THE CAN-ADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 81 



" Whatever the larva feeds upon, it will not have much to eat for the next 

 six weeks, as the whole country is covered with snow yet (April 5), two to 

 three feet deep, and I do not expect to see the last of it in the swamps till 

 the end of May !" 



Snow Flies. — The first mild days, about the beginning of March, every 

 winter, bring out, on the banks of the Eiver Credit, an immense number of 

 neuropterous insects, called in this neighborhood '^ Snow Flies," from their 

 habit of crawling over the surface of the snow, and appearing when it is even 

 two or three feet deep. Their proper name is, I think, Gapnia Pygmasa, 

 Burm. (^Perla Nivicola, Fitch, " Winter insects of E. New York" — a work 

 that I have not seen) ; a technical description of them is given in Hagen's 

 "Synopsis of N. American Neuroptera," p. 32. They are of a shining 

 black colour, with dusky black-veined wings, which are rudimentary in the 

 % , but rather ample in the 9 ; the antennae are rather long, with numerous 

 articulations ; the abdomen is terminated by two long setœ ; the 9 is usually 

 about double the size of the % , but the individuals of each sex vary very 

 much in size, some males being under a-fifth of an inch in length, while some 

 females are over half an inch. I once found a few individuals crawling on 

 the deep snow near a stream back of Cobourg, on March 1, 1865 ; but in 

 this neighborhood they literally swarm for some weeks on the bridges, trees, 

 &c,, and on the snow about the river, even coming into houses some seventy 

 feet above the water. In 1867, the first specimens appeared on the 26th of 

 February; in 1868, on March 8th. This year I saw the first specimen on 

 March 2nd, a bright, mild, thawing day, snow about two feet deep on the 

 level; March 7th, a few more were seen; March 21st, quite numerous; 

 April 10th, still plentiful. Their early appearance, long before the depar- 

 ture of the snow, must afford a welcome supply of food to the small birds 

 that anticipate the advent of spring. — C. J. S. B., Credit, Ont. 



The Alder-Bud Gall. — Another gall is common at Quebec on the Alder 

 {Alnus iiicana, Willd). These galls are formed by the insect early in June, 

 when the young buds are springing from the branches. I have counted from 

 three to six orange-colored larvae in each of these galls. They occupy sepa- 

 rate cells between the thick young leaves, which are thus deformed by the 

 puncture of the insect, forming a gall either round or semi-conical. One of 

 these galls,, about twelve months in my possession, was lately opened. It 

 contained four orange-colored larvse, one pupa of the latter, and one Inquiline 

 of a brilliant green color. I sent this gall to Mr. Armistead, who informed 

 me that although larger, it is similar to one on the European Hazel. I 

 intended to have traced out the insect that produced them, but having to ga. 



