50 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



Burdock Borer, Popaipema cataphracta, Grt., is very common in Ontario, 

 and is sometimes very injurious to many kinds of garden plants having 

 thick, succulent stems. It has a wide range of food plants, but in the 

 Ottawa district it has been found boring chiefly in the burdock. 



The species, however, which I wish to call special attention to to-day is 

 one which has been reported to the Division of Entomology, on several occa- 

 sions during the last four years. Attention was first drawn to it in August, 

 1905, when, early in the month, Mr. George Welch, of Westport, N. S., 

 wrote asking for information as to how to destroy worms which were boring 

 into the pods of his garden peas. He said that the worms were large and 

 quite plentiful. Not recognizing the enemy, Dr. Fletcher wrote asking 

 for specimens. Under date of August 31st, Mr. Welch sent two caterpillars, 

 all he could find at that date, and mentioned that after the end of July 

 they were not so plentiful. One of the larvae, unfortunately, had died dur- 

 ing transportation and the other specimen had changed to the chrysalis 

 state. From this latter a perfect specimen of the moth was reared on 

 Sept. 18th. 



On July 13, 1906, Dr. C. A. Hamilton, of Mahone, N.S., forwarded a 

 caterpillar which he had found in a corn stalk. Only one larva was found 

 on that date, but Dr. Hamilton said that other plants had withered away, 

 probably from the same cause. This caterpillar pupated on July 19th and 

 the moth emerged on August 7th. 



In 1907, another single larva was received, on July 12th, from Mr. 

 Capel B. St. George, of Tramore, Ont., who stated that he had found it 

 boring in corn in his garden. The moth from this specimen emerged on 

 'Sept. 6th. 



On June 30th of the present year, Dr. Hamilton forwarded another 

 specimen from Mahone, N.S., which he had found in corn. The moth 

 emerged on August 6th. A larva had also been found a few days previ- 

 ously, but unfortunately had been lost, and a further plant was seen to be 

 injured, but the caterpillar could not be found. 



In the collection of insects of the Division of Entomology at the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm, are two specimens of the moth, which were taken 

 at St. John, N.B., on August 29, and September 12, 1902. These were 

 sent to Dr. Fletcher under the name of Gortyna medialis, Sm. In Mr. Mcin- 

 tosh's list of the noctuidsD of New Brunswick,^ the following note appears • 



"Hydrcecia medialis, Smith: one taken September 2nd, (1898)." 

 In Dr. Fletcher's Entomological Record for 1903," this moth is recorded as 

 having been "very abundant, August and September, St. John, (Mcin- 

 tosh)." From this statement, and in view of the above occurrences at West- 

 port, N.S., it will be seen that this insect is not uncommon during some 

 seasons in the Maritime Provinces. The record of this insect having been 

 found at Tramore, Ont., is very interesting. While the presence of isolated 

 individual larvae in corn, or other plants, is of no economic importance, 

 still as shown above, the insect has on occasions been noticeably destructive. 

 The habit of the caterpillars boring into the pods of garden peas, as observed 

 by Mr. Welch, is certainly remarkable and is the only instance known to 

 the writer of a larva belonging to this group boring into anything other than 

 a stem or a root, 



'Tho Noctuidse of New Brunswick. Reprinted from Bulletin of the Natural History 

 Society of New Brunswick, (St. John) No. XVIII., 189&. 



"Report of the Entomological Society, 1903. 



