THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 177 



end fastened to a faucet ; the water could be thus kept steadily flowing 

 with any desired rapidity. 



Dr. Morris exhibited a gall recently collected, the inclosed larva not 

 bred, and asked for information as to the probable producer. 



Mr. Mann said the subject of galls had puzzled him in his bibho- 

 graphical work, especially as to the proper method of indexing them. He 

 had referred to them under the head of systematic botany, but doubted 

 his correctness. 



Dr. Morris asked what orders of insects contained gall producers. 

 Mr. Osborn thought about all orders except Neuroptera and Orthoptera. 

 Mr. Smith said that at least one American species of Apion is known as 

 a true gall producer, and in Europe several species are known to produce 

 root galls. Mr. Osborn said that many plants, especially the Rosacea, 

 were much subject to galls, while others were rarely if ever so infested. 

 He thought them abnormal products so far as plants are concerned, and 

 as rather belonging to insect economy since they are caused by insects ; 

 not only that, but insects were often most readily distinguished by the 

 form of the galls, and in the case of mites those of the maple and ash 

 were much alike, but produced very easily distinguishable galls. 



Dr. Hoy thought the galls were pathological appearances, and were 

 rather diseases of plants and should be classed as such. In descriptive 

 botany they had no place, any more than in a description of the lips 

 cancer should be treated of 



Mr. Mann stated he had also indexed them under pathological botany 

 and under insects, but the chief difficulty had arisen through a descriptive 

 paper treating galls from a botanical standpoint. 



Dr. Morris said that he had seldom seen such a dearth of larvae of all 

 kinds, and butterflies were exceedingly scarce. 



Mr. Saunders thought there had been no unusual want of insects in 

 Canada. Turmis has been common, and so was cardui ; the latter* 

 indeed, had been extremely abundant in Manitoba, where it had destroyed 

 large quantities of thistles, and caused great alarm on the part of farmers, 

 who thought it would also attack their crops. Thecla niphoji, usually 

 rather a rare form, was found in some abundance this season, and in the 

 early part of May quite a number of specimens were captured. 



Dr. Hoy said that as compared with previous seasons, cardui has 

 appeared in immense numbers, fifty for one. It had never previously to 

 his knowledge attacked the hollyhock or sunflower. This season it has 



