10 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



REPORTS ON INSECTS OF THE YEAR. 

 Division No. 2. — Midland District. By C. E. Grant, Orillia. 



The season of 1908 was a beautiful one, tlie finest summer I think I ever 

 saw, but still there was no great outbreak of injurious insects and in fact 

 no insects were particularly abundant as noted by me. On account of the 

 small amount of rain in this section the plant lice were rather plentiful; I 

 saw a field of turnips in September which were practically covered with 

 them, but still the turnips were above the average size and the owner of the 

 farm stated that he had taken no measures to kill them off. 



Another insect, the yellow-necked apple-tree caterpillar, (Datana minis- 

 tra) was remarkably abundant, some apple trees were nearly stripped of 

 their leaves in the gardens around the town and the moths came in droves 

 to my lamp. 



The Buffalo beetle nuisance seems to be increasing, nearly all house- 

 wives are complaining of it and it seems hard to devise a perfect remedy 

 for it. 



Heliothis armiger is another insect which has been complained of as 

 affecting the corn ; the moths were flying in the day time over a clover field 

 T visited in September and October along with Phisia hrassicoe; I took both 

 species in numbers; there had been corn grown in the next field. 



This season I purchased a 7 amp. multiple lamp and had it installed on 

 ray verandah, the results were wonderful as to the number of insects 

 attracted; the bombardment of Lachnosterna fusca, June beetles, in the 

 spring was more than anyone but an Entomologist could stand and every 

 now and then the deeper hum of Belostoma americana, the giant water-bug, 

 would be heard, as this great bug thumped down on the verandah; during 

 the month of June there was a constant and ever-changing stream of insect 

 life. Unfortunately our power had to be shut down from the middle of 

 July to the end of August, thus spoiling my sport. I got, however, several 

 good things such as Caripeta discivaria, Syneda Alleni, Apatela quadrata, 

 two new Plusias, Oreta rosea, and five or six Eacles imperialis . I took twelve 

 species of Hawkmoth, the rarest here being Smerinthus myops cerisyii and 

 Sphinx luscitiosa; one very handsome Heterocampa was also taken, if not 

 astarte, it is very much like it. A new Crocota and several good things not, 

 however, new to me such as Mamestra nimhosa and latex, and others too 

 numerous to mention. If I had been present at the meeting I should have 

 liked to have given a longer account of the numerous species attracted but 

 as the directors are supposed to confine their report to injurious insects I 

 will at some other time give a fuller list of what can be taken at Orillia, if 

 it is thought desirable. I might mention one other capture in the day- 

 time, namely, Anisota virginiensis (or stigma) taken on the edge of a wood 

 flying about ten feet from the ground in the bright sunshine. Junonia 

 coenia was rather plentiful; I took four specimens in two weeks, Colias 

 eurytheme was also taken several times. 



Division No. 3 — Toronto District. By J. B. Williams. 



I am not able to report very much this season as I was away in England 

 most of the summer. 



The Tussock Moth did a good deal of damage to the shade trees in 

 Toronto. I noticed, in September, that a large part of many trees had been 

 nearly stripped of their foliage. The late Park Commissioner, Mr. Cham- 

 bers, always said that in many streets it was almost useless collecting 



