63 



wood-lice and red spiders in greenhouses, the clover mite {Bn/obia 

 pratensis, Gar.), the pear-leaf blister mite {Eriophyes pijri, Pgst.), 

 millipedes, slugs and eelworms. 



CoKCORAN (J. A.). The Commoner Grass-moths of Quebec. — Ninth 

 Ann. Rept. Quebec Soc. Protection Plants from Insects & Fungous 

 Dis., 1916-1917: Quebec, 1917, pp. 71-77. [Received 12th 

 December 1917.] 



Crambid moths are abundant in the pastures and meadows of 

 Quebec during June, July and August, particularly in the lower, moist 

 meadows. They generally fly at dusk or when the weather is cloudy, 

 resting during the da}i;ime on the stalks of dried grass which they 

 very closely resemble. Comparatively few Canadian species are of 

 economic importance, though under favourable climatic conditions 

 they may cause an almost total loss of the hay crop, and isolated 

 infestations of Crambus vulvivagellus and C. trisectus in the United 

 States have been as bad as invasions of the army worm [Cirphis 

 imipuncta]. When wdld grasses and sedges are plentiful the cater- 

 pillars do not attack grain, though C. zeellus and C. adiginoseUus have 

 been reported as pests of maize in Illinois and C. hortiieUus as damaging 

 cranberry runners in New England marshes. Eggs are dropped by the 

 females at random among grasses and hatch in from 5 to 30 days. 

 The larva spins a web on a blade of grass or in the axil between the 

 blades and makes this its place of retreat, hiding there in the day and 

 feeding at dusk ; later, this web is exchanged for a more elaborate 

 nest in which the caterpillar is well protected from enemies. As winter 

 approaches, the larva extends the summer nest a short distance 

 beneath the surface and there hibernates, C. leacheUus disappearing 

 early in August, C. trisectus in October and most of the other species 

 in September. With the resumption of plant growi^h in the spring, the 

 larva again becomes active and feeds voraciously until pupation takes 

 place. The Crambids are very prolific, but as the injury is distributed 

 throughout the growing season and the various species are most 

 destructive at different times, the damage is very difficult to estimate. 

 C. agitatellus, C. alboclavellus, C. hortuellus, C. mutabilis and 

 C. r}(ricolellus are apparently the most abundant species in Quebec. 



Many preventive measures have been suggested. Torches and trap- 

 lanterns have not proved very successful ; deep ploughing and a 

 change to a root-crop should lessen the numbers in fields where the 

 pest is established. Burning the dried grass in late autumn or early 

 spring destroys those larvae that hibernate above ground, but these 

 are few. Natural enemies, including an Ichneumonid, a Tachinid and a 

 Chalc'd, destroy great numbers, and birds and beetles even more, but 

 climatic changes are the best check to the increase of these pests. 



A key to the Crambids of Quebec is given. 



Du Porte (E. M.). The Eye-spotted Bud-Moth [Eucosma [Spilonota) 

 ocellana, Schifl.). — Ninth Ann. Rept. Quebec Soc. Protection Plants 

 from Insects d Fungous Dis., 1916-1917 ; Quebec, 1917, pp. 118- 

 137, 17 figs. 



This paper is the record of studies of Eucosma ocellana (eye-spotted 

 bud-moth) conducted in Quebec, chiefly on the Island of Montreal, 

 during the seasons 1914-1916. 



