Larva.—Elliptical and much flattened, the sides rising slightly to two dorsal ridges, only a little elevated, these ridges diverging somewhat towards the anterior and posterior portions of the body. Around the outline of the body is a series of flattened pointed projections forthe last eight segments, furnished on their sides with fine, short hair. These projections occur on each segment after the fith, the two on the last segment some what longer than the others, and directed nearly straight backwards.

The collection season of 1888 was, in this locality, somewhat peculiar. It opened up about the 10th of May with great promise—early moths appearing in considerable numbers. This was soon reversed— early moths appearing in considerable numbers. This was soon reversed—cool, dry weather setting in; and not until the second week of June did the weather become warm enought to produce a marked development of insect life.

In the beginning of July last I discovered in a bed of Typha latifolia, in the neighborhood of Montreal, a large number of the larvæ of Arzama obliquata. I have visited the spot repeatedly, and have had the larvæ under daily observation. One remarkable circumstance concerning them is that they are liable to attacks from the maggots of a fly belonging to the Ortalidæ, viz.:—The Cheœtopsis œnea of Wiedman, the Ortalis trifasciata of Say.

Amongst some fertile eggs of butterflies obtained during the past summer of gently pressing the abdomen of ripe females, was one of the above species, the larva of which was carried through four moults up to hibernation. The information gathered is incomplete; but as there is nothing published concerning the preparatory stages of C. Mandan, it seems worth recording, if only to assist others who may be fortunate enought to secure eggs of this rare butterfly. Although widely distribtued over North America, I know of no locality where it is abundant.

The larvæ of Tarucus theophrastus Fabricus are cultivated and protected by the large, common black ants of Indian gardens and houses. The catepillar, which varies in colour from light pure green to a dark reddish tint [this is a common variation in Lycænid larvæ] is about threequarters of an inch long, louse-like in shape, and slow in movement, and it feeds on the Zizyphus jujuba, a small, thorny bush of the jungles with an edible, astringent, yellowish fruit, the “Byr-coolie” of the natives. Some Lycæindæ larvæ have the power of protruding and retracting at will two small, fleshy tentacles or horns, each tufted with a brush of fine hairs, from the upper surface of the tail segments.

Egg.—Diameter .03 inch. Globular, smooth. Color whitish, with a pearly lustre. Duration of this period here four days, in the mountains of California six days.

Young Larva.—Length .07 inch. Cylindrical, six rows of tubercles from which spring hairs as long as the body. Color pale gary, head black, hairs gray. Duration of this period four days.

At the last annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario, it was decided that every month there should be at least one short article upon the above subject. The Council consider it wiser not to increase the size of the Canadian Entomologist at the present time, but to take two pages from the space we now devote to Scientific Entomology. It is true the space at our disposal is all too small to accommodate the valuable articles sent in by our friends, but the demands are so frequent for articles are so frequent for articles of the nature mentioned, that it has been decided to try the experiment having them regularly, and it is thus hoped to largely extend the influence of the Society by inducing more lovers of nature to take up Entomology as a study, and by providing agriculturrsts and horticulturistss with short and simple accounts of their insect enemies and the latest discovered remedies.

The following paper is presented in order to get into shape the notes made by me at odd times for the five years last past. It includes, in the first place, all the references that I found to the species during that time, and such notes of synonymic interest as I have culled from teh publications examined. It has also been my practice, as specimens came into my hands, to use as were unfit for the cabinet, for purposes of study, and I have thus accumulated a great many notes, which I see no opportunity of using for some time to come, inasmuch as my studies on the Noctuidœ will probably fill very completely all the time I have for systematic work.

As the descriptions are short and so generally unknown, I will reproduce them here:-

“Var, hybrida: Primaries of D. bella, but the yellow belts indistinct, secondaries of typical D. ornatrix, but with the ground colour red as in D. bella, and with a white edged, interrupted black belt across the discoidal cell.

Cincindela. A glance over the catalogue shows many names marked as varieties of others, and a glance into the boxes of any fair collection shows these same to have a diversity of appearance, that in many instances requires an educated experience to reconcile with their being specifically identical; as for example, a green C. sex-guttata and a black consentanea, or an immaculate green unicolor and a black modesta.

Otiocerus Wolfii, Kirby. A pale specimen of this frail little form was beaten by me from a beech tree September 3, 1888, at Lancaster, N. Y., and Mr. Uhler has kindly sent me a fully colored individual, presumably from Md., taken on the 6th of August. The antennæ in this species are very short, with a single appendage.

The sub-family Noctuinœ embraces the typical Noctuidœ and we may taken the genera Agrotis or Hadena as normal forms, from which we have a mass of more or less divergent structural groups. The characters which are made the basis of generic sub-division, according to a natural system which I find most plainly indicated in the writings of Stephens and Lederer, need not delay us here, for the reason that I have exposes them in previous writings.

In the previous paper I explained the sense in which this term is used, and nothing further in the way of definition need be said on that head.

Genus Crocota Hbn.

1816—Verzeichniss; Samml. Eur. Schm., III., 254.

This genus is in a sad state. It is almost impossible to identify species satisfactorily, and yet new species are constantly described. The matter has been further confused by Mr. Grote's persistent refusal to refer to Mr. Reakirt's species, for without referring them positively as synonyms to any species, he says he cannot believe that they refer to species different from those recognized by him, and therefore he ignores them altogether.

3443—Trogoderma tarsale Melsh. Not rare.

3683—Carpophilus antiquus Melsh. Rare; under bark of dead maple andbeech.

3686—Colastus maculatus Er. Rare; took three or four from the stump of a maple tree, cut while the sap was running.

3712—Eupurœa peltoidesHorn.

3753—Cryptarcha strigata Fab.

3823—Corticaria pumila Lec.

3871—Bactridium striolatum Reit.

The eggs are deposited by the butteflies, singly, on the upper surface of the leaves of the food-plant, the Malwa. They are nearly cylindrical, but thicker in the middle, the base and top quite flat, and rather abruptly rounded. The longitudinal ribs project beyond the summit; color green, of a slightly bluer tint that the leaves. Length 7 mm.

Dr. Williston, in his painstaking work on the Syrphidœ says: “There are no generic and specific limitations in nature”, and illustrates the statement by the present knowledge of the family with which his synopsis deals. And what Dr. Williston brings forward is a mere quota of the mass of evidence brought out by natrualists generally, and entomologists dealing with the different order of insects.

Of all the injuries committed year after year upon field and garden crops, none are more annoying than those due to the ravages of the various caterpillars known as Cut-worms. These are the larvæof dullcoloured, active moths, belonging for the most part of the three genera, Agrotis, Hadena, and Mamestra, and in North America alone constitute an army of no less than 340 different described species, many of which are, at times, very abundant.

Egg.—Nearly spherical, flattened at the base, marked with about twenty-five longitudinal ribs and numerous transverse ridge, the former somewhat irregular and running to a depression on the summit; color whitish, with a circle around the middle and a spot on top of purplishbrown; these marks more or les confluent. Length about .5 mm.