175 



for next year, of covering the beds liable to attack with old newspapers, held down 

 at the edges with a few haiidfuls of earth, and overlapping at the ends ; or with 

 strips of any fine cloth, as cheese cloth, muslin &c., &c. These would have to be put 

 on at the first appearance of the beetles, and kept on until the flowers expanded, after 

 which time they could be left off. 



The little beetle which gives all this trouble is a minute species, only about y^^ 

 of an inch in length, oblong-oval in shape, with a beak which folds down beneath its 

 body. The colour and markings are Ye\'j variable, but are modifications of the fol- 

 lowing. The beak is dark-coloured as well as the thorax; the wing-cases are 

 reddish-brown, with a large, dark, irregular, sometimes double, blotch, bordered with 

 white just behind the middle, and bear between them at their bases, where they join 

 the thorax, a small white ehoulder-plate or scutellum. They vary so much that 

 Prof iiiley, in his 1885 report, has characterized no less than eight varieties. 



The Vancouver Island Oak-looper {Ellopia somniaria, Hulst.) 



Attack. — Slender caterpillars of a pale-brown colour, mottled with black — when 

 full-grown about 1^ inches in length — which have only five instead of the usual 

 «ight pairs of legs — three pairs on the fore part of the body and two pairs behind — 

 for which reason the middle part of the body is looped up, as the posterior part is 

 drawn up to the front part in walking. On this account caterpillars of this struc- 

 ture are called "geometers" or "loopers." Feeding in large numbers upon oaks. 



Every three or four years the oaks in some districts in the vicinity of Victoria, 

 Vancouver Island, are seriously disfigured by being defoliated by the caterpillars of 

 a geometric moth. I have frequently received descriptions of these depredations ; 

 but it was only during the past season that, through the kindness of Mi-. W. H. 

 Dan by, of Victoria, I received specimens of the insect in all its stages, together with 

 a note upon its ravages. In 188*7 Eev, G. W. Taylor wrote to me : " This year has 

 been pre-eminently a caterpillar year. The Clisiocampas stripped the forest trees, 

 Halisidota sobrina, Stretch the firs and other conifers, and Ellopia somniaria the 

 oaks. These last were very numerous, and were most disagi-eeable pests, dropping 

 from their food-plant and hanging by threads, so that even in walking through the 

 trees it was almost impossible to keep them out of ones eyes and mouth. The threads 

 and larvae were so numerous that it was most unpleasant to walk through the oak 

 groves, and the sound of the tailing excrement was suggestive of gentle rain. The 

 moth is probably only a very slight variety of the well known Therina fervidaria, 

 Hubn. ; although Mr. Hulst, judging from a limited series, has thought it sufficiently 

 distinct to deserve a new name." 



Mr. W. H. Danby, who was good enough, at my request, to make careful notes 

 on the spot, has sent me a long account of his observations, which I regret I cannot 

 reproduce in extenso. The following is an abstract. He says: " On 17th August I was 

 struck with the great numbers of the larvse of a geometer from 10 to 12 lines in 

 length, which were feeding on the oaks in the vicinity of Victoria. After a few days 

 I saw that it was going to prove a very destructive pest. Upon trees which a week 

 ago were beautifully green not a perfect leaf could be found, and the trees 

 had the appearance of having been burned. Millions of larvaj were hanging 

 in festoons from tree to tree, suspended by strong silken webs. They were every- 

 where — on trees, fences, and in vast numbers in the dusty roads, which they were 

 attempting to cross in search of food, having devoured all behind them, and, finding 

 none, were dying from starvation by thousands, their extenuated bodies hanging to 

 fences, grass. &c.* 



"They now averaged 15 lines in length (1^ inches), and those in good condition 

 seemed ready to pupate. About 20th August pupation began, the caterpillars 

 generally descending to the trunk or to the ground and hiding amongst dead leaves, 

 &c., at the base of the tree. They also pupate in crevices, under projections on 



* Note. — I rather suspect that some of these may have been attacked by parasitic fungi. — J. F. 



