Sudbury this summer, and exhibited some rare and remarkable specimens that they had found in that locality. Mr, Fletcher gave an entertaining description of a trip to Nepigon, north of Lake Superior, in quest of eggs of the butterfly, Chionobas Macoanii. JS^o eggs of that species were obtained, but many interesting observations were made. Eggs of N'emeophila selwynu were secured, and the larvte bred from them were described. Grapta fauaus was bred from larvte found on Abius viridis, Salix discolor and Betula papyrifera, and an undesciibed parasite was also reared. Grapta prognpj was also reared from larvte on Betida pcqyijrifera. Colias interior was mentioned, and the food plant was stated to be willow (from the observations of Mr. T. E. Bean in the Rocky Mountains). Mr. Fletcher was of the opinion that it was also Vacciniu/n. Specimens of two western species of A.rgynnis, A. cipris and A. electa were taken at Nepigon, and the occurrence there commented on. Lijctena lucia was taken and an addition made to its food plants in the flowers and seeds of Acer spicatum. Carlerocephalus mandan is not uncommon at Nepigon in roadways running through low woodlands. Eggs had been secured on grasses and several larvae were being bred. Nisoniades icelus, common at Nepigon, was being bred from eggs laid on the upper side of the leaves of Salix cor data. The larvie were found to exhibit different temperaments, one particular specimen being described as " very bad tempered." Some beetles had been collected, and the oviposition o^ Myodites zeschii in the unopened flowers of Solidago canadensis was described. An interesting Mordella had been taken on a white fungus growing on an old wharf, but the species did not seem to answer to any of those in the available literature. Species of Donacia, Leptura and some Carabidie had been collected. Trirhabda convergens had been found abundantly on asters and solidagos. Of Hymenoptera many interesting species had been secured, Abia kennicottii amongst them, and several spacimens of Trichiosoma trianyulum. The meeting adiourned at 10 p.m. 21 THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 1st. The meeting was called to order by the President at half-past 9 o'clock. The Rev. T. W. Fyles gave an account of a gall that he had found upon a White Aster {Diplopappus umhellattcs). Mr. Fletcher in commenting upon it expressed the hope that Mr. Fyles would be able to work up its life history completely. A paper by Mr. H. H. Lyman, of Montreal, on a " Trip to Mount Washington in New Hampshire" was then read by the President (see p 32.) Mr. Fletcher described some of the many difficulties which beset the entomologist in his efforts to rear larvae from the egg to the imago state. An interesting discussion upon galls was then entered upon, in which most of the members present participated. The President, Dr. Bethunb, gave an account of his observations of insect life in Bermuda during the month of March last. He stated that he was most struck by the remarkable absence of insects of all descriptions. Not a single butterfly was to be seen and only one or two moths ; after a diligent search under stones, etc., the only beetle that he found was the red and black Dung-beetle so common in Canada {Aphodins fmetarins), which he found in some cow droppings in a pasture field. Cockroaches (Blatta Ameri- cana), were abundant, having been brought, no doubt, in ships to the islands ; a much larger species, £. Maderensia. was also occasionally seen. The common wasp (Polistes Canadensis), was found making its comb, without any protecting nest, on the leaves or branches of trees ; honey bees were numerous and several species of ants, but no other Hymenoptera were observed. Mosquitoes and house-flies were common but not suffi- ciently numerous to be annoying, and several kinds of spiders. Great complaints were made of the difficulty of growing peaches on the islands owing to the attacks of an insect ; in " Insect Life," vol. iii, p. 6, this is stated to be the maggot of a Dipterous fly [Ceratitis capitata, Wied.) The fruit was observed in all stages of growth at the same time, but none were in perfection except a few that had been protected with gauze netting. The flv is said to attack oranges also, but this fruit has been virtually exterminated in the Bermudas by a Scale-insect (Chionaspis citri), which was accidentally introduced in a ship- load of oranges some years ago. Through the kindness of the Rev. W. G. Lane, Dr. Bethune had obtained three specimens of Sphinx moths, which he exhibitad, viz. : (1) Chcprocampa tersa Drury, found also in the Southern States and West Indies; this beautiful hawk-moth is distinguished by its graceful shape and long pointed body ; it is of a light-brownish yellow colour, the hind wings being black with a marginal row of wedge-shaped yellow spots. The larva is said to feed on Button-weed {Siyerviacoce. glabra.) (2) Phlegethontius (Sphinx) cingulata. Fab., a large grey hawk-moth, with the hind wings shaded with rose colour and five spots of the same colour on each side of the abdomen. It is found in the West Indies and northwards. The larva feeds on the Sweet potato and Convolvulus. (3) A large White Sphinx, probably S. tetrio, which was taken by Mr. Douglas HoUis in his garden at Hamilton, Bermuda. One of the greatest pests to farmers and gardeners on the Islands is the " Broken-tail Snail " (Rumina decollata, Linn,) which has a singular elongate spiral shell with the smaller end abruptly truncate. It seems to swarm everywhere and is very destructive to vegetation. Mr. Moffat presented a paper on " The power of insects to resist the action of frost" (see p. 35.) The following insects were exhibited by Mr. Fletcher : 1. Liparocephalus brevipennis, several specimens. This is an extremely rare Staphy- linid, which had V)een received among other varieties from Rev. J. W. Keen, of Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands. The opinion was expressed that this and the other described species of the genus L. orbicollii^ were merely color varieties of one species. Specimens differing in color had been named under both names by Lieut. Casey, U.S.A., but he said he thought that they were probably identical, and this opinion was also concurred in by Dr. John Hamilton, to v.'hom some of Mr. Keen's specimens had also been sent. Previous to Mr. Keen's collection these two species were only represented by the unique types. 22 2. Sphcerites glahratus, Pelates latus, two Sylphids, also from Queen Charlotte Islands. 3. Myodites Zeschii, from Nepigon. 4. Gortyyia immanis, the collar worm of the Hop, several specimens, male and female, of the moth together with pupte and larvie preserved in alcohol, were exhibited and a statement made of injuries done to hop gardens in Prince Edward county. 5. Cantharis Nuttalli, a beautiful blister-beetle from the North-West Territories, where it had been abundant and injurious in the perfect state during last summer, but probably did good service in the larval condition by feeding on locusts' eggs. After spending some time in the examination of specimens brought by members, and contained in the Society's cabinets, and in comparing notes on various matters of entomological interest, the meeting, which was greatly enjoyed throughout by those who were present, was brought to a close. A VISIT TO THE CANADIAN HAUNTS OF THE LATE PHILIP HENRY GOSSE. By Rev. Thomas W. Fyles, South Quebec. One stormy night in the winter of 1863 I was visiting at a friend's house in Laprairid when amongst the books on the table I found a copy of the Canadian Naturalist. I took it to my room and was fairly carried away with it I forgot the lateness of the hour ; I heard not the beating of the storm upon the roof and winiow ; I was transferred in imagination to the township of Compton, and wandered with Gosse along Bradley's Brook, and into the Brult^, and on the banks of the Coaticook. On my return to Montreal I acquired a copy of the work, which became, for a time, my constant companion. In the Canadian Naturalist are to be found, as might be expected, many mistakes and imperfections ; but it is, notwithstanding these, a charming work. The author seems to have thrown his life into it, and to awaken with a magic touch responsive feelings to his own in the reader's bosom ; and — to speak after a heathen fashion — the book is redolent with the worship of Pan. My interest in Gosse was increased during eleven years residence in Cowansville, in the Eastern Townships ; for, during the greater portion of that time, I had for my near neighbor, and intimate acquaintance, Mr. G. E. Jaques, with whom Gosse came from Newfoundland, and with whom he lived in the summer seasons of his stay in Canada. Of the persons who knew Gosse in his Canadian days but few survive, and the traces of his residence here are rapidly disappearing. It has been thought well, therefore, that I should place on record such reminiscences of him as I have been able to gather. I made my first visit to Compton in 1864. The building in which Gosse taught the " Winter-school" was then much as it was in Gosse's day ; and it is still substantially the same. It is a frame structure, in the ordinary village style, painted red, " picked out " with white. It stands at the outskirts of the village on the Hereford road. While I was examining it on the occasion referred to, I was joined by Mr, Logee — commonly called " Major Logee." We fell into conversation, and I asked him if he had known Gosse. " Why, yes,'' he said, " He boarded at my hotel. Come to the house !" The house was within sight, a few rods distant, and standing alone.* It was a commodious two-story building with a double verandah. Mr. Logee spoke of Gosse's quiet and studious habits, and evidently entertained a pleasant remembrance of his young boarder of long ago ; " but," said he, " the people here used to speak of him as that crazy Englishman who goes about picking up bugs." One sentence in the Canadian Naturalist shows that Gosse was quite at home in the * It still stands, but now in a street of cottages. The major has been dead for some years. — T. W, F^ 23 major's hospitable dwelling. On page 45 we find him saying, " It is pleasant to think that we have a comfortable home and a cheerful fire to look forward to." In the long winter evenings he here recorded the observations made in the course of the day. We can fancy that we see him, in the retirement of his chamber, holding the candle at the window, and noticing the white flakes descending in the "darkness visible" (see Can. Nat. page 30), or musing over the " frosted flowers " on the panes (p. 29), or on the sudden formation of ice-needles, in the chilled water on the wash-stand, when agitated by the immersion of his hands (p. 351). A few days ago I went to see my friend Quartus Bliss, Esq., of Oompton, with the express purpose of gaining information concerning Gosse. We drove through the village of Compton but could then learn of only two persons who remembered him. One, a lady, was unfortunately from home ; the other, when I mentioned Gosse, said, " Oh, yes ! I remember him. I went to school to him. He couldn't teach school anij, to suit this country." " Is that so V I said, " but why ?" " Why T he retorted. " Well, one day when it was snowing, he took a slate and caught the snow-flakes and made drawings of them." And youthful impressions were so strong in the man, and the act had appeared so ridicuious to him in his youth that, at the remembrance of it, he laughed — and laughed — and " laughed consumedly." And the ludicrousness of this man's laughing at Gosse made me laugh, and my friend Bliss laughed for sympathy. At length, by way of creating a diversion in Gosse's favor, I said, " I think I can show you a copy of the drawing he made that day." And I took the Canadian Naturalist from my pocket and shewed him the cut on page 27. He seemed somewhat taken aback that anything Gosse had done should be reproduced in a book, but he soon returned to the charge : " In his garden at Smith's Mills he planted poison-poke !" (p. 233). I was, of course, duly silenced. The character of a man who could plant poison-poke in his garden was beyond redemption. I mig^ht have told of gardeners setting out plants of the pickled-cabbage order for effect : but where would have been the use? I had given Mr. Bliss a list of the places I wished to see. As we were driving through a stretch of lowland he said, " This that we are coming to is Spafford's Bridge (p. 103). Yonder was Robinson's farm (p. 188). On the hill facing us was the Pierre Barker place, (p. 298) : the house is still standing ; the farm was the best in the neigh- bourhood in Gosse's day. To the left, here on the flat, lived Adolphus Barker a brother of Pierre, and a notorious scoundrel. The foundations of his house can still be traced." Having ascended the hill, and passed the old Pierre Barker house, and the fine modern residence of Mr. Vernon to whom the surrounding properties now belong, we came to a turn in the road. " Here " said my friend, " was the Well's place, formerly owned by Mr. Jaques ; and yonder you can trace the old main road to Sberbrooke, which has long been abolished." It was all before me : The road we were on was the " village road" (p. 2), the road that the horseman in the vignette of Gosse's title page is pursuing. Look- ing down from that road, immediately to the right, in the corner unmarked in Gosse's sketch, I saw the shattered foundations (overgrown with moss and lichen,) of the house in which he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Jaques. It had been a frame cottage, 30 by 24 ft. in size, and had stood five rods from the road. The barn, still standing, but much dilapi- dated, is eight rods from the site of the house. The foundations of Gosse's log barn can also be seen. Through " the marshy spot below the barn " (p. 116), from which he heard the " Breke-kekex koax-koax " of the frogs, the Grand Trunk Railway now runs, cutting the farm in halves. The maple-grove (p 227) has been felled, but stumps of the trees remain. No traces of the orchard are left. The whole of the farm is now in pasture. The bridge over the Ooaticook at the bottom of the farm, which he speaks of as " our bridge," has quite disappeared. It is remembered in the neighborhood as the '' Wyman Bridge." Its position can be told only from the break in the old road at the river banks. On the rising ground beyond the river, and to the left of the old road, may still be seen the house in which dwelt Mr. Bill, (p. 267). Pursuing our ivay we crossed Bradley's Brook (p. 297). To the left between the hills are the remains of the thicket through which Gosse forced a road to the Brule beyond (p. 297). The hill (p. 303) which he ascended, and from which he saw Smith's mills and 24 Tilden's tavern, is now bare of trees, and is known as Flander's Hill. Tilden's out-build- ings may still be seen from it ; but the tavern itself was burned some years ago. Smith's mills are standing yet, dwarfed and hidden by more imposing structures. Mollis Smith, to whom these mills belonged, moved into Sherbrooke, and become the member of Parlia- ment for that city. He has been dead for some years. The village of Waterville with its churches, public schools, post office, railway station, manufactories, etc., has grov/n up since Gosse left the country. Only one man in "Waterville, as far as I can learn, remembers Gosse. This is Captain Parker, (a descendant of the famous Admiral Parker), whose father owned the adjoining lot to that of Tilden's. The Captain when a boy, met Gosse in the Brule net in hand. He remembers two things concerning him : (1) that he was clad in rough frieze cloth ; (2) tliat he wore remarkably clean linen. " Biled shirts " were not common in that neigh- bourhood at that time. In Waterville I parted with my friend Mr. Bliss. Returning to the Gosse farm after a night spent at the village hotel, I found that there had been a hard frost in the night — one of those early frosts that Gosse complained of (p. 110). This had whitened the meadows and the foliage. The sun however rose bright and warm. On my way to the farm I came to a dip in the road (p. 180) with willows growing thick on either side. As I passed there was a constant pattering on the dead herbage beneath — the sun gaining strength was thawing the frost on the leaves, and drops fell " like the first of a thunder shower." A little runnel tinkled and bubbled over the stones by the road. side, hastening to join the Coaticook in the valley. Its banks were thick with moss. The slight sounds that arose seemed but to intensify the calm that boooded around. From the groves beyond the river were heard the whistle of the robin, and (softened by the distance) the cry of the blue jay. This spot in Gosse's day was prolific in insect life ; as, I dare say, it is still. It was here that he captured the Baltimore Fritillary (Melitcca Phaeton'), pictured on page 227 of his work. When I reached the higher ground I turned; and what a glorious view was presented to me i A lovely rolling country opened towards the north, its rounded hills tufted with maple woods. Columns of white steam and dun smoke, rising amidst hills of more moun- tain-like formation, showed where the mining works of Capelton were located. Between the spot on which I stood and those distant hills was the rise, forming the middle distance, on which Tilden's tavern formerly stood. Around the spot, as in the days of Gosse, but more restricted, and now of second growth, is a stretch of woodland, which in the many hues of autumn, and lit by the brilliant morning sun, was very beautiful. The poplars were clad in richest chrome ; the maples and beeches in various hues of ochre, sienna, Indian red, and crimson ; while here and there a tamarack (lonely survivors of the Nema- tus raid) stood pale yellow amid the more richly coloured trees. In the valley near me the placid Coaticook pursued its even way. The light green of the willows that fringed its banks formed the basis of a mass of foliage rising with the hill-side, in which was blended the brown-green of the white cedar, the sombre hues of the black spruce, and the brighter Brunswick green of the balsam. Here and there the boscage was broken by farm buildings and russet pastures, Near the railway, not many rods from Gosse's farm and at a bend in the stream, was a small neglected burial-ground in which the white rounded head-stones rose amidst a tangle of brambles, golden-rod and everlastings. I walked over to it and found it recorded on one of the stones that Henry Learned died August 13th 1837. (Gosse may have attended his funeral). He was laid beside " Lovy " his wife. Returning I found the point of view on which Gosse stood when he drew the sketch of his farm. The property having been added to a larger one, and seemingly used for pasturage only, is probably very much in the condition in which Gosse left it. The land is not particularly good — in the division Jaques seems to have had the better share. 25 Aloiig the road-side are a few fine maples, doubtless the same represented in the view, increased in bulk by their fifty-three years subsequent growth. A few small clumps of cedar and spruce somewhat relieve the dreariness of the stretch of pasture land ; but the farm today is not one that would be chosen either for beauty or fertility. Melancholy feelings come over one as he contemplates a ruined homestead, and thinks of the human interests that once centered therein. What aims and hopes actuated the builders of it ! Within its walls what scenes of homely mirth were witnessed, what hours of anxiety were spent, what plans for improvements were made, what disappoint- ments were experienced ! Everything around had its uses and its history ; and now all is gone. The owners ! Their place knows them no more. Their belongings ! They are dispersed or have perished. Their habitation ! Its moss-grown foundations are all that remain of it. With such feelings, tempered with the reflection that it was well for science that Grosse should have been disappointed, I looked upon the scene on which he entered full of high expectations. Here he toiled. Here he slowly learned the hard lesson that he had mis- taken his vocation. Hope of acquiring an independence through his farm left him ; and he was at length glad to sell out at any sacrifice. The reasons for his failure are not hard to find from his own statements. Instead of dividing his land into meadow and pasture, and purchasing young stock to raise and sell at a profit, keeping only small portions of land successively under the plow — ^just so much at a time as he could manure thoroughly and work with comfort; he plowed up much unenriched soil, and laid out for himself much unprofitable labour. I have often wondered what he intended to do with his two acres of turnips (Life of P. H. Gosse, p. 92), without storage for the preservation of the produce, or stock to consume it, or any available market — for his neighbours would grow what they wanted of such like crops for themselves. The people immediately around him were generally of an unsatisfactory class, who would ridicule his mistakes, and endeavour to profit by his inexperience. They were "vulgar and sordid, sharp and mean." (Life of P. H. Gosse, p. 96). They were even worse than all this — they were criminal. A notorious band of desperadoes, counterfeiters and thieves, made the Tilden tavern their rendezvous. Dark hints of mysterious disappearances were whispered round. The dispersion of this gang was brought about in this way : Near Compton village resided a miserly old couple named Witcher, who had saved, what for those days was a large sum of money, $3,000. They had this secreted in a trunk, in an upper chamber of their house. The fact in some way became known to the gang ; and by means of a ladder access was gained to the room, and the spoil was secured. The old lady, hearing a noise which she imputed to the mice in the chamber, arose, opened the stair-case door, and thrust in the cat. She then retired contentedly to bed. The robbery caused a great commotion ; and one loose chai-acter, who left the neighbourhood during the stir, was followed up and induced to turn King's evi- dence. Several of the gang, having had timely warning, fled to the States ; but Adolphus B' ker was tried, convicted, and condemned to death. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life, and he was confined in the jail at Three Rivers. After his incar- ceration his wife told of his coming home one night on horseback with a dead body in front of him, which he took to the woods and buried ; but as she had become demented (which was not to be wondered at, poor thing !) no great heed was given to her statement. She soon afterwards died. Her story however was enough to cause the neighbours — the young especially — to regard the empty house with dread. One circumstance in regard to it is still narrated : I have said that the house stood back in the field. A person passing along the road one night noticed a pale unearthly light in one of the windows. He hurried away in fear. The light was seen by others on subsequent nights ; and at length a few ol the boldest of the neighbours resolved to investigate it. They came to the gate leading to the house. And certainly, there in the window was the light ! They brought their courage to the sticking point and made a rush to the building; but, as they drew near, the light vanished ! They could hear no sound, nor could they find next day any traces of visitors, earthly or unearthly. It was not till some time afterwards that they discovered that the mysterious light was only seen when a certain room in another house in the distance was lit up — that it was, in fact, a mere reflection. 26 After fourteen years' imprisonment Barker was released. About the same time was liberated a French-Canadian woman who had occupied an adjoining cell. This woman Barker sought out and married, and the pair crossed over into the States. It is said that by loosening the bolts which secured the ends of a large box stove built into the partition wall they had been able to keep up an acquaintance for some time previous to their liberation. The jail arrangements of those days were of a primitive order. I have been told that, in the States. Barker resumed his nefarious practices, and eventually paid the penalty of his crimes on the scaffold. In the Life of Gosse, page 103, we read, "During the autumn" (of 1837) "he was vexed and disturbed by having to appear in court to give evidence in a criminal case against one of his few neighbours." Could this have been the case I have been recording 1 Gosse alludes, in the preface to the Canadian Naturalist, to the " stormy politics and martial alarms of the times." A few words will shew the condition of affairs in his neighborhood. It was the period of the rebellion, and as an inroad of American " sympathizers " was expected, the loyal inhabitants of the Townships felt called upon to adopt precautionary measures. At a meeting of militia officers held at Frost Village, at which Colonel Knowlton presided, it was resolved to send three of the leading men of that part of the country as a deputation to solicit supplies of arms and ammunition from the military authorities at Montreal. Accordingly Colonel Knowlton, Major Wood and Abijah Wood were sent, and their errand was completely successful. Large supplies were shipped (by way of the St. Lawrence and the Richelieu) to Philipsburg, on Missisquoi Bay. Here they were met by numerous teams driven by the yeomen farmers of the district. Good men and true from all the country round turned out to guard the valuable consignment. Night came on, and under cover of the darkness, an armed force of sympathizers from Swanton, Vermont, attacked the convoy at More's Corner. The enemy were, however, beaten off and dispersed Volunteer companies, equipped with the arms thus acquired, were soon formed in all that section of country. Captain Wood, of Shefford, had under his command a body of cavalry numbering 85 men. Captain Savage, of the same place had 100 infantry. Captain Becket, of Sherbrooke, had a troop of horse and Captain Gilman, of Stanstead, another. In the quota of men sent from Compton Gosse's friend, Amos Merril (p. 40) was sergeant. It is rather to be wondered at that Gosse, amidst the general enthusiasm, did not take a more active interest in the military movements of the times. Perhaps it was with him as with that good bishop in the middle ages, against whom his knights and censitaires complained, that he was "a man of peace and not at all valiant." The action of the United States authorities at this crisis was prompt and judicious. Troops from the Southern States were brought up and stationed along the American side of the border, and this doubtless prevented much harm. The troops stationed at North Troy, Vermont, were brought from Florida, Two retired English officers were sent to superintend operations and watch the line on the Canadian side. These men knew but little of the country, and amusing reminiscences of them are still told in our country houses. For instance : One of them was spending the night (a clear, cold winter night) at Hatley — the Charleston of Gosse (p. 95). He heard repeatedly that soixnd (familiar enough to Canadian ears,) which ac- companies the sudden loosening of a shingle-nail by the frost. The gallant colonel arose in consternation and dressed himself in haste, convinced that because of his august presence sympathizers were firing upon the house. One of the young men who drove a team at More's Corner, and who afterwards joined Captain Wood's troop of cavalry, was Mr. Calvin L. Hall, a son of one of the leading men of East Farnham. Mr. Hall being well mounted was chosen as a body guard for the English officer above mentioned, and» in this capacity did some hard riding. On one bleak day he, on horse-back, accompanied his superior, without stoppage, from East Hatley to Frost village, a distance of 36 miles. The Englishman, well wrapped up in buffalo robes, drove his team "at the jump," and viewed every piece of bush that he passed with suspicion. Mr. Hall is now Lt.-Colonel Hall, of the 52nd "Brome"'' battalion of Light Infantry. 27 Of Compton people contemporary with Gosse, besides Major Logee, I saw on my first visit to the village, Colonel Pomeroy, magistrate ; A. V. Kendrick, merchant, and Nathan Merrill, hotel-keeper. All are now dead — as are all whom Gosse mentions in his book. Of these the last survivor was Mrs. Bill, who died at Waterville about six u ths ago. Ann Heap, widow of G. E. Jaques, died on December 30, 1891 in her 84th ye r. Her husband had died on the preceeding 12th of July, aged 84 years. The remains of this worthy couple rest in Mount Royal cemetery. I have said that in Gosse's work there are many mistakes. Otie of t,he most remark- able of these is his supposition that the piping of the tree-frogs in early spring was pro- duced by lizards (p. 94). He describes the frog (p. 26G), but seems to have rejected the idea that this creature produced the sound, and many persons still, hiving read his book, have strong faith in the lizards. Good old Bishop Oxenden once spoke to me of the "whistling lizards." I begged to assure him that the "whistling" was produced by frogs — that T had kept the creatures and knew certainly that this was the case. I even showed him drawings I had made of the frog with its throat distended preparatory to tho emission of the sound. But all was of no avail. Gosse had said that he believed the sound to be that of lizards. Gosse was once contradicted to his face by believers who did not know him personally.* That my statement should stand for a moment beside an expressed opinion of his was not to be thought of. And the good old bishop in his last work, the " History of my Life," page 142 (by a double error ; by a strange transposition of sight for sound) says, "There" (i.e. in Canada) "are few reptiles, excepting lizards, which seem to take pleasure in exhibiting their antics in public." Gosse must often have listened to the chorus from the swampy spot below his barn ; the peep-peep of the tree-frog, the croak of the meadow-frog, the tr-r-r-r-r-ill of the toad and the bompbomp of the bull-frog. A lady-friend of mine compares the reptile assembly to a noisy household, in which the little children are crying to be put to bed, and the elder ones scolding, while the mother endeavours to still their clamour with a hu-s-s-s sh, and the father expostulates with a grumpy voice. From the Fauna of Compton County some of its most interesting forms have van- ished since 1838. The caribou (Gerous tarandus) and the Virginian deer (Gervus Virginianus) have long disappeared, and with them their natural foes the wolf (Ganis lupus) and the puma ( Fells concolor ). The moose (Gervus Aloes) approaches no nearer than the swampy portions of Megantic County, and the black bear (Ursus Americanus) than Mount Orford and the neighboring hills of Sutton and Bolton. The cry of the lynx (J^elis Canade7isis) is seldom heard. The last pair of beavers were shot in the Bruld fifty years ago. That objectionable animal, the skunk, (Mephitis Americana), so admirably delineated on page 254 of the Canadian ISTaturalist is, however, still quite sufficiently abundant. Gosse evidently, was well acquainted with it. By way of affording a contrast to his distressful account, I may say that a year ago a clergyman from England came to see me. He was fond of natural history and was seeking information. In the evening,- happening to go to the door, I found that a skunk had crossed the lawn in front of my house. I called my friend and said, " Here is a perfume that you should know of." He sniffed and exclaimed eagerly, "What is that? What is that? Do yov know I rather like that." The otter (Liitra Ganadensis) and the salmon (Salmo salar) are gone from the St. Francis, the Coaticook and the Massawippi. The " Salmon River" no longer bears an appropriate name, but the bald eagle {Falco leucocephalus) still hauntB the lakes, and the snowy owl (Strix wjctea) and the great horned owl are still occasionally heard. The cry of the former resembles Bomp-bomp, that of the latter is very accurately given by Gosse as Ho ! Oho ! Oho ! Waugh ho ! (p. 177). The sound — so mysterious to Gosse (p. 92) — of the saw-whec owl {Nyctale acadica) still rises from the woods in the summer evenings. I have not seen the passenger pigeon (Golumba migratoria) since 1864, and the scarlet tanager {Tanagra rubra) has become scarce. ■"On one occasion, I recollect, at Livermead, we came across a party of ladies who were cackling so joyously over a rarity they had secured, that curiosity overcame our shyness, and we asked them what they had found. They named a very scarce species, and held it up for us to examine. My father, at once, civilly set them right; it was so-and-so, something much more common place. The ladies drew themselves xip with dignity, and sarcastically remarked that they could only repeat that it u)as the rarity, and "Goaee- is our authority."— Zi/e of P. H. Gosse, p. 288. 28 None of the insects mentioned by Gosse, as far as I can identify them, would now he considered rarities, except the "Chequered Skipper" (p. 219), the " Pearly Eye " (p. 246), and the " Dragon Moth " (p. 248). From the index to the Canadian Naturalist we lind that Gosse was acquainted with 2G of our butterflies and 43 of our moths, Vjesides a variety of beetles, bugs, flies, etc. The Lepidoptera are given below under the names used by Gosse and (as far as I have been able to identify them) the names in the "Toronto List." Names used by Gosse. Tiger Swallow-tail (Papilio Turnus.) Black Swallow-tail (P. Asterius.) Clouded Sulphur (Colias Philodice.) Grey-veined White (Pontia Oleracea.) Archippus Butterfly (Danais Archippus. ) Pearl-border Fritillary (Melitoea Myrina.) Pearl-crescent Fritillary (Melitoea Tharos.) Silver-spot Fritillary (Argynnis Aphrodite.) Great Spangled Fritillary (Argynnis Cybele.) Green Comma (Grapta Progne.) Orange Comma (Grapta C. Album.) Grey Comma (Grapta C. Argenteum.) Violet Tip (Grapta C. Aureum.) Camberwell Beauty (Vanessa Antiopa.) Forked Butterfly (Vanessa Furcillata.) Compton Tortoise (Vanessa J-album.) Banded Purple (Limenitis Arthemis.) Eyed Brown (Hipparchia Transmontana.) Pearly Eye ^Hipparchia Andromache.) Copper (Lycoena Phleas.) Spring Azure (Polyommatus Lucia.) Black Skipper (Thymele Brizo.) Chequered Skipper (Pamphila Paniscus.) Yellow-spotted Skipper (Ilesperia Peckius.) Tawny-edged Skipper (Pamphila Cernes.) Names according to the Toronto List. Papilio Turnus, Linn. P. Asterias, Fab. Colias Philodice, Godt. Pieris Oleracea, Bd. var Frigida. Danais Archippus, Fab. Argynnis Myrina, Cram. Phyciodes Tharo.s, Drury. Argynnis Aphrodite, Fab. Argynnis Cybele. Grapta Faunus, Edw. Grapta Comma, Harr. Grapta Progne, Cram. Grapta Interrogationis. Vanessa Antiopa, Linn. Vanessa Milberti, Godt. Grapta J-album, Bd. Limenitis Arthemis, Drury. Satyrus Nephele, Kirby. Debis Portlandia, Fab. Chrysophanus Americana, D'Urban. Lycojna Lucia, Kirby. Thanaos Brizo, Bd. Carterocephalus Mandan, Edw. Pamphila Peckius, Kirby. Hesperia Taumas, Fab. Twin-eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthua Geminatus.) Smerinthus Geminatus, Say. Zebra Hawk-moth (Sphinx Kalmia?.) Sphinx Kalmiae, A ik S. Grey Hawk-moth (Sphinx Cinerea„) Sphinx Chersis, Hubn. Six-spotted Blue Hawk-moth (Alypia Octomaculata.) Alypia Langtonii,^ Coup. Humble-bee Hawk-moth (Sesia Pelasgus.) Hemaris Thysbe, Fabr. Belted Hawk-moth (^geria ) Bufl" Leopard (Arctia Isabella.) Muff (Lophocampa Tesselaris.) Panther (Spilosoma Acria.) Brindled (Biston Hirtarius.) Streaked Hooptip (Platypteryx Erosa.) Lemon Beauty (Angerona Sospeta ) Pea Green (Chlorissa putataria.) Grandee (Geometra Clemataria.)* Rhinoceros (Herminia ) Belle (Spilosoma Virginica) Ruby Tiger (Pragmatobia Fuliginosa.) Rose-breasted (Dryocampa Rubicunda.) Snowy (Spilosoma ) Pyrrharctia Isabella Abb. tfc S. Halisidota tessellata, A. & S Leucarctia acrtea, Drury. Eubyja cognataria, Guen. Platypteryx arcuata, Walk. Angerona crocaotaria. Fab. Procherodes clemitaria A. & S. Spilosoma virginica. Fab. Phragmatobia rubricosa, Harr. Dryocampa rubicunda. Fab. Hyphantria textor, Harr. *I haTe taken P. transversata Drury, in the Townships but not P. clemitaria. — T. W. F. 29 Names used by Gosse. Angleshades (Phlogophora Meticulosa.) Orange Band (Pyralis ) Veneer (Crambus.) Silver-spotted Buff"(Pyga3ra Gibbosa.) Gamma (Plusia Gamma.) Royal Tiger (Arctia Virgo.) Dragon (Hepialus Argenteo maculatus.) Cerulean (Ctenucha Latreilliana.) Pink Arches (Thyatira Scripta ) Twin Goldspot (Plusia Iota.) Clifden Beauty (Xerene albicillata.) Spotted Lemon, or Lemon Beauty. Drab Plume (Pterophorus ) Vapourer (Orgyia Antiqua.) Gold and Silver (Plusia Festuca3.) Green Gold (Plusia Chrysitis.) Spangled Orange ( ) Furbelow (Oalyptra Libatrix. ) Griseous (Oerura Hastulifera.) Apple Moth (Tethea ) Green Emperor (Saturnia Luna.) Eyed Emperor (Saturnia Polyphemus.) Crimson TInderwing (Catocala ) Winter (Cheimatobia Vulgaris.) Names according to the Toronto List. Trigonophora periculosa, Guen. Crambus Girardellus, Clem. Crambus. Edema albifrons, A. tfe S. Plusia precationis, Guen> Arctia virgo, Linn. Hepialus argenteo-maculatus, Han-. Ctenucha virginica, Charp. Habrosyne scripta, Gosse. Plusia bimaculata, Steph. Rheumaptera ruticillata, Guen. (Pterophorus marginidactylus.) Orgyia nova, Fitch. Plusia Putnam!, Gr. Plusia balluca, Gey. (Calopistria monetifera.) Scoliopteryx libatrix, Linn. Cerura cinerea. Walk. Cacoecia rosaceana, Harr. Actias Luna, Linn. Telea Polyphemus, Oram. Catocala concumbens Walk. Operophtera borealis, Hubn. The Entomological portions of the Canadian Naturalist are the weakest. If Gosse had had a little more knowledge, had taken a little more pains, and had scrupulously pared away all such provoking passages as " I shook off a black Sawfly (Tenthredo), two green Watertlies (Perla Cydippe), two Cimbices (Pentatoma ), several Chrysomelid» with soft horn-colored elytra (Crioceris ), and another very little species of a metallic purple (Phyllodecta Kitellina)," (p. 184), which, while they have a show of knowledge, really betray the lack of it, men would have delighted to place the Canadian Naturalist with such classics as Kirby and Spence's Entomology, White's Natural History of Selbourne, etc. As it is, it is hardly likely that a re-print of the book will be called for; though the copies of it that remain with us are highly valued. NOTES ON THE RARER BUTTERFLIES OF THE PPtOVINCE OF QUEBEC. Bv Rev. Thomas W. Fyles, South Quebec. At the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario, held in October 1885, I read a paper on such of the Butterflies of Quebec as were then known to me. Other species have since come under my observation, and I beg to offer a few remarks upon them. The first in order is : CoLiAs INTERIOR, Scudder. I took this insect, in September, 1891, on the Heights of Levis. It seemed to be rather plentiful. I looked for it carefully in the spring of this year, but not a specimen was to be seen, nor have any since made their appearance. One would suppose that a chance irruption of the species had occurred — that prevailing winds had brought them southward. Interior differs from Philodice in that it laoks the row of reddish brown dots near the hind margins, on the underside of the win^s. The black spot on the fore wings of Philodice is represented by a faint oval ring in Interior • and in the females of the latter the black border to the secondaries is wanting. | I took one or two albinos of the species. 30 Argynnis Freya, Thunb. I captured, in the middle of the Gomin swamp, in Sep- tember, 1887, one specimen of this rare insect, I am inclined to think that it was a straggler from some mountain swamp to the north of us. The onlj' other specimen that I know to have been taken in Quebec Province was shewn to me, many years ago, by the late Mr. Caulfield. He received it, if I am not mistaken, from Mr. Bowles, who was then living in Quebec. My insect is in good condition, but is less bright than one of the same species from the North-west, shown to me by Mr. H. H. Lyman. I have noticed that western insects generally are of somewhat more vivid colouring than those of the same species in the east. The markings on the under-side of the hind wings of Freya are angulated and very intricate. The silvery embellishments are few and have a bluish tinge. One of them near the inner edge of the wing takes the form of an elongated X. Grapta gracilis, Gr. <{• Rob. In August, 1888, I saw a butterfly escaping from its chrysalis case which was attached to a branch of a currant bush. I captured the insect which proved to be G. gracilis. The chrysalis was four-fifths of an inch in length, one- fourth of an inch in width of thorax, and the same in depth where the wing-cases term- inated. It had numerous pointed projections. The color was light brown, mottled with, dark brown over the abdomen. The butterfly in colouring is very distinct from Progne. On the upper side it api)roaches more nearly to Faunus. Beneath, the basal portions of wings are of a rich warm umber with some bluish-grey patches. Beyond in striking con- trast, and extending through both primaries and secondaries is an irregular pearly grey band, shaded ofi" into the dark umber of the hind margins. The arrow-heads seen so plainly near the lower portion of the hind margin in the primaries of Progne, are almost deleted. The silvery curve in the hind wings is very conspicuous and forms the edge of a scallop in the dark portion of the wing. Last year, on the 12th of June, I saw Craci/is ovipositing on Red Currant. I found the egg. It was cone-shaped, but slightly flattened at the top ; green — of the same shade as the leaf to which it was attached, — and it had divergent longitudinal ridges of a lighter hue. I cut the twig that I might have the egg under observation ; but it did not hatch, it seemed to dry up with the leaf. Debts Portlandia, Fab. In a paper entitled " A Day in the Woods," which appeared in the Society's 22nd Annual Report, I recorded my first capture on the 6th of August, 1890, of this beautiful butterfly. On July 3rd, 1891, I took a very perfect specimen of the species on Mount Royal. It fluttered down from a tree and lit in the fern a few yards from me. On July the 22nd of the present year I took a pair in coUu, at the spot on which I made my first capture.. These also fluttered down immediately before me in the same heedless manner. Portlandia may be readily distinguished from our other " Browns " by the delicate purple blush on the underside. In size it comes , between Nephele and Canthus. Chionobas Jutta, Hubner. In 1885 I had not discovered the locality for Jutta. Of the means by which I found it and the successful eflforts I made to rear the insect, accounts appeared in the Canadian Entomologist, Vol, XX., p. 131 and Vol. XXL, p. 13. Mr. Scudder in his important work on the Butterflies of the Xew England States and Canada mentions my success, but asks, " Does the pupa undergo its transformations in a cell as in 0. semidea, or hanging like ordinary Xymphalids ?" and he adds " Fyles does not tell us." He must have overlooked my second paper in which I said " The chrysalids were naked, unattached, and lay on the surface of the sphagnum." Under the head of Desiderata he asks, " Where in a morass mostly under water can the half-grown larva find a suitable place to hibernate, and where in the still higher waters of Spring can the caterpillar securely pupated" These questions are easily answered as regards the Gorain Swamp. The spJiagnum rises with the water and is never submerged. The visitor sinks in it, to the ankles in a dry season, and to the knees in a wet one ; and their are parts of it that it is well for him to avoid. The individuals of this species that I brought to perfection pas.ssd the winter in the larval state and turned to pupae in the Spring. Farther experiments have sliown that some larvae hibernate after the second or third moult — their growth having been retarded. ,11 This was notably the case last winter which was a remarkably open one. It may be that the larvjB have susceptibilities and powers of reservation which enable them to accommo- date themselves to seasonal variations. It remains to be shewn whether the remaining stages of the backward larvie are hastened in the Spring, that the imagros may present themselves at the usual period, or whether the larval condition of the insect is sometimes prolonged over a second season. Larvjc that I have reared to their full growth this season becam« sluggish in the first week of October, and by the middle of the month were quite torpid. Thecla L^ta, Edw. A specimen of this pretty little butterfly was taken in May, a few years ago, by Mr. Winn, on Beloeil Mountain. Thecla Titus, Fah. On the 22nd of July last I had a stroke of good fortune. During thirty years of close observation of the insect world in this Province, I had not seen half a dozen specimens all told of T. Titus ; but on this day, in a neglected meadow near St. David's, 1 came upon quite an assembly of the insects. They were fluttering about over the Ha wkweed blossoms, and I captured a full series of very perfect specimens. Ohrysophanus Epixanthe, Dd. This is a swamp insect, and appears in the Gomin about the 23rd of July. I have not met with it in any other spot in Quebec Province. It a