All known bird fleas are believed to have been derived from species that originally infested mammals. Circumstances evidently have occurred whereby representatives of species that were ordinarily the parasites of mammals became associated with buds, and were successful in establishing themselves on these hosts. These circumstances must have included some provision for isolation whereby the newly transferred colonies of fleas were not given the opportunity of becoming reassociated with the original hosts, and also were not contaminated by subsequent introductions of others of their species. Thus they were able to become adapted to an existence on the bodies and in the nests of avian hosts. The adaptations were physical as well as physiological, many bird fleas exhibiting morphological characteristics which, though not yet properly understood, apparently bear some relationship to their specialized environment.

The arctic species Dasyuris polata, described by Duponchel (1830: 402; Pl. 199, Fig. 4) from northern Europe, has been known from America since early times. The species is notoriously variable; until recently, however, it has not been possible to assess the geographic components of its variation.

There are now, largely as a product of the Northern Insect Survey, excellent series of D. polata in the Canadian National Collection. Through the kindness of correspondents I have been able to supplement these series by borrowing material of certain non-Canadian forms, and it has become evident that D. polata has striking geographic variation in North America.

The lodgepole needle miner, Recurvaria milleri Busck, was discovered in 1903 in the Yosemite National Park, California, and was described as a new species by Busck (1914). The infestation has persisted in that area, with irregular periods of abundance and scarcity. The latest heavy infestation was reported (G. R. Struble, in litt.) to have started in 1947, and has continued to intensify. The history of the outbreak to 1919 was reported by Patterson (1921).

In 1942 a second important infestation was reported in the Banff National Park, Alberta. Details concerning the area of infestation and life-history notes were given by Hopping (1946). This infestation has continued to spread and has reached Yoho, Kootenay, and Revelstoke National parks.

For many years American workers have applied the name Phanerotoma tibialis (Hald.) indiscriminately to specimens reared from a variety of lepidoprerous hosts pertaining to the genera Acrobasis, Carpocapsa, Grapholitha, Laspeyresia, Melissopus, and Tetralopha. Concurrently tibialis has come to be regarded as an unusually variable species in both structure and colour. Recently, after examining many specimens reared from the above hosts, I reached the conclusion that two species of Phanerotoma are involved, one a parasite of Pyralidae of the phycitid and epipachiinid groups, and the other a species that apparently confines its attacks to certain Olethreutidae of the subfamily Eucosminae. For reasons stated below it appears that the name Phanerotoma tibialis (Hald.) applies correctly to the species with pyralid hosts (Acrobasis, Tetrarlopha), whereas the species reared from Olethreutidae (Carpocapsa, Grapholitha, Laspeyresia, Melissopus) should he called Phanerotoma fasciata Prov.

The discovery of a new species of Herina Desv. [=Tephronota Loew] has provided the opportunity of reviewing the genus in North America. In the following discussion, which includes a description of the new species and a key to the four recognized Nearctic species, I also present notes on nomenclature, distribution, and relationships between species.

In 1886 Meinert described a new centipede from New England which he called Geophilus huronicus. This centipede, characterized at some length and with considerable accuracy in the original description. is peculiar in that it is rather unlike any other known North American member of the genus. Perhaps for that reason, as well as because he had never seen huronicus, Attems placed it in his long roster of questionable New World species.

The Canadian species of Cixiidae were discussed in a recent paper (Beirne, 1950). In the present paper a species new to the Canadian fauna is recorded, and changes in the specific names of two other species are proposed.

Oliarus aridus Ball

Oliarus aridus Ball, 1902, Can. Ent. 34: 151.

Oliarus breviceps Fowler, 1904, Biol. Centr. Amer. 1: 94.