In connection with the investigative work on Trachychele damage to western red cedar, it became expedient to make a study of the life history of the species, Trachychele blondeli Mars., which has become very troublesome to pole operators on the Coast of British Columbia. Accordingly a study of the life history was started by the writer in 1925. In the fall of that year and during the spring and summer of 1926, the seasonal history was studied and observations were made on emergence, egg laying, and breeding habits. The exact length of time spent in the larval state is still uncertain.

In Volume 69, Articles 9 and 11, of the Proceedings of the United States National Museum, R. C. Shannon has reviewed certain Syrphid genera. Apparently some of the synonymy cited is erroneous and I present some notes indicatating certain inconsistencies. It is well to point out that Shannon has not taken the trouble to examine types of species outside those found in the British Museum, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, and the United States National Museum. Had he done so I feel sure that his conclusions in some cases would have been different.

♀. Eyes small, ciliate: palpi light ochreous with rough dark hairs; vestiture of head and thorax rough, hairy, dark gray; abdomen light gray with yellow terminal tuft. Primaries pale yellowish, heavily sprinkled with black, producing a dull olivaceous appearance; maculation distinct; t. a. line heavy, black, upright, forming three moderate outcurves of which the central one is the largest, t. p. line dentate, ercurved below costa, then inwardly oblique to inner margin with slight incurve below cell, faintly marked outwardly with pale yellow; median shade diffuse, oblique from costa across reniform, then close and parallel to t. p. line; orbicular moderately large, round, pale-filled, outlined in black; reniform rather narrow, upright, partially outlined in black and obscured by median shade; subterminal and terminal areas rather evenly dark smoky; s. t. line obscure, pale, rather even, emphasized by slight smoky preceding shade; fringes blackish in basal half, cut opposite veins by pale ochreous, paler smoky in outer half.

In the present report, I have begun the consideration of the very extensive collections of crane-flies from Alberta that have been received from the Canadian National Collection, through Mr. Curran ; tlie very extensive series collected by Mr. Owen Bryant; a series from Banff, collected by Mr. Garrett; and the collections of the University of Alberta, sent through the kindness of Professor Strickland. I wish to express my sincere thanks to all of the above mentioned gentlemen for this kind co-operation in making known the Tipulid fauna of Alberta, a list that will certainly exceed in numbers that of any other of the Canadian Provinces with the single exception of British Columbia.

Head and palpi dark brown sprinkled with gray. Primaries deep brown, somewhat paler in apical region where there is scattered ochreous scaling; two rather obscure whitish vertical streaks about the middle of the inner margin which in the middle of the wing connect with still more obscure oblique streaks from middle of costa which show a slight purplish metallic color; ocelloid region bordered by two broad metallic bars, more or less united above tornus; the contained area is slightly sprinkled with pale ochreous but contains no definite dark streaks ; apical area of costa with four short geminate white streaks, the first pair connecting with the inner ocelloid bar by a metallic streak, the middle pairs more or less joined basally by metallic scaling, and the outer pair giving rise to a metallic line which curves to outer margin and ends in a white dot; similar white dots occur at the outer ends of the ocelloid bars; fringes with a dark basal line, followed by a pale area and again darker outwardly, sprinkled with white scaling opposite the above mentioned white dots. Secondaries deep smoky; fringes pale with dark basal line. Beneath dull smoky with white costal streaks of primaries repeated. Expanse 10-11 mm.