Macrocentrus gifuensis Ashm., a polyembyronic, braconid parasite of the European corn borer, Pyrausta nubilalis Hubn., has been reared in the laboratory at various times over a period of years by the author both for liberation and for experimental purposes. The technique used in rearing this parasite is similar to that used for some other corn borer parasites. No account of this technique has appeared in the literature to date, and it is felt that a description of the method used for rearing M. gifuensis might be useful to others at this time.

During the past twenty-five years, the writer has made spasmodic collections of Ichneumonoidea in various parts of Alberta, although, in the earlier years, prospects for getting them authoritatively determined were somewhat remote. In addition, smaller collections, chiefly one made by Dr. G. Salt and determined by Mr. R. A. Cushman in 1927, duplicate specimens taken by Dr. R. Salt in later surveys of insects associated with alfalfa, and specimens taken by a few university students, have been donated to the university collection.

In his treatment of the Scoliidae in Fedtschenko's Reise in Turkestan, De Saussure divided the genus Myrmosa into two subgenera: Myrmosa sensu stricto, and Paramyrmosa, which he defined as having “the second cubital cell [of the fore wing] trapeziform; one of its sides common with [i. e. broadly sessile on] the radial cell” and by the first abdominal segment being depressed, triangular, funnel-shaped, and not as strongly nodiform as in typical Myrmosu. In this new Paramyrmosa, Saussure includes only his new Transcaspian species, Myrmosa Radoszkowskyi, which thus becomes the genotype by monotypy.

Among the many interesting Homoptera which have been sent to me by Professor E. H. Strickland is a series of an unusual Delphacodes collected at Cooking Lake, Alberta. This distinct little species is described at this time in order to stimulate further collection of these inconspicuous but interesting insects from western Canada, where there must be many more new species as yet unrecorded.

All stages of the spruce budworm parasite Glypta fumiferanae (Viereck) are described in this paper. Illustrations of all stages are presented.

During the first week of April, 1937, while on a collecting trip in central Florida, the writer found a larva of a notodont on oak; at the time of collecting the larva was referred to Symmerista with some doubt as it was unlike the northern specimens, being darker in color and with less contrast in pattern. This larva pupated at Ithaca and the moth, a normal albifrons female, emerged the end of May. Nothing more was thought of the matter until the writer began a general survey of the genitalia of the Notodontidae, preparing a series of genitalic slides of each American species. It was after discovering that the northeastern species of Symmerista was easily and readily divisble into three species on both male and female genitalia that the larva was thought to have some significance.

In July 11, 1945, in the city of St. Catharines, Ontario, while looking for some elm trees reported by Dutch elm disease scouts as being severely leaf-eaten, I found two white elms (Ulmus americana L.) carrying large numbers of coleopterous larvae which were at once taken to be referable to the elm leaf beetle, Galerucella xanthomelaena (Schr.)

The extent and intensity of the present infestation of the spruce budworm, Archips fumiferana Clem., in eastern Canada has become a problem of immense national concern (I). The necessity for further knowledge in formulating adequate control programmes has emphasized the importance of considering the possible utilization of natural insect parasites. As part of the more conprehensive study of control being carried on by the Federal Division of Entomology, the Dominion Parasite Laboratory in cooperation with the Forest Insect Unit instituted a programme of parasite introduction in 1943.

This paper is a revision of the North American species of the genera Leschenaultia Robineau-Desvoidy, Parachaeta Coquillett and Rileymyia Townsend as they occur north of Mexico. Eight species have been recovered from this area and many more occur in Mexico, the West Indies and South America.

Judging by the genitalic figure (based on an Ottawa male), given by Heinrich in his revision (fig. 276) and by the remarks in the text (p. 12) the species has been — at least partially — misidentified by this author. Clemens' type (selected by Fernald) is a specimen from Baltimore, Md., in the Academy collection at Philadelphia; the specimcn is unfortunately without abdomen but has recently been very carefully examined by Mr. T. N. Freeman who selected a male specimen from Oak Station, Pa. (Marloff) as almost exactly matching this type.

In late June, 1943, Professor G. J. Spencer and Dr. R. H. Hanford accompanied Mr. Ronald Buckell on an entomological trip into the Cariboo district of central-southern British Columbia. They planned to visit the grasshopper outbreak areas beyond the Gang Ranch, and so after driving through Clinton and up onto the Green Timber Plateau they turned west. Taking the Gang Ranch road and then the Dog Creek cut-off, they soon discovered that the preceding rainy weather and Chinook winds had made the road a quagmire. For several hours they bounced and slid from one mud-hole to the next, wading out to shove and swear when the car gave up; and upon occasion it was bogged to the running boards.

This species is very common in Oklahoma and apparently in Texas. It restricts itself to areas of virtually pure sand where it replaces Canthon laevis laevis (Drury). It is very similar to laevis, the types of which came from New York and Maryland. Our New York and Pennsylvanian specimens of laevis are distinctly coppery over the entire dorsal surface and have the granules of the dorsum relatively close. Specimens from Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Alberta are similar and are typical laevis in every respect. Specimens from South Carolina and Florida show no coppery luster.

Since the appearance of Dr. Braun's article and my own paper dealing with the species of this complicated group of Aster- and Solidago-feeders in which the forewing maculation is more or less similar, I have paid particular attention in field work, especially in the Maritime Provinces, to securing long series of specimens and, whenever possible, males and females in coitu. In consequence I have had before me for study several hundred specimens and have made large numbers of genitalic slides of both sexes with the especial idea of trying to discover adequate characters in these organs whereby the females of the individual species may be separated.

In the Phycitid genus Salebria Zell. the name subcaesiella Clem. with synonym contatella Grt. has been listed in our current check lists as a variety of virgatella Clem. with synonym quinquepunctella Grt.

Ixodes soricis Gregson is known from the type series of adult females, nymphs, and larvae collected by Gregson from long-tailed shrews (Sorex vagrans and S. setosus) in southwestern British Columbia, and from one female collected by Robert Holdenried from Sorex trowbridgii in Marin County, California (Cooley and Kohls, Nat. Inst. Health Bull. No. 184, 1945).

Preliminary studies of the effectiveness of benzene hexachloride, or more exactly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6–hexachlorocyclohexane, against the paralysis tick, Dermacentor andersononi Stiles, have revealed an acaricide more promising than any hitherto tested by this laboratory.