1920 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 13 



During the year^ No. -i of the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of 

 Nova Scotia was issued, a publication comprising about a hundred pages. Besides 

 including a great deal of new data on the insects of the Maritime Provinces, it 

 contains several articles on comparatively new, or modified, insecticide-fungicide 

 combinations, which are proving to be of considerable economic value. 



A. Kelsall, Secretary. 



EEPORTS ON INSECTS FOR THE YEAR.* 

 Division No. 3, Toronto District — A. Cosens. 



The- frail structure of many insects adapts them only to the warmth and 

 soft breezes of summer, not to the cold and bitter gales of winter. In bridging 

 the period of low temperature the casualties must be heavy among these fairy-like 

 creatures of sunny, dreamy days. Last winter was so uniformly and extremely 

 mild that the hibernating conditions of many groups of insects were no doubt 

 ameliorated, and, as a result, an unusually large number of survivors awakened 

 into activity at the beginning of the season. 



This may explain in part the abundance of vseveral species of butterflies. 

 On May 7th, which was a very warm spring day, many specimens of the Red 

 Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, emerged from their winter hiding-places. Dozens 

 of them were skimming lazily over the lawns or flitting about among the blossoms 

 of the Norway maples. From that date throughout the whole summer these butter- 

 flies were exceedingly numerous, more so than for many years. Later in the 

 season, the Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui, also became very plentiful and continued 

 so until nearly the end of August. The Banded Purple, Basilarchia arthemis 

 usually a rather scarce butterfly in this locality, was quite frequent along the paths 

 in the parks. Its relative, the Viceroy, Basilarchia disippus, never a rare insect 

 here, was this summer, however, uncommonly abundant. 



The hibernating habits of these last two species are such as to point to the 

 possibility of a close relation between their unusually large numbers and the 

 mildness of the winter. As soon as the nights begin to become cool, the cater- 

 pillars of the butterflies commence the preparation of their winter quarters. The 

 lai-va selects a suitable leaf on its food plant, and bites off the blade on each side 

 of the midrib, leaving only two flaps at the base. The whole of the leaf remaining 

 is then covered with silk, and the flaps are drawn together so as to form a cosy 

 silk-lined nest. To prevent the leaf from falling some of the threads of silk, that 

 covered its stalk, were passed around a branch of the plant. Into this Esquimaux- 

 like sleeping-bag the caterpillar then crawls, and remains in its snug retreat until 

 the spring sun has burst the buds on its food plants. 



Gardeners state that the Cabbage Butterfly, Pieris rapae, has been very trouble 

 some this season. It is only seldom that the southern relative of this form comes 

 so far north, but on August 1st, I captured a much-worn female specimen of 

 Pieris protodice. The latter species has never proven injurious in Ontario, but 

 is occasionally numerous enough to become destructive in some of the states to the 

 south of us. Throughout the whole of its range, however, this native American 

 butterfly is being gradually driven out by the alien from Europe. The latter, by 

 ovipositing earlier and raising more broods a year, has been able to gain possession 

 of almost all the available, cultivated Cruciferous plants, limiting the former to 

 the wild species only. 



*For Report of Division No. 6, see p. 83. 



