1905 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



85 



The Eed-headed Flea-beetle (Systena frontalis, Fab.), Fig. 32. This 

 beetle whicli has a very wide range of food plants was found as a destruc- 

 tive pest on the second crop of clover in August, both at Ottawa and Guelpb, 

 Ont. The insect, which is a common species, was rather more abundant 

 than usual, and it occurred doubtless at other places where it was not 

 noticed. 



Root Crops and Vegetables. 



The favourable season enabled all garden and field crops of this class 

 to develop well. Cutworms of a few kinds, as usual, did considerable harm 

 locally; but there was no extensive outbreak such as sometimes occurs. 



During the month of July almost all plants in the flower and vegetable 

 garden were attacked at Ottawa by a smooth cutworm-like caterpillar, when 

 young greenish in colour, but having the body divid^ed into two equal parts 

 above and below the spiracles, the back being dark with three pale lines 

 along it, and the underside of the body yellowish up to a clear yellowish 

 side stripe. These at first rather inconspicuously marked caterpillars, were 

 largely nocturnal in habit, coming out at night and devouring nearly all 

 kinds of vegetation. They were particularly destructive to the forming seed 

 pods of larkspurs. After the last moult they were very much more conspicu- 

 ously marked, presenting a handsome Mamestra-like appearance with three 

 lines down the back and with each segment ornamented with large black 

 velvety patches on the back and above the spiracles. The head honey- 

 coloured and mottled. When full grown, these caterpillars are very vor- 



Fig. 32. Red-head- 

 ed Flea-beetle (greatly 

 enlarged) (Chitteuden, 

 U.S. Dept. Agricl.) 



Fig. 33. The Diamond-back Moth ; a, cater- 

 pillar ; d, pupa ; c, cocoon ; /, moth — enlarged . 

 (U.S. Dept. Agriculture.) 



acious. They are about two inches in length, cylindrical in shape, like 

 cutworms, and about a quarter of an inch in diameter. There is very much 

 variation in their colours, some specimens being almost black, while others 

 are of a dark olive green; but all specimens show a distinct side band 

 and the three thread-like stripes down the back. These caterpillars were 

 the progeny of a rare species of noctuid moth named Barathra occidentata, 

 Grt., an insect which is so rare that the only specimens I had ever seen 

 before were two reared by Mr. J. A. Guignard many years ago from larvae 

 which he had found destroying larkspurs in his garden; and Dr. J. B. Smith 

 reports that it is an extremely rare insect in collections. In June, while 

 collecting moths at Ottawa, we had found that this species was well repre- 

 sented among our captures, and we were pleased to secure eggs and rear the 

 larvae. Later, however, the caterpillars occurred in too great abundance 

 out of doors. There is only one brood of Barathra in the year, the eggs 

 being laid in June and the caterpillars feeding through July and into 



