42 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



The Wild Hazel, Corylus Americaiins, has this year been much infested with th& 

 larvfe of a species of Lithocolletis — probably L. Goryliella, Chambers. These creatures 

 form circular blisters, about the size of dimes, in the leaves of the plant. In appearance 

 they somewhat resemble the larva? of L. hamaclr y< idella as shown in an article by Prof. 

 Saunders, in the Report of the Fruit-Growers' Association of Ontario for 1882, p. 277. 

 They are about three-tenths of an inch in length, much flattened and having the segments 

 very distinctly marked. Tn colour they vary from sage-green to amber. The head is small 

 and flat. From the 3rd to the 11th segments inclusive, there are, on the under side, 

 remarkable elongated, brown markings : and on either side of each segment, from the 6th 

 to the 11th inclusive, there is a round, brown spot. The feet are white and are merely 

 warty projections. Along the sides are a few slight bristles. The larvfe have not yet 

 gone into chrysalis but have become more plump and of a lighter tint of amber. 



Perhaps the most nnte-worthy occurrence of the year, from an entomological point of 

 view, lias been the amazing numbf^rs of the larvte of Gatastega aceriella, Clemens, 

 From Monti eal to Quebec and southward to the border they have appeared in myriads. 

 Every maple-leaf seemed to have its tenant. 



The operations of the Catastega larva are very recaarkable. Working on the under 

 side it gather^s around itself a considerable portion of the leaf, securing the lines of contact 

 of the gathered part with a web. Then it bites away portions of the inner skin of thfr 

 leaf and proceeds to make itself a case ; and, as it grows, it enlarg<^s this till it is about an 

 inch and a half long and in shape something like that of a cornucopia. Into this it can 

 completely retire. The larva when full grown is about half-an-inch long, cylindrical, pale 

 green, with an amber-colored head. It attains its growth about the time that the leaves 

 begin to fall. It then vacates its case and spins a slight cocoon between the leaves or in 

 the folds of a leaf. The pupa is about one-fourth of an inch long, pale yellowish brown in 

 colour, having rather large wing cases and tapering abdominally to a point. 



The insect was named by Clemens who mentions it in the Proceedings of the Ent' 

 Soc. of Phil., vol. I (1861), p. 87. He seems to have been acquainted with ths case only^ 

 There is a reference to the insect in Packard's Forest Insects, \). 409. We shall probably 

 know more about the insect next spring when the imagos begin to appear. 



In the meantime, the way to check the increase of the species is obviously to rake 

 up the dead maple-leaves into small piles, and — under favorable circumstances — to burn 

 them. 



On August the 23rd, a curious phenomenon was witnessed in Quebec. All the 

 streets cf Lower Town were occupied with clouds of winged ants, of the species Formica 

 flava, Fabr. The carters had the utmost difficulty in controlling their horses ; and the 

 foot-passengers shrouded their faces as they walked along. I read in the papers at the 

 time that a similar plague had appeared in one or two places in the Maritime Provinces. 



The Lombardy Poplars in these parts were, this season, affected by a species 

 Pemphigus. The insect produced galls on the leaf-stalks, resembling in size and shape 

 the nut-galls of commerce, and having on one side a slit about three-sixteenths of an inch 

 long. 1 opened one of the galls on the 6ih of July, and found it to be full of insects of 

 the kind, some winged and some wingless. After the galls had withered, I found num- 

 bers of apparently the same species of insect, in the wingless state, infesting the young 

 willows near by. The creatures lay thick on the under sides of the twigs sucking the 

 plant-juices. 



My last captures this year were made on the 4th of October, when I took Tlierina 

 fervidaria, Hubn, and Epirrita dilutata, Bork,* as they were resting on the trunks of 

 trees at Spruce Cliff, Levis. On the same day I saw a fresh female of Orgijia anliqua, 

 Linn, laying her eggs on a young spruce. 



^E. dilutata wais taken at London, Ontario, about the same time, by Mr. J. Alston Moffatt. 



T.W.F. 



