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THE LEPIDOPTERA OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. 



A. F. "Winn, Westmount, P.Q. 



At our last annual meeting I read, on behalf of the Committee, a report 

 on the progress made on the proposed list of Insects of the Province of Quebec. 

 Since then, however, conditions have changed, particularly as our convener, Mr. 

 Swaine, has taken himself off to Ottawa and has not brought us together, and to 

 put the matter briefly the complete list has not been completed. 



What attitude the society will now take remains with yourselves. Personally, 

 I am still of the same opinion that the existing records of insects of all orders 

 should be gathered together and published, incomplete though they may be, as 

 a basis for a more perfect list, or lists, to follow, perhaps ten years hence. 



It was, I think, our President's original suggestion that this society should 

 prepare the list in parts, and perhaps that plan will now meet with your approval. 



The amount of time required for preparation of a first faunal list is surpris- 

 ingly great. I had no idea of it, I confess, and am very glad I kept no record of the 

 time expended on it, but the list of Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths, is now 

 written up in book form and is available for the printer at any time, if deemed 

 worthy of publication, and funds are available. Nearly 1,300 species are listed 

 with a considerable amount of information regarding localities, dates of appearance 

 and the larval food plants, following closely the lines of the late Prof. Smith's 

 "New Jersey List," which has become such a useful book that three editions have 

 now appeared. 



So far as I can see the publication of lists from this and other provinces should 

 in no way clash with the plans for a more comprehensive list covering the insect 

 fauna of the entire Dominion, but, on the contrary, should be of the greatest assist- 

 ance in its preparation. Mr. Chagnon is still willing to put in list form the Coleop- 

 tera of the Province from the information and notes that he has, and Mr. Moore 

 will do the same with the Hemiptera. Of the other orders a considerable number 

 of species are card-indexed, and so far as they go, they could be published, leaving 

 to future students the pleasure of listing from two to ten times the number 

 originally on record. 



