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Vol. XL VI 1 1. LONDON. JULY, 1916 No. 7 



POPULAR AND PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 

 A Eew Days in Newfoundland. 



BY E. M. WALKER, TORONTO. 



In the summer of 1914 I had the opportunity of spending a 

 few days in Newfoundland, which I had long wished to do, 

 for I had heard enough about its beauty and the peculiarities of 

 its fauna and f.ora to arouse within me a strong desire to see some 

 of these things for myself. 



LTnfortunately I had but five days to spend on the island 

 and two of these were cold and wet, so that the chief result of my 

 trip was a greatly increased desire to go there again. 



My main object was to collect and observe the dragonflies, 

 particularly of the genus Somatochlora, the species of which are 

 nearly all inhabitants of the far north, and are consequently less 

 known than those of any other North American genus of the 

 order Odonata. A collection of dragonflies made by Dr. D. A. 

 Atkinson at the Bay of Islands and Grand La,ke, Nfd., and re- 

 corded by Mr. E. B. Williamson (Ent. News, XVII, 1906, pp. 

 ,133-139) was so rich in species of this genus that I had little doubt 

 that I could obtain a good series of them even in a few days. So 

 I planned to go at once to the Bay of Islands and spend there 

 the few days that I had at my disposal. 



Leaving North Sydney on the night of June 24th, I arrived 

 at five o'clock on the following morning at Port aux Basques 

 on the southwestern corner of Newfoundland, and immediately 

 boarded the train which was to take me to my destination, Humber- 

 mouth, on the Bay of Islands, a.bout 120 miles up the west coast. 

 (I might almost have said "embarked" on this tra,in, for the 

 trip was more like a rough sea, voyage than a railway journey.) 



Port aux Basques is a quaint little fishing village, and I longed 

 to spend a. day there, but could not afford the time. The low, 

 rounded, treeless hills, en\-eloped in mist, the stunted vegetation. 



