ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 101 



bage and turnip fields ; indeed it was more plentiful in the spring than at any other time of 

 the year, something unusual in its history, and starting the inquiry, what had become of 

 its faithful attendant parasite Pteromalus puparum ? The yellow swallow-tail Papilio 

 turnus, appeared in moderate numbers, also Limenitis ursula, whilst that nearly ubiquitous 

 butterfly Colias philodice that helps to give life and animation to every rural scene was 

 rarely seen. I am not certain that I saw a Milkweed butterfly, Danais Archippus about 

 London until the middle of September. The larger silver-spotted frittillary Argynnis 

 were noticeably scarce ; and so on through the entire Has of common forms ; which made 

 the meditative contemplation of a landscape dull and uninteresting by reason of their 

 absence. 



Collecting at electric light commenced early and continued good up to the end of June, 

 many interesting and attractive specimens being obtainable by that method. The early 

 geometers and some species of the noctuids were in abundance, whilst hybernated 

 specimens of Scopelosoma and Lithophane were plentiful, and many of them were in ex- 

 cellent condition. L. antennata must be a very hardy insect, and capable of enduring 

 extremes of cold ; Mr. Bice having found specimens of it about the lights during the 

 months of January, February and March ; the least indication of mildness in the weather 

 was sure to bring it out. July and August were characterized by more their usual un- 

 profitableness to the collector, giving him plenty of hunting but little collecting. There 

 were no reports of any serious injury having been done in this locality to crops or fruits 

 from insect pests. Many of the ornamental bushes and shade trees of the city were 

 rendered unsightly by the presence in great numbers upon their branches of the Cottony 

 Scale, Pulvinaria innumerabilis, but the attack passed off without any apparent injury 

 resulting. 



On the 2nd of June I received from J. D. B. Mackenzie, Esq , of Chatham, N. B., 

 a letter, stating that he had sent to me for identification, some insects that had appeared 

 upon his cherry trees and literally stripped them of their foliage in two or three days. 

 The insect proved to be Ademonia rufosanguinea, Say, of the Ohrysomelid family ; an in- 

 nocent enough looking little beetle that would not be suspected as being capable of work- 

 ing such destruction. It must surely be a rather unusual occurrence 1 Their numbers 

 must have been great. He also wished for information as to where he could get a de- 

 scription of its life history 1 That I could not give him. 



On the 27th of July I received from Clinton, Ont., a box six inches long by four 

 wide and one and a half deep, filled with the remains of Web- worm moths, Clisiocampa 

 Americana and disstria mostly ; said to have been the result of one night's capture in one 

 Btreet lamp — kind of lamp not stated, electric probably. I had read in the newspapers 

 earlier in the season, accounts of the running of railway trains being interfered with in 

 some localities, by reason of the swarms of caterpillars on the track ; that may have been 

 one of the localities. At all events, that boxful gave evidence of great negligence on the 

 part of those interested, in their dealings with their tent caterpillars. 



On July the 22nd, I took a trip to Lake Erie Shore. I had heard a good deal about 

 4 Rondeau, 1 the Government reserve and the public park there, and that it was easily 

 reached by rail from Chatham, Ont., so I thought it might be a profitable place to spend 

 a day or two. In anticipation I was going to a place well wooded and wild; but instead, 

 I was landed far out upon a sand-bar almost entirely destitute of vegetation. This sand- 

 bar is what separates Rondeau (round water, admirably descriptive) from Lake Erie, 

 whilst the Government reserve is on the opposite side of the bay, nine miles or so away 

 in a straight line and no convenient means of reaching it ; and as my time was limited I 

 made no effort to do so, The sand-bar is being utilized for summer residences with its 

 excellent boating and bathing privileges, and is locally known as • Erieau,' a euphonious 

 combination but lacking in correct significance. In such conditions there was but little 

 opportunity for me to indulge in my favorite pursuit ; yet even there I came upon two 

 insects which I had never met with alive before. One was that highly ornamented little 

 dragon fly, Celithemes Eliza,~H.a,gen, which was quite plentiful amongst the straggling milk- 

 weeds and wild rice growing along the bay side of the shore, and was in fine condition 

 as if recently emerged. The abdomen of one sex is ornamented with bright red, the other 



