222 The Ottawa Naturalist. [March 



Meeting No. 22 was held at Mr. Halkett's house, Mr. Hal- 

 kett in the chair. The chairman opened the meeting by drawing 

 attention to a neatly mounted collection of conspicuous insects put 

 up on tablets in an original method, which showed the specimens 

 off to great advantage. There were in this collection many speci- 

 mens which Mr. Halkett had reared from the larva or egg, and 

 concerning which he gave many interesting notes. 



Dr. Fletcher showed two cases of insects such as were pre- 

 pared in the Division of Entomology, for examination by farmers 

 and fruit growers. Each species was represented in all its stages 

 of development together with its work, and parasites. In these 

 cases were such well known pests as the San Jose Scale, the Va- 

 riegated Cutworm, and other allied species, Tent Caterpillars, 

 Fall Webworm, and White Spotted Tussock Moth. A description 

 was given of the habits of the Black Sand wasp, Ammophila 

 luctuosa, and the way in which it hunted for and carried off cut- 

 worms and other larvae. Mr. Geo. Holland and Mr. Norman 

 Criddle, had both studied these insects and Mr. Criddle mentioned 

 that he had seen in Manitoba on one occasion the same or a simi- 

 lar species carrying off a large sphingid caterpillar. Referring to 

 the Tent Caterpillars, Mr. Holland attributed their sudden disap- 

 pearance to a severe frost in May, which destroyed all the foliage 

 of the trees upon which the recently hatched caterpillars were 

 feeding, zind which extended over a vast area in North America. 

 This view was agreed with by most present who recalled the pecu- 

 liar condensed growth on some trees that year, where the young 

 twigs, of the new growth, had been destroyed by the frost. 



Mr. Gibson read a paper which he had promised at the last 

 meeting on the three species of Halisidota which are found in the 

 Ottawa district, and gave much information on the habits of the 

 common but handsome caterpillars of these insects. 



J. F. for Sec. 



