ENTOMOLOGICAL RECORD 1908. 

 By James Eletcher and Arthur Gibson. 



The season of 1908 in most parts of Canada was an exceptionally dry 

 one. Tlie continued drougkt which began in early June, lasted well on into 

 September in many parts of the Dominion. The weather, too, was extremely 

 hot, and vegetation, consequently, w^as much injured and reduced in vigour. 

 Insects have been particularly numerous in certain localities, and some kinds 

 of injurious species were very destructive. From the collector's standpoint, 

 the season, on the whole, throughout the country, was probably better than 

 that of each of the three or four preceding years. Some correspondents 

 report that the season in their immediate vicinity has been a particularly 

 poor one, others that it has been an improvement on the recent years. More 

 are of the latter opinion. 



As in the past a great many records have been sent in by correspondents. 

 From these have been taken those which, for one reason or another, have 

 been thought to be of most interest. As has been pointed out before, an 

 insect may seem rare to the collector who sends in the record, when in reality, 

 its occurrence may be widerspread, and for this reason not worth recording 

 in the Record. 



As in previous years, some of the federal Government officers brought 

 back with them, from their distant fields of labour, small collections of insects 

 of special interest. Mr. Joseph Keele, during the past summer, made some 

 valuable collections at the mouth of the Gravel River and along the McKen- 

 zie River adjacent, on the eastern slope of the Rockies. Mr. C. H. Young, 

 of the same Department, spent the months of August and September at the 

 Biological Station, Departure Bay, B.C., with the well-known lepidopterist, 

 Rev. G. W. Taylor, who is now there as Curator of the Station. Mr. Young 

 collected insects of several orders, among which are many of much interest. 

 Mr. Douglas H. Nelles, of the Alaska Boundary Survey, spent the summer 

 in the Yukon District, between White Horse and the 141st Meridian, and 

 made a collection of butterflies. Mr. Andrew Halkett of the Fisheries 

 Museum, returned to Ottawa in November, bringing with him a small col- 

 lection of various insects taken in Alberta. Dr. Fletcher made a hurried 

 trip to British Columbia in September and October, and while stopping over 

 for a day or two, each at Nepigon, Ont. ; Regina, Sask. ; Banff and Laggan, 

 Alta. ; and Departure Bay, B.C., collected many insects of value. Mr. 

 Gibson spent most of July at Youghall, N.B., and while there made col- 

 lections in all orders. 



Acknowledgments are again due to the leading specialists in the United 

 States who have rendered much help to Canadian students during the year : 

 Dr. L. 0. Howard, with his assistants at Washington; Dr. J. B. Smith, of 

 New Brunswick, N. J. ; Professor H. F. Wickham, of Iowa City, Iowa; Mr. 

 W. D. Kearfott, of Montclair, N.J. ; Mr. E. P. Van Duzee, of Buffalo, N.Y. ; 

 Mr. Wm. Beutenmuller and Professor R. C. Osburn, of New York, N.Y., 

 and Prof. J. S. Hine, of Cohimbus, Ohio. Sir George Hampson, of the 

 British Museum, has also been of much help in identifying specimens of 

 lepidoptera. 



N.B.— Owing to the deiath of my frond friend, chief, and ever kind teacher, Dr. James 

 Fletcher, the manuscript of the Entomological Record for 1908 has had to be prepared by me. 

 Dr. Fletcher had, I know, certain records and other notes which he intended to include. I 

 trust, however, that nnv omissions which may be noticed will be made known, so that they 

 can be included in the Entomological Record for 1909. — Arthur Gibson. 



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