In 1948, the Mississagi region of northern Ontario was swept by a niajor conflagration that began on May 25 and which, because of dry weather conditions, was not brought under control until July 23. When the fire had been extinguished, it was found to have spread over 57 townships, or 281,388 acres in all. Officers of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests estimated that approximately 75 per cent of the fire area bore mature stands of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), red pine (P. resinosa Ait.) and jack pine (P. banksiana Lamb.). Salvage operations began immediately in an effort to save this vast amount of valuable timber.

The broad study of factors responsible for poor seed production by red pines (Pinus resinosae Ait.) in central and southern Ontario has been concerned with the seed production capacity and efficiency of sound cones (1) and the description, life history, behaviour, and natural control of cone-inhabiting insects (2, 3, 4). The present contribution, which concludes the four-part series on red pine cone insects, deals with the time and duration of cone attack by the various insect species and the variability in the intensity of cone damage from year to year and from one locality to another. As an aid to the field diagnosis of the cause of cone damage, keys based on the appearance of mature larvae and injured cones are included.

Vol. LXXXVIII; p. 685: the caption under Figure 2 refers to the cut above Figure 3; the caption under Figure 3 refers to the cut above Figure 2.

The larva of the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Nort., lives inside the host stem, cuts it off at ground level in late summer, and spends the winter inside the stub below ground level. This insect can be controlled by the use of resistant spring wheats such as Rescue and Golden Ball. The possibility of the existence of a strain of C. cinctus to which these varieties are not resistant is of major importance.

Platt, Farstad, and Callenbach (1948) found that the average percentages of Rescue stems cut by C. cinctus for five years were 36 at Regina, Saskatchewan, and two at Lethbridge. They suggested that this difference may have resulted from the effects of the environments in two areas, or from genetic variations between the sawflies at the two stations.

The Dutch elm disease is caused by the fungus Ceratostomella ulmi (Schwartz) Buis. It was first reported in the United States at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1930 (ll), and has since spread westward to Colorado and northeastward into Vermont (22). It is believed that the disease was accidentally introduced into the United States from Europe, where it has caused heavy mortality of elms since its discovery in 1919 (7, 19, 20). In Canada the disease was first recorded by Pomerleau (14) at St. Ours, Que. This infection proved to be centred around Sorel, Que., and since it was isolated from the nearest known infection in the United States by approximately 200 miles, is regarded as a separate introduction from Europe. The Sorel infection spread very rapidly, and by the end of 1950, the area between Montreal, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke was heavily infested by the fungus (17). I t has since spread westward as far as Ottawa and Kingston in 0ntario (16).

A collection of pinned, inflated larvae systematically arranged in Schmitt boxes provides an invaluable reference for taxonomists. Inflated or blown larvae are more readily available for examination and usually retain their colours better than do “liquid-preserved” larvae. Inflation has disadvantages in that the specimens are more easily damaged and require more time in preparation. However the importance of these two factors has been reduced by techniques employed at the Vernon Laboratory.

Hypermallus Casey (not Lacordaire), 1912, Mem. Coleopt. vol. 3, p. 292.

Form elongate, slender to moderately robust, subcylindrical to moderately depressed. Head narrowly channeled between antennal bases; maxillary and labial palpi short, not very unequal, last segment slightly expanded; antennae moderately heavy, outer segments more or less flattened, often convex or carinate, third segment armed at inner apex with a moderate spine, those of following segments, if present, becoming successively shorter, outer angle of segments mute or armed with a small spine. Pronotum subcylindrical or rounded at the sides, usually with dorsal tubercles or calluses; prosternum with intercosal process arcuately declivous behind; episternum of metathorax narrow, nearly paralle-sided. Elytra with apices usually emarginate, usually bispinose. Legs slender; femora without apical spines.

In September, 1955, crane flies reared from magsots, or “leather jackets”, collected from flower beds at North Easr Margaree, Cape Breton Island, were identified as of the Palaearctic species Tipule paludosa Mg. by J. R. Vockeroth, Entomology Division, Ottawa. This is probably the most injurious crane fly in Europe, where it is frequently reported in the literature as injuring grasses, cereals, beets, strawberries, hemp, flax, tobacco, and other crops. Further collecting has shown the species to be present in Murphy and Cranton sections, Inverness County, and Sydney, Cape Breton County, Cape Breton Island. It is doubtfully recorded from Newfoundland by Alexander (1942, pp. 260-261). These records constitute the only ones known in North America. T. paludosa was probably introduced in soil ballast dumped from ships on the shores of Cape Breton Island in the same manner as the exotic soil-inhabiting beetles referred to by Brown (1940).