1901 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 85 



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A COLLECTING TRIP IN SOUTH-WESTERN ONTARIO. 

 By E. M. Walker. Toronto. 



During August, 1901, the writer had the good foitune to accompany Prof. John Macoun, 

 Naturalist to the Geological Survey of Canada, on a collecting trip in the South-Western penin' 

 sula of Ontario. 



Prof. Macoun's investigations occupied the whole summer, from the latter part of May 

 until the beginning of Septeniber, and collections of plants were made at a threat many localitiesr 

 covering practically the whole dis rict. 



The chief object which I had in view in making the trip was the collection of Orthoptera, a& 

 the region traversed was (juite unexplored from this point of view. The time which I had at my 

 disposal, however, was limited to the month of August, so that I was unable to visit localities 

 enough to represent the entire district. 



While most of my attention was given to the Orthoptera, I a!so collected a considerable 

 number of Odonata and kept on the lookout for anything of special interest in the eatomological 

 or botanical line. 



Our first stop was made at Leamington, a place not specially interesting in itself, but one 

 from which several very profitable trips can be made. The chief of these is the trip to Point 

 Pelee, the extreme end of which is some twelve miles distant from the town. It ii a long sandy 

 point, very narrow in its lower part, where it is largely covered with red cedar and juniper, but 

 is somewhat wider in its upper part with sand dunes of some size on the west side, beyond 

 which on the east are broad prairie-like flats of excellent wheat lands, formerly marshy. There 

 are still marshes which will repay the collector in probably any branch of Insecta. The upper 

 part of the point is beautifully wooded with magnificent walnuts, nettle-trees (Celtis occide')dalis), 

 basswood, cottonwood, etc., and a variety of oaks, with junipers in the more open places and 

 near the beach ; and many southern plants and insects are found there. I spent a day on the 

 Point, and saw a Papilio Ajar, several of P. Gresphontes, any number of P. TroiZn.s and captured 

 a beautiful specimen of Limeiiitls Ursidu. 



Along the roads leading from Leamington to the 'PointPapilio troilus and aderias, especial- 

 ly the former were present in astonishing numbers. The presence of the former is what one 

 would expect from the large number of Sassafras trees in the locality. 



The bordered skipper (AncyJoxypha yiu/mitor) was present in great numbers along every 

 roadside ditch and many specimens of another southern skipper {Pholisora Catullus) were also- 

 seen. The tobacco-worm, Plilegethontius Garolina is common in this district on the leaves of the 

 tobacco which is grown in large quantities and of good (juality in this part of the province. 



The Orthoptera were very interesting, the family Locustidae or green grasshoppers and 

 katydids being abundantly represented in the large open marshes at the north end of the Point. 

 In fact I found them to be very well represented everywhere throughout Southern Ontario, the- 

 group being on the whole a decidedly austral one. This fact will be appreciated when the 

 number of species inhabiting Southern Ontario is compared with those of the Nipissing and 

 Musk oka districts. I took about 21 species in southern Ontario, whereas in Muskoka there are 

 but eight and in Nipissing probably not more than five, only one of which is truly characteristic 

 of the north. Most of the 21 southern species are Ohio and Indiana forms, such as Xiphidium 

 Scu,dder I &nd nigropleurum, Orchelimum indianense, O.longipeune, Conocephaliisnebrasce^isis, etc. 



One marsh, especially at Point Pelee, yielded a remarkable variety of forms within a com- 

 paratively small area. This was at the mouth of a small creek which emptied into the lake at 

 the upper end of the Point. On either side of tjie creek was a growth of wild rice, so tall and 

 vigorous that at a short distance it had much the appearance of a field of Indian corn, and beyond 



