1911 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 17 



Mr. Hume, a well-known seedsman in Port. Hope, who is a large grower of 

 peas, informs me that a greenish hlack louse (presumably N ectarophora destructor) 

 has been abundant this year, far more so than he has ever found it before; he 

 thought that it was mosit prevalent just after damp spells in the hottest part of 

 the season; this would be rather contrary to the habit of most plant lice whicb 

 multiply in dry seasons. The insect had destroyed a great many of his pea-vines. 



The larva of the Saw-fly (Selandria cerasi) has been abundant in our neigh- 

 bourhood this season, and has completely destroyed the foliage of some trees. Mr. 

 Mitchell, of the Ontario Gardens, had some young pear trees stripped; a neighbour 

 some cherry trees ; and in one orc'hard the larva was found prevalent on plum trees, 

 as well as cherry and pear. The damage in all cases was done by the later brood 

 at the end of August and in September. 



The larva of Rhagoletis pomonella (the Apple Maggot) has been quite a 

 severe pest in our neighbourhood, chiefly affecting the early apples; a great many 

 of the apples that ripen in September were attacked by this fly, and the fruit fell 

 to the ground spoiled. In the east section of Port Hope the apple-pickers com- 

 plain of the damage done by the " Eailroad Worm," or by some disease that turns 

 the flesh of the apple to a \wody consistency and causes the fruit to develop irregu- 

 larly ; on the outside the apple has a gnarled and deformed appearance. This does 

 not appear to be caused by an insect, though one apple-picker assured me that " the 

 railroad worm" was not a grub, but a name given to the green fibrous thread 

 that sometimes showed in the flesh of the apple wlhere it had turned woody. In 

 some orchards the entire crop was ruined; in all the affected area the apples tliat 

 were gathered were marked second grade. It was first noticed in Snow apples, 

 but Talmon Sweets we're also affected, and the worst sufferers were Spies. 



The day after returning to Port Hope I examined a large field of asparagus 

 north of the town, and found both species of asparagus beetle fairly abundant; 

 it was three years ago that I first found Crioceris 12-punctatiis so far oast, and 

 this season of 1910 is the first in which the other species (C. asparagi) 'has come 

 under my notice. The spotted kind was more abundant than the more recent 

 arrival in the neighbourhood. I examined two other asparagus beds, east and 

 north-east of the town; in each case the two species were present. Larvse as well as 

 beetles were observed in the foliage as late as the 20th of September. They do not 

 appear to do much harm to the full grown plant, and there was little sign of the 

 spring brood 'having wrought havoc; the asparagus rows appeared well filled, as 

 though few heads had been destroyed at the beginning of the season. 



To turn from- economics, some remarkable gatherings of butterflies were noticed 

 thi-i year; Mr. Mitchell, of the Ontario Gardens, saw great masses of a yellow 

 butterfly along the road sides while driving through the country. This was doubt- 

 less one of the Clouded Yellows (CoUas philodice). In August, too, were noticed 

 in two or three parts near Port Hope, millions of the Milkweed Butterfly (Anosia 

 plexippus) . In one case a small beech wood was filled with swarms of this butter- 

 fly, so that the branches of the trees appeared as if covered with brown foliage ; if 

 a stick was thrown up, myriads of the insects rose into the air and settled down 

 again. 



In the order Coleoptera, nothing new was taken by myself, and Dr. Watson, 

 my fellow-collector, noticed nothing much that was unusual in our collecting 

 grounds, though few of our old friends about the blossoms and foliage failed to 

 return to their haunts as usual. On June 26th were captured one or two specimens 

 of Acmceops proteus settling on a pine trunk; and between that date and July 13th 

 were taken some five or six specimens of Neochjtvf< erytltroccphaliis on the trunk 



