BRITISH COLUMBIA ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 SOCIETY. 



PROCEEDINGS. 1916. 



(•TIC— Tlif Fiflrc'iitli Animal Mi-ctiii,:; nf llic ISrilisli ( '.iliiiiihia Fiil.i- 



Iii,i.'iral Society wa.s lu'ld in tlic I'rn\incial Muscnni. I'arlianient 



Ilnildings. Victoria, B.C., on .Manli lltli. I'.HH. 'I'liis P.ulletln No. 'J 



lonl.-iins the niori' ccononiii- jiapri-s nf in-artical or ijupular intei-est to 



trnil-;;i-()\MMs and larnicrs. and in ilie matter (jf pa.u'e nmnijerini; is a 



dircrl (•i>iitiiinatiMn linni I'.nllctin Xn. 7. 



■J'lir ri'si.liitiniis .-ind inisiix'ss I rans.-oi inns (.f tlii> Sc-iety. rnllnwini; tlie Fifteentli 



Annnal Jli-ctin-. have i;rcn sc|t,i rated l|-oin llie |ia|iers and arliiles -iv<>n at tlu' 



ineelin;.' and will a|i|ii'.-ii- .-is a sn|i]ilcnirnl a fv i-c']iorl. 



NOTES ON THE WOODTICK (DERMACENTOR VENUSTUS). 

 By .1. W.\r. ('ocKr.E. Kaslo. 



.Snnie years n^'n I was asl;eil by the late Dr. Fletclier to write an article on 

 wciiid-tiiks. .-mil tliiid;ii;i; I ]<ncw a lot about tlieir varied idiosyncrasies. I committed 

 my .■l.siT\ati(pns to |p.i]ief. The article never aiijieared in print, as onr dear old 

 friend. l)r. I'Iclclier, Wfutr me iipnn the rc<'ei|it nf the .articli' tlnit he wnnlil refrain 

 from pnlilisliin;; i( lieeanse lie eniisidered the averai-'e retider would consider thai my 

 inia.i;ination liad prob.ilily snperindnced a tetnporary attacli of liallncination. and in 

 their opinion I slioidd be immediately elected to the presidency of the Ananias f'lnb. 



Since then 1 have ^'aincd in years, and dnring this time I have had to carry I he 

 wei:;ht of the repntation of b.-nini.' written for publication a true tish story, so tlint 

 now. liaviii;; snrvived Ibis weitchty rc|intalion. I thinlc I can more easily carry llu> 

 onus of having; written some fai-ts about wood-ticks which may be received with 

 scepticism. 



In Ihe report of the Dondnion I'hdoinologist for l'.il4. under the heading of 

 "Insects affecting Animals and JIan," ajiiiears the following: " Oiu' inquiries in 

 regard to the distribution of ticks in British Columbia, and espei-ially of Dcnuiuriitor 

 rciiiixliix on aci-onnt of its relalii>n to the ohseure <liseasc termed tick paral.\sis in 

 children, b.-is been continneil ami .-ulditional data lias been secured." .\s far as I 



know, tb ily data which has beiMi published was thai sjilendid report on tiel; 



paralysis in l,-nnl,s eanscMl by /(. i-fiiiixl ii>i wliieli was pnblislH'd by onr iLintnal friend. 

 Hr. Seymour Iladwen. This repcu'l .ippealed to me niosi strongly, as prior to taking 

 n|i his research-wcjrlv in regard to iliN tick I h.nl the pleasure of llrsi meeling 

 Hr. Iladweii .-iiid discussing witli him the >nliject of tieks. 



The investigation which w,-is sl:ii-ted by the Ihd.nnologien I I lepart mcMd reg.-inling 

 ticks originated from a jiress reiiort wbieli apiicared in m.iny i:asierii p,ipcrs. wbii-b 

 slate<l that 1 was responsible for the st;ilement that lieks piiuiuee spi)ial meningitis, 



anil thai Ihere wi'i-e remrds id' deaths luiving resulted Ir this disiMse in the 



Kootenays. This st.ali'inent was entirely wrong, the pfe>s ri'porter having confused 

 spotted fever, siiinal nii'iiingil is. with Ihi' Montana ^|iolteil fever. I reeeived a letter 

 by lirsl m;iil from l)r. Hewitt asking it I bail m.ide such a slalemcnt. This ha|ipily 

 I was able to deny. But Ihe fail remained Ihal there were records of si'veral 

 cliildren \\ho bad died from the effects of a ti<k Inning alt.-ielied itself at the bjlse 

 of the skull, eausiiig paralysis and ile.itb. Several other eases were reeorded where 



