The Geometers of this Province, in respect to both my own captures and those of other collectors which I have been privileged to see, appear to be fairly well identified.

In December last I was honoured by a flying visit from Mr. Hutchinson, of Kinosota, on Lake Manitoba. He brought in a whole collection of things with him, some for names, others for my benefit. Among the moths we were unable to tackle satisfactorily were a few Geometers. Our friend is developing into an enthusiastic entomologist, and we look for some good work from him in the near future. Few of us, I fancy, would care to be hampered with numerous cases of insects, in addition to other “impedimenta,” when undertaking a seventy-mile sleigh drive in bitter weather to reach the nearest railway station.

Some two years ago I received from Mr. E. A. Schwarz a single example of a curious Lucanide bearing labels “Kaweah, Cal.,” and “Ceruchus (?), n. sp.” This specimen, as I have since learned, was one of a considerable number taken by Mr. Ralph Hopping six years ago on grain and wild grasses growing near the grain on a small sandy hill at the locality indicated. In a letter just received from Mr. Hopping, he states that he has this year taken four fresh specimens, May 17–20, at the same place, one flying in the bright sunshine shortly after noon, the others at twilight. Mr. Hopping has kindly sent me three more specimens, and I have seen two others in the collection of Mr. Fuchs, also from the same source. These specimens are all males, and I have little doubt that Mr. Hopping's entire catch is of this sex.

I use the name Gortyna in preference to Hydrœcia as, without pretending to be an authority upon the question, it appears to me that there is better authority for the former, as used by Mr. Grote, than for the latter. My acquaintance with the moths of this genus, which I have always admired, dates back about thirty years, but in spite of that length of time my knowledge of them up till last year was of the most meagre description, and apart from the species which has stood so long in our collections under the name Nictitans, and a few specimens of Velata, Walk., I only possessed about half a dozen specimens, mostly in poor condition, representing Immanis, Stramentosa, Rigida, Nebris, Rutila, and a form which Mr. Bird believes to be new.

Continuing under this heading, the writer would offer a few remarks subservient to a fuller knowledge of the early stages of this genus, which may be considered supplementary to some former papers that have appeared. There is some discussion at present in the current literature as to whether the term Gortyna, Och., should not replace Hydrœcia, Gn., and it is to be hoped definite conclusions may be reached and the proper one fully established. The following early histories are perhaps unknown, or at any rate remain as yet unpublished.

On the evening of 17th of April, 1898, a ♀ of this species entered my room, and was bottled and not looked at again until the morning of the 19th, when it was found that the cyanide in the bottle was exhausted and that the moth was still alive and had laid a considerable number of eggs. The eggs were distributed through the cotton wool at the bottom of the bottle, and this had to be carefully pulled to pieces thread by thread to secure the eggs.

Papilio Cochabamba, sp. nov.

Habitat: Bolivia. Expanse, 4.00 inches.

Front of head dark, greenish black. Between the eyes, two dots of greenish white, and another dot at “collar,” followed by two more similar dots on front of thorax. Antennæ greenish black, extreme point slightly brownish. Thorax, above, dark greenish black; beneath, black with a large yellowish spot at base of costar nervule, another also at base of costal nervule of hind wing, both with a small white dot above them. Legs, black above; beneath, whitish, the white extending on to thorax as a dash.

1. Danais archippus, Fab. A few migrants seen almost every yeat. June. Have never seen a locally-bred specimen.

2. Euptoieta claudia, Cram. Two specimens on Pine Creek, July, 1897, and June, 1900; probably migrants. Lacombe, June 29th, 1900 (Gregson).

3. Argynnis cybele, Fab. Not common; very rare in some seasons. In the hills, July and August; Lacombe, June 29th (Gregson). Mr. Elwes has seen this form and considers it correctly named. It resembles cybele that I have from Iowa, but is slightly smaller.

3a. [A. leto, Behr. Recorded by Geddes from Macleod. The record may perhaps refer to cybele.]

4. A. cypris, Edw. Not common. July and August. Whatever may be the correct name for this species, it is certainly distinct from anything else here listed.

THe eggs of this insect were found on a small branch of golden willow in Beverly, Mass., March 14, 1900, in a nursery, close to fruit stock of various kinds. The mass, consisting of 220 eggs, was kept at the temperature of the laboratory, which was considerably higher than that outside. Notwithstanding this fact, none of the eggs hatched till April 23, within forty-eight hours of which time, however, all the larvæ had emerged.

Egg (Plate 4, Figs. 1 and 3).—Eggs placed close together in regular rows, forming a compact mass, in this case about twice as long as broad and in one layer. Egg about .6 mm, long and .45 mm, broad at top, which is nearly flat. Just inside the rounded edge of the top a brown ring encloses an area bright steely gray in colour, and containing a small brown depression in its centre; lateral surface of egg and rounded edge steely gray.

Having arranged for a two months trip to Europe during the past summer, I determined to visit the Natural History Branch oi the British Musenm, to endeavour to clear up the doubt surrounding Walker's spilosoma Congrua, taking with me a number of specimens of S. Antigone, Strecker; a pair of the heavily-spotted Gomin form of Spilosoma, which Dr. Fyles calls Cunea, lent to me by Mr. Winn; a typical female specimen of S. Prima, kindly given to me by Mrs. Slosson; and a small series of Hyphantria Cunea, Drury. I reached London late on the 26th June, but on the morning of the 29th received a cablegram which necessitated my immediate return home. After making my arrangements to sail from Liverpool on the 30th, I found I had a few hours to spare, and so paid a very hurried visit to the Museum, and was shown what was supposed to be the three types of Congrua by sir George Hampson, who kindly remained after the closing hour to accommodate me.

Since the revision of this genus by the late Dr. Hulst, in 1884, contributions to our knowledge have not been extensive, while the material gathered in recent years has been very great. The popularity of the genus among students of Lepidoptera had made the necessity for a revision very keenly felt, so that when Prof. French generously undertook the work, a year or so ago, a feeling of gratitude was aroused by enthusiasts, who have known the thoroughness with which his work would be attended.

Reading in the April number of the Canadian Entomologist, Mr. Heath's account of the plague of fleas in Manitoba, recalled what I had read in the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales. It appears that in the Australian bush fleas are as great a nuisance as they are in some parts of Manitoba. A settler, who had suffered greatly from their presence, wrote to the Gazette that he had occasion to use tar paper in his dwelling, when he discovered that fleas would not stay in the house with it, and from that time he had no more trouble with fleas in his house, although they were as plentiful out of doors as ever. Last autumn, or early winter, one of our local members, on his regular visit to the Society's room, started the enquiry as to what was the best way to get rid of fleas, as his house had got overrun with them from having allowed their dog to sleep in the cellar. I thought of what I had then recently read, hunted up the number of the Gazette, found the reference, and showed it to him, when he said he would try it.

Nectarophora lactucœ, Walk.

(Pl. III., 8.) Several writers have listed S. lactucœ, Kalt as an American species. That of Thomas is noted below. Dr. J. B. Smith gives the species in his Insects of New Jersey. Whether the species occurs in this country or not is open to question. It should be noted here that Kaltenbach's Aphis lactucœ is a Rhopalosiphum. Buckton gives both Siphonophora lactucœ, Kalt. and Rh. lactucœ, Kalt., though Kaltenbach described but one species. Walker (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 2, p. 49, 1849) in his description of the species confused it with Rh. lactucœ, Kalt., as Passerini has pointed out. Walker described it as Aphis lactucœ, Linn. and as a synonym of A. lactucœ, Kalt., though Kaltenbach had already shown A. lactucœ, Linn. to have been invalid, and that his species was entirely distinct. Walker also gives A. ribis-nigri, Mosley (Gard. Chron. I., 684) as a synonym. Mosley's description is hardly recognizable, but evidently is the same as some of the varieties described by Walker, both undoubtedly referring to Rhopalosiphum ribis, Linn., and Myzus ribis. Unfortunately, Walker describes only the coloration of his species. Part of his species is evidently, however, N. lactucœ. Passerini's description is too brief to be recognizable, but probably refers to the same species, as Buckton thought. Why Buckton described the species as S. lactucœ, Kalt., is not clear. Buckton follows Walker in giving Ribes nigrum and grossularia as food-plants, and remarks that Walker states that the cornicles are enlarged at the middle, but does not otherwise seem to confuse the species with others as did Walker.

The following comments upon Prof. Smith's paper in Can. Ent. for Nov., 1900, 333, have suggested themselves to me. The types of Acronycta there discussed are the specimens in Brit. Mus. Coll., and in several instances my determinations are now adopted by the author.

A. pallidicoma, Grote.

This name is cited without comment, except that the type is a small female (334). It would have been more to the point if this name had been identified with one of the “two series into which xyliniformis allows itself to be so prettily divided” (Sm. and Dyar, p. 149).

A greater contrast between the last two seasons—those of 1899 and 1900—could hardly have obtained. The spring of 1899 was unusually wet, and the consequence was that the Manitoban prairie flea took refuge in our houses out of the rain, and life became almost unendurable between the armies of fleas inside and the clouds of mosquitoes without. So bad were the latter that, seasoned as I am to their attacks, all my night collecting was done under difficulties, for after covering myself as far as possible (rather a nuisance on a hot, close night), I had to bathe every square inch of skin that had of necessity to be exposed, with a strong solution of alum. This last year, through the unusually dry spring and early summer, to be bitten by a mosquito was quite an event. The fleas too took advantage of the fine, dry weather, and resumed their usual prairie life, and left us in our houses in peace. It may not be generally known, but some parts of the country swarm with fleas, while in others they are hardly to be found. In the olden days, before the railways, when we had to fetch our supplies from the nearest towns—Emerson, in my case—by waggon, camping on the prairie as we went along, I was several times cautioned by old settlers on no account to camp on certain spots, or in certain localities, if it could be avoided, by reason of the swarms of fleas that had taken up their habitation there. These places were invariably those that would be selected as resting places, being dry, sandy or gravelly spots. Still, Manitoba cannot by a long way equal Southern Europe for fleas.

Pedaliodes primera, sp. nov.

Habitat: Bolivia, near Cusilluni. Expanse, 2.25 inches.

Head and palpi, dark brown, nearly black, Antennæ, above, nearly black; beneath, dark rust colour. Legs, brownish. Thorax, black with brownish hairs. Abdomen, the same but lighter beneath.

Upper side of fore wings, entirely dark blackish brown. The hind margins are dentated, especially so on lower wings, The marginal interspaces of fore wings have a prominent white thread.

Catocala Clintonii.

Egg, deposited June 21st, 1900, is a disc concave below and convex above. The ornamentation consists of a series of ridges converging from the slightly upcurved edge to a central depression which has in its centre a slight tubercle. Colour dark, or blackish. Harched April 17, 1901.

Larvæ escaped by cutting a hole at one side of the centre above.

Newly-hatched larvæ slender, nearly ¼ inch in length, dark pruinose. Head paler, no marks apparent.

After first moult they are somewhat lighter in colour. The two rows of dorsal tubercles appear as black dots. The head is light, the lobes surmounted with black.

The following species, with a few exceptions, were taken by Mr. E. P. Van Duzee and the author while on a very interesting and successful trip through southern and western Colorado during the latter part of July, 1900. These species are all strictly south-western in distribution as far as known, and most of them were found feeding on one or another of the peculiar plants of that region. While collecting in the valley of the Grand River, a number of species of Homoptera were taken, hitherto only known from the Californian region, and it is very probable that in turn several of these species, which were taken along with them, will, eventually, be found in California.