58 THE EEPORT OF THE No. 36 



Burgess. It consisted of 80 adult beetles collected in the field near Melrose High- 

 lands, Massachusetts. All were in excellent condition on arrival and were im- 

 mediately paired off, each pair being placed in a glass breeding jar partly filled 

 with earth. 



Breeding operations were continued throughout the summer, but with only 

 fair success, as the season was unusually cold and wet, the liberal supply of food 

 necessary for strenuous reproduction was found to be hard to maintain, and it 

 seems likely that most of the beetles were young ones (1 year old) which normally 

 have a very much smaller reproductive capacity than old specimens {2 years old). 

 Sufficient larvae were reared, however, to enable an experiment to be planned with 

 the view of finding out whether or not these insects in the pupal state will survive 

 the boreal winters of New Brunswick. 



Toward the end of the breeding season a small colony of the adult beetles was 

 planted near St. Stephen, and the remainder of the beetles, some fifteen pairs, were 

 allhowed to go into hibernation under laboratory, but at the same time natural, con- 

 ditions at Fredericton. These latter will afford data on the subject of hibernation 

 of the adults under New Brunswick conditions. 



Next spring, therefore, exact data will be available on the ability of Calosoma 

 to hibernate in both the pupal and adult conditions in this Province. Should 

 hibernation prove successful in both conditions it will be possible to conduct 

 extensive breeding operations at the laboratory next summer. 



The remarkable success which has attended the introduction of Calosoma 

 sycophanta into Massachusetts leaves it to be sincerely hoped that the insect may 

 flourish equally well in boreal as in transition zones. On visiting Massachusetts 

 this summer this insect was more in evidence than any of the several insect enemies 

 of E. chrysorrhoea and P. dispar that have been introduced up to date. The writer 

 had occasion to examine several hundred burlaps within a radius of five miles of 

 Melrose Highlands and it was no uncommon occurrence to find five or more 

 Calosoma larvas under a single burlap, while it was quite uncommon to find a 

 burlap without any of the larvse. 



Before leaving the subject of Calosoma, the opportunity may be taken to 

 record an American parasite of this European insect. One of the adult beetles 

 soon after its arrival from Massachusetts died. It was opened up and found to 

 contain four Tachinid larvfe. ^ Two of these were reared through to the adult 

 state and proved to be Biomyia georgice B & B. This insect is recorded* as a para- 

 site of two native Calosomas namely C. calidum Fab. and C. peregnnator Guer. 



In addition to Calosoma and Compsilura there are four more insect enemies 

 of the Brown-tail Moth, all true parasites, known or suspected to be in New 

 Brunswick. The ones known to be in the Province are respectively the egg parasite 

 Trichogramma sp. reared last year by Mr. George Sanders of the Division of 

 Entomology from eggs of the host secured in Charlotte County ; and the Tachinid 

 fly Phorocera leucaniw Coq., a puparium of which was secured this summer from 

 a host caterpillar mailed to the laboratory by Mr, P. N. Vroom from Charlotte 

 County. Both of these are native insects. The two species suspected to be in the 

 Province are Pteromalus egregius Forst. and Monodontomenis aereus Walk., both of 

 which through the efforts of the United States authorities were introduced into 

 Massachusetts a few years ago and both of which have recently been found in the 

 State of Maine not far distant from the New Brunswick border. 



*J. M. Aldrich, Cat. N. A. Diptera, 19(^5, p. US. 



