S Geo. 5 Provincial Museum Report. O 9 



The house was named Nuskoabltnaixsta. Certain important chiefs in it were Smaiyakila. 

 the head : SixsEkilaixla was a brother of the last ; Atlkuntan and Nunatsonajen were also big 

 chiefs and rulers. These were the spirits who presided over the cannibal dance. 



2977. Storage-bos (Pilkwa). This is a Bella Bella box. 



207$. Spindle-whorl. Bella Coola. 



BIRDS AND MAMMALS. 



During the early part of the year a collection of bird-skins numbering 6S and mammal-skins 

 numbering 154 were purchased from Mr. J. A. Munro, of Okanagan Landing ; these skins are 

 prepared iu a most satisfactory manner, a number of them being collected in the Nicola District, 

 from which the Department had very few specimens, thus making them very valuable in mapping 

 out the distribution of species. 



The Provincial Game Warden at Vancouver sent to the Museum two skins of wapiti, which 

 had died while being transferred from the Colony Farm to be turned out in the Lillooet District. 

 These animals were unfortunately badly skinned — in fact, ruined entirely for mounting purposes. 



The raccoon group (Proeyon lotor) in a wild crab-apple tree, which have been mounted for 

 a great number of years and had become very much worn and faded, have been replaced by 

 three good specimens, presented by Mr. J. N. Evans, Duncan, B.C. 



The Museum was also fortunate in having a (albino) squirrel, " Vancouver Island 

 Chickaree" (Sciitrus hudsonius vaneouverensis), presented by Mr. W. Fairall, which he shot 

 on the Malahat, west side of Saanich Inlet, September 16th, 1917. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 

 By E. H. Blackmore. 



The weather conditions of the past season were very similar to those of the previous year, 

 a very wet spring and early summer being followed by a dry hot spell which extended until 

 late in September. 



Throughout the valley of the Lower Eraser, the Coast District, and Vancouver Island the 

 heavy rains of the early spring were continued on and off until the end of June. To those 

 insects that in the pupal state pass the winter underground an abnormally heavy rainfall does 

 a great deal of damage, causing many of the pupa? to rot, thereby reducing the number of 

 individuals of those species. It also delays the appearance of many other species which, when 

 they do emerge, are quickly killed off by the cold wet weather. On account of these conditions 

 collecting in the early part of the season was exceedingly poor. 



The late summer and early fall were very dry and warm, the sunny days being practically 

 continuous for nearly three months. This continued hot weather brought out in greater numbers 

 species which as a rule are rather scarce. 



There was a rather severe outbreak of cutworms in the Victoria and Vancouver Districts 

 during the month of May and the early part of June. A great deal of damage was done to 

 small gardens and cultivated lots ; in some instances whole beds of garden produce were com- 

 pletely, devastated. The chief offenders were the dingy cutworm (Feltia ducens Walk.), the 

 glassy cutworm (Sideria devastator Brace), and the caterpillars of Euxoa messoria Grote, Euxoa 

 excellent Grote, and Feltia vaneouverensis Grote. This latter species has not hitherto been 

 considered of much economic importance, but I am convinced that it does as much damage as 

 any of the others, with the possible exception of Sideria devastator. 



During September a particularly bad infestation of shade and ornamental trees occurred in 

 Victoria. This was caused by the larva? of an undetermined species (Tenthrcdo sp.) of sawfly. 

 In normal years they confine their ravages to the Lombardy poplar (Populus dilatata Ait.), 

 which is their natural food-plant, but this year they occurred in such countless numbers that 

 they attacked everything in sight, even invading houses and office buildings. The larvse when 

 full grown measure from l 1 ^ to 1% inches in length and are of a brilliant yellow colour marked 

 with round black spots on each segment. They are generally mistaken for the caterpillars of 

 moths or butterflies, but they can always be distingushed by the fact that they have from six 

 to eight pairs of prolegs ; the false legs situated behind the three pairs of genuine legs near 

 the front end of the body, while lepidopterous larva? never have more than five pairs. 



