4 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Should they escape notice at first, and the flowers be destroyed, cut off and 

 burn the affected stalks before the moth has time to emerge from the pupa, 

 and thus reduce the numbers of the destroyer for the ensuing year. As the 

 caterpillars are very active and wriggle about or drop down upon the slightest 

 disturbance, they may easily be dislodged from their haunts and collected in 

 a pan or seive, and then burnt in the fire. It is possible that various parasites 

 prey upon these insects, and assist in keeping them in check, though none 

 have as yet been hatched from our specimens. Their numbers in our garden 

 are, however, being rapidly reduced by a Wood-pecker (Picus villosus), who 

 daily visits the parsnip stalks and pegs away with right goodwill at the larvae 

 and pupae within. 



ON A SUPPOSED NEW ARCTIAN. 



BY W. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONTARIO. 



On the 24th of April, 1868, I found under a log, near the Port Stanley 

 Railroad track, a short distance from London, a young larva of an Arctian, 

 which I supposed to be Parthenice, but since it differed slightly in appearance 

 from the young of this species which I had reared before, I resolved to trace 

 its history. In common with other allied species, this had evidently hyber- 

 nated the winter through in the larva state, and had just awoke from its 

 torpor. The following description was taken at the time of capture : 



Length, 0-40 inches ; head rather small, bilobed, black, and shining, with 

 a few short hairs. 



Body above, dark brown, with transverse rows of shining black tubercles 

 from which arise spreading tufts of black hair, a few hairs in each tuft on 

 hinder segments much longer than the others ; a faint dorsal stripe a little 

 paler than general color. 



Under surface of the same shade as upper, but a little paler; 5th, 6th, 

 11th and 12th segments with a transverse row of tubercles in continuation 

 of those above, with a few short brownish hairs arising from each ; feet, 

 brown, banded with black; prolegs, pale brown. 



In common with most other Arctians its appetite was not dainty. It 

 would eat almost any green herb. I fed it on dandelion and lamb's quarter 

 (Chenopodium album). 



After the next moult, the body assumed a pale dirty brown tint, darker 

 along hinder segments, with tubercles as before ; hairs somewhat shorter ; 

 body strongly annulated. The under surface paler, with a faint reddish tint; 

 feet black, with bands of yellowish brown. 



About the middle of May it moulted again, and on the 18th the following 

 description was taken : 



