220 THE CA.NADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Mr Harrington stated that Oberea tripimdata had been found very 

 abundant at Ottawa. He remembered it also as being general m 1873. 



Mr Reed called attention to an extract from a newspaper showuig 

 that railroad cars may often be the vehicles of carrying destructive moths 

 from one part of the country to another. The extract stated that the 

 writer was often struck by the number of ^^ Aletice^' on the trams, and 

 that he had observed that there was a sort of coincidence last season 

 between lines of railroad and abundance of cotton worms. 



Mr Reed said that he had noticed fewer specimens oi Aletia this year 

 than for some seasons past, although a few had within a few days been 



caught in liis residence. . 



Mr. Reed also said that Aegeria acerni had been very prevalent in the 



neighborhood of London this season. 



Rev. Mr. Fyles reported that Aegeria tricinda had been taken at 

 Como, P. Q., and also that he had taken two larvs of P. satellitia. 



Mr. Fletcher showed an aberrant specimen of Notodonta americana 

 that had emerged from basswood in autumn instead of sprmg ; he also 

 reported the capture at Ottawa of Ellema Harrisii. 



An interesting discussion then took place on the transmission of insects 

 through the mail, and the best method of relaxing specimens. 



In answer to Rev. Mr. Fyles, Mr. Fletcher said that we had not m 

 Canada any plant which could be used as a substitute for the Laurel so 

 extensively used by European entomologists, not only for killmg the 

 insects, but for keeping them for a long time in a relaxed condition with- 

 out spoiUng. He had tried the young leaves of some of the different 

 species of wild cherry, which contain prussic acid ; but had found that 

 although it killed the insects, it soon became mouldy. 



Mr. Reed had found moist sand an excellent means of relaxmg Lepi- 

 doptera, and boiling water for Coleoptera. 



The meeting finally passed a resolution requesting Mr. J. Fletcher to 

 prepare for the use of the members a short circular giving instruc- 

 tions for relaxing specimens, and also the best plan of packing them for 

 transmission through the mail. ir u j 



This Mr. Fletcher undertook to do, remarking that he himself had 

 found the process of nature-printing a very useful mode of sending Lepi- 

 doptera for identification. 



(To be Continued.) 



