THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 57 



ents from twelve to fifteen miles east and west of here, had observed and 

 mentioned their flight. Although their course was precisely in that 

 direction, Prof. Forbes, of the State Normal Museum, writes that " no 

 observations had been made there regarding the migrating of this 

 insect," and he kindly identified the last named species for me ; however 

 both have been carefully looked up and identified as being separate, by 

 other well informed Entomologists, all agreeing with me that the above 

 names are correct. 



Whether their migrating was instinctive, or forced by the Manitoba 

 wave, then reported in Chicago papers as having arrived in that direction, 

 after a spell of very warm weather ; or caused by the dry season, the 

 ponds having become so exhausted as to afford no pasturage for their 

 larvje, seems a matter of conjecture ; most likely the latter, however, as 

 the cold wave reached here but very slightly. 



NOTES ON T,AST YEAR'S COLLECTING. 



}!V J. ALSTON MOFFAT, HAMILTON, ONT. 



No one I think can have been long engaged in collecting insects with- 

 out having noticed the remarkable diversity in the products of different 

 years, not only in quantity, but in kinds. Each summer seems to bring 

 its own particular species to the front, so that if a person wishes to get a 

 moderately correct idea of the insects of any locality, it is necessary for 

 him not only to hunt diligently all the season, but every season for a con- 

 siderable length of time ; and if he has from any cause missed one, he 

 may be sure he has missed something which it may be years before he will 

 again have an opportunity of securing, or securing in the same abundance. 

 The causes of these variations seem as yet to a great extent a mystery. 



Insect hunting could not be said to be good in this locality last sum- 

 mer. It might be considered very poor, yet it produced its new things for 

 the collection, and some things in plenty which had hitherto been scarce. 

 On the 1 2th of May I came across some specimens of a Pieris which I 

 thought were poor specimens of okracca, but which Mr. Edwards deter- 

 mined to be Virginieiisis. On the 23rd I took a very attractive Chryso- 

 mela, which is in the Society's Coll. in London as C. labyrint/iica, but 

 which the authorities say is midtignttis of Crotch's Check List, of which 



