204 The Ottawa Naturalist. [January 



Meeting- held at Mr. Gibson's on 20th November, eight mem- 

 bers present, including Mr. T. N. Willing, of Regina, Naturalist to 

 the Province of Saskatchewan. 



The minutes of the previous meeting were read. 



Mr. Halkett showed a specimen of Dytiscus harrisii, female, 

 which he had kept alive for some time in an aquarium. 



Mr. Harrington exhibited a collection of the most striking local 

 species of Dytiscus as well as some rare species of Coleoptera from 

 Vancouver Island, including Calopus aspersus, Chariessa elegans, 

 Buprestis adjecta and Ischalia Vancouver ensis. 



Mr. Young showed a beautiful collection of micro-lepidoptera 

 of over 2,000 specimens, nearly 200 of which had already been 

 named by Mr. Kearfott, and which included several species new 

 to science. The remarkable neatness and skill shown in mount- 

 ing were much admired by all present. 



Mr. T. N. Willing spoke of the work which is being done in 

 natural history in the North-west Territorities and of his 

 efforts to establish at Regina reference collections. Considerable 

 progress had already been made and he hoped that in the near 

 future much more would be done than had been possible in the 

 past Mr. Willing showed several boxes of insects which he had 

 taken in the West. Insects injurious to crops were not as yet 

 very noticeable in the West, but with the increase of mixed farm- 

 ing and with more land under cultivation these would doubtless 

 appear. 



Mr. Baldwin showed a neat cabinet case which he had made 

 himself, including the compressed cork. This was well filled with 



a fine series of Catocalas, and other moths taken at sugar at 

 Graham's Bay, Britannia. The specimens were in perfect con- 

 dition, and no less than 34 good specimens were taken covering 

 six species of Catocala. 



Mr. Metcalfe told of his experience in using the floating 

 water net for aquatic insects, which had been very unsatisfactory, 



Dr. Fletcher showed a sample of flour badly infested by the 

 beetles and larvae of Ptinus fur . This is an occasional pest only 

 of cereal foods but had been sent in three times this autumn. He 

 spoke of the destruction of the seeds of the Silver Maple by a 

 small Nitidulid, Epurcea rufa, which had been very abundant at 



