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Editor " Canadian Entomologist " — William Saunders, London. 



Editing Committee — Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, J. M. Denton, James Fletcher and E. 

 Paynes Heed. 



Auditors — W. E. Saunders and H. P. Bock. 



Delegate to " Royal Society " — W. H. Harrington. 



On motion of Mr. James Fletcher, seconded by Rev. T. W. Fyles, a vote of thanks 

 -"was unanimously tendered to the President, Mr. William Saunders, for his able and 

 interesting address. 



In propusing this vote Mr. Fletcher said that he should like to make a few remarks 

 concerning some of the subjects alluded to in the address, particularly with regard to the 

 cut-worms referred to in the earlier part, which he had specially investigated by instruc- 

 tion of the President, and upon the occurrence of which he had prepared a short note for 

 the Society. He stated that the injury done by Agrotis fennica at Ottawa in the month 

 of May last was very great. He had received reports of its ravages early in the month, 

 and in all cases those enquiring for remedies stated that the insects were new to them. 

 The first specimens sent were taken in large numbers under strawberry plants, and were 

 •about half an inch in length. After a few days reports came in. from all quarters of their 

 devastation, which was worst about the 22nd of May, when, the President being in 

 Ottawa, he had, together with Mr. Harrington and himself, visited one of the most 

 seriously injured farms, two miles from Ottawa, where they had found the larva in vast 

 numbers attacking the clover in a field of fodder, but leaving untouched the rye which 

 was growing with it. At first it was supposed by the farmers that the insect was the 

 army-worm, but the larva upon examination was found to be quite different, being of a 

 deep velvety black with indistinct white lines. It was found to be chiefly nocturnal in 

 its habits, and to possess characteristics of the ordinary cutworms, lying hid beneath the 

 surface during the day and destroying everything within its reach at night. They were 

 also climbing cut-worms, and had done much damage by eating out the leading shoots in 

 some young trees. Mr. Fletcher was growing from the seed for examination, oak, black 

 walnut, horse chestnut, elm, negundo and maple; all had suffered. It seemed that during the 

 last stage the larvae were much more active during the daytime, and did not hideimder the 

 " surface. Just before the pupal stage an enormous fatality was caused by a fungous disease 

 which attacked the larvae and which caused them to decay very rapidly. In certain fields they 

 could be seen in large numbers on stems of grasses and other plants which they had crawled 

 up, and to which they were fixed by the fungus, which seemed in nearly all cases to develop 

 just below the head in the shape of a small tuft of white downy matter. After a short 

 time the bodies dried up. Large numbers had also fallen a prey to parasites, and as 

 many as three ova of a Tachina. fly had been found on some specimens. Mr. Fletcher 

 had only succeeded in rearing about a dozen imagines, nor had the moth been very 

 common during the summer, although a few had been taken. 



With reference to the Manitoba cut-worm referred to by Mr. Saunders, he had suc- 

 ceeded in bringing to chrysalis three of the four larva sent to him by Mr. Acton Burrows, 

 the Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba. Of these, when the moths emerged, 

 one proved to be Agrotis devastator, and the other two had been sent to Mr. J. B. Smyth, 

 -of New York, for identification. They were very dissimilar in colour, but the markings 

 seemed the same on each. 



Mr. Fletcher also stated that during the month of July he had found a small 

 ^Phytonomvs committing great damage in the clover at Dalhousie, New Brunswick. 



He had taken it for P. nigrirostris at first, but fancied it might be a different species, 

 a-s nearly all the specimens bred were light cinnamon brown in colour.* 



He found that its habits differed considerably from those of P. punctalus, as described 

 in Professor Lintner's first report. He had brought specimens for the members, and as 

 he had prepared a note of the insect for the Society he would not say more then. He 

 had found a cocoon on clover at Brome, in the eastern townships. 



* Since identified as Phytonomux niarirgstris, 



