THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 183 



vil, Sitophilus granarius ; the Cheese Maggot, Piophila casei ; the Cock- 

 roach, Blatta oricntalis ; the Meal Worm, Tenebrio molitor : the Bee Moth, 

 Galleria cercana ; the Carpet Moth, Tinea tapetzella ; the Clothes Moth, 

 Tinea vestianella ; the Bacon Beetle, Dernmtes lardarius, and several 

 others of lesser note. 



It cannot be denied that there has been some reciprocity in the mat- 

 ter. We have given Europe the noted Phylloxera vaslalrix, which has 

 inflicted damage to the extent of millions of dollars on the vineyards 

 there ; they have also received now from us the much-dreaded Colorado 

 Potato Beetle. 



During the past season we have had a fair share of destructive insects. 

 The Forest Tent Caterpillar, Clisiocampa sylvatica, has again been numer- 

 ous in the district about London and in many parts west of it, but not so 

 abundant as last year. The severe frosts in May destroyed myriads of 

 the very young larvae then newly hatched, and later in the season there 

 prevailed among the nearly full-grown larvae in some localities a strange 

 disease which carried them off by hundreds. I myself saw large numbers 

 of them still retaining their hold on fences and tree trunks, which, when 

 touched, were found quite dead, and so decayed as to burst with a very 

 gentle handling. Very many have also been destroyed in the larval state 

 by parasites ; probably one-half or more will perish from this cause alone. 

 Birds also have devoured many of them. On one occasion the crop of a 

 black-billed cuckoo, Coccygus erythropthalmus, was brought to me packed 

 entirely full of these larvae. Even their clusters of eggs, which they 

 deposit in rings upon the twigs of trees, are not free from attack. Last 

 winter I discovered a species of mite preying upon the eggs and devouring 

 them rapidly ; many clusters were found entirely destroyed in this way, 

 others partially so, and as each cluster would contain probably two or 

 three hundred eggs, some idea may^ be formed of the benefits conferred 

 upon us by these tiny mites. 



The Colorado Potato Beetle is still spreading eastward through the 

 Maritime Provinces, and has this year reached St. Johns, New Brunswick, 

 but it is no longer the fearful evil at first anticipated, and our farmers 

 battle with it confidently, knowing that with a little perseverance in the use 

 of Paris green, they can ride victorious over this formidable foe. The use 

 of this poisonous substance has provoked much discussion, and unneces- 

 sary alarm has been excited by some writers, who have expressed grave 

 fears that the use of so much Paris green would eventually poison the soil 



