The winter moth, Operophtera brumata (Linn.), was not known to occur in North America until 1949, when it was first reported from the south shore of Nova Scotia by Hawholdt and Cuming (2) and Smith (4). By that time this introduced species was well established. It is suspected that the winter moth in association with the fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria (Harr.), has been causing considerable defoliation of deciduous tree species in the region since the early 1930's (2). The habits and stages of the winter moth have been described briefly by Smith (S), who also has indicated the important differences between the winter moth and the fall cankerworm (4).

Many of the early papers on the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), included accounts of the general habits and seasonal history of the insect (9, 13, 18, 10, 22). Later papers have heen concerned principally with ecological or pathological relations, current infestations and damage, or chemical control. There has not been, however, any detailed account of the salient features of the development of the spruce budworm.

In the potato storage cellar of the Fredericton laboratory, aphids were collected on March 1, 1954, from chrysanthemum cuttings that had been placed in the cellar during the autumn of 1953. The aphids were so numerous that they were causing severe injury to the plants. The writer identified the specimens as of Myzus ascalonicus Doncaster. This identification was verified by Mr. J. P. Doncaster, British Museum of Natural History.

Very rarely is an entomologist called upon to control the “insects” that are causing an obvious case of hallucinations. The following case history is of unusual interest because two people were involved, both having very similar experiences.

During November and December, 1952, Mr. and Mrs. X, aged 73 and 59 years, respectively, had been constantly plagued by an infestation of “bugs” in their well-kept farm home. The “bugs” were to be found in almost every part of the house at any time of the day, but were particularly bothersome during the night. Their bites were fearsome and occasioned a great deal of itching.

The spruce needle miner was first described by Kearfott in 1907 (4), as Lipoptycha albolineana sp. nov. It was given various names by different authors after that time, and in a revision by Heinrich (3) was placed in the new genus Taniva.

The larvae of the spruce needle miner feed within the needles of spruce. They form a nest with the dead needles and frass held together with webbing. Ornamental trees are more often infested than forest trees. Young trees growing under adverse conditions are particularly susceptible to serious injury.

There has been much confusion between the North American species of leafhoppers of the genus Streptanus Ribaut, partly because the species are so closely related and partly because the extent of the variation in markings and wing length was not fully appreciated. Four species have been found in North America, of which three hwe been recorded previously. The four are conspecific with species described from Europe, and the specific names that have been applied to North American species must be reduced to synonymy.

The writer (Judd, 1954) reported upon the results of a survey of mosquitoes conducted at London, Ontario in 1952, during which seventeen species were found to occur. Larvae and pupae were taken from pools in six areas in London and its vicinity and were reared to the adult stage at room temperature in the laboratory. Each larva or pupa to be reared was placed in a separate small jar covered with cheesecloth and containing some of the water from the pool from which the specimen had been taken. As the insect went through its series of moults the exuviae were preserved and a record was kept of the dates on which moults occurred. One hundred and seven larvae, representing ten species, successfully passed through the pupal stage to produce adults. The data accumulated from these rearings thus give information concerning the length of the pupal period of the species represented. This information was not included in the publication referred to above and is presented herewith in Table 1.

Monochamus notatus (Drury) and M. scutellatus (Say) are both common wood-boring beetles in the coniferous forests of eastern Canada. The two species are usually separated on the basis of colour. The first is dark brown with lighter brown elytra, and is covered with white and brown pubescence, while the second , is typicaliy shining black. The scutellum of each bears a dense white pubescence which, in the case of M. notatus, is divided by a bare median line. Such a line also occurs in M. scutellatus but is usually incomplete. The writer has found that the presence or absence of a fringe of white hair around the compound eye constitutes the most consistent anatomical difference between the two species, it being present only in M. notatus. The elytra of the females of both species are generally marked with elongate spots. Body length is also used to separate the two species, but no clear-cut difference in length ranges occurs; instead, there is considerable overlap.

Occasions frequently arise in entomological work when it is necessary to hold an insect absolutely still in order to operate upon it. A year ago an apparatus was devised for holding sawfly larvae for injection. It has now been improved and is being currently used to hold sawfly larvae quiet while substances are introduced into the midgut, The apparatus, shown in the accompanying figure, consists of a grooved plastic platform with small holes in the base. These holes are connected to a vacuum line. A water pump may be substituted very nicely. The larva can be placed in any position on the platform by lifting it on a stick and pressing it lightly over the holes on the platform. The larva can be freed immediately by releasing the vacuum. As long as the vacuum is regulated carefully, there are no harmful effects upon the larva.

At least four outbreaks of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), have occurred in the Maritime Provinces within the past 70 years. The first (1) occurred from about 1883 to 1885, the second from about 1906 to 1909 (1), and the third from 1919 to 1927. The last outbreak started in 1933 and ended in 1942. Despite extensive sampling by the Forest Insect Survey from 1943 to 1953, only six samples have been taken during this period in the three Maritime Provinces, and each was an isolated colony. Although an ecological study of the insect was not attempted during the latest outbreak, general observations were made by the writer and other staff members of the Survey. These observations are summarized in the present paper to record the outbreak and some of the factors that contributed to its termination. Another outbreak has persisted in Newfoundland from 1942 and perhaps earlier, but the present discussion is largely confined to events in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.