14 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Prof. M. A'latsumnra, of Sapporn, Japan, has described' an injury to 

 apples caused by another little tineid belonging to the family Lavernida, 

 and probably to the species Laverna herellera, Dup. In a foot- 

 note Dr. L. O. Howard' suggests that this insect may be identi- 

 cal with Argyresthia conjugel/a, and that the Japanese insect has 

 been introduced into British Columbia. To judge from the figures, drawn 

 by Prof. Matsumura, of this Japanese insect, and especially of an apple 

 infested by it, and considering, further, the description given by the same 

 author, the Japanese insect certainly does not seem to be identical with 

 our Finnish Argyresthia conjugella. The injury caused by Argyresthia 

 conjugella on the apple fruits, as described above, is, in fact, quite 

 different to that of the Japanese insect. Dr. Fletcher also points out in 

 his letter that the figure given of the Japanese insect and the description 

 of its work do not quite agree vvith the Canadian Argyresthia. 



The injury of Argyresthia conjugella is, indeed, a very characteristic 

 one. As this apple pest appears in quite a similar manner in two 

 countries geographically so widely separated as British Columbia and 

 Finland, and as, further, both these attacks are of quite a different nature 

 from that caused by the Japanese insect, we must conclude that the 

 Japanese pest is not identical vvith that occurring in Canada and Finland. 



THE BITE OF OTIORHYNCHUS OVATUS. 



BY JAMES FLETCHER, OTTAWA. 



Otiorhynchus ovatus is an insect which, during the last decade, has 

 become decidedly more numerous in Canada than was formerly the case. 

 Little seems to be known about its habits. It has been sent to me 

 occasionally with complaints of its attacks upon various crops. Among 

 these may be mentioned injuries to the growing stems of potatoes, and 

 also injuries to fruit in the fruiterer's shop. The beetles have been also 

 sent in frequently as having been found in considerable numbers huddled 

 together in dwelling houses late in the autumn. Perhaps the most interest- 

 ing complaint which has been made comes from Prof W. L. Goodwin, of 

 Queen's University, Kingston, who writes: " I send two specimens of a 

 small beetle which caused so much annoyance in camps on Wolf Island, 

 in the St. Lawrence, near Kingston, Ontario, in July last. It attacked us 

 at night and bit with unpleasant severity." Upon writing to Prof 



1. M. Matsumura. Two Japanese insects injurious to fruits in : Bull. No. lo, new 

 series, U. S. Uep. of Agric, Div. of Kntom., Washington, 1898, p. 36-38. 



2. Loc. cit., p, 37, 



