This species was described in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, Vol. III, p, 144, 1895, and the author stated: “I offer herewith a description of this species, being solely tempted thereto by the interest attached to its life-history; for, as far as I am aware, there is no other Scolytid known which normally develops within the cones of pine trees.” Possibly since that time a similar habit may have been observed in regard to other members of the Scolytidæ, but I cannot recall any reference to such observations. The beetle in question was first collected by me on May 24, 1884, and its capture was quite accidental. Mr. Fletcher and myself had that day visited a grove of white pines on the Gatineau, a few miles north of Ottawa, with the special object of collecting the somewhat rare little butterfly, Thecla Niphon, of which we succeeded in capturing several good specimens.

Ischalia Vancouverensis, n. sp. Length 7½ mm. Flavo-testaceous, abdomen, disc of elytra and middle of antennæ purplish-black. Head deflexed, polished, prominently rounded between antennæ; eyes moderate, emarginate, coarsely granulated; antennæ reaching to apex ofhumeral pale spot, stout, first joint swollen, second small, remaining joints more elongated, gradually shortened, terminal joint acutely pointed, three basal and two terminal joints rufo-testaceous, intervening six blackish or piceous.

Under this heading, I propose to give from time to time descriptions of new species in my collection, and such notes on other species as may seem of value to students of our fauna.

Notopygus americana, n. sp.— Female, length 10 mm.,; head, antennæ, thorax, coxæ and first segment of abdomen, black; remainder of abdomen and legs red; antennæ as long as head and thorax, filifrom, joints short and subequal; thorax elongate, shining; metathorax, rounded and obliquely truncate; wings; slightly infumated, with black nervures; abdomen shining, as long as thorax, triangularly clavate, truncate at apex, with the ovipositor curved upward; sheaths black.

It is to the Hymenoptera that the student must look for the most varied and interesting phases of insect life. Here he finds numerous avocations conducted with much intelligence, and in many families sees strong social instincts developed. It is not, however, of these latter that I intend now to speak, but of a few solitary ones. Even those just entered upon the study of insect life must be fully aware of the continual destruction of our fruit and timber trees, both alive and in process of manufacture, by the boring, wood-eating larvæ of various insects.

During the past season I endeavored, as opportunity offered, to confirm and supplement the observations upon this recorded in the May issue of the Canadian Entomologist, pages 81–86. The insects appeared at least ten days earlier than in 1886, and on 29th May I captured, upon the old sugar-maple near Hull therein mentioned, four males, which were entirely black—var. affinis.

Onthophagus Hecate Panz. A.O., W., S.M.

Aphodius fossor Linn. St. L.

validus Horn. W.

fimetarius Linn. A.O., St.L., T.L.

ruricola Melsh. W.

About ten years ago, in sifting swamp mosses for Coleoptera, I met with certain active little insects which, despite their wingless form and almost microscopic size, were recognized as members of the order Hymenoptera. Some of the individuals so captured were afterwards described by Ashmead, in his Monograph of North American Proctotrypidæ, as Bœus minutus and B. piceus. Subsequently, B. americanus, Howard, and B. niger, Ashmead, were also discovered at Ottawa. My solitary example of the former species was found sluggishly crawling on the under surface of a stone in the chilly temperature of early spring, and one example of B. niger was taken with a sweeping-net at the end of September. With these two exceptions, all my specimens of the genus were taken from moss collected at the beginning of winter. All were females, as might be expected, for it is the females oniy of bees and wasps, and probably of all hymenoptera hibernating in the imago condition, that survive the winter in these northern lands.

In my last paper (see page 32) I unfortunately repated the erro made by Provancher in giving Vancouver as the habitat of Ecihrus provancheri. I overlooked its correction (Can. Ent., Vol. XVII, page 160) by Mr. Brodie, who obtained the insect from Muskoka.

Having recently restudied and rearranged my Ottawa collections of Phyllphaga and Xylophaga, so as to prepare for publication in the Ottawa Naturalist a complete list of the local species, I have made some notes which may be of more general interest. There are also several species, apparently new, which I prefer to describe here, as I think that all new species should be described (or at least redescribed) in some publication devoted entirely to Entomology, and accessible to all students.

The knowledge of our Arctic insect fauna is of so fragmentary a character that any contribution thereto is of special interest and value to Canadian entomologists. I am indebted to Dr. Hans Kiaer, of the Museum of Tromso, Norway, for a copy of an exceedingly valuable catalogue entitled “Die Arktischen Tenthrediniden,” * an examination of which emphasizes this fact. His introduction points out that in Candad little is known of the forms occuring north of St. Martin's Falls, Lat. 51°, whereas in Norway species are recordd from as far north as Lat. 70°. Of 228 species enumerated (including 12 of Siricoidea) Arctic Scandinavia furnishes 132, Nove Zemlya 18, Spitzbergen 6, Iceland 3, Greenland 2, Hudson's Bay region 59, Alaska 8, and Arctic Siberia 11.

My collections in this extensive family contain over ninety species, of which several are yet undetermined. The great similarity of the species in some genera and the variation in form and color of individuals in other groups render their determination difficult.

Donacia pubescens Lec. This species is readily distinguished by the dense pubesence of thc upper surface, which in our other species is of metallic lustre. It was described from a specimen taken by Dr. Le Conte at Smoky Hill river, while on the W. Pac. Ry. survey between kansas and New Mexico in 1867, (Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. Vol. 11, pg. 55.) It has since been recorded from Michigan and Buffalo. Four or tive specimens taken by Mr. Fletcher in a small swamp near the city, in 1878.

Having prepared for the Ottawa Naturalist a list of the Cerambycidae occurring in this district, I find, among other Canadian material in my cabinets, the following species which appear worthy of record: For the Vancouver Island species I am chiefly indebted to my friend, Rev. G. W. Taylor, who resided near Victoria when the specimens were collected. Other material was collected by Mr. A. J. Hill, of New Westminster, B. C., and by Dr. Fletcher. Several of the species I captured when at New Westminster, etc., in 1888, and a few were received from Mr. T. C. Weston, of the Geological Survey, and from the late Capt. G. Geddes.

The following list is based upon a very interesting collection made, chiefly at Cedar Hill, near Victoria, by the Rev. G. W. Taylor, F.R.S.C., but includes such other species as I have found described, or recorded from Vancouver Island. Even with such additions it is a short list in comparison with those that could be compiled from much less extensive areas in Ontario. British Columbia has, as yet, had but few resident entomologists, and its rich fauna is, in consequence, but poorly known. Butterflies and beetles have been fairly well collected, but in other directions there are almost unexplored fields for investigation.

Among Hymenoptera which I sent to Provancher in 1855 was a sawfly which he determined as Nematus malacus, Nort. As it did not correspond to the description of that species, it was set aside with some undetermined material. While rearranging my Nematidæ, I recently examined the insect to ascertain its position, and found that it had simple claws. As it has not the appearance of Gymnonychus, I was somewhat puzzled until, on examining the wings, I found the lanceolate cell was widely contracted as in the subfamily Cladinæ, instead of petiolate as in the Nematinæ. The insect, therefore, must be placed in the genus Anoplonyx, which Marlatt has separated from Camponsicus, which has bifid claws. As no representatives of these genera were known to Marlatt when he published his Revision of the Nematinæ (Technical Series No.3; Dept. Agric, U.S., 1896), the following description of this Canadian form is submitted:

Among the Tenthredinidæ captured by me during the past season was a good series of Tenthredo delta Prov, consisting of 12 females and 26 males. In pinning them I was frequently struck by the evident irregularity of the venation of the wings, and on a more careful examination of the specimens I find these irregularities to be both numerous and remarkable. No other species represented in my cabinet show any such divergencies from the typical form, except in rare instances. Provancher describes the female (page 210, “Petite Faune Entomologique du Canada”) as having two discoidal cells in under wings, and Cresson (“Trans. Am. Ent. Soc.,” vol. viii., page 44) as having one or two middle cells. One middle cell appears to be the rule, and any deviation therefrom to be an exception. Of my 12 specimens, 10 have one middle cell each, one has two middle cells, and the other none. The males are more uniform apparently in their venation, as none of my 26 specimens have middle cells in the under wings, thus agreeing with the description given by Cresson (loc. cit). Apart from the varying number of middle cells, the under wing of the females have the cells varying much in shape, especially the middle one, which ranges from a small triangular form to a large foursided (square or irregular) one. There are also occasionally small additional cells on the posterior margin.

Among some hymenoptera recently received from Mr. A. Gordon Leavitt, of St. John, N. B., is a very interesting male of Thyreopus latipes, Smith. The sexes of this genus are readily separated, as the males have the anterior legs remarkabty modifed; the tibiæ: especially being developed in broad shields, or leaf-like expansions. The antennæ are simple in the female, but those of the male have the flagellum fusiform and compressed. In T. latipes the basal joints are broad, and the flagellum narrows from the second joint to the apex.