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NOTES ON A PARASITE— ON THE PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY 



{Pyrameis Cardui). 



By Caroline E. Heustis, Carletox, St. John, N.B. 



I send you a few specimens of an insect which I have found parasitic on the larvae of 

 P. cardui. For several successive summers I have reared a number of these caterpillars, 

 with which our thistles in most seasons abound. I observed variations in size and, colour 

 of the larvae found feeding on the same plant, which led me to suppose that they might 

 not belong to the same species. I have always observed that a large proportion were 

 almost black, and much smaller than those from which I have obtained good specimens of 

 cardui, but until the last summer my efforts to raise these were not attended with success, 

 all the small black larvae dying before they had attained their full growth, although they 

 fed well for a time. 



Last season I collected from a group of thistles of the same species fifteen caterpillars, 

 and put them in breeding boxes. They all ate voraciously, and one after another went into- 

 chrysalis, except two, which died on the bottom of the box, after having made several 

 ineffectual efforts to suspend. Those which died were black. I carefully marked those 

 which I suppose other than cardui as they suspended, and watched for the advent of the 

 butterflies. I observed that the chrysalids of the black specimens were bright golden, and 

 smaller than those of the bright and healthy-looking larvae. The chrysalids of the latter 

 were grey, ornamented with white stripes along the sides. (This insect has been kindly- 

 determined by E. T. Cresson, of Philadelphia, as Ichneumon rufiventris). 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 

 By J. Alston Moffat, Hamilton. Ont. 



Calosoma Scrutator. — In connection with Mr. Fletcher's interesting article on ^'Calo- 

 soma Scrutator, the Beautiful-bodied Searcher," in our last Annual Report, I desire to 

 relate my experience with this insect during the summer of 188L On 11th June I left 

 Hamilton for Long Point. I had half a day to spend at Port Dover before the boat left. 

 About noon a strong breeze sprung up from the S.W., which drove the waves up the 

 shore. I took a stroll along the beach, and had not gone far when I saw a greenback 

 just landed, making rapid strides with his long legs away from the water, and I seized my 

 first living scrutator. I took several of them that afternoon alive, some of them simply 

 that and nothing more. At Long Point the evidence of what had been was unmistakable 

 the water lines of various storms of different forces were marked with bands of green winor- 

 covers. I was too late for the harvest, very few coming ashore while I was there. When 

 sugaring for moths we took from 2 to 5 every night, and one night 16. A large gauze- 

 winged fly was attracted in great numbers to the sugar, and the scrutator was attracted by 

 them, for in almost every instance we took them with one of these in their jaws. When 

 seized they would drench the fingers with an acrid fluid of the'most offensive odour ; it was- 

 very volatile, drying rapidly with a sensation like alcohol. In one instance I took one 

 from under a board on the beach, and in blowing off the sand that adhered to it some of 

 the fluid struck my lip ; it burned for an instant sharply. The odour from them leaves in 

 a very short time. Does it not seem strange they should remain so scarce in the country 

 when they are landed in such numbers on our shores alive 1 A friend, Mr. A. H. Kilman, 

 of Ridgeway, writes me that they came ashore this spring after a south-west storm in 

 hundreds, dead and alive. And we may suppose it to be about the same along the whole 

 north shore of Lake Erie, and yet I know of but three taken in the neighbourhood cf 

 Hamilton in 20 years. 



Saperda Fayi. — On the 11th of June I took a pair of Saperda Fayi upon thorn, a 

 rather rare insect with Canadian collectors hitherto, I believe. Ten years ago or more 

 I captured one, and had not met with it since, but this year amidst a general scarcity it 

 seemed to be quite abundant here, the different collectors finding it well represented in 



