igoo] Report OF THE Entomological Branch. 245 



Lepidoptera. — Good work has been done in this order, in 

 breeding from the egg or from larvae collected in the field, as well 

 as in collecting at electric lights. Some nice specimens of 

 Scopelosoma were bred from eggs collected in Montreal, and sent 

 to Dr. Fletcher, by Mr. Dwight Brainerd of that city, of these the 

 perfect insects of Scopelosoma tristigmata and 5". morrisoni as 

 well as one of S. sidiis taken at the Mer Bleue, are shown 

 here to-night. Erebia epipsodea was reared to maturity from eggs 

 received by post from Banff, in the Rocky Mountains, and collected 

 by Mr. N. B. Sanson. Mr. C. H. Young bred a large number of 

 the beautiful lo moth, Hyperchiria lo, from eggs laid by a captured 

 temale taken in the month of August. A large proportion of the 

 moths emerged last autumn, which is rather unusual. Others 

 remained in the cocoons and will not emerge until next spring. 



Among the specimens of moths shown this evening are two, 

 Smeriiithus modeshis and Brephos infans^ wh'ch are interesting for 

 the reason that although reared from the egg with several others, 

 these two specimens instead of emerging at the usual time, in the 

 spring following pupation, remained in the pupal condition for a 

 whole year longer and the perfect insects only appeared last 

 spring. 



The Leaders wish to call special attention to a remarkably 

 beautiful collection of inflated caterpillars collected at Ottawa and 

 prepared by Mr. C. H. Young. There are in this collection over 

 100 specimens which will serve to show the value oi this method 

 of preserving for study and exhibition a stage in the development 

 of Lepidoptera which has been very much neglected by ento- 

 mologists. 



Of the injurious species of this order, special mention must be 

 made of the serious attacks of the American and Forest Tent 

 Caterpillars, which devastated forests and orchards in many places 

 in the district, but not in exactly the same areas as in previous 

 years. Late in the season serious injury was wrought in turnip 

 fields and on cabbages of many varieties by the small, active cater- 

 pillars of the Diamond-backed Moth, [Pltc/ella cruciferarnm). The 

 parasites which usually accompany a serious outbreak of this 

 insect Limneria parva i?nd Phoeogcnes discus were found, but not in 

 the large numbers ordinarily occurring. Late in the season much 



