THE (JANAf)TAN SPORTSMAN AND NATil: \ 1.1 81 . 



Imi 



with tJie Fraser institute, would il nol be a 

 ! move "ii the pari of the Council of the 

 Natural History Society to make the 

 offer l<> the authorities of McOill I University ? 

 I;- so doing, the collections in the Peter Red 

 path Museum would at once become most ex- 

 tensive, and doubly instructive, in fact the 

 lie: i mi this continent. The Geological 

 Museum :il Ottawa could nol make a com- 

 parison villi it. We throw out this hint thai 

 the matter may be ventilated by those who 

 are interested in it. Unless something ol this 

 niil nre lakes place it is seemingly evident that 

 the dissolution of the Society is merely u 

 matter of time. The new museum is only a 

 short distance from the old. The former will 

 be visited by thousands of the inhabitants and 

 visitors to the city, while the old Society must 

 continue to charge for membership and the 

 entrance of strangers. Then we say that the 

 Natural History Society of Montreal should 

 Bfit away its fossil condition and join an in- 

 stitution with some vitality in it. — C. 



(torrespon&ence. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



To the Editor of the Canadian Sportsman and 



Naturalist : — 



Sir, — I have received the November number 

 of your valuable journal, containing a very 

 f'rieudlv and favorable notice ol Transactions 

 No. 2 of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club. 

 In this review exception is taken to names ol 

 two weevils which are mentioned in my paper 

 on Coleoptera, injurious to the Pine. The first 

 ramplaint is that Polydrosus elegans, Couper, 

 is given as Scythropus elegans, Couper, ac- 

 cording to Crotch's revised Check List. As 

 this list gives the Rhyncophora according to 

 recent classification, and was issued under the 

 supervision of LeConte and Horn, the blame, 

 f any, of changing this beautiful beetle's 

 generic name, must rest upon their broad 

 'boulders. [ may say, however, thai in your 

 lescription of this beetle (published in Cana- 

 liau Naturalist, I865,) you give it as l\)hj- 



drosui ? i legaru, and al th< 



lion add thai LeCont da not think it a 



Polydrosu garde Hylobitu fitup 



Seh., mv defence i- equally wimple. 'I I 

 is given in the printed lists of the En ton 

 Society as found in Canada, and my I- 

 were named by careful comparison with ■ 

 specimen bo labelled, in the collection in poe- 

 "ii of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific 

 Society. This fine collection was arranged by 

 Mr. Billings, with, it I mistake not, the at 

 ance ol Mr. Pettil and yourself. I have failed 

 to find in The Canadiak Naturalist your 

 description of //. pinicola, or I nhould nave 

 compared my beetles with it. Yon state thai 

 it is strange that the species should lie dormant 

 so long when such experienced entomolo 

 as Mr. Billings and yourself collected together 

 for three years around < Miawa. This certainly 



shows the beetle to he very rare, hui does not 



prove its non-existence. I collected actively 

 for three years without finding it, and have 

 since obtained but three specimens. Mr. 

 Fletcher during a similar term ol years has 

 not succeeded in finding one specimen. I li< >| k- 

 shortly to have all undetermined and doubtful 

 species named by competent authorities ; until 



I am able to do so this beetle must rest in mv 

 collection as //. Stupidus. 



\\\ Hague II irbinoton. 



Ottawa, 15th Dec. 1881. 



Note. — I am satisfied with my colleague's 

 statement regarding Scythropus elegans, Cou- 

 per. If Dr. LeConte removed it from the 

 genus I'tilyilrosu.i, the matter is settled. I 

 would, however, be pleased to have a five min- 

 utes' glance at Hylobius Stupidus, Sch., 

 the time I described //. pinicola in Trai 

 tions Literary and Historical Society, Quebec, 

 — New Series, part 11, p. 85, 1 865 — 1 remarked 

 that another of the same si se was found in 

 Western Canada, but with marked difference 

 in elytral characters. I had not the Western 

 insect to compare with my Quebec specimen. 

 //. pinicola is allied to //. arcticus ol the other 

 continent. I have no knowledge of 11. Stupi- 

 dus, hence the remarks which led to this cor- 

 respondence. I was wrong in saying thai I 

 described pinicola in the Canadian Naturalist 

 and Geologist, published at Montreal. — C. 



