176 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



SPRING COLLECTING IN ALBERTA. 



BY F. H. WOLLEY DOD, CALGARY. 



Perhaps the following short account of a few days' spring collecting 

 here may be of interest to readers of the Canadian Entomologist. 



The locality I have worked from during the two years that I have been 

 in the country, is close to the mouth of Fish Creek, about twelve miles 

 south of Calgary, and a mile from the right bank (south) of Bow River. I 

 have a fellow worker about nine miles further west, near the head of Pine 

 Creek, by name Mr. Arthur Hudson, a keen observer, and, I believe, the 

 only entomologist besides myself who has ever collected here for a whole 

 season, and between us we are at present almost daily increasing the list 

 of macro-lepidoptera found around Calgary. We have already over fifty 

 species of butterflies on the list, with three or four more doubtful species, 

 and are confident that we shall be able to make several additions during 

 the coming season. Of the moths, more particularly the Noctuid?e (and 

 their name here is certainly Legion !), new comers never cease, as I think 

 Prof. Smith can testify. When Mr. Elvves paid me a visit in July, 1893, 

 he asked: "Treacle is not much used here, is it?" I replied that I had 

 only been "at it" for a month, and was fairly well pleased with the 

 result, though of course my take might have been exceptional. Were I 

 asked the same question now, I should, without hesitation, reply : " Well, 

 just isfi't it, that's all, and from June to October, too ! " During last July 

 I not unfrequently counted from sixty to eighty moths on a treacle patch 

 about eighteen inches long and three or four wide, comprising about 

 fifteen or sixteen species. A sight such as that, however, certainly is 

 exceptional. However, I have other modes of collecting to speak of now, 

 as at this early date treacle is scarcely worth working. 



The season commenced this year on March 29th, on which date Mr. 

 Hudson netted at dusk a species of Litholomia napcca (hibernated). 

 I saw Vanessa milberti ow the following day. On 3i3t a few species of 

 Calocarnpa cineritia showed up at treacle. Sallows were in flower in 

 sheltered spots on April 22nd, and, it being a fairly warm night, I ventured 

 forth, with the shattered remains of an old parasol into which to shake 

 the moths. I felt fairly confident of some success, as I thought to myself 

 that sallows in flower mean that spring moths have hatched ; such at least 

 has been my experience in the Old Country. At the first shake, down 

 come several Calocampa cineritia and Litholomia napcea, both hibernated, 

 I suppose, but some of them looking none the worse. I shake the next 



