IJO THE REPORT OF THE 1:N TOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. No. 19 



paged in mercantile pursuits. Xot liking city life, he came to Canada by 

 himself, proposing to find a home for his family in this new country. Soon 

 after he left Scotland, his wife — Mr. Moftat's mother— died; he at once sent 

 for his family, who landed at Xew York on July 1, 18-J6, and settled in the 

 Township of Nassagaweya ; there the father married again. This homestead 

 IS still in the possession of the only son of that marriage. After a time 

 John's eldest brother took up land and ? 'ttled m the township of liinbrook, 

 i nd there John Alston made his home for some years. 



"After a time he came to Hamilton and engaged in business as a mer- 

 chant tailor, but being in indifferent health he was in the habit of taking long 

 V alks in the open country as a relaxation from business. It was during these 

 walks that he formed those habits of observation of the insect life which he 

 saw around him, that shaped all his future career. He found so much en- 

 3(>yment in the capturing of insects and observing their life history, and be- 

 came so absorbed in the science of Entomology, that in spite of much good 

 natured ridicule from his friends, he gave up his city business altogether and 

 'going from bad to worse' as he expressed it, devoted his whole time to the 

 study of insect life. 



"He soon became well-known to all the entomologists of Canada, as well 

 rs to many in the United States, and was a most industrious collector of speci- 

 mens. His habits of observation were exact, and as a result he found a new 

 species of moth which was named Scopelosoma Moffatiana in his honour by 

 Mr. Grote, an Entomological expert. It is figured in Dr. Hollands's Moth 

 Book," plate xxvi. fig. ■]■}, and is called by him 'Mofi'at's Sallow.' 



"He was a nephew of the well-known Dr. Moffat, who was surgeon to 

 Wellington, during the conflict with Napoleon, and also of Bailie Alston, a 

 well-known philanthropist of jGrlasgow. Mr. Moffat was a man of quiet 

 ard retiring disposition, and at his death in his eightieth year, was as straight 

 of body, and clear of mind as in his youth. He passed away honoured and 

 respected by all who knew him as a friend, and this society and the one with 

 which he was most intimately connected are all the poorer from his loss." 



Mr. Moffat's first contribution to these Keports was made in 1880, when 

 he furnished a short account of an assembly of Archippus butterflies that he 

 had observed. This was followed by "Collecting Notes" in each of the next 

 three volumes. In 1884 and 1886 two papers appeared from his pen on the 

 habits of Ant-lions. From this time on, he became a regular contributor; the 

 following are the more important of his papers; "Species, Varieties and Check- 

 lists" (1887) and "vSome thoughts on the Determination of Species" (1889), 

 "Origin and perpetuation of Arctic forms" (1890); "The power of Insects to 

 resist cold" (1892); "A microscopical examination of an unexpanded wing 

 of Callosamia promethea" (1891); this became a special subject of interest 

 to him and led to papers "Remarks on the structure of the undeveloped wings 

 of the SaturniidfP." "Growth of the Wings of a Luna Moth" and "The Wing- 

 structure of a Butterfly" (1894-1899); "Mosquitoes" (1893); "A reappear- 

 ance of Pieris protodice'' (1894) : "Yariation with special reference to In-^ecfs" 

 (1895); "Value of Systematic Entomological Observations" and "Protective 

 resertibl^ufe" (1897); "Random Recollections" and "A bit of History" 

 (1898): Observations on the Misj-ration and Hibernation of the Archippus 

 Butterfly (1900-1901): "A talk about Entomology" (1892), and his "Remin- 

 iscences" in 1903 already referred to. He also contributed "Notes on the 

 Season" every year from 1895 to 1902. Though he never had any educa- 

 Honal advantages, he was an interesting writer, and often displayed much 

 thought and accurate powers of observation. C J. S. B 



