ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



47 



pointed stick to unearth the spoiler. To foil these pests the yonng plants should be 

 earthed up as soon and as far as possible, for the creatures crawly over the surface, at 

 night, and cannot ascend a mound of crumbling earth. 



Young onions are damaged both by the cut-worms and by the maggots of the onion- 

 fly, Phorbia ceparum Meigen (Fig. 14). The former work singly ; the latter, in groups. 

 Both should be carefully dug out and destroyed. Dry soot scattered over the onion-bed 

 is believed to be serviceable in keeping away the fly. 



The "white-grubs," or larvse of the May-beetle, Lachnosterna fusca, Frohl. (Fig 15) 

 are well-known pests. In the fields the plough unearths them ; and the poultry, follow- 

 ing in its wake, hold high carnival, and become fat and well-liking. In a thoroughly- 

 worked garden the grubs find but little harborage. 



The hidden pests above mentioned can be dealG with moie easily than some others. 



Fig. 16. 

 The apple- tree borer, Saperda Candida Fab. (Fig. 16), works near the ground, in 

 young trees, and so weakens the stems that sometimes, in a high wind, the trees are snapped 

 off. The larvse betray their presence by their frass. When this is the case a wire should 

 be thrust into the tunnels, for the destruction of the occupants. A thick wash of soft 

 soap applied to the stems in June will deter the beetles from laying their eggs upon 

 them. 



There are other borers that injure other trees. It is in search of these that the 



woodpeckers work so systematically around the stems The woodpeckers are among the 



fruit- grower's allies, and should not be molested. 



The borer of the currant stems is the larv^a of a pretty little clear-win £ 

 moth, JSgeria tipuli/ormis Linnaeus (Fig. 17). Late in the fall all un- 

 healthy-looking stems in the red, white and black currant-bushes should be 

 cut out and burned. The moths appear in June, and consort for safety 

 with the small black wasps of the genera Odynerus and Gorytes, which 

 they somewhat resemble. A child can soon learn to distinguish them from 

 these, and can spend a few bright midday hours profitably in capturing the 



moths with a butterfly net. The capture of one female will save many currant stems 



from damage. 



We have, then, glanced at some of the worst of the insect pests that frequent the 

 farmer's garden. The study of them in their native haunts will be found full of interest 

 and a knowledge of their proceedings and the various methods of counteracting them' 

 will prove of great value, and ought not by any to be lightly esteemed. 



Fig. 17. 



ON THE NOCTUID^E OCCURRING AT TORONTO. 



By Arthur Gibson, Toronto. 



, For some time past, in fact ever since the season of 1896, I have considered the 

 Noctuids to be my special favourites amongst the Lepidoptera, and in view of this 1 

 thought a few remarks under the above heading might interest those present. 



