78 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Sirex. — This genus is well known by the large size of the few species 

 that have been discovered and by its especial habitation in the North* 

 I have mentioned elsewhere its occurrence in Eastern Siberia, which may 

 have been the earlier habitation of the European species, and wherein 

 some of the North American species also dwell, such as S. gigas, S. 

 albicornis, S. juveneus, S. spectrum and S. flavicernis. S. juveneus has 

 appeared as far south as Algeria, and S. cedrorum is contemporaneous 

 with the cedars on Mt. Lebanon. S. varipes and S. dimidiatus inhabit 

 North America, and there are three apparently undescribed species from 

 that region and one of small size from Mexico. There are two in North 

 Hindostan and one in Australia, and three or four whose native country 

 is unknown to me. It does not appear that distance in space between 

 two species is accompanied by corresponding difference in character, for 

 the Australian species is very nearly allied to S. juveneus. In the neigh- 

 bouring genus, Tremex, the European T. juxicernis is represented in North 

 America by T. columba, and there are three undescribed species, one of 

 North America, one of Hindostan, and one of China. 



NOTES ON COLLECTING. 



BY THEODORE L. MEAD, NEW YORK. 



Last season, while in the Catskill Mountains, I made some experiments 

 in sugaring for moths, which may be interesting to collectors. 



The sugaring mixture employed was " molasses sugar " and water, in 

 the proportion of three or four pounds to the gallon ; I could not per- 

 ceive that other additions, such as alcohol or preserved fruit, &c, were of 

 any advantage. 



About twenty trees in an orchard were sugared, but very few moths 

 were seen for the first night or two, though as afterwards they came in 

 immense numbers, it would seem that a little time is required for the news 

 to spread. 



Having found a cyanide poison-bottle to be very useful in killing small 

 Diurnals, and noticing the almost universal habit of these moths, when 

 disturbed, of darting downward before flying away, it occurred to me to 

 make a poison-bottle on a large scale and to dispense with a net, always 

 so inconvenient to use at night. 



