ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 23 



objects. Children on the farm may, by a little instruction of this kind, save many false 

 steps from being taken in the warfare against pernicious weeds and insects. Through his 

 official correspondence he finds a vast amount of ignorance about these things that ought 

 not to exist, and the only way to remedy it was by beginning with the young. He con- 

 sidered that the President's address was eminently practical and useful, because it treated 

 of such common insects as the tent caterpillar and the cabbage butterfly. Knowledge such 

 as this, if spread throughout the country schools, would mean the saving of hundreds of 

 thousands of dollars. Take the San Jose Scale for instance, the most destructive insect 

 yet known. How few persons could recognize it if they saw it ! How few could tell it 

 from the oyster-shell bark-louse ! Who can answer the question as to its effect upon 

 Canada 1 He believed that President Dearness was doing a great deal by this address, in 

 spreading a knowledge of the work of this Society, and in popularizing the study of ento- 

 mology. Turning to the reports of the Branches, which had been read, he drew attention 

 to the fact that the Montreal Branch had held no less than 207 meetings, and of these 

 probably 200 had been held in Mr. Lyman's own house, where he entertained the mem- 

 bers and enabled them to make use of his valuable library and extensive collections. Few 

 men had done such a good work for the science as this. 



Dr. Bethune rose to put the vote of thanks to the meeting, and said that all present 

 must highly appreciate the address of the President and heartily subscribe to the favour- 

 able comments which Dr. Fbtcher had made upon it. He was glad to find that the 

 President again took up the subject of teaching entomology in the rural schools, which he 

 and Prof. Panton had brought before the annual meeting last year. It was satisfactory to 

 learn that the Western Fair Association continued to offer prizes for the exhibition of life 

 histories of insects by school children, and the good work presented showed that some of 

 the schools at any rate appreciated the opportunity afforded them. With regard to the 

 extraordinary disappearance of insects that were prevalent in immense numbers last year, 

 he thought that there were two causes for their destruction, viz., the work of parasites 

 and the very changeable weather during the winter. Mr. Moffat, last year, when the army 

 worm was swarming all over the Province, predicted that we should not be troubled with 

 it this year, and we all know how true his prophecy proved. We may ascribe its absence 

 this year to the excessive mortality caused by its parasites and other natural enemies. Dr„ 

 Bethune then put to the meeting the motion for a hearty vote of thanks to the President 

 for his excellent address, and pronounced it "carried " amid much applause. 



The Rev. T. W. Fyles then read the following paper : 



THE LOCUSTS OF THE BIBLE. 

 Rev. Thomas W. Fyles, F.L.S., South Quebec. 



Solomon, the favoured of God, who lived in the golden age of Israelitish history, was; 

 renowned as a wise ruler, an enlightened philosopher, a gifted poet. He was moreover a 

 distinguished naturalist, for it is told in his praise that "he spake of trees, from the cedar 

 that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall ; he spake also oi 

 beasts, and of fowl and of creeping things, and of fishes."* 



We may infer then that a knowledge of Natural history is not unbecoming in the 

 man of position, the man of affairs, the gentleman, the scholar. 



Such knowledge was needed in Solomon's days, for amongst the Baalim worshipped 

 by the heathen around, and too often by Israel herself, was Baahebub, the god of the flies, 

 whose name was afterwards given to the Jewish devil. What bugbears have arisen in the 

 minds of men ignorant of natural science 1 



Before Solomon's time the great Israelitish lawgiver, Moses, had paid much attention 

 to the economic aspects of entomology, and by sacred writers in other periods of the 

 history of God's ancient people thoughtful allusions, inculcating important lessons, were 

 made to insect life and habits. 



* I Kings iv. 33 



