General. The life history of the lodgepole needle miner in Yosemite National Park, California, has been described (24). The Canadian outbreak was discovered in 1942 but intensive investigations were not commenced until 1948. Many differences have been noted between the Canadian and Californian life histories since the discovery of the outbreak.

It is the purpose of this paper to bring together all information collected by the author and staff of the Laboratory of Forest Zoology at Calgary, Alberta, concerning the life history of the lodgepole needle miner in the Canadian Rocky mountains.

In the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks, the lodgepole needle miner has a two-year life cycle, so that larvae of each generation are exposed to two successive winters. Although there is no doubt that mortality of these over-wintering larvae is directly attributable to a period of low temperature, there has been some doubt as to whether the bulk of the mortality occurs during the coldest part of the winter, or whether it occurs during periods of low temperature during the late autumn or early spring. Although spring and autumn mortality undoubtedly take place, estimation of the relative importance of mortality during the various seasons must await successive sampling throughout the three seasons. Nevertheless, in the absence of such data, we wish to present evidence that points to the major importance of the weather of the coldest month of the winter to not only the amount but also the vertical distribution of larval mortality.

A co-operative investigation to discover the factors necessary for egg production in the horn fly, Siphona irritans (L.), was begun in 1950 at the Lethbridge laboratory and the Department of Bacteriology, University of Alberta, Edmonton. Although there is an extensive literature on the horn fly, comparatively few publications deal exclusively with its life-history and habits. Information on the biology of this insect is found in a widely scattered literature dealing with muscids or dung-breeding insects in general. The dearth of information in recent years on this economically important insect may be caused in part by the fragmentary literature. This paper is a review of the available information on the life-history and habits of the horn fly, along with observations of the authors.

The biologies of Zagrammosoma americanum Gir. and other small chalcid parasites are being studied at the Belleville laboratory. During these investigations a cage was required that would: (1) permit microscopic observation, with a minimum of disturbance to the insect, (2) allow ready introduction and removal of food and host material, without danger of the insects escaping, and (3) have aeration holes through which the interior could be sprayed. The description of a cage that satisfies the above requirements follows.

The larvae of the plusiine genera Syngrapha and Autographa have but two pairs of ventral ahdominal legs; typical phalaenid larvae have four pairs of these legs. The setal arrangement seems to be fairly constant. Intraspecific variation in setal positions seems to be as great as interspecific. The patterns on the head (Figs. 2 and 3), thorax (Figs. 1, 6) and abdominal segments two and six (Fig. 5) are illustrated. The setal classification nf Hinton (3) has been used here.

The eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana (D. & S.), has been and continues to be an orchard pest of considerable economic importance in the temperate zone of North America. During the past seven years, observations have been made on the ecology of this insect in Nova Scotia. Among the biotic agents found attacking it is the hymenopterous parasite Agathis laticinctus (Cress.) [Microdus ocellanae Richardson].

During the summer of 1948, the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology and Palaeontology sent an expedition to the region of Cape Henrietta Maria on the north-west corner of James Bay, Ontario. Among the insects collected were specimens of two new species of Coccinellidae. Descriptions of these are given here.