The clover, or brown, mite, Bryobia praetiosa Koch, was described in 1836 from specimens collected an shrubbery in Germany. The systematics of the species is complex and confusing. By 1838, Koch had described four species in the genus Bryobia but he preserved no type specimens and his descriptions do not agree with his illustrations (7, 12). Subsequent workers either placed Koch's species in synonomy nor described new species. Two species, speciosa Koch and ribis Thomas, have created the most controversv. B. speciosa was accepted as valid by Koch, Berlese, Canestrini and Fanzago, ind Oudemans, but rejected by von Hanstein and Trägårdh (2, 12). The gooseberry mite, B. ribis, was recognized as a valid species by Thomas and von Hanstein but Oudemans and Trägårdh placed it in synonomy with B. praetiosa (12). Further confusion was caused by the descriptions of additional new species of Bryobia and by descriptions of immature stages of B. praetiosa (8). The following taxonomic characters used by early acarologists in describing species of Bryobia have since been considered too variable for distinguishing species: number of femoral and tarsal hairs on the foreleg, body size, concavity of dorsum, and size and shape of cephalothoracic plate (7, 8, 12). Consequently, taxonomists have been at a loss to interpret Koch's original descriptions and subsequent redescriptions became inevitable. Because of the lack of morphological distinctions the modern trend has been to group all previously proposed species into one valid species (7, 8). As a result, 20 synonyms are now recognized for B. praetiosa (8).

When Wyatt and Kalf (in press) reported the presence of glycerol in the haemolymph of Hyalophora cecropia (L.) pupae, the possibility that it was responsible for the ability of this stage to survive freezing was naturally raised. It is well known that glycerol may protect animal tissues from injuries otherwise caused by ice formation. Many other substances have a degree of similar protective ability but are less effective for various reasons. Lovelock (1954) tested the protective action of 15 neutral solutes on human red blood cells and found glycerol to be almost ideal because of its high solubility in aqueous salt solutions, its ability to permeate the cell rapidly and completely, its low molecular weight, and its absence of toxicity even when in great excess.

The technic of artificial insemination of insects offers a possible method for initiating or maintaining colonies of species which do not mate under laboratory conditions, and thus it may be possible to obtain a better understanding of their biology and permit the study of certain disease vectors. The technic might be applied to the study of the heredity of some species; it could be an aid to the taxonomist in the determination of species of questionable category.

Field studies in southwestern Quebec showed that feeding scars of the plum curculio Conotrachelus nenuphar (Hbst.), were made by overwintered and summer adults and occurred throughout the growing season. Egg-laying scars were made by overwintered adults only and occurred from the time of apple set to early August. The latter category included deep entries, which were made by the developing larvae in the fruit. In the McIntosh and Lawfam varieties feeding scars were found in 37.4 and 35.0 per cent respectively, averaging 36 per cent for the combined varieties, and egg-laying scars in 62.6 and 65.0 per cent, averaging 63.8 The extent of the two types of damage in the field appeared to be the reverse of those observed in the insectary, where feeding scars for the combined varieties averaged 63.2 per cent and egg-laying scars 36.8 per cent. In the insectary, 41.1 and 22.1 per cent of the feeding scars were respectively contributed by overwintered and summer adults. It was not possible to estimate these fractions in the field.

As part of a comprehensive investigation on insects affecting the low-bush blueberry carried on in New Brunswick during the past eight years, the writers accumulated considerable information on several species of climbing cutworms that previously received little attention. Life-history notes on four species are presented in this paper: Graphiphora smithi (Snell.), Graphiphora collaris (G. & R.), Eucirrhoedia pampina (Gn.), and Heptagrotis phyllophora (Grt.). Each species by itself is not considered as a serious pest of blueberry, but these and other species may cause an appreciable reduction in the blueberry crop.

It is well known that the reproduction of insects is affected by the nature of the larval and adult foods. However, there seems to be no consistent pattern of adult requirements; possibly this may be due in part to the varying amount of nutrients carried over from the immature stages to the adults of different species. This effect of food upon reproduction is an important factor influencing densities and distributions of insects. And rewartha and Birch (2954) pointed out that the quality of the food may influence an animal's chance to survive and multiply. Finlayson and Green (1940) found that fecundity of the parasite Aptesis basizonia (Grav.) was reduced about 80 per cent and that longevity was drastically shortened when mated females were allowed access to water but not food. Indirect factors may also be responsible. Allen and Selman (1955) showed that there was a significant reduction in egg production of the mustard beetle, Phaedon cochleariae (F.), when fed on leaves deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or iron. Soils with such deficiencies might account for local variations in the density and distribution of insect species. Evans (1938) found that lack of light influenced the amount of protein in cabbages and ultimately reduced the number of young of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) by about two-thirds. The effect of food on viability is of secondary importance, but should be investigated in any study of reproduction.

Wishart (in press) reported on surveys of parasites of the species of Hylemya that attack cruciferous rops in Canada. A similar survey was carried out in Europe during 1949 to 1954 to determine whether there were parasites not already present in Canada that, if introduced and established, might aid in the concml. Some data gathered in this survey were published previously (Wilkes and Wishart, 1953; Wishart and Monteith, 1954).

To produce an odor sensation, a substance must be volatile and its molecules must come into contact with the olfactory end organ, which may require some measure of lipoid solubility. This much is generally agreed, but beyond this there has been no accepted theom of the triggering process by which the odorous molecule initiates a discharge of the olfactory nerve. In part, this ignorance has been due to the lack of any secure correlation between the odors of substances and the chemical constitution or reactivity of the odorous molecules, or their physical shapes or electrical properties. A correlation of odor with molecular vibrational modes would be consistent with most of the facts of olfactory chemistry, but this hypothesis has failed to win general acceptance up till now because, (1) there has been no direct evidence of a correlation between odor and vibrational frequency, and, (2) there has been no suggestion of a mechanism whereby a molecular vibration could trigger a nervous discharge. Some evidence bearing on both these objections has recently been brought forward which is of considerable interest in relation to the problem of insect attractancy and repellency (7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

Mites of the family Phytoseiidae, most of which are at least partially predacious, have received considerable attention from fruit entomologists since Parrott et al. (1906, pp. 302-303) stated that they feed extensively on phytophagous mites. This has resulted in much interest in the taxonomic status of Phytoseiidae and several papers on this subject have appeared in recent years.

Four males of Aedes melanimon Dyar were collected in mosquito traps during flight studies on the prairie near Brooks, Alberta, in 1956. One of the specimens was taken on July 14, and two on July 24; the collection date of the fourth specimen is unrecorded. The determinations were made by Dr. J. R. Vockeroth, Entomology Division, Ottawa, from preparations of the genitalia. This is the first time that this species has been recorded from Canada; it was previously known only from the western United States. It is possible that females of this species have been collected in Canada but have not been recognized because of the similarity to A. dorsalis (Meig.). Barr (1955) and Richards (1956) have reviewed the specific status of Aedes melanimon Dyar and compared the morphology of this mosquito with that of other closely related species.