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REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



The close of a decade in the history of our Society, as an incorporated institution, 

 prompts your Council to a retrospective glance over the work accomplished. Ten years 

 ago we were weak and feeble ; our numbers were few, and a small eight-paged journal, 

 published irregularly, sufficed to chronicle all our doings. At that time it was with us a 

 constant struggle for existence as a Society,. when a few generous hearts contributed 

 liberally of their own private means to sustain a work prompted by public need and 

 designed for public benefit. Through the energy of our members and the kindly aid of, 

 at first the Provincial Agricultural Association and subsequently of the Ontario Gov- 

 ernment, we were soon enabled to emerge from this struggle and to feel that we were 

 established on a firmer basis, with a great field for labour open before us. In this 

 department our members have laboured heartily, looking for no reward beyond the 

 pleasure which arises from the 'consciousness of doing a good work. 



We may point with justifiable pride to the goodly pile of useful literature published 

 by our Society during this period. Ten Annual Reports have been presented to the 

 Government, which have been printed and widely disseminated as a part of the Report 

 of the Commissioner of Agriculture for the Province of Ontario. These Reports of our 

 Society have been full of matter of great importance to the agriculturist and the fruit- 

 grower, since most of the insect enemies to field crops and fruits have been systematically 

 treated of in them, and the remedies best fitted to control or destroy the pests explained. 

 The Reports have been much sought after and have no doubt accomplished much good. 



The Canadian Entomologist, the monthly organ of our Society, has now nearly 

 completed its twelfth volume, the last ten of which have averaged about 250 pages 

 octavo, nearly all original matter. In these are recorded the observations of our 

 members on all parts of the continent on insect life in its various forms. The life 

 histories of a large number of species have been given in detail, and a vast amount of 

 other material of much value in promoting the interests and advancing the science of 

 Entomology presented. Our journal is held in high esteem abroad as well as at home, 

 and was for some years the only journal devoted exclusively to Entomology on the 

 continent of America. During the past year the Entomologist has contained many very 

 valuable papers ; among those especially worthy of mention are the contributions of 

 Mr. W. H. Edwards on the life histories of the butterflies of North America. We are 

 pleased to learn that he is still pursuing his investigations in this department, and that 

 he will continue to give the readers of the Entomologist the details of his discoveries. 



Recognizing the important work our Society is doing, and with the object of further 

 aiding our endeavours, the Ontario Government have added during the past year to our 

 annual grant the sum of $250, which will enable us to illustrate more freely the articles 

 to be published in our reports and in our journal, and to carry on the ordinary operations 

 of our Society without embarrassment. 



Besides the publication of the annual reports which are chiefly written for the gen- 

 eral public in a popular style, and the Canadian Entomologist, which is a scientific record 

 of work done by the members of the Society, but which also usually contains a paper 

 written expressly for beginners in the study of the science, the Society has had prepared 

 and issued to all its members extensive classified lists of the names of all insects in the 

 different orders of which authentic records of their capture within the Dominion could be 

 found. The value of these lists is very great. They are of the greatest assistance in pro- 

 viding the collector with the proper one, from among the many synonyms which, unluckily, 

 such a large number of our insects possess ; besides this they give the proper sequence of 

 the different genera of which the orders are composed, and are thus exceedingly useful 

 in arranging a collection. Moreover, they act as a record by which collectors know what 

 has been done in the way of collecting by their predecessors, and when a new species is 

 found it can at once be recorded ; by this means many have been added to our lists. 



The branches of our Society at Montreal and London continue to prosper. In Mon- 

 treal, Messrs. Bowles, Lyman fc, Couper, have prepared and read some valuable papers on 

 their investigations, and in London much good and useful work has been done. 



