1913 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 99 



country before they commence to breed. Consequently very few left the neighbor- 

 hood in which they were hatched. Secondly, these conditions assisted the disease — 

 Empusa grilli — that had already become thoroughly established the previous year. 

 Many were killed for this cause. Others were attacked by parasites, and yet 

 others from general weakness due to lack of sunshine, dampness and cold; bo 

 that by the time egg laying commenced fully half the total number had vanished 

 from the causes mentioned. Many of the remainder being weak and climatic 

 conditions being still adverse, failed either to deposit any eggs at all or only 

 laid a small number in comparison to what a vigorous grasshopper usually does. 



In spite of all these unfavorable conditions, however, a large number of egg 

 masses have been deposited of which less than ten jjer cent, have been destroyed 

 by insect enemias, so that unless these are still further reduced before next May, 

 or the weather is still adverse when the nymphs should appear, we may expect 

 another outbreak next year, though less severe than during 1912. 



The commoner species present were Melanoplus atlanis, packardi, augus- 

 tipennis, bivittatus femtir-ruhrum dawsonii, and a few others. M. spretis has 

 not been observed for several years past and is not indigenous to these parts. 



2. Insects Attacking Boots and Vegetables. 



Koot crops were on the whole remarkably free from insect depredations. The 

 Colorada Potato beetles, however, are still increasing and have made potato 

 growing considerably more expensive than formerly. The beetles still seem 

 wonderfully free from enemies. This species has also caused considerable anaoyance 

 in gardens by eating flowering species of Nicotiana. 



Another potato pest of which many complaints were received was the small 

 bkck Blister-beetle Macrobasis unicolor var murina; under natural conditions it 

 lives upon wild peas, vetch and loco weed, but at times of abundance attacks both 

 potato and beans. It has in the past been compared with Epicauta pennsylvanica, 

 which is a larger insect. 



Turnip Beetles {Eniomoscelis adonidis) were also rather mere plentiful 

 than usual and apart from their attacks upon turnips made a specialty of 

 Virginian stock. 



Pepper Grass Beetle (Galerum externa) appeared again in enormous num- 

 bers, but as it confined itself chiefly to Lepidium and a species or two of Arabis, 

 it could hardly be objected to. 



Another beetle as yet only useful which appeared in abundance in certain 

 restricted localities was Disonyeha triangularis which at present has only been 

 found breeding in and eating lambsquarters. Whether it would also attack spinach 

 if that plant were placed within its reach remains to be seen. 



All root-maggots were hardly to be found during the year ; cut worms, too, were 

 less plentiful than "asual; while the small cabbage butterfly after causing almost 

 a complete loss of untreated cabbage, etc., a c®uple of years ago, has now become 

 quite a rarity. Strange too, the species it was thought to be replacing, P. 

 pfotodice, is now quite common again. 



3. Insects Atitacking Trees and Live Stock. 



Several well known insects were observed doing injury to trees, foremost 

 among them being the Larch Sawfly ; which, as during the previous year, defoliated 

 most of the larches, though it did not last as long as usual, and the trees sooner 



