54 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



In the light of these two records it may be said that the exact num- 

 ber of broods for any given year may depend on the date of occurrence 

 of the earhest kilHng frosts. 



The sudden and almost total disappearance of this species during 

 the latter part of August and first of September was undoubtedly mainly 

 due to the immense numbers of a parasitic species, which Mr. Ashmead 

 has determined as belonging to the genus Ichneictes, and probably new 

 to science. 



An interesting observation was made in connection with a large 

 breeding cage out of doors, for the purpose of breeding parasites, 'ilie 

 adult sawflies began emerging in great numbers, and, to our surprise, 

 were found almost swarming on the outside of the cage. Our first im- 

 pression was that the cage was imperfect at some point, and that ihcy 

 were making their escape, but such was not the case. On examination 

 we found that the specimens on the outside were all males, evidently 

 attracted by the females in the cage. There were no purslane plants to 

 amount to anytliing within two or three rods of the cage, but at a 

 distance of five or six rods, in two directions, were garden patches well 

 stocked with purslane and larva?, furnishing an abundance of sawflies. 



During the summer of 1898 a female, with a male antenna, was 

 found in one of the breeding cages. A notice on this, written by Mr. 

 Mally, appears in the seventh annual report of the Ohio State Academy 

 of Science, pp. 34 and 35, illustrated by the accompanying figure (Fig. i). 

 The oviposition is shown in Fig. 2, place of eggs in leaf; and Fig. 3, egg 

 in position. 



A POPULAR NAME FOR CLISIOCAMPA DISSTRIA. 



Sir, — I am much interested in Mr. Slingerland's note on the new 

 popular name for Clisiocainpa disstria in the Canadian Entomologist 

 for January. I once wrote an editorial for " Insect Life " on popular 

 names (Vol. VIL, pp. 363, 364), in which I gave utterance to a certain 

 distaste for " book names " and to a preference for the popular name 

 which grows up among the j^eople. Such names are rarely specifically 

 distinctive, but they are usually catchy, frequently phonetic, and more or 

 less descriptive. 



I am not sure that we have any legitimate popular name for the 

 forest tent cate;i)illar. The one just mentioned is obviously a book name 



