N 18 PROVINCIAL MusgeuM Report. 1916 


During the past two years Mr. E. H. Blackmore, of Victoria, B.C., who has been special- 
izing on the Geometride of British Columbia, has discovered one species and seven varieties 
new to science, viz.: Stammnodes blackmorei, Swett; Hydriomena speciosata var. ameliata, Swett ; 
Hgdriomena grandis var. saawichata, Swett; Petrophora defensaria varieties mephistarias 
giganticaria, conciliaria, thanataria, and swppuraria, all described by Swett. Mr. Blackmore 
has generously donated to the Museum collection paratypes of S. blackmorei, H. grandis ». 
saawichata, P. defensaria varieties giganticaria, conciliaria, and thanataria, and typical speci- 
mens of P. defensaria varieties mephistaria and suppuraria. 
Amongst a collection of Diptera sent to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 
for identification, three species were found to be new to science, which necessitated the erection 
of new genera by Mr. C. H. T. Townsend, who described them in the Canadian Entomologist, 
Vol. sapien No. 9, page 285, et seg. They are as follows :— 
Okanagania hirta, Tow ae This is a new genus with hirta as its genotype, and was 
described from a male taken by Mr. E. M. Anderson at Okanagan Falls on April 27th, 1913. 
Rhachogaster kermodei, Townsend. This is also a new genus with kermodei for its genotype, 
and was described from two males taken at Penticton by “Mr. Anderson on July 4th and 8th, 
1913. 
Another new genus, Psewdodidyma, was created by Mr. Townsend, having for its genotype 
a new species named pullula, described from a female taken at Farragut Bay, Alaska. Of a 
male taken by Mr. Anderson at Victoria on April 2nd, 1906, Mr. Townsend says: “It may 
be a new species, but seems congeneric with the above female.” 
During the present winter the two exhibition cases of Lepidoptera have been entirely 
overhauled ‘by Mr. Anderson, who has rearranged and relabelled the entire collection of butter- 
flies and moths down to the Geometride, the latter having been put in order by Mr. E. H. 
Blackmore, of this city, who has contributed many specimens in this group to make it more 
complete. The collection as it now stands is thoroughly up to date in nomenclature and 
scientific arrangement. 
Borany. 
Tn pursuance of the policy announced in the Museum Report for 1914, to devote more 
attention to the Botanical Branch, a request was made early in the year for the loan of the 
Herbarium formed by Mr. J. R. Anderson when Deputy Minister of the Department of 
Agriculture. This request was favourably considered and the transfer made to the Museum 
on April 28th. The collection of plants was made by Mr. J. R. Anderson in his leisure hours, 
both on Vancouver Island and in districts on the Mainland visited by him on his official tours. 
In some of these expeditions Mr. Anderson was assisted by the late Dr. James Fletcher, of the 
Dominion Experimental Farm at Ottawa, who was well known for his botanical zeal. Tt was, 
of course, impossible to cover more than a small portion of a Province of such a vast area as 
that of British Columbia, but a large number of rare and interesting plants were secured as 
occasion offered, and it is hoped that these may form the nucleus of a more fully representative 
collection, and also be more accessible to the general public than heretofore. To facilitate 
reference to these plants it is proposed to make a card catalogue of the collection, as unfor- 
tunately no record of the Herbarium accompanied it, except the data on the labels. By 
comparing these cards with the catalogues and supplementary lists published by Professor John 
Macoun in the Reports of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada and in 
numerous other papers, and also with the “Flora of Southern British Columbia,” by Professor 
Henry, it will be possible to discover the species still absent from our collection and to set in 
motion certain agencies to fill the blanks. 
Professor John Macoun and his son, Mr. J. M. Macoun, have both interested themselves 
in this Herbarium for years. Mr. J. M. Macoun spent some hours in the Museum in September 
looking over the new collections. 
In the flowering season many inquiries are made as to the names of the more popular 
plants, and as to w here their description can be found. To meet these demands it is intended 
that specimens of some of the most noticeable plants may be mounted and placed in wall- 
frames, also that some of the more useful books will be held available in the office of the 
Museum in charge of Miss W. A. Andrew, who has shown great interest in this branch of 
our work. 
