G7 



i\Ir. Fletcher was surprised to liear that the fly agaric, as figured 

 before the meeting, was identical with the European species, wliich, 

 instead of having the pileus of a yellowish brown colour, has one of a 

 most intense scarlet. He mentioned as a cui'ious fact that in Italy, 

 where fungi form a large portion of the food, the State Inspector of 

 Fungi condemns the Agarlcus campestris as unwholesome on account of 

 the large number of edible species superior to it. 



Mrs. Tkaill, of Lakefield, Qnt., so long known in Canada as a 

 writer on natural histoi7, expressed her pleasure at having had an 

 opportunity of attending the meeting, and had collected in Central 

 Ontai-io many of the species depicted in the plates shown. 



LIST OF OTTAWA COLEOPTERA. 



W. Hague Harrington. 



Read lJf.Oi Febniary, 1884- 



INTRODUCTION. 



Having by request of the Council prepared for publication a list of 

 Ottawa Coleoptera, it is almost imperative that it should be introduced 

 by a brief paper, showing under what conditions it ajjpears. Althougli 

 it should only be considered as preparatory to a more extended and 

 pei"fect list, to be issued when a fuller knowledge of our fauna has 

 been gained, it will serve as a basis on whicli to build in the future,, 

 and may, I hope, be found not without a present value. The difficulties 

 encountered in its pre])aration have been great, but the result brings 

 with it a reward in tliat much necessary work has now been completed 

 and that future progress will l^e the more readily made. 



The classiflcation followed in the list is that of Drs. LeConte and 

 Horn, published last year by the Smithsonian Institute, and the 

 arrangement of the families therefore difi"ers from that of other Cana- 

 dian lists. Under this classification the coleoptera of North Americ^, 

 are divided into eighty-tliree families,, of which we have represented so 



