1915 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 49 



insect or to a fomi of the Bitter Pit disease. The Bitter Pit disease will occur 

 on isolated branches of a tree with only a half dozen fruits on it while the next 

 tree may have a whole lot of fruit on it and no disease at all. The Bitter Pit 

 disease can be told by putting a cut through, and seeing the brown areas. 



Prof. Crosby : The more insects there are, the more a tree will be affected. 

 This year in New York, we have more red bug injury than ever before. The 

 increase in the injury until this year I attributed to greater attention being 

 given to the matter, but there is a real increase in red hug injury this year. 



PUBLIC MEETING. 



On Thursday evening, a public meeting was held in the Lecture Hall of the 

 University Biological Building, and was well attended, many members of the 

 university staff and those of the various collegiate institutes and of the Eoyal 

 Canadian Institute having been noticed in the audience. 



The President, Dr. Hewitt, introduced the lecturer. Prof. J. H. Oomstock, 

 of Cornell University, who gave a most interesting and stimulating address on 

 ^'The Habits of Spiders,'' a subject upon which there is probably no one more 

 competent to speak. 



THE HABITS' OP SPIDERS. 

 J. H. CoMSTOCK, Professor of Entomology, Emeritus, in Cornell University. 



Professor Comstock's address was a popular account of the habits of spiders, 

 and was illustrated by many lantern slides of extraordinary beauty made from his 

 photographs of the various types of webs and nests of spiders and of original figures 

 illustrating the structure of these animals. The address began with the following 

 statement : — 



" Of all our little neighbours of the fields there are none that are more 

 universally shunned and feared than spiders, and few that deserve it 

 less. There is a wide-spread belief that spiders are dangerous, that they are liable 

 to bite, and that their ibites are very venomous. Now this may be true of certain 

 large species that live in hot countries; but the spiders of the Northern United 

 States and of Canada are practically harmless." 



" It is true, spiders bite and inject venom sufficient to kill a fly into the 

 wound made by their jaws. But they are exceeding shy creatures, fearing men 

 more than they are to be feared. If an observer will refrain from picking up a 

 spider there is not the slightest danger of being bitten by one; and, excepting a 

 single uncommon species, no spider is known in this part of the country whose 

 bite would seriously affect a human being, and the venomous nature of this species 

 is ntt established." 



" On the other hand, spiders do much to keep in check various insect pests, 

 and hence must be regarded as our friends. It is, however, from a different point 

 of view that I wish to consider them at this time. It is as illustrations of remark- 

 able development of instinctive powers, and of wonderful correlation of structure 

 and habit. The student of nature can find no more available or more fertile field 

 from which to make interesting subjects for study." 



