Egg.—Fusiform, thick in the middle tapering to a small rounded summit, the base small, flat; ribbed longitudinally after the manner for the genus; colour yellow-green. Duration of this stage four to five days.

Young Larva.— Length at 24 hours from egg, .06 inch; cylindrical, even; colour brown-green; thickly covered with black points, from each of which a short fine hair; head rounded, blackish-brown. Duration of this stage five days.

Somewhat to my surprise I found this species not uncommon here during the collection season of 1887. Although my entomological interest lies in another direction, and I have, consequently, made no special effort to obtain Lepidoptera, I find Ihave ten specimens of this striking Colas in my collection, all of which I have taken during the summer and fall of 1887. On looking over the collection I discover that these specimens were taken at three different times.

It is the custom nowadays to look down with great contempt on those old authorities, who considered “North America” or even “North America,” or even “America,” a sufficently accurage locality to give when describing a species; but, perhaps, we of the present age of not quite blameless of similiar and (with our means of obtaining information) less excusable carelessness in, that we often think it enough to give the name of the state or region only.

Aurelians are fequently asked how long butterflies live. By this is generally meant what is the length of life of the mature insect. As is generally known, each species passes through one cycle of its existence once a year, though it very frequently happens that two, three, or even more generations succeed one another during a single season, and it has been supposed (though never proven) to be the case with some that two or more years are required for this cycle; as is known to be true of some other insects.

Dr. Williston, in his painstaking work on the Syrphidœ says: “There are no generic and specific limitations in nature”, and illustrates the statement by the present knowledge of the family with which his synopsis deals. And what Dr. Williston brings forward is a mere quota of the mass of evidence brought out by natrualists generally, and entomologists dealing with the different order of insects.

There exists no biography nor necrology of this excellent entomologist, as far as known to me, though he lived for thiry-nine years in the United States. I am much indebted to Dr. Geo. C. Horn for Zimmermann's notebook which, with his library, came into the hands of the late Dr. J.L. Leconte.

Only a very short abstract of the contents, which are written wholly in German, can be given. The entries begin with Zimmermann's earliest boyhood and end in 1843, followed by a few pages for 1865.

Now that the winter is well advanced and before many weeks are over spring will be upon us, it reminds me of many enquiries made during the last few years about the localities and dates of diurnals captured by me in the North-west in 1883 and 1884. These particulars are nearly all to be found at the National Museum of the Gelogical Museum at Ottawa, but for the benefit of those who may be visiting the North-west with a view to collecting diurnals, I propose to gie such information about the rarest species as my notes supply, and as my limited time will permit.

If all controversial writings were as happy as Mr. Ashmead's last, readers of the Canadian Entomologist would not regret the space occupied, and I am glad that one side of the controversy in interesting reading. I hope I may be allowed space to say that Mr. Ashmead admits in conversation that he has erred in his statement that my first publication of the description of Rileya was in Canadian Entomologist for Oct., 1888, as I have shown him the last page of Entomologica Americana for July 1888.

Later on there will certainly be more to be said respecting certain points touched upon by me in the Can. Ent. for 1888, but there, are four things it will be useful to refer to now. Since writing on Nathalis iole (p. 156) I have found that there exists a form of the ♂ in which the “orange sport” is yellow during life.