1906 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 53 



oneself into the child's position and attitude. This is hard. No other subject 

 demanded it, the teacher has, in many branches of school work, grown away 

 from the child's atmosphere, but here it is only by becoming as a little child 

 that success may be won. 



But while the teacher is learning of insects in this way it is slow, and 

 with the demands of other studies upon him, disheartening; advanced classes 

 will be demanding greater knowledge than patient independent investigation 

 could attend to in many years, — the teachers must be helped ; in the multi- 

 plicity of texi-books there is confusion, even if they should be able to secure 

 them; and many of the books are more hinderance than help on account of 

 being over technical or too exhaustive ; the school inspectors can very seldom 

 help much, and without help from books, or superintendent, the teacher 

 may be unintentionally working harm to a good cause; may in striving for 

 the same end in nature study as he does in many other subjects — the acquire- 

 ment of facts — defeat its chief purpose — the development in our boys and 

 girls of a sympathetic, patient, independent outlook on nature. 



The Entomological Society of Ontario and its members can do a great 

 deal to help on the work — as indeed they have done already. 



There should be some means adopted by our Department of Education 

 whereby articles such as that of Dr. Fletcher's on the Clover Butterfly, pub- 

 lished..in the Ottawa Field Naturalist, and the articles on economic insects 

 appearing in our Annual Reports, could be put into the hands of every school 

 teacher and school inspector in Ontario, and free, it has to he free, and with 

 clear instructions for adapting the work to the schools. There is a large 

 field of usefulness for our Canadian Entomologist in offering through the 

 Department of Education special articles in insect studies suited to our 

 .schools. At the present juncture, since travelling instructors or local cen- 

 tres of instruction are impracticable, and the University is not helping, 

 these are the best means I can think of for helping our teachers, and our 

 boj-s and girls in a rather puzzling situation. 



NOTES ON THE SEASON 1905 (WESTERN QUEBEC). 

 By Charles Stevenson, Montreal. 



Insect collecting this season has been interesting on account of the quan- 

 tities of several species of butterflies that appeared. But it has been some- 

 what disappointing in the captures of rare species and varieties. 



In Lepidoptera our old friends Vanessa atalanta, Linn., hunter a. Fab., 

 and cardvi, Linn., have been very plentiful; in fact in some localities more 

 prominent than the common Pontia rapce, Linn., and Euryrrms philodice, 

 Godt., the Albinic variety of the latter being prominent. Over twenty-five 

 specimens were captured by Messrs. G. Chagnon, E. Denny and myself on 

 the 28th Sept., in a small patch of ground in Outremont, near MontreaL The 

 Dne-time-common Anosia plexippus , Linn., which had almost disappeared last 

 year, showed up more frequently. A fine fresh specimen was caught as late 

 us the 3rd Oct., near Montreal. 



Owing to the activity of the collectors this year, four separate localities 

 around Montreal are now known to be frequented by Stenopis thule, Strecker, 



Great prominence was brought before the public of Montreal by the rav- 

 ages of the Tussock moths. Three species were found, Notolophus antique, 

 Linn., Hemerocampa leucostigma, S. & A., and definita, Pack., leucostigma 



