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not for the extraordinary reasons as cited, but for the more probable one, to prevent the 

 flow of sap, which, if not checked, may render the wood fibre unwholesome to the larva, 

 or possibly affect injuriously the later condition of pupa and imago. It would appear, 

 moreover, that the beetle is developed in the autumn, and remains within the burrow 

 ■during the winter. 



SWARMING OF THE AECHIPPUS BUTTERFLY. 



BY EARNEST D. WINTLE, MONTREAL. 



While out on an ornithological ramble on Cote des ISTeiges Mountain, near Montreal, 

 on the 22nd of August last, I observed a large number of Danais archippus congregated 

 together ; numbers were clustered on dead branches of trees and underbrush, also on ferns. 

 I could easily have caught a hundred without moving more than ten paces. I don't 

 remember having seen this species so abundant here for several years. Last year Pyra- 

 meis cardui appeared to me to be the most plentiful butterfly here, during August and 

 September. I also noticed a large number of this latter species on the marshes of Lake 

 St. Peter, about sixty miles down from Montreal. This was in the early part of 

 Septem. r, last year. If you consider the above notes interesting enough to publish, I 

 should like to know the cause of the above mentioned assemblage of archippus. The 

 weather was showery in the morning, and sunshiny in the afternoon, with a stiff breeze 

 blowing from the south. 



HUMBLE BEES. 



BY THE REV. C. J. S. BETHUNE, M.A., PORT HOPE, ONT. 



Robbing bees' nests has, no doubt, always been a favourite sport with boys in the 

 country. We can well remember how we used to look out for them towards the end of 

 summer, around stumps and under logs in the pasture fields, and how we used to watch 

 where they flew, and spy out where they had their nests between the weather-boarding and 

 lining of the barns, among piles of stones, and in all sorts of nooks and corners. Great 

 used to be our delight when on some fine September afternoon one of us boys would come 

 running breathlessly to the others, shouting out that he had found " such a jolly big 

 bumble-bees' nest," and that one of them had given him such a chase ! Away we would 

 all scamper; arming ourselves with twigs of cedar and broad bats made of shingle, till we 

 came near the scene of action ; then we would cautiously advance, give the nest a little 

 kick, and put our ears as close as we dared to listen to the buzzing inside, knocking down 

 with our bats any bee that came out to see what the matter was. A few more kicks, or 

 pokes with a stick, would forcibly change the note of the bees to an angry bizz-z, and put 

 the whole colony in commotion, and then would begin the tug of war — furious assaults 

 being made on our part and desperate rallies on the part of the bees ; sometimes the 

 invaders would be so fiercely repulsed as to be forced to take to their heels, stung perhaps 

 under the eye or about the neck and face by a " forlorn hope " from the besieged. But 

 soon the content would be renewed, and the pigmy defenders of their home would suffer 

 for their gallantry with the loss of their lives, and the unequal conflict would end in our 

 digging out the sweet spoils from the inmost recesses of the nest. All we could obtain 

 would be a few waxen cells or bags of inferior honey ; but after all it was the excitement 

 of the contest and not the spoils of victory that chiefly attracted us. The sport was, 

 doubtless, a cruel and wanton one ; but when will boys who rob the nests of gentle birds, 

 impale live minnows on their fish-hooks, or fire their guns at innocent squirrels, think 

 twice about robbing bees' nests 1 What is sport to them is too often, alas ! death to then- 

 victims ! But happily these amusements generally proceed from sheer joyous animal 



