20 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



tours, inform me that they have seen very few butterflies of any species. 

 Intelligent — non-scientific — observers in Nova Scotia furnish me with like 

 information. Moths have also been exceedingly scarce. Indeed, this 

 scarcity is observable in all kinds of insects, with the exception of a few 

 species of Dragon-flies, which have been unusually abundant near St. John. 



Caroline E. Heustis, St. John, N. B. 



On July 1 8th three examples of Spilosoma virginica Fabr. emerged 

 from their cocoons. The larvae were fed on sorrel. One of the moths 

 (a female) has a very curious process on each side of the thorax in front, 

 near the costa of the fore wings at the base. They are globular in form ; 

 of a pale yellowish color, but with a vitreous lustre, and look like another 

 pair of eyes that protrude from the head somewhat, except in color. Their 

 diameter would measure, I should think, about one-half line. On touch- 

 ing the organs with an instrument I found them quite hard, and apparently 

 of a permanent nature. I have raised several others this season of both 

 sexes, but in none of them was there any trace of these processes, as far 

 as I could see. I have never seen upon any insect, nor have I ever seen 

 described any organs that correspond at all with these. If any one would 

 like to examine this specimen, I will forward it to them for that purpose. 



Aug. i st I accidentally made a discovery that thereafter facilitated the 

 capture of many species of moths, and thinking that it might be new to 

 other collectors, I give it for their benefit. As I was returning home from 

 my baited trees I beat a few bushes for moths as usual, when on beating 

 a particular clump of scrub oaks a large number of moths flew out. many 

 of them quite large Noctuids. I saw that there must be an unusual 

 attraction there, but what it was I did not then find out. Many of the 

 moths returned to the bushes again soon after being routed. At the time 

 of discovery there must have been several hundreds in the clump, for I 

 captured about a hundred in from fifteen to twenty minutes. I afterwards 

 obtained a large number of moths there, and found that the greatest 

 attraction seemed to be a sort of gummy juice (probably saccharine) that 

 existed in the new buds that were nearly matured for another season's 

 growth, although they were also found more or less plentifully on the 

 youngest stems and leaves. Although other clumps of scrub oaks were 

 afterwards examined, I found very few in other localities. I obtained 

 from this clump of oaks many species that I had never taken before, and 

 that I found no where else. J. Elwyn Bates, So. Abington, Mass. 



