193 



collections and thus keep up the interest of the public in this important 

 branch of study. 



A lari^e part of the collections of Messrs. C. P. Bate, W. Simpson; 

 and R. Bradley was made at Kingsmere in the Chelsea mountains. 

 Amongst the beetles collected were some not previously recorded as 

 having been taken in this locality, e.g., Myas cyanescens, 2 specimens 

 Mr. Bradley, Encydops cmndeus and Xylotrechus sagii/arius Mr. Bate. 

 Mr. Simpson took a fine female of Pityobius an^^uinus, another £i)ecimen, 

 a male, was taken by Mr Fletcher and Mr. Harrington bred a female 

 from a larva found in a decaying log in Beechwood in May, showing 

 that this insect, one of the finest and largest of our Elaters is not so 

 rare here as previously supposed. Saperda cakaraia the la'ge poplar 

 borer was found in injurious numbers by Messrs. Simpson and Bradley 

 at Kingsmere. They have now a barrelful of infested poplar stems 

 containing many of the larvae. 



The leaders regret exceedingly the loss this branch has sustained, 

 by the return of Rev. G. W. Taylor to British Columbia. Before leaving 

 he had made a critical study of the Carabid(Z with good results ; many 

 of the doubtful species in this difificult order were satisfactorily deter- 

 mined and several additions were mide to the Ottawa list, particularly 

 in the genus Bemhidium. In the early spring diligent search was made 

 for the members of this order and large series of specimens were taken. 

 Amongst those not before recorded were Cychrus Brevoortii, Ladmocrepis 

 paradeliis, Nebria pailipes, and Loricera cccridescens. 



Two interesting occurrences of exotic insects imported with fruits 

 were brought to the notice of the leaders by Mr. C P. Bate. Blaps 

 mortisaga, a California beetle, he had found alive walking across a floor 

 in the city. This, from what we could learn, had probably been intro- 

 duced in a case of dried fruit. A small scorpion was also found by Mr. 

 M. McVeity in a consignment of pineapples from the West Indies. 

 In taking them out of a barrel he was stung on the hand. The weather 

 was cool and the scorpion was sluggish or he would probably have suf- 

 fered more severely than he did from the sting. As it was, the wound 

 was extremely painful for several hours. 



Some attention has been given to the local Hemiptera, and Mr. 

 Harrington gave an afternoon lecture on this order and submitted a 



