THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 215 



insects, too, but with them they are used as medicines ; among their 

 matera medico, collections we observed dried caterpillars, the empty pupa 

 cases of a species of Cicada, and other similar substances, all extolled as 

 possessing rare medical virtues. 



The bringing together of such an immense number of agricultural 

 productions as are now on exhibition in Philadelphia, including almost 

 every variety of grain, peas, beans and other useful productions on the 

 face of the globe, affords a favorable opportunity for the introduction of 

 any insect pests which may infest these articles in the country of their 

 growth ; these, if introduced and acclimatized, may attack similar or 

 related products in this country, unless precautions are taken against their 

 dissemination, and thus we may have new foes to fight which may be very 

 difficult to contend with. The American Centennial Commission, who do 

 not seem to have overlooked anything, have, with wise foresight, appointed 

 a special Commission of eminent Entomologists to report on the insects 

 introduced along with the products exhibited. This report will be looked 

 forward to with much interest by agriculturists as well as Entomologists. 



The Agricultural Building, in which our insects were shown, was well 

 supplied with skylights, which admitted a flood of light on everything 

 below. Exposure to this brilliant light for so many months has had a 

 damaging effect on the colors of some of our Lepidoptera, the moths 

 being much more faded than the butterflies ; this fading is especially 

 noticeable in insects having any red colors on their wings, such as the 

 Catocalas and Arctians ; many of these, however, can be replaced without 

 much difficulty. 



Suitable arrangements have been made for the careful packing and 

 re-shipping of the insects at the close of the Exhibition, when they will be 

 forwarded to the Society's rooms in London, Ont. Here it is proposed to 

 keep the collection as far as possible undisturbed, where it will serve a 

 good purpose as a collection of reference for collectors to name their 

 specimens from. Mr. Pettit has kindly consented to allow all that he has 

 contributed to remain in the Society's rooms, and all the London mem- 

 bers will follow his example. Mr. Wm. Couper, of Montreal, has 

 generously donated all he has sent to the Society, and I doubt not that 

 most of our other friends in Montreal and elsewhere, who have contributed 

 to the collection, will allow such of their insects as are not represented in 

 our cabinets in London, to remain at least for a time, when no doubt most 

 of them could be replaced. The advantages which will result to our 



