ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCITEY OF ONTARIO. 



39 



On the twelfth of August I had a call from Mr. Wm. Lochhead, of Napanee, Ont., 

 on his way east from a visit to Windsor. When we were looking at a drawer of North 

 American specimens that are labelled " Non-Canadian," his eye resting on Argynnis 

 Idalia, he remarked : " There is a butterfly that was taken at Windsor." I had long 

 desired to hear of that species being reported Canadian. I expected it to enter our 

 territory in the east, but instead it has come to us in the west. Afterwards I received 

 through the kindness of W. S. Cody, B.A., a Windsor specimen for the Society's native 

 collection. 



Fig. 23, Male. 



Fig. 24, Female. 



Pieris protodice has been seen here in greater numbers this season that it was last. 

 It has also ^een reported to me from other localities. Mr. Macpherson, who spent some 

 weeks collecting about Windsor, Ont., called upon me when he was returning east. 

 Whilst looking over the Society's collection, when we came to the Pieris he pointed to the 

 female of Protodice, remarking, " There is the butterfly I saw at Windsor and didn't 

 know what it was ! " An interesting testimony to its total absence of late years, which 

 seems so strange to those to whom it was such a familiar object in times gone by. I 

 received a letter from W. S. Cody, B.A., of Windsor, dated July 22nd, in which he said, 

 " Pieris protodice appeared for the first time here about the 4th of July, although it 

 might have been here unnoticed before that, and soon became more common than 



P. rapce. Not being familiar with it, I took 

 nothing but females for a while, and think they 

 must have been more common than the males at 

 first." We can easily understand how male protodice 

 might pass unnoticed when flying with rapce, Fig. 

 25. Mr. Anderson took males only here during 

 July ; he did not even see a female. It has also 

 been reported to me as being plentiful at Essex, 

 Alvinston and Woodstock. 



Fig. 25. 



In 1895 the season for collecting commenced early, but received a check later on. 

 Mr. Anderson reported to me some good finds at electric light before I thought it likely 

 that anything could have been got, light proving more profitable with him than bait 

 throughout the season. The fascinating power of light at night seems to be general over 

 all kinds of insects, and by concentrating it at particular points makes it easy to 

 secure quantities of them, and gives an opportunity of estimating the comparative scarcity 

 or abundance of the various kinds better than any other method. In this way, Mr. 

 Anderson could have taken dozens of some kinds that I thought I was doing well to get 

 two or three of in a season in the ordinary way of collecting. Bait will not attract some, 

 no matter how skilfully it is compounded, and it fails with all at times ; but light, 

 especially electric light, never fails to draw, if the weather is at all propitious. 



In September, I sent to Prof. J. B. Smith a box containing twenty-nine specimens of 

 Mr. Anderson's securing, which I could not identify with anything in the Societv's collec- 

 tion. Fourteen of these proved not to be represented therein. I had sent a few Bom- 

 bycids which the Professor did not care to pronounce upon in the present transitionary 



