As considerable doubt appears to exist with regard to the three species or races of Physonota described by say, Randall, and Walsh and Riley, and as I had in former years found a species of this genus to be rather common in the vicinity of Montreal, I endeavored during the past season to find it again, and, as far as my opportunities would permit, work up its life history.

Early in May I made a careful search in the locality where I had previously found it, but at this date its food plant had not yet appeared above ground. I tried again in June, the time at which I had formerly taken the first brood.

This species was abundant from the middle of June to the end of July, and I observed the females ovipositing on our shade trees (maple) in various parts of the city. It appears to prefer trees which have been recently transplanted, and which are naturally not so vigorous as those which grow undisturbed. My next-door neighbor set out several young trees, from one to two inches in diameter, and upon these I took several specimens. On the other hand, I observed them, beyond the city, ovipositing in quite large and old maples, and even upon the limbs of an old tree which had been broken and blown down.

In the summer of 1884, while collecting the green tiger-beetles in the woods, it struck me very forcibly how the Cicindelæ that inhabit such places—sexguttata Fab. here, campestris Linn. in England, others elsewhere—are for the most part of a beautiful green, so as to assimilate in color with the surrounding vegetation and herbage among which they may alight; while those that frequent the bare ground, banks, sand hills, sandy stretches, beaches, bars—vulgaris Say, repanda Dej., maritima Dej., and many others—are of the colors easily assimilative with those that surround them on the flats and stretches where they are found.

Length 1.20 inches; cylindrical, rather slender, two warty elevations on the dorsum of joints 5 and 12, elsewhere the piliferous spots scarcely perceptible, except for the single hair that arises from each. Color green; a dorsal pale yellow line, bordered on each side on joints 3 and 4 by a purple line; outside this a pale yellow stripe that diverges on joint 2, gradually diverging again on joints 4, 5 and 6, where it reaches below the usual region of the subdorsal line, extending from this back to joint 11, from which it gradually converges to the elevations on joint 12, touching these on the outside, the diverging and converging referring to the stripes on both sides of the body. These stripes send more or less prominent deflections down the sides of joints 7 and 10. In some examples the space between these stripes and the dorsal line contains a pale whitish stripe each side of the dorsal; the deflections, and a little on joint 5 and the elevations, are reddish purple.

Previous to the summer of 1884, Papilio turnus and Pyrameis cardui had been quite rare in Orono, Me., and vicinity, not more than half a dozen of the former and two or three of the latter having been seen each year; but in June of that year P. turnus was so abundant that it was not uncommon to see a dozen or more flying together. In August of the same year fresh specimens of P. cardui were so abundant that in a small piece of red clover, not more than two rods from the house, I captured twenty-five in half an hour, and the numbers were not perceptibly diminished. The next day they were equally abundant, but the following day we had a cold rain storm, after which only a very few poor, faded examples were seen. The next summer (1885) P. turnus was again rare, and not one example of P. cardui was seen by myself, nor by any one in this vicinity. Parasites might have made the difference in the number of P. turnus, but could they have done so with that immense number of P. cardui, or did that storm so effectually destroy them before laying their eggs that there were none the next year, or is it possible that some epidemic attacked them, leaving none to perpetuate the race?

Read before the Montreal Branch Ent. Soc. of Ont., 9th Feb., 1886.

During the past two years, but more especially this season, we have been very much troubled and annoyed by the attacks of the Buffalo Treehopper (C. bubalus Say) on the young trees in the orchard. Most of the trees have been seriously injured by having the bark cut up by the ovipositors of these insects, when depositing their eggs. These incisions and the eggs in them were so numerous that in many cases it was impossible to raise the bark for the purpose of “budding” the trees.

It is to me a most distasteful task to take part publicly in the “Colias” controversy between Mr. Edwards and Dr. Hagen, as I was an invited guest of Dr. Hagen on the trip to Washington Territory, where the events took place which have given rise to the discussion; but in the interest of science, which seeks nothing but the truth, it seems as though the time had come when I ought to state in a concise manner what I know of the whole matter. I have been cut off from all my books for the last five months, while travelling from place to place, or this letter would have been written earlier. I did not know till quite recently the phase to which the controversy had arrived. Probably the best thing I can do is to state the manner in which our party was organized, and the manner in which our collecting was done.

The party consisted of Dr. Hagen, and his assistant, Samuel Henshaw. In San Francisco I was invited to join it, and did so.

Judging by the first volume of this work, which I have lately received, it will prove of great value to American students of this difficult family. The first volume is illustrated by a number of finely colored plates, and Mr. Lichtenstein promises in his preface to use all such funds as he may obtain from subscribers to the work, in illustrating the second volume—thus practically making subscribers a present of the text. While the monograph will deal more particularly with European species, many notes will be given comparing nearly allied American with European forms.

Podagrion mantis, n. sp.

♀. Length .15 inch; ovip., .14 inch. Dull metallic green, finely punctate and sparsely covered with short, whitish pubescence; antennæ and legs dull yellow; flagellum brownish above, all coxæ metallic green, sculptured, posterior ones large, tips of feet black. The posterior femora are greatly swollen as in the Chalcidinæ, armed with about eight large teeth, brown at sides but brassy along upper surface, pubescent, tibiæ greatly curved; abdomen metallic green variegated with brown, compressed and shaped as in the ichneumon genus Ophion; wings hyaline, veins brown, marginal and post-marginal veins long, stigmal vein short, thick.

Described from one female specimen bred from egg mass of Mantis carolina Say. This is an interesting discovery, and the first species of the genus to be described in our fauna.

During August and September the larvæ of this fine moth are often seen feeding on the lilac. When full grown it is of peculiar shape and markings, and taken altogether, a hideous looking object, and one which few people besides an entomologist would care to have anything to do with.

Mature larva, 1.75 inches long.