108 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



of mushy apple and was observed to feed. It did not regain its power of 

 flight, but was able to freely vibrate the wings. 



I dissected about twenty females of different species of Scopelosotna 

 from the captures of December and January, in search of ova, but none 

 were found. So we have an interesting problem : Why do these moths 

 hibernate ? 



Any person residing in a section where the surface of the ground is of 

 a rolling nature will have observed the early autumn frosts destroying 

 tender vegetation in the valleys long before any harm is done to plants in 

 higher situations. In my travels up and down the hill during this collect- 

 ing period I noticed that the change in the temperature in this short 

 difference in altitude was remarkable. Many evenings when the air was 

 very cold in the valley and always followed by severe hoarfrost during 

 night, no moths were observed until half way up the hill, when I reached 

 what I might call the frost line. Only reversed from the usual application 

 of this term in relation to higher mountain sections ; the frost extended 

 down instead of up the hill. On rainy nights and during generally warm 

 weather the moths were evenly distributed over hill and valley and some 

 good captures were made in my lot on the baited posts. 



An interesting phase in the study of insects is the distribution of 

 certain species. For instance, in the case of Scopelosoma and Glcea, which 

 apparently find their food-plants among the hard timbers, Mr. Marloff, 

 although he collected just as diligently as I did and over considerable 

 territory, took but few of the former in comparison to the material I col- 

 lected, and Glcea were nearly totally absent in his section. The woods 

 are farther removed from his collecting grounds, and it would seem as if 

 these moths do not venture very far from their breeding place. Again, 

 several kinds were taken by Mr. Marloff during this period which did not 

 occur at all with me. These probably find their food among fruit trees, 

 berry fields or other vegetation in farm lands which are the environments 

 of that section. Although a certain species may range over a large terri- 

 tory, it may, nevertheless, be extremely rare in intermediate sections between 

 the known limits of its habitat, all depending on the absence or presence 

 of the natural conditions favourable to the existence of its kind. During 

 October and November I took thirteen species of Xylina here, some of 

 which are reported common in the New England States and some occur 

 as far west as British Columbia. Leaving a>ite?uiaia^ latici?ierea, Grotei 

 and imimoda out of consideration, I may safely say that the balance are 



