10 TUB REPORT OF THE No. 10 



an important enemy of cultivated croj)S, such as the beet for example, and the importation of 

 such a beetle may be the cause of lasting regret in future years. Another Old World species, 

 Caatiida neOnlusd, which normally feeds on various weeds, has been known to devastate large 

 areas of sugar beets and is one of the most important enemies of the beet crop These fears 

 may be entirely groundless ; nevertheless, the known food habits of near allies of this beetle 

 go far to substantiate my fears. The food plants of Cassida viridis, Linn, have been noted by 

 difft^rent writers. 



According to Panzer, it feeds on Labiates ; sevoral authors record it on Mentha ; Linnteus, 

 on Lycopus ; Dr. Schmidt, on Melissa officinalis, Nepeta and Salvia, but CiVsiwm arvense appears 

 to be the favourite food of larva and adult." 



V CiMBEx Americana, Leach. 



In the lane leading from the Cove to the Plains of Abraham, on the occasion i have 

 mentioned, I found, lying on its back, a remarkable specimen of Cimbex Americana, Leach. 1 

 have in my collection the typical form, the larva of which feeds here upon the Alder, Alnus 

 incana, Wild, also the Cimbex ulnii of Peck (both the spotted and unspotted forms) wh'ch, by 

 the by, feeds at Levis on the Paper Birch, Bettda papyracea, Ait., and a variety in wtiich, 

 instead of spots, there are broad bands of yellow on either side, which alm.ost meet at the top. 

 But in all these varieties the wings are clear, or somewhat smoky, with a brownish border itt the 

 hind margin, whereas, the specimen I allude to has all the wings of a rich dark purple, like 

 o?e of Troijit-i BrnUei, Cressou, and T. faloipes, Ores. Can this be the Cimbex violacea of St. 

 Fargean ? 



Aleyrodes vapor ariorum, Westwood. 



Last Winter two of our members, Miss Bickell and Miss Freeman, found their house 

 plants badly infested by a new pest — a diminutive white fly, very delicate and beautiful, but 

 very mischievous. It appeared in great numbers especially on plants of Eupatorium and 

 Fuchsia. I made enquiries of several naturalists concerning this ; and Mr. W. E. Britton, 

 State Entomologist of Connecticut, very kindly sent me a copy of Bulletin 140, written by him, 

 and issued from the New Haven Experiment Station. In this well written and beautifully 

 illustrated bulletin much information concerning this species is given. Mr. Britton informs 

 me that Quebec is the most northern locality from which the appearance of the insect has 

 been recorded. 



ToRYMUs Thomsoni, New Species. 



In the first week of July my attention was drawn by my friend, Mr. Joshua Thompson of 

 Levis, to a strange sight. The plum-trees in his grounds were infested with myriads of a 

 new species of Torymus, as many as 30 of the insects appearing on one plum. I never wit- 

 nessed anything, in my Entomological pursuits, more remarkable. The brilliant little creatures 

 could be seen in the act of depositing their eggs ; their ovipositors thrust deep into the fruit. 

 Some of the plums attacked shewed signs of a previous attack by the Curculio, but most of 

 them did not. Whether the larv.e of the species feed on the flesh and juices of the plum, or 

 attack the grubs of the Curculio I cannot say, fori was unable to follow the -life-history of 

 the species. The following is a description of the fly : — 



Body a brilliant metallic green. Thorax punctate ; prothorax rounded ; meta-thorax 

 large and elevated ; scutellum arched. Trocanters and femora of the same colour as the body ; 

 the rest of the legs cerate ; tibiae spurred ; tarsi live-jointed — the two last joints somewhat 

 darkened. The antennw brown, clavate ; scape, rather long ; club three jointed. Eyes, oval, 

 large and full, of a warm purple, with a pale rim, and set with short hairs ; ocelli purple. 

 Wings with short ciliie, iridescent ; vein of fore-wing widened where it bends to the costa 



