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rare, their seeming rarity resulting from our not knowing when, where and how to collect 

 them. 



Miss Smith described a collecting bottle of her own device, by which, on touching a 

 spring, the cover flew back and the insects could be readily caught in the receptacle. Its 

 -chief recommendation was that it could be managed by one hand, leaving the other at 

 liberty for holding the lantern. 



Mr. Reed advocated the fastening of the lantern to the waist by a belt, thus leaving 

 he hands at greater freedom to use the bottles and boxes. 



The President said he iiad found that in using the ordinary bull's eye lantern the fingers 

 could be thrust through the wire handle in such a manner that their ends and the thumb 

 were free for use in withdrawing, holding and replacing the stopple of the collecting bottle. 

 The lantern in hand enabled him more readily to adjust the light, and he had found that 

 it was often more desirable to throw the penumbra rather than the full light upon the 

 tree, many insects often fleeing from a strong light. 



Miss Smith gave an account of the damage done to the oaks in Wisconsin and Illinois 

 by the larvae of a little Tortrix, Argyrolepia quercifoliana, Fitch. 



A very interesting discussion took place on the question of instinct or reason dis- 

 played by insects, and many curious instances were cited proving that instinct and reason 

 differ in degree and not in kind. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



EXPERIMENTS OX THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE. 



(From correspondence in the Canadian Entomologist.) 



Dear Sir, — 



As correspondence is invited respecting the habits, localities, occurrence, etc., of in- 

 sects, I take the liberty to offer a few remarks on the Colorado Potato Beetle, Doryphora 

 10-lineata. 



Wishing to ascertain if the domestic fowl were likely to be of any value in reducing 

 the numbers of D. 10-lineata, I procured the assistance of a neighbour who kept fowl (I 

 do not keep them myself), and the following is the result of our experiments : 



Our first experiment was to offer both larvae and beetles to the fowl, but they refused 

 to touch them, and acted as if somewhat afraid. Next we mixed the insects with the 

 corn and other food that was given them, but they refused even to eat the corn for a time ; 

 by-and-by, however, they began to eat the corn and soon lost all fear of the insects, al- 

 though they still refuse to eat any. After a few days, by keeping the insects in their 

 food all the time, some of the bravest of the hens began to eat a few insects, and it was 

 not long before the rest joined them, and in a few days more they appeared to relish the 

 beetles about as well as the corn. Up to this time I did not observe any of the fowls eat 

 a beetle from the potato vines, but they now began to do so, and we were obliged to put 

 them in their food no longer. After this the beetles were so reduced in number in this 

 garden that they did no material damage. 



It would seem from the above that although the beetles were naturally repugnant to 

 the domestic fowl, yet an appetite for them may be acquired. If the substance of the above 

 has been published I was not aware of it, and give it for what it is worth. 



I noticed in the last report of the Entomological Society of Ontario, in the experi- 

 ments on the Colorado Potato Beetle, by W. Brodie, the remark that " it is very doubtful 

 if Doryphora, either in the larva or imago state, will feed on Solanum dulcamara or Datura 

 ttramonium." I have found the insect in both these stages plentifully on S. Dulcamara 

 which grows quite abundantly near this place, and they wholly consumed both leaves, 

 flowers and fruit of every plant in this vicinity. They were more abundant on these 

 plants than on my potato plants, which were not more than five rods from some of the 

 former. 



J. E. Bates, South Abington, Mas«. 



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