BKKE Entomological NevJs AND Proceedings of the Entomological Section OF THK Academy ol' Natural Sciences OF PHILADELPHIA. VOLUME X, 1899. K i >n OK : HENRY .SKINNER, M. D. PHILIP P. CALVERT, Ph. I)., Associate I-:ditor. ADVISORY COMMITTEE : Kzra T. Crosson. i liarles A. Hlakr. William . I. Fox Philip Laurent, riiarlcs Li. beck. < 'luirlfs W. . PHILADKLPH1A: ENTOMOLOGICAL Koo^is OK THK ACADKMV OF NA.TTRAL Scii:.\< K>, ;\x SQUAIU:. 189?. INDEX TO VOLUME X. GENERAL ENTOMOLOGY. Albany, Entomological Society of, 208. American Entomological Society, 51, 108,219, 32. Appeal in behalf of entomology 45, 295. Apple trees in Europe, Scales on 69 Bananas, Spiders among 44 Biscayne Bay, Collecting on ... 94 Bui tei flies, The (poem) 19 Chicago Entomological Society 107 Directory of American Entomolo- gists, 178,247, 296. Diseases and flies. 109, 154 Diseases, Mosquitoes spread .... 69 Doings of Societies 20, 51, 78. 107, 152, 189, 219, 252, 271, 302. Economic Entomology 134, 207, 29 r. Editorials 13.41, 67. 101, 132, 176, 205, 246, 264, 290. Entomological Literature 15, 47, 74 104, 147, 182, 209, 248, 266, 296 Entomological Section, Academy of Natural Sciences 20, 79, 154,273 Kaunistic entomology of Ohio . 134 Keldman Collecting Social 20, 51, /8. 107, 152, 178, 189, 2T 9> 252, 272, 303. Fruit pebt, Allorhhin iiilid.i as a 43, __ 71, 102, 144. Ga "s 154, 193 Galls, N ames of. So Grape-cane gall-maker. . . 53 Killing large insects, Best method for, 178. Kissing hug -,,5 Mexico, Notes on remotest corner of, 45. Mosquito, To a (poem) 265 Natural History specimens in the foreign mails again, 132. Nature Studies 258 Newark Entomological Socieiy 22, 78, 108, 155, 189, 271, 302. Votes and News 14,42,68, 102, 144, i?3, 208, 247, 265, 294 Oak-gall in the world. Largest 193 Obituary. Costa, A. . 82 Cross, E. W 190 Griffith, H. G ...... .. ... ____ 252 Hubbard, H. G .......... 80 White, H. G ................ no Ohio, Faunistic Entomology of 134 Peach-mite, New ............ 14, 73 Philadelphia Entomologists and Entomology, 152. Physiological species again .... 39 Poison-ivy, Galls on .......... 154 Reflections on realizing dreams, etc., ii A. Southwest, Letters from the ____ 83 Sudden appearance, etc., of insects, , 7 " Sugar beets,, Meqetra vittata injuring, 44. U. S. Natioial Museum, Collection of insects in, 273. ARACHNIDA trgas ///it'/'ncHs* ..... . ' ....... q 7 "Denotes new Kpecitic or generic 11 IM>EX. Pennsylvania, C. of 20, 295 Rare species, So-called 303 Recollections of Old Collecting Grounds, 5, 120, 196. Safer da later a Us 108 Sexes of C., Proportions of. ... 219 Sound-producing Organ of Lema ttilineata, 58. Trap for C 1 45 Utah, C. from 302 DIPTERA. Crtlliphorina;, North American gen- era of, 145. Dacus cucurbittz* 129 Fleas, New and known. ...... 37 Flies and disease 109. 1555 Hystrichopsylla amcricana* 37 Mosquito larvae, Long life of. . 102 Mosquitoes spread disease .... 69 New Jersey, D. of. .20, 79, 220, 272, 303. Pennsylvania, D. of 220 Pericoma, 7 nn. spp* 33-35 Poison. ivy root galls 154 Pulex irritam dugcsii* 37 Psychoda schizura* 3 2 Psychoda sigma* 3 r Psychodidse of Pacific coast ... 30 Sciara inconstant 2OI Stenoxenidae ( >o Stenoxenus* johnsoni* OI Sycorax lanccolata* 35 Trypetid f-ora Hawaii, A new. 129 Utah, D. from 303 HEMIPTERA Acnnth'ni It'ifiilar'ni in Cape Colony, 291 . Athysanus al pi nits* 173 . Ithysanus arctostaphyli* 172 Athysanus frig id us* 17'^ Chinch bug 144 Cicada septemdecim $i, I&I Coccid, Ants' nest 57 Cotton-scale, Fitch's,. 146 Dicyphus minimus* 59 Kmpoasca, Remarks on . .. 90 Fitch's cotton-scale insect. ... 146 ..Pulvinaria phaiee* 237 Ripersia minimus .' 57 Scales on apple trees in Europe '19 HYMENOPTERA. Ancistrocerus birenimaculatus.. . . 180 Andrena 3 nn. spp.* 253 iidi'icus champiom r 94 Ants' nest coccid 57 Ants, Remarkable use of 247 Bees destroyed by dragon flies. 219 Bees of California '57 Bees of Kansas . 3 California, H. of T57> lS() Cataglyphus viatica 247 Chrysis schlettereri 1 78 Dieger wasp. 262 Diploplectron. 3 nn. spp.* .... $(> Harpactus cockerelli* 9 Ilarpactus howardi* Synergus dugesii* . 195 Texas, Aculeata of . . . 2^4 Torymus me xicanus* 195 Wasp as an engineer 52 Wasps, Four new 9 LEPIDOPTERA Alaskan J. 21, 130 Archonias .r<-yw<' w 106 Arctiidae. Alaskan 13 Automcris lending 179 Biscayne Bay. Collecting on 94, 124 Butterflies, Notes on in Callidryas eubiile iuniig ration . . 7 [ Catocala, Art of collecting. ... 25<> Catocalae of Virginia 2X2 Catocalae, Request for eggs of 295 Ceratomia catalpae 43, IQ i -73 ChrysQphanus helloides . 4^> Collections of L. , A aierican 1 1 4, 209 Cossid from Texas, A new. . 129 Cranberry, N.C., Ailditions to 1.. of. 128. Dcih'phila lincatn in Utah 4^ Ephestia Kuhniclla 207, 29' Epiphilf zipa* 1 66 Erebia from Alaska 21 Euptoieta claudia '-94 Evergestis ftinalh larva ''^ Exyra Rolandiana 294 /', -. ', il'ni jocosa 1X9 Florida, L. of 94- '24 Fourth ofJuly 2S(> Haploa triangular is*- 126 Hermaohrodite Camcadt-s 252 *DentU's ne\v spc'cjllc or Hybrid Limcnitis i - 1 ftyphoraia suluiebulosa.* 130 fnguromorpha ml>c/oi i , 7 i Missouri Sphiugidae 10 Neumoegen collection of L.. . . 209 New Hampshire, Noctuidae of 221 New Jersey, L. of 22, 78, 79, 156, 2-0. 271, 272. N'octuidae of New Hampshire. --21 North Carolina, L. of . , . 128 . \ otodonta georgicn 202 Orgyia tettcostigma on Boston Com- mon, 262. /''itnphila mystic . . 1,5 /'tnipJrila oslari* 112 Pampkila scuddei-i* . . ...... n r Pennsylvania, L. new, etc., 20, 219, 294. /'icris in Utah ..... 46 /V//J-/X Study of 265 Preservation of larvae 71 Pyromorphid, The smallest. . . 99 ^t'tiodts bahamensis* . 100 Sisemc nigrescent* [68 Sphingidae. Missouri. . 10 Telea polyp/ic/ints 204, 293 ThyrettsAbbottii i Utah, L, of . , 16/263, 286 Virginia, Catocalae of 282 NEUROPTERA lEXCL ODONATA.) Acantliaclisls lut^cm 1 '' r 70 Brachynemurtts nun -it/osus* . .... 170 Rrachyiiemui us pal lit! us* 171 Psocidsof an old snake fence . 260 PsOCIfS .<<' t\>.( its 266 ODONATA. Rees destroyed by O Jiy. 252 Riologia Ceutrali- Americana. O. of 103 C nlopteryx an^ ;/./// in Penn- sylvania, 199. Calopteryx a/>i< n/ts Celithemis fasciata r Copulation among O. . . 42 fncrease or decrease of O ?. . . . 206 /sfhnura kellin>tti, habits 68 Kellicott collection of O i.j j New Jersey, O. of So, -74. Utah, O. o'f 302 ORTHOPTERA. Albino katydid ...... . ..... 247, 265 Allotettix*' ............... 275, 27 h . illotitlix* pfdlotigatus* ......... 27') ( 'onocephalus atltiuticKs* ....... 39 Grasshoppers in New Mexico . \\ Kansas, New .\'in,>tetti.\ from Mantis in Pennsylvania ..... 20, 27; \ i'iclli.\ huii tlh* ...... ..... 277 \oniotcttix tHiiiniiiiilii* * ........ :\'/i'f/i.r siiinfrons* .......... -2-* S/ii-tii/taiiti\ ,an'liim in New York, 288. Tenodera sinensis ........... 71), 275 Tettigian studies, vSome ....... 27') j.^ i THYSANURA. M > 'iili> , ,'it/iinifii ..... ........ - I AUTHORS. Ashmead, W. H ......... y. s-. i'i; Baker. C. F ............... ^7. qo Ball. E.D ................ .. i 7 a Banks, \ ............ 45, 170, 260 Barrett. O. W. ........ 45, 179, 29; Uirkman, '> ........ .... . . 244 Bowditch, F C ............... i i Browning, O . W .......... 46, 26^ Bruuer. L .................... 38 Calvert, P. P. 15, 12. 47. 08 69, 74, 103, 104, 132, 147, 182, 1 88, P. i. 209, 248, 266. 271, 206, 301. Casey, T. 1 ................... 07 Cockerell, T. I). A . 3. i >, 4 J. 4 1- '' s - 71, 178, 253, 2<>(>. Coquillett. D. W ...... ____ '>o, 120 Uageett, F. S ............. . 2..j Davidson, A . . ....... 17'), iSn, i^i Davis, C. A ............ ...... 7 ' Davison, J ............. ...... ' Dunning, S. N ...... . ........ 262 Dvar, H. G . . . . ....... 99. 1 29, 202 Ehrmann, G. A . . ........ .... 171 Field, \V. ! \V .............. ;.; Fiske, \V . F .......... ...... 29? Foster, E ................... iSi Fowler. C ........ . .. ......... 157 Fox. W. J., 2.-, 51. 7 Gillette, C. P . . .............. $; Ooodhue, C. F ..... ..... ... 221 Graef, R. L ................ 2oq Hancock, T. I ........ S, 23, 168, 275 Hardy, R. T., Jr ............ ;h> Mealy, J. I ............ ..... 47 ^ IH'M -| -III.- ..I _ -IH-l-jr IKllllr- IV INDEX. Hine, J. S i, 201 Holdredge, L. I 131 Hopping, R 162 Hough, G. de N 62, 145 Howard, L. O 71 Howard, W. R 258 Hubbard, H. G 83 Johnson, W. G 102, 207 Jones, F. M 43 Kellojjg, V. L 102 Kemp, S. T 108 Kincaid, T 30 King, G. B 57 Klages, E. A 45. 295 Knab, F 147, 245 Kusnezow, N 295 Kwiat. A 107 Liebeck, C 191, 243 Lister, A. E. 294 Lounsbury, C. P 293 Lovell, J. H 39 Lull, K.S 237 Marlatt, C. L 146 Mengel, L 166 Newcomb, H. H no Osborn, H 144, 145 Ottolengui, R 265 Rolfs, P. H 73 Rowley, R. R 10 Schmitz, T. H 178 Schwarz, E. A 70, 89 Schwarz, H 256 Skinner, H., 13, 19, 21, 41, 52, 67, 80, lot, no, ill, 152, 155, 176, 219, 274, 286, 290, 296, 303- Slingerland, M. V 288 Slosson, Mrs. A. T 94, 124 Smith, E. J 263 Smith, J. B 82, 126 Smyth, E. A., Jr 144, 282 Snyder, A. J 114 Thomas, L 128 Tinsley, J. D 57 Uhler, P. R 5Q Walker, C. M 58 Warren, J. C 296 Webster, F. M 14. 53, 71, 134 Weidt, A. J..22, 78, 156, 189,272, 302. Wickham, H. F 5, 120, 196 Williamson, E. B 43, 68, 199 Young, 1"). B 146 KNT. XK\VS, Yol 10 PI 1 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICflL SECTION ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. VOL. X. JANUARY, 1899. No. 1. CONTENTS : Mine Notes on Celithemis fasoiata 1 ( 'orkerell The bees of Kansas 3 Wickham Recollections of old col- lecting grounds "> Hancock A new species of Noino- U'ttix from Kansas s Asliniead Four new entomophilous wasps il Rowley Notes on Missouri spliin- 10 Editorial ........................ ........ |:; Notes and News ................... 11 Entomological Literature ........... |.~> Doing of Societies ..................... _'() Exchanges .............................. i THYREUS ABBOTII (Swains). Our illustration of this curious Sphinx moth was made from a pen and ink sketch drawn many years ago by Titian K. I Vale. The larva- feeds upon species of I'/V/.s- and .1 ///y>r/oy>.s/.s-. The distribution of the species is Canada, eastern United States, westward to Iowa. o (NOTES ON CELITHEMIS FASCIATA (OdonataX; With a Short Description of the Female, IJy .1. S. HIM:, Columbus, Ohio. Very little has appeared in literature regard ing ('i'litlir,nix /(iwiiifd. Within the last two years I have seen no less than a do/en specimens of the species, and during the past summer 1 had I he pleasure of observing in t he field and collect in.u half that number near Akron, Ohio. To my knowledge the female has never been described, so I -jive below a short description of that sex. Mature Female. Head with vertex and dorsil rdi- of IVoiisdark shining brown, with a violet tinge from xnnevieu-: eyes, antennae, mandibles and distal edges of labrum and labium dark : other part> yellow. Thorax yellow with a wide median, a humeral and ->mr ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January side blotches dark ; legs black ; fore wings hyaline with the follow- ing dark ; a regular, transverse band before the apex, an irregular blotch on the costal half between the pterostigma and the nodus, and a patch extending from near the base to the nodus, occupying a third or more of the width of the wing. This latter is divided longitudinally from its base for at least two-thirds of its length, Right wings of six specimens of Celithetnisfasciata and touches the costa at its distal extremity only. The hind wings have the same pattern as the fore wings, but the apical band is wider, and consequently the hyaline space at the ex- treme apex is smaller. There are two isolated spots, one be- hind the apex and the other behind the base of the basal patch, which, on this wing, extends clear to the base, where it sends back a triangular projection. Abdomen black, slightly pruiuose, with a small dorsal patch on 2, a larger, nearly triangular one on each of 3, 4, 5 and 6, and a small one on 7, yellow. Length of abdomen, 21; hind wings, 28 mm. Teneral Female. This specimen differs from the other female, 1st, in the coloration of the hind wing, Instead of the isolated spot behind the apex of the basal patch, the inferior angle of that patch is produced without interruption. The other isolated spot is re- duced and appears as two small dots. 2nd, the abdomen shows yellow markings laterally and veutrally. Laterally these markings appear as patches on segments 1 to 6. Length of abdomen, 20 : h iud wing, 27 mm. The species has the same habits in the tu-Ul as r/ixa <>r CJHHUIUI. It flies very nervously over the water before you for a moment, and. then with a sudden turn vanishes from sight. In the 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 3 after part of the day they may be ton IK! resting on the tips nrtttnx, Cres*.. /,'. />ni iixt/lru , Deg.. Ant/i(>j>lini/>tti. Say, Synhcdonia f rater, Cress., hhiHiriilttfa, Lep.. ^^. <>h/H/n/>rii lunnmi/ix. Patton. .1. riri ux iH'HiiKi/lrimicits, Deg., B. scutettaris, Cress. This is a mix- ture of Eastern and Colorado types. From Barber county, in Southern Central Kansas, border- ing on Oklahoma, we have a list of species collected by Prof. Cragin, published in Bull. Washburn College Lab. of Nat. Hist. (1885). The species are Bombiix pennsylvanicus, Deg., B. M-nfcl!riN, Cress., Anthophora occidrnlalix, ( 1 ress., A. xmithii, Cress., Synhaloma albata; Cress., Me/i.^ndc.^ IIICIIIHIC/HI, Cress., .17. tripes. Cress., Centrix hniom, Cress., Mclccta intcn'ti/tfti. Cress., Nomia nortoni, Cress., Agapoxlcuion i'(tili. i, .liif/ochlora viritlii/n. Sin. (hit-idnlti. Sin.), I^cinlo- l>))x } Cress. Tliis list is very different from the ollirrs, and nearly agrrcs \vith the fauna of Central Texas. The Ccntris is ((iiile a Mcxi can type. There are other Kansas bee-records, but without precise localities, so it is not worth while to enumerate them. 1SJW] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. RECOLLECTIONS OF OLD COLLECTING GROUNDS. IJy H. F. WirKHAM, Iowa City, Iowa. VII. The Vicinity of Colorado Springs. Two years ago, in company with my wife and a friend, I spent a few weeks in the mountains of Colorado. Our h'rst stop was made at Colorado Springs, which we reached on the fifteenth of .June, apparently in the very height of the collect ing season. The town lies on the extreme eastern edge of the IJocky .Mountain region proper, in a rolling piece of country lroken l>y many small hills which rise to the westward until they are lost in the grander heights of the Clie\enne Mountains and the numerous summits which surround the snow-covered apex of Pike's Peak. The lower levels are covered with the character istic weeds and shrubs of the arid plains, while at a height of two or three hundred feet above the creek the scrub oaks put in an appearance. The numerous canons which open from the hills support an almost entirely different class of plants, the oaks becoming more plentiful and being intermixed with nu- merous conifers and flowering shrubs. These shrubs often ex- tend out of the mouths of the canons along the courses of the little creeks, and in consequence the accompanying insect fauna which we might otherwise consider as being confined to the mountain ranges is carried out some distance on to the adjacent plain. The altitude of Colorado Springs is approximately li.OOO feet. I>ut since it is the most favored summer resort in the State and much frequented by a class of health and pleasure seekers, business enterprise has resulted in the construction oi railroads or electric lines to many points of interest in the \ i cinity which would otherwise be diflicnll of access without the expenditure of considerable time. Thus it is easy to visit the < iarden of the (iods. the canons in the Che\emie Mountains and those near Manitou without any great exertion. Some ot these are very rich in insects, particularly Williams' Canon, which lies close to Manitou. The railroad to the summit of Pike's Peak offers a smooth walk for the pedestrian, but the results of our high altitude collecting here, by no means encour- age a recommendation to ot hers. While not wishing to present a complete list of our capt nres <; ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January here, it seems worth while to mention some of the most strik- ing characteristics of the coleopterous fauna, particularly since the region is one likelv to be visited by any transcontinental o i/ t traveler. By a perusal of the following notes some idea of the character of the beetles obtained may be secured. The only delude/it seen in June was ('. rcfximla, which was common along the creek in the north < 'heyeuue canon . i u July I took some f\ }>i<)ictnlti(>i>/ii/itx. Dywhiriux and Clirhm, all of which we expected to see, were quite absent. Many I'dNiiiHicltitN rloitf/dtiitt were found in the sandy soil beneath ties along the Rock Island tracks, but none occurred elsewhere, with the single exception of a specimen from the north Chey- euue canon. Benihidiiiin hif/iibrc and />'. l>iii were both rather abundant along small streams, particularly in Williams' ( 'anon, where we also found an example of Carabus serratus. B. bifoxxitluttuti, roitximHc and rcrxicvlor were rather common on a small saline mud-flat near the town. I'tcroxtirhu* htcixHN occurred with r!ni- )H'itiii, I'hilojthiif/H (iinii'iKi. and nicclinix iilt/rimix, with an occa- sional I'iomniHt wfoxinii, though this last species is quite as fre- quently seen under boards in open spaces, in company with Dytiscida 1 were not very abundant, and we could lind none whate\er in the lit t le st ream which is followed by the Pike's Peak road. However, we got a fine lot of .lihi/><>ni<-x was l>eaten from sa.ue-brush. K/>i/rriii>lix 4-rittaltt was not rare, Itein- scratched up from about the roots of plants. A very pretix little insect which I have referred with some doubt to /////*T- <>ii>liilitx briirlitiittcritx was very abundant on cactus blossoms. Buprestida- were not very common as a rule. However, in rheyenne Canon we look />///>rr.s7/'\ iiiiicnlirt'nfrix and Cliri/xu hntlirix h-inciTHi on pine lo.ys, Af/rUttx (tn.riiiN on ])o|)lar. and Antlnt.t'i (r/in>!/ th'i'K ]>irii/>tiix occurred mostly on plants in the arid districts. In the (iarden of the (iods Kit}ilitn-i(t kmiii was found in some numbers on (lowers of AI-II<' inc.ficdini . A sinule E. fl was taken al the mouth of the Cheyenne Canon, while <(lfi>iix \\-as abundant on Mowers of shrubs above the Seven Falls, a few occurring also in P>ear Creek and William's < 'afions. The Cerandncida- were liai'dly as plentiful as one would e\ peel, liati/lr xittitniliN and ii/iilt-olli* both occurred on thistle and other blossoms rather commonly, chielh in the hills about town. L('i>hn-/>.^ hmf/irnnii* was occasionally seen on tlowers near Hear ('reek. .!/inii/ follows: Larger stature, includ- ing- relative proportions of body, vertex trom above more acute- ungulate, the mammillae of occiput more distinct, the anterior mar- gin <>f dorsiim a little more produced over the head. Wings pos- teriorly reach slightly beyond the apical process. From cristiitu* it is distinguished by the more slender form of the body, besides having the median carimi of the pronotum less arched longitudinally. Length of ?,9 mm.; pronotum. 8 ; hind femora. 5; antenna.:.") Loealitv, Lawrence, Kan. Prof. Hugo Kahl. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. ; Four New Entomophilous Wasps- BY WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD. PISOXOPSIS Fox. (1) Pisonopsis triangularis, u. sp. $. Length 6 mm. Stature of /?o///////o.v/r/// //.> <1ixli', ictus Fox, Black, closely, opaquely punctate. Ocelli arranged almost in an equilateral triangle. Eyes slightly convergentabove, with a median eimrgination within, but not deeply emarginated, as in J'fxon. Clypeus with a median triangular production Mandibles beneath strongly emarginate at basal third and rufous from the emargination to apex. Metathoraxrugulose, with a median furrow and adelicat e carina, the furrow liueated on either side trom the carina. Wings subhyaline. the tegulae, stigma and veins brown-black: the snip- median cell is distinctly shorter than the median : the first recurrent nervure is interstitial with the first transverse cubitus, while the second recurrent joins the second submarginal cell at its apical fourth. Abdomen distinctly punctate, the dorsal segments 1-4 br, > idly depressed at apex ami clothed with a silvery or at least glit- tery pubescence, especially noticeable later.illy: vcnlril segments 2-~> mrrowly testaceous at apex anl finely, closely punctate. Longer spur of hind tibiae ueirly as long as the basal joint of tarsi Hab Colorado. Carl F. Biker Collection, No. 2()i!l. Type, No." rii KM. I'. 8. N. M. XITKLIOF'SIS S;iiiml'i-s. (2) Niteliopsis striatipes, u. sp. ?. Length G.5 mm. Head anil thorax black, finely, do-ely. .-ribrately punctate, the face, temples, prouotum and pleura with a silvery pubescence; abdomen rufous; legs black, the tarsi more or less rufous, brownish at ba>e. while all the tibiae have a white stripe outwardly. The clypeiiB is strongly produced medially and again produced medially into a <|iiiilr.ite production. AVings hyaline, broadly fuscous at apical margins: the second submarginal cell rc- 'i-ives both recurrent nervures; while the . iMT.') . Type, No 5:)fio. U. 8. N. M. HAK'I'ACTrs Jarine. (3) Harpactus howardi. n. >p. ?. Length f>.r> mm. Head andthorix hlack : ahdumeit rufous, .-moot h, i m pun 'late; inner orl)its from base of clyp;-us and ntirrowe.l iliovc to beyond t! e middle of face, tin- anterior margin ot i lie cly- peus, the scape heneath. a stripe on the front tibia- anteriorly and a slight line on middle tibia- ne ir I he base, yellow : m i ml i hies. r\,-rpi apex. black. The metatlmrix !ia~ a d i-l i nrl t ria uvular area at 1> which is smooth except some liiieitions at extreme ha-e. \Ving> hyaline the stigma ami vein brown-bl.ick : the siibmedian cell i.- 10 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January much longer than the median ; both recurrent nervures join the second submargiual cell, the first at the middle, the second before the middle, of its apical half, Hab. Claremont. Cal. Collected April 18, 18i)S. by Dr. L. (). Howard Type. Xo. 5070, U- S. X. M . (4) Harpactus cockerelli, n sp. . Length 5 mm. Head and thorax black, but clothed with a short whitish or silvery pubescence, and giving the insect a very hoary appearance; inner orbits narrowly anteriorly, the anterior margin of clypeus the palpi, the mandibles basally, the antenna- ex- cept the scape, pedicel and first three or four joints of flagellum above, the tegulae, knees, tibiae at base, the anterior and middle tibia 1 in front, and more or less of the tarsi, nouey-yellow or pale ferrugin ous. Wings hyaline, the costa and stigma brown black, the inter- nal veins paler: I he venation agrees with H. hotrardi, except tint the second recurrent nervure joins the second submarginal cell af tltc niiildli of Us apical half. Abdomen rufous, the dorsal segments rather broadly ma giued with a whitish or silvery pubescence at apex. Hab. Mesilla Park, X M. Collected June !), 18!>S. by Prof. T. D A. Cockerel I. Type. Xo. 5071, TJ S. X. M. NOTES OF MISSOURI SPHINGIDAE. BvE. E. ROWLEY, LOUISIANA. Mo. Of the genus Philampelus, chnon is our commonest spe- cies. and may be said to be faiiiy plentiful most years. The larva is much like that of jHttidoruN, but may be known by the oblong instead of round, lateral yellow spots. Both want the caudal horn at maturity and are remarkable for their short, thick appearance at rest, the head being withdrawn into the swollen thoracic segments. Both feed on grape and woodbine. Of live larva 1 of m-lu'moit taken September ;>0, 1S!>7, two had a light pea-green ground color ; two. smoky, yellowish brown and one ;: deep reddish brown. The young larva 1 of r/iiianijH'/ii* have long, slender caudal horns that curve toward the head like a dog's tail, but only a polished wart at maturity. Both species mentioned above are double brooded and the August imagoes of funnlornx have rosy patches on the hind margins of both wings, as I have seen in Mr. (). ('. I'oling's collection. I have found the larva- of {Minium* rare, but have taken more imagoes at light than achnnnn . Mr. Poling has informed me 1S9D] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. | | that he obtained during the past summer a *<>< nlly iiuinl)er of the former on wild jjrape. /'. r/7/.v is unknown to me, but may be looked for in southern Missouri. Although a number of weeds are ^iveu as the food plants of Ih'ih'jtliiln HiK-ald, I have never found the larva on anything but purslane ; .have taken the moth at flowers at mid-day as well as at dusk. />. r/nniiiinit'rii is probably not found here, though its food plants are abundant. The larva of Huloicn* ^/C/K-IHN feeds on trumpet creeper and lilac, but I have not found it common. Have taken the i at liil<>i>lm- iiota <'!/<> ou the railway station at Mexico. Mo.. October 10. IS',17. It had the appearance of a home-bred moth. Could this insect have flown from the tropics to Missouri without disturbing the scales on its win^s .' />o/h(t Iti/hriix is one of our commonest hawks. The larva feeds on paw-paw and the speeiesis probably double-brooded. The color lines that shade the sph initial bauds are very bright. especially on the \ounti' larva. The little pupa is much like that of the ij'rritni m . are uncommon in eastern Missouri. Mr. Sweet found the larva of the former on ash and the latter on apple and plum. N. /,-(i!nii(i is another probable member of our Sj>liin.i fauna. but larva ami imago alike are unknown to the writer. Search for the larva on ash and lilac. Of the Macrosilos, Carolina is most abundant. I have found the larva feeding on tobacco, tomato, red pepper. Around cherry, potato, jimson weed and matrimony vine. M. cc/t'/is li> ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January is less common. Have found the larva on tomato and potato. I have neither taken the larva nor imago of N. riitf/ulata in Missouri, though 1 found it a common hawk at Fort Smith, Ark. The pupa is easily distinguished by its doubly-curved tongue case, so unlike that of cdcux or Carolina. Mr. Otho C. Poling has taken <'/>ir. rather, is entering its tenth year. Since Tin-: XFAVS entered on its career there have been many changes. Since our first number, of sixteen pages ap- peared, Entomology has wonderfully advanced; more persons are interested; it is largely taught in our schools and colleges; economic Entomology is recogui/ed as a valuable study. A number of our valuable workers have joined the silent major- ity, but let us hope that their places may be tilled by others just as enthusiastic, industrious and able. We are not iiifre- (jiiently confronted with the criticism that the subject has lo-.t its poetry and the delicate touch of Nature has been swept away, and, in its place, there is left a dreary list of scientific names, whose meaning can oul\ be known to a favored fe\\ . \\ith large" scientific libraries at their elbow \\"e try to remedy this in Tin: N i:\vs, but receive no help from the critics; they talk, but do not act . We admit that descript ions of new species an- as dry as the dust under an infested specimen; but we owe more to the systematic worker than to the growler, who pro- claims from the housetops what should lie. but has never put pen to paper. One good friend says we should give less space to " duns " for subscription money and devote t he space to original entomological observations, and charge two dollars for T HI-: Xi;\\s. When we lie awake half the night de\isiug means to get the one dollar due us, could we be expected to Stay up all night trying to get two.' Dollars with some en- tomologists seem to be as scarce as the males of I'r >> 14 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January Notes and News. ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GLOBE. THE NEW PEACH MITE IN OHIO. Apropos to the statement of Prof. W. G. Johnson, in the December, 1898, Dumber of ENTOMO- LOGICAL NEWS, regarding' the occurrence of this pest in Maryland, I will say 'that in August, 1898, my assistant, Mr. C. vV. Mally while inspecting two nurseries in this State, found the injury so characteristically described by Prof. Johnson, but ws not able at the time to determine the nature of the depredator, and for want of time the matter was not followed further. In one very extensive nursery the damage was quite serious, the greater portion of a block of upwards of 500,000 young peach trees showing more or less of the effects of the insect. I may add that the twoaft'ected nurseries were located near to or south of lat. 40 degrees north. F. M. WEBSTER. THE new synonymic catalogue of North American butterflies. by Dr. Henry Skinner, is now ready. See advertisement on cover. OWING to the fact that we have placed THE NEWS with another printing establishment, not familiar with scientific work, it is un- avoidably late. We will depend on our printer to do better in the future. EDITORS. NOTES. Having occasion to overhaul my Mordel- brings a few memoranda that may be of interest. From Pres- cott, Arizona. I have examples of a species of Penfaria, which seems undoubtedly to be decolor Cham])., as described in " Bio- logia,"' vol. iv. pt. 2, p. '256 A specimen from Yera Cruz, which seems to tit the description of Pentaria brericontis Champ., 1 cannot distinguish from my num- erous specimens offt(*cn/rd<>1li/>fs Champ.; also (298) one example of a minute new species of M<>r Entomological Literature, COMPILED BY I'. 1'. CALVERT. Under the above head it is intended- to note such papers received at the Acad- emvof Natural Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of tin Americas i. North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not he noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiology and embryologj of insects, however, whether relating to American or exotic species. will In- re- corded. The numbers in n KA\ v-i ACKD TVI-K refer to the .journals, as niim- iiei-ed in the following li^t, in which the papers are published ; * denotes thai the paper in question contains icin of Arthropods (transl. by W. W.Xornian). .loiirnal of Compar.itive Neurology, viii, UJJranville, O., Nov.. "its. (' oc k- ercll. T . D: A. Entomological Ethics. 7. Distant, \V L Biological suggestions: Assimilative colouration, ii, Zoologi>t. London. Nov.. 'MS. D o ra n , E. W. Vernacular names of in SIMMS, 7. lie y in o us. R. [Notice of] Packard's Text Book of Entomology. Zoologisches Caentrlblatt, Leipzig. Nov. 17. 'os. K mi Ih, P. Handbuch der Bliitenbiologie. II Band : die bishea in Kuro|a und im arktisdien Gebiet geraachten blutenbiologischen Beobni-htunjion 1. Teil: R-inunculacca' bis ( 'oinposii;c . Leip/ig. P^ngelmann. 1808. s\-o. 210 figs. M e u n i e r . F. The insects of svoiuhry times 1 , so p] s . Archives du Musce Teyler (2) vi, 2. Haarlem, 'os. i; a n e, F. W. Notes on the fertilization of musk- melons by insects. 7. Economic Entomology. A n o n . Flies and typhoid fever [ in Amer- ican ramp- in Cuba], 87. Nov. 10. A no n . A new tobicco juice iiiM-clii-ide, .Journal Socii-tc des Aviculteur- Fran;ais. Puri-. ( )ct.. '08. B 1 a n d f o rd . N\' . F. II. Xi/.'rfturiix /// ///if rin (ic< j i-fco!(i( W. & R ) and P. innumerabilis, Rathv. , tigs.. 7. J o h u s o n , W . G Hydrocyanic acid gas as a remedy for the San Jose scale and other insects, 7; Notes from Maryland on the principal injurious insects of the year, 7. K a n t h a c k, A . A , D u r h a m , H . E , and B 1 a n d f o r d, W . F . II . On na- gana or tsetse fly disease. Report made to the Tsetse fly Com- mittee of the Royal Society, of observations and experiments carried out from November, 1896, to August, 1898. Proceedings. Royal Society. Ixiv, 404, London, Nov 19, '98.- K e u y o n, F, C. Abstracts of recent publications. Experiment Station Rec- ord, x. 3, '98. 7. M a r 1 a t t , C . Proceedings of the tenth an- nual meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists. Aug 19 and 20,1898,7: Notes on insecticides, 7. (3s b or u , H. The duty of Economic Entomology, 7.~ Q u a i n ta n c e . A . L . A preliminary report upon the insect enemies of tobacco in Florid-i, figs., Bulletin 48. Florida Agric. Experiment Station. Delaud, Fla., Oct., '98. S c h . S. The tsetse-tiy. Insekten Borse. Leipsic, Nov. 24, '98: A new means against phylloxera, Natur wissenschaflliche Wochenaehrift, Berlin, Nov. 27. '!s. S m i th . J . B. The distribution of the Sun Jose or pernicious scale in New Jersey, 7. W e b s t e r , F . M . The Chinch Bug: its probable origin and diffusion, its habits and development, natural checks and remedial and preventive measures, with mention of the habits of an allied European species, figs. Bulletin No. 15, new series, '98, 7 - Webster, F . M .. and M a 1 1 y , C . W . Insects of the year in Ohio, 7. VY e d , C. M. The feeding habits of the chip- ping sparrow, figs. Bulletin 55, New Hampshire College Agric. Experiment Station, Durlmm.N. H , July, '98; Notes on tent -cater- pillars, 7. W e e d , C. M .. and Fiske. W. F. Note* on prnce bark-beetles, 7. Arachnida. C a m brid g e. O. P. Arachnida Aram-idea, pi. xxx, 15.- Sc h i m k e w i t s c h . W . Note on the dorsal organ of the Arancina, 98, '97. 8, Dec.; On the origin of the alimentary canal in some Arachnids. 98, '9S, 1, Jan S c h u 1 t / . E . On re- generation of the feet of spiders, 98, '!s. -j. Keb. Myriopoda. C o o k , O. F. American oniscitid Diplopoda of the order Merochaeta,* 50, no. 1154. Orthootera. Burr, M. Aquatic Orthoptera, Entomologists' I'ccord London. Xov. 15, 98. Hunter. S. J. On the occur- rence of l)f*Nt>xl<'irhix, tig-s. Kansas University Quarterly, vii (A), 4, Lawrence. Oct., '98. Morse, A. P. Notes on Xesv England Acridiida- iv, Acridiida' '>. 5. 1* i c t e t , A . and d e S a u s s u r e , H . Orthoptera.* pp 4i)l-41(i. 15, Neuroptera. K o \\ a u t . R. Odonata of Hungary, 3 pis,. Kir- Magyar Termeszettudornanyi Tarsulat Megbizasabol, Budapest. '!)<;. [In Magyar.] . Hemiptera. -A I w o o d , W. B. Notes on the life-liistory of the wooly aphis of apple ( ^<-li/z<>n<'iiru- Batrachia, tig's, [in Hus>ian], 19. xxxii. 1-2. Va n d e r \V u 1 p . F. M. DiptcM-a.* vol. ii. pp. :577-:;si. 15. -V a n der Wulp. F. M. and d c M e i j c r e . J . C . 1 1 . New check list of the Nether- land Diptera (Bijvoeg-el tot deel xli. Tijdschrifl voor Kntomolo- g-ie). The Hag-lie. '9S.W a g- n e r, -I. Aphanipterulnuiral -Ind- ies. H )>]>., 19. xxxi, 4. Lepidontera. -A I wood. W. 15. On the life history of J'fo/n- /> clu'in-1ti<-lmrix Kluar.* (in Latin), 49. Selvvyn, P. H. Honey bees acclimatised, Ot- tawa Naturalist, Oct. and Nov., '98' S u u d w i k , E . E On the wax of bumble bees (Bo'iitbns spp ), Iloppe-Scyler's XcitM-hrift t\ii- physiologische Chemie. xxvi, 1 and 2, Strassburg. 'us. "TiiE BUTTERFLY BOOK. APopnlnr Guide to a Knowledge of the Butterflies ot North America. By W. J. HOLLAND. Ph D . D 1 >.. LL.D. With 48 plates in color photography New York. Double- day & McCIure Co." This is a large octavo of 400 paes. nnd con- tains chapters on the Life-History aud Anatomy of Butterflies: the Capture, Preparation and Preservat ion of Specimens : the ( 'lassi tication of Butterflies; Books about North American Hut Icrllic- Through the work are interesting 1 essays under the title of Digres- sions aud Quotations. The plates represent the highest type of what is known as the three-color process and are successful to a re- 185H)] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. raarkable degree. Where they are not quite satisfactory it is owing to the fact that the forms figure:! are so closely related as to make any process insufficient. The majority of the tisnires leive nothing to be desired, as they are close to perfection. The work is excellent ly done, and the author is to be sincerely congratulated. This book will do more to stimulate an interest in these insects than anything heretofore printed. The works of the past that were of any value had a prohibitive price, but on looking over this work one is amazed at what i-; given for sucli a comparatively small money out- lay. The young and the old can find any amount of interest in such a book, and \ve can heartily recommend it to all lovers of the beau- tiful in Nature. It is intended as a popular work, but still has a scientific interest, as many types are accurately figured, and it will not be out of place in any scientific library. We can hardly say too much in its praise, and can find but few faults, and in a work of its magnitude it is surprising there are not more that might be criti- cised. On page 80 the caterpillar is spoken of as emerging from the chrysalis a typographical error of small moment. The locality of Arr/i/ini/x /i//>po/ocfr/tt>nf(is. but the normal female of Prim. Zdbiilon. Ptate 47, fig 40 i< not hrHtus but /ilii/ln'itx. Plate 48, fig. 15 is not TlmiHinx hm-nHns ^ but the 9 of a different species. We think as a, book for the tyro the time of seasonal appear- ance of the species should have been given. The author has slighted his descriptions on account of the perfection of the plates. but where sexes differ and under sides are not shown more descrip- tive matter would have been an advantage. If the specimens had been properly and symmetrically expanded, they would have looked much better to the eyeof the lepidopterist. Our space is too limited to say more of this be intiful book. We hope it will tim! a place in every library. II. s. THE Hl-TTKKI I.I K-. Afli'i Coftpei'. Pom la Coinoinir ' At sixteen years she kne\\ no care : I low eoiild she, sweet and pure as li^ht ? And there pursued her every where Kuttertlies all white. A lover looked. She dropped her exes. That plowed like pansies wet with dew. And lo ! I here eanie lYoin out the skies Itllttertlies all Mile. lie fore she guessed, her heart was ^one ; The tale of lo\ e was swift ly told. And all about her wheeled and shone Uultertlies of i;old. Then he forsook her one sad morn. She wept and sol.bed. " ( I. love, come hiick." There only eame to her forlorn Hllttertliesall lilaek. .loH.v DAVISON. 20 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January DOINGS OF SOCIETIES. At the November meeting of the Feldman Collecting Social, held at the residence of Mr. H. W. Wenzel, 1523 South 13th street, eleven members were present. On behalf of Mr. Lau- rent, Mr. Wenzel exhibited a collection of Lepidoptera made by himself and Mr. E. Weuzel at North Mountain, Pa., in July, calling- particular attention to Eniu xcrrata, which had been taken abundantly; also to I'/UHHI tin-oxxii and E. var. iiiiniriiiux. The former seldom has but two ocelli and the latter three or four. Maud mix also has a small white spot on the middle of the edge of the baud which crosses the centre of the under side of the inferiors. Mr. Liebeck exhibited an interesting conglomerate cocoon of C(ri1ookiug like one large pear-shaped cocoon. Dr. Skinner exhib- ited his new Synonymic Catalogue of American Rhopolocera. The body of the catalogue, exclusive of the index, bibliography, list of authors, etc., consists of ninety-nine pages. There are 45 species listed, and each reference is a separate line, thus greatly helping the eye. Where a species is found outside of our faunal limit the distribution is given. A few species listed as valid in former lists have been placed in the synon- ymy, but only in cases where it seemed well warranted. It is hoped the catalogue may prove useful. Mr. Lancaster Thomas exhibited a female specimen of (jri> to connmi, captured at Cranberry, X. C., which was very dark on the under side. He had taken two specimens, one no\\ being in the collection of Dr. Skinner. He also mentioned seeing ('(t/lidri/dx ctilmlc Hying in one direct ion, a specimen passing every five or ten minutes. He also saw .hnnnini <<, ,/iii. living South, in the same way. in pairs. In both cases the butterflies were going against the wind. .Mr. Johnson said he had seen /'/Vr/.s- iiioiutxtr in immense numbers at St. Augustine. Fla., going Xorth, for three days. Same speaker had seen Agraulis vanilloe, going South, in Florida, in September, when the passion-vine, their food plant, further North, was wither ing, but in Florida was still fresh. HKXKY SKINNKU, M. I)., Recorder. 22 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January A regular meeting was held by the Newark Entomological Society at Turn Hall, Sunday, December llth, at 4 p. rn., with President Scleckser in the chair and the following mem- bers present : Messrs. Augiemau, Kircher, Broadwell, Seille, Herpers, Bischoff, Kemp, Bunso\\ , Weidt, Buchholz and Prof. John B. Smith. The genus Datan-a was selected for study and identification for the following meeting. Mr. Kemp gave a list of captures made in one locality, at Clementon, N". J., for three successive seasons, as follows : May 10, 189(>, Pamjthihi metea $ was abundant; 9 not so plentiful. Specimens were fresh. Syneda graphica, none seen. Ei>in-(i)tthi# ohfininirin, none seen. May 9, 1897, I\ wclra ^ abundant; v more scarce than the preceding year. ft. f/i-(ij>h- ica very abundant ; mostly in fresh condition. E. obfirnwri, none seen. May 10, 1898, P. metea, one ^ taken ; ti.graphica, none seen; E. obfinmtrin, abundant and in good condition, but difficult to capture on account of their keeping so close to the underbrush. Mr. Weidt remarked that an early spring one season and a late one the following would make a difference of two or three weeks in the appearance of certain broods of insects. Mr. Kemp mentioned that he found Cuirimlela <- . - a n Engineer fi - i THE CASTLE-BUILDING SPIDER, r,\ Di;. J. L. IF \\COCK. ffiixfrulinitN /ii/ I/if .litf/inr. The sandy wastes bnrdcrinji-ilic hnvcr end of Lake Michigan. in Xorthern Illinois. ;;i-c inluiliitrd \>\ several species of tube- constructing spidei-s. Though ;iny one ot the forms occurring here would re])a> study, lor Hie present I will consider a spe- -ie> which, from the peculiar liahit of build ing a little castle or nest at the opening to the lube, makes it of more than ordi nary interest. This Lycosid is likely to be taken at first glance for the turret spiders L. t/rrnico/n or L. Inrrirn/d, but it is quite distinct from either of them. The spider is equally c\ pert whether engaged as a carpenter, \\ea\er. mason or digger, all of which att ribiiles she brings 1o bear some 1 ime or other in making her completed retreat. The female shown in the illustration. Fig. 1. is al\\a\s found in the burrows when du.u out of the ground, unless some mishap has overtaken her. In the Fall oflS!H> I found my wa\ into an uncultivated lot where weeds in profusion had unbounded -.\\ -\\ . cenchrus being particular!;, in e\ idence. Patches of high grass, sedges and ragweeds made I he open lax of ground a paradise of run uiug spiders. Here it \\asthe castle- building species seemed perfectly at home, shoxviug its \arie(l accom])lishmeuts to best 24 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February advantage. The artfully hidden castle is not apparent to the uninitiated while walking- over the ground, as it is commonly secreted in a recess of overhanging dried grasses. Frequent visits to several localities added greatly to my observations, and, though the greater number were made in the late fall, at the suggestion of Mr. Kmertou, some time was spent in June, in the following and present year, in anticipation of finding them mating. In this I was disappointed and all efforts to find the male was fruitless. FIG. 1. (a i The Castle-building Spider, ventral view, (b) Same, dorsal surface. (c) Female epiginum. Original from nature. One of the castles which 1 alluded to above, the first of my discoveries, will be described as a means of furnishing a gen- eral idea of the kind of nest made, afterwards recurring to the subject of castles further on. when considering the tubes throughout. When one remembers the average size of the adult castle, only five-eights of an inch high, and a little over one-half inch in diameter, it is obvious that close inspection is quite essential. This castle was situated beside a half-buried piece of branch, a, site which was chosen often. Around it was growing little seedlings and lichens which grew from the superficial deposit of vegetable mould, and giving to the surroundings the effect of a small garden colored with sienna and green. The nest proper was quite round ; fragments of duckweed, bark and rootlets, woven together with silk, went to make up nioest of the structure, while to one side a dried leaf of ragweed was ;esthet- icallv curved around and attached, leaving other bits of leaves 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL XEWS. o;-, incorporated into its margin. Two grass leaves were brought down iron i a plant near by and festooned lo two sides, the I'm ishing touch being a dagger-pointed bur poised on the margin. By tlie time several nests were examined I found e\ idence of the most whimsical tastes in the selection of material for nests, an enumeration of which is here given : (ireen and dried grass leaves, dried line sedges, spikes and leaves of foxtail grass, fibrous roots, ragweed leaves curved by drying, cenchrus or burgrass spikes and burs, wing of beetle. \veatlier beaten white paper, piece of brown st ring, twi^s of va rious kinds in bits, dark bark, seeds of weeds, bird excrement, sand made into pellets, small stones and gravel from soil. Exploring the tubes with a straw was not without reward, for I found b\ feeling the way down carefully, until meeting resistance, the live spider when touched communicates a mo tion to the straw sticking above the ground . To learn more of the occupant one has but to dig a hole down at Hie side to avoid injuring the castle, then making an undercut below ex- tending to the tube; follow it down to the bottom where the spider rests with its head pointing upwards. The Kail of the year finds various si/ed individuals of different ages prepar- ing to pass the winter in burrows. Sometimes just within the castle a tine screen of silk is woven across I he entrance as an obstruction against Hoods or the possible entering of hymenop terous enemies, which is again torn awa\ after all danger is passed. The young, even down lo the smallest, show a wonderful in stinct for castle building. This I saw depicted in tin- dainty character of many of their works. Activity is expressed on every side at thisperiod of the year. Lilt leyellow sand pellets encircling the openings told plainly lhat I he spider's year is nearing a close. They had a forewarning of the coming win ter and sought refuge by deepening their retreats to get safel\ below the free/ing line. The love of warmth \\ as exemplilied even after the first fall of MIO\\ . for 1 he a p pea ranee of t he \\ a rm sun's rays enticed them to come up lo get a last glimpscof the sun from the top of the caslle. Krom what I gleaned, old spiders live in their burrows for more than a season and often remodel them after being injured by storms. The\ hold great fondness for their homes and 1 rv resolutel\ lo slick b\ them. 26 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February going out long enough only to catch insect food . Even this is seldom, for much food is taken in at the very 1 hreshokl of the 7 * castle. Younger specimens re-dig outgrown burrows, enlarg- ing them as occasion requires. It was interesting to observe neighborly beetles and other species of spiders, not to be out- done, with one accord churn up the soil by their diggings. FIG. '2. A oawtle or nest of tin- < ',: >t Ic-huildiiiy spider. u:>.tur;!l .-i/r. IVmn n:iturc. liy I lie author. When the vernal spell is changed by lowering temperature, quiet creeps upon the scene. I'sually the spider's lube is constructed vertically in the ground unless. as is shown in Un- reduced plate illustration, obstructions cause some deviation. The four different examples here shown \\ereopened from tin- side, being careful to preserve their form. A silk lining is put on by the spider, which is continuous with the inside of the 1890] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 07 castle. In the construction of th- tube damp eartli facilitate* working materially, but being c<|ual to the occasion the spider can dig a tube in dry sand, requiring extra effort and a good deal of ingenuity. The proce** is so simple, however. when compared with the complicated mechanism used by one contemplating- sinking such a shaft on a large scale that it is worthy of special note. In setting out to make the tube she proceeds with some slight variation in the following wa\ : Standing on tiptoe the spider moves her abdomen around almost in a circle between her legs, touching the ground here and there with the spinnerettes at the end of the l>ody. The silk pouring out catches last in the soil, and in a moment an adherent round Mooring of altout ten millimeters across is formed. Then she turns about, digging up the little silk mat entangled with sand, and in a twinkling has made it into a parcel, which is laid to one side. Again she spins out silk over the same spot and dexterously lifts up the mass, lays the pel- let beside the preceding, until by repetitions she has tempo- rarily encircled the newly-made pit with her internal diggings. At times she stands head down in the hole and pats down the new-formed mouth with her inverted abdomen. Within an hour she is down the depth of her body and the hole exca- vated sufficiently large to turn around in, but now each parcel after being made is snapped from her mandibles with a sudden motion of the palpi when up to the entrance. As she pro- gresses the tube is lined \\ith silk, often going over the surface to prevent any caving in of the earl It. Xow we lind her tak- ing a well-earned rest, and not until darkness is fully estab- lished does she commence her castle. In vivarium 1 watched spiders b\ artificial light under conditions quite natural. Coming out of her tube I saw her grasp a prickly sphere of burgras.x. and taking it to the burrow she adjusted it to the border of the opening. In a few moments *he gathered two more of the burs, one at a time placing them to form a partial border; the intervening Spaces bel \\een them \\ere tilled with sand pellets, which she made and brought up from the inside of the tube. Taking this to be the foundation of her future castle, I took the opportunity of tr\ing an experiment, that is, of furnishing material. The ground, quite bare near her tube, was strewn with a selection of short pieces of bleached _S ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February grasses, the top of a foxtail grass, which I liatl seen composing other nests, beside some weed steins, and three little rolled pieces of red. white and bine paper. The spider, which had disappeared for a time below the surface, now came to the opening, and walking over to one of the grasses she picked it up and carried it to the edge, where, letting it go, she turned around within the tube and attached it at the middle to the entrance with multiple st rands of silk. Another grass stem was next taken, which she laid crossing the tirst. on top of the half buried, burs. Then her attention was drawn lot he weed stems, which in like manner were disposed of and imbedded in silken pellets. In their turn then came the red paper, a straw and sand bundle, placing them with the same scru- pulous neatness. The bit <>f white paper was drawn to the side and fastened, and lastly the bine paper found a resting spot, all the material which I supplied having been used in embellishing the towering castle, which was now nearly an inch in height. Referring attain to the plate illustration, o. shows a tube which penetrated ten inches of the soil; it was finished with a curious castle, having as an ornamentation on top two spikes of the bristly foxtail grass. The interior was slightly enlarged just within. A slight difference is shown in the tube/;, the Avork of a larger spider with somewhat faded abdomen. As is often the cast' in old specimens, she had not exercised all her latent talents, fora few bits of twigs and a dilapidated leaf constituted her castle, scarcely raised above the ground. Quite a contrast is presented by the tuber, made by a younger individual. Her artistic culture was more freely displayed in an excellently built castle, which I have drawn as a separate illustration. Fig. 1*. Surprising industry is shown in the length of the tube, nearly two feel. As if for tilled against invasion the east le was adorned with a spike of nine prickly heads of burgrass ; beside t he side of t he passage was also placed a cluster of burs almost touching t he cut ranee. At the margin a small twig was se! on transversely, serving as a little stepping pillar on which the spider chose to climb in getting in and out. The tube in the middle in the male. I'lunnikt. '\cc) A\'i'g-s even in both sexes. l'< 'i-ii-onm . '.an With one simple uarmre b3twec:i (lit- forked vein> (b) Hindermost vein not much shorter than the rest. An- tenna 1 , with obcooical joint?, 14-jointed. Trichomym. > bh) Hiuderiiid-t vein al)breviaicd. Antenna 1 , with linear joints, 15-joiuted. b'ycoi-f>.>-. To these five genera, a sixth. /V/V^o/i*;////*. has l)een added. This genus seems to be more or less intermediate between Halliday's primary divisions of the family, since Mr. Eaton states that it has two simple veins between the forked uer- vures, but is otherwise more closely related to Si/cf>r -and Trychomyia. Mr. Eaton records forty-one species of PsyrimniP.K tor the British Islands, distributed as follows : ('! x|. , : 'l'ric/i<>iin/i \ -p. i ; Si/cdiii.i (1 Sp.. All of the North American I'svciK l)t i>-i: so far described ha\c been placed under the genus I'si/i-hoila. but there is little doubt that part of these will be referred to /Vr/Vo//m. It is the purpose of the present paper to describe a number of new species of PsvciidDiD.i: from various points . .11 the Pa cilic coast and to record certain notes in connection with species previously described. In the discrimination of I lie species in the group very little use has apparently been made of the ven- tral plate of the female. The writer belie\ es thai this struc- ture is of great importance in this connection. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 31 Psychoda oacifica Kinciid. Ent. Xew>, VIII. 6. This species, originally described from Sei tile, seems to ran^e along- tbe whole Pacific coast. -in<-e rcpn-e;it -itives have been ex- amined from Alaska, Oregon, eastern Washington and California, which, although varying in -ome respects from the type speci- mens, seem to lie specifically tin- same. Tin- Alaska specimens were secured by the writer during the summer of isjts at Sitka. Unala-ka and the Pribilof Islands in Bering Sea. The variety found upon the Pribi lot's di tiers considerably trom the type form. They are ou the average much smaller than the la Her: the antenna?, are 14- jointed, owing to the absence of one of the small terminal articles, and the inferior appendages of the male ^enit'.ilia are much more trongly curved towards the tip. The Vnalaskan and Sitkau ex- amples resemble the types quite closely, about the only difference being that the wings are more acutely pointed than is usual in the latter. The Oregon specimens were taken at Corval Its, Oregon, during tlic month of June, 1898, while the California!) example- were included in a collect KM: of Psychodid; - >c:it to the writer through the courtesy of Mr. R. lv Sr,odirr:is> from the Leland Stanford Junior University. From Pn>t'e--<,r Charles V. Piper, of the Washington Agricultural College, four specimens of P.pa- cfftca were recently obtained, which were colic -led at Pullman. Washington, the specimens being dated from July 12 to July 27, 1898. Psychoda oiympia Kincaid. Ent. Xews, VIII. ( : . This isa Pencomn. The posterior bifurcation is much nearerthe base of the wing than is the anterior one: thcwinir i- ])oinicd ex- actly at the tip of the tirst simple vein. Psychoda sigma, n. sp. ? Body yellowish white, clothed with creaip- colored hair; wings ovate, apex obtusely rounded, more than t \vioe as long as broad, clothed with rrram-rolored hair upon the veins, except an indis- tinct S-ximped band of black across the middle; fringe quite dense and Jong, cream -colored, except t wo pa \c\\c- of black at the anterior and posterior tarminations of the s-shapcd dU;-al band: length .f wing '2.5 mil). Legs yellowish white, clothe. 1 wit h cn-im-colorc 1 hair and scales. Aiileniin- longer than the width of the wing. 1 I jointed, with verticillatc whorls of cream colored hair upon the nodes; joints 1-2 small, closely united ; joint- ;;-]:; globular, -epa- rated by slender pedicles ; joint 14 minute. Ventral plate yellow- ish, very narrow at ba^e, broadening toward^ the apex, which i.- prodaced in two divergent lobe-: o-.ipo-itor yellow. >hort. almo-t straight. Sun Her than , with t he bl irk band upon the wing- lerlearl\ evident. (Jenitalia conspicuous, brown, clothed with long crcam- colored hair. Inferior apiiendagc^ ::-jointcd : joint 1 stout, cyliu dvical ; joint 2 twice as long as 1. -lender. -lighi iy swollen ::t la>c. curving upw inl- : joint :: very slender, cylindri il t-ipering at ape\. 32 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February Superior appendages Dot MS long a- basal joint of inferior ; ~2 jointed : joint 1 slior* ; joint 2 tapering to an acute point. Habitat: Olympia, Washington. June 24toJul\ !. ls<>7. Many specimens were colleeted on a wall shaded by hop vines. Psycho 'a schizura, n sp. + Body whitish, clothed with griy hair on the thorax and silver}' white on the abdomen. Legs whitish, becoming darker basilh. clothed with white hairs and scale?. Wing a little more than twice as long as broad, rather acutely pointed at the apex : hair upon the veins white and black, distributed in alternate patches, so a.s to give the surface of the wings a mottled appearance ; well marked patches of black at the apices of the veins : fringe on posterior margin gray : length of wing 2.7 mm. Antenna' not as long as the width of wing. 15 jointed; basal joints not ranch larger than succeeding ones; joints 3 15 globular, separated by slender pedicles, whih are about as long as the length of the nodes, each joint bearing a vertieillate tuft of white hair. Ventral plate V shaped ; ovipositor short. <$ S.ualler than V- Inferior appendages extremely long, 3-jointcd joint 1 stout, cylindrical ; joint 2 almost twice as long as 1, enlarged at the base and tapering to the apex; joints minute, clavate. Su- perior appendages as long as first joint of inferior, two jointed, tapering to an acute point. Habitat: Seattle. Wash.. August l.S to September !. IStts. On windows. Pericoma tridactila, n. sp. Body light brown, densely clothed with gray hah-. Wing- ovate, one and one half times as long as broad, apex moderately acute, clothed over the whole surface with gray hair, except an irregular baud of white across the middle: fringe with basal third gray, remainder white, as long as the width of three cells: length of wing 2.5 ir.m. Legs light brown, clothed with gray hair and scales. Atteuna? as long as the width of the wing, li;- ointed. with dense whorls of gray hair upon the nodes; joint 1-2 nol larger than succeeding joints ; joints3 15 globular, separated by -lender pedicle-. which are slightly longer than the leusrth of the node* : joints l-l-l i; minutely, closely apposed. Ventral plate longer than br>>ad. >idc- not emarginate, narrowing strongly to\\ ir,l> the apex, whirh is bilobate. rf Geuitalia conspicuous, clothed with gray hail's Inferior ap- pendages elongate, 2-jointeJ ; b vsil j >intssh>;il, cyliii.lric il. i'n-e I in the median line; second joint as long as first, straight, cylindrical, tapering to a rounded apex, and bearing at the tip thre:- divergent, slender clavate processes, which are almo-l as loni: a> the s.-eond joint itself Superior appendages half as longa* inferior, 2-jointed : joint 1 cylindrical, stout ; joint 2 as long a- first, slender, tapering to an acute point. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 33 Habitat : Seattle. Washington. March 1'i.to June !.">. IS'.IS. raptured on a basement window. In this species the bifnreat ions of 1 he veins are so obscureh indicated that it was difficult to place pMierieallv : the ante rior bil'nrcatioii is very close to the apex of the \vin<; and the posterior one quite close to the base. The win^s are folded rool'-like in repose. Pericoma sitchana, n. sp. Body black, clothed with <:T,IV luiir. Le^> lilack, clotlicd with "ray hair and scales. W in.u-> o\ 'ate. broadly rounded at the tip. the tirst simple nervnre terminating just before the a]>ex : bifurcation- c(|iiidistant t'roin the luse of the wiiiir: hair upon the veins mixed lilack and -white, the black beinjr most proiionuced at the apice- of the veins and at the hifmvat ions ; lei-.irth of winir -2.:> mm.: fringe irny. with a patch of white at the apex. Antennas one-half as long a* the width of the wing. ](i-joii;ted : joint 1 cylindrical : joint _' lav^c. "'lobular: joints .VKi globular, separated l>> vci-y ,-hort jtedi eels, the nodes sparsely clothed with p. IJod\ brown, densely clothel with jrray hair. \Vin^ hroadly ovate, not <|iiite twice as lonj>- as broad, ape x di-tinctiy pointed, es actlyat end of tirst simple nervure. clothe. 1 with yray hair upon the v..'in.>: fringe dark i- ray : length of Avinii' :> mm.: posterior bifur- cation much nearer the h:i-e of the win.ir th.in the anterior one. I. en- In-own, clothed \\ ith :ray hair and scales. Antenna' one-halt' a> lony as the widtli ot the \\iiir. not much longer than tin- maxil- lary palpi: 17-iointed: joint I moderately lar.u'e: joint Jexiremcly larc rmar-i-inatc laterally ant' termiiiatiii"' in three di-tinct lobes: ovi- positor yellow, -liirhtly curve 1. (ientalia incon-picuon.-. \ cry hairy. h.ferior appenda.iio _' jointed : joint 1 lai-.ii'e and stout: joint _' -hoi-t. cylindrical, curving towards the apex, which i- hroadly and obliquely truncate. Supe- rior appendages l-jointed. S. Pericoma variegata. n >p. Body bhi''k. clothed \\ilh white hair, excepi a -mill patch of black hair near the ba.-e ot the win^. Le:>> black, clot lied with black and white hair. AVin^s rather acutely rounded at the tip. more than twice a? long as broad: hair upon the veins deep black. 34 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February except u pon a broad transverse band near the base and au outwardly curved row of small patches just beyond the middle, which are white; fringe both on anterior and posterior margin, with alter- nate patches of white and black hair; length of wing 2.S mm. An- tennae black, as- long as the width of the wing, 17-joiuts; joints 1-3 .stout, cylindrical, densely hairy; joints 4-17 small, fusiform, thinly clothed with long white hair. Ventral plate brown, s'.iallowly emarginate at apex: ovipositor brown, rather long, almost straight. Habitat: Seattle, Wash. Swept from bushes May 8, 1898. Pericoma bipunctata, n sp 9 Body brown, clothed with white bair. Legs brown, clothed with white hair, some of the latter being long Wings broadly rounded at the tip, about twice as long as broad, clotheJ upon the veins with white and black Iriir. the black most pronounced at the apices of the veins and upon the bifurcations, the white most evi- dent near the base and towards the apex, where there are small, ir- regular patches of this color; fringe black, except a spot extending from the apex of the third longitudinal vein to the end of the seventh and a small patch between the eighth and ninth vein, which are white; bifurcations equidistant from the bass of the wing; 17- joiuted ; joint 1 rather large, cylindrical ; joint 2 broader taanl. globular ; joints 3-17 fusiform, clothed with scattered w r hite hairs; joints 3-4 bear dorsally a row of strong erect black setas. Ventral plate squarely produced, slightly emarginate at apex. $ Gentalia conspicuous, black, clothed with white hair. Habitat: Seattle, Wash. (U); Santa Cruz Mountains, Gal- (1J; 1?); from the collection of Lelaucl Stanford Junior University. Pericoma furcata, n. sp. 9 Body brown, clothed with white hair, among which a few black hairs are scattered. Wing twice as long a? broad, narrowly rounded at the apex, which is pointed between the simple veins; vieus clothed with black and white hairs as follows: Two curved rows of prominent black tufts across the middle of the wing, be- tween which the hair is principally white: the area betv/een tho outer row of black tufts and the apex of the wing principally with black hair 1 area between the inner row of black tufts and base of wing, with mixed black and white hair : friuge black, with white tufts at apices of all the veins; bifurcations equidistant from the base of the wing: length of wing 2.8 mm. Auieun;r a~ long as the width of the wing, 16-jointed; joints 1-2 >liirhtly larger than the succeeding ones; joints 3-1G swollen at base and be'iring loo>e tul't- of black hair. Legs with alternate annulations of black and white hair. Ventral plate dilated basal ly, a ml strongly produced in the middle, the production bilolie:! and angularly emarginate at apex: ovipositor moderately long, almost straight . 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. ;{.-, Habitat: Pullman, Wash. Collected by Mr. R. \V. Doane. of the Washington Agricultural College, Pericoma trunca'a, n. sp. 9 Body brown, densely clothed with mixed white and dark- brown hair. Wings ovate, broadly rounded at the tip, not quite twice as long as broad ; hair upon the veins principally dark brown, with a rather large patch of white ueir the middle of the wiug and its ape:: fringe dirk brown, on posterior margin as long as the width of three cells and with small patches of white hair alternating with the brown in It- at the apices of the veins; bifurcations of the veins equidistant from the base of the wing ; length of wiug 4 mm. Legs brown, clothed with brown hair and scales, interspersed with a few longer white hairs. Antennae black, not quite as long as the wid f h of the wing, 17-joiuted ; joint 1 rather large, cylindrical ; joint -2 large, globose ; joints 3-1G fusiform, covered with scattered hairs; joint 17 minute; ventral plate longer than broad, broadly truncate at the apex : ovipositor yellow, long and slender, strongly cur veil. Habitat : Palo Alto, Cal. From the collection of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Collected by Mr. E. E. Snod- grass. Sycorax lanceolata, n. sp. Body brown, clothed with brown hair, which appears black in some lights. Wings extremely narrow, four times as long as broad, apex sharply acuminate and pointed exactly at the tip of the single simple nervure; anterior and posterior bifuiv it ion- di-taut from the l'i-e of the wing, respectively, two-thirds and one-third the wing's length ; veins unevenly clothed with brown Ir.iir, similar to that upon the body ; fringe very he ivy. colored similarly to the hair upon 1 he veins, on the posterior margin somewhat shorter : length of \\ing - nun. Leg- brown, clothed with bro\\ n hair, except on the basil joints ol' all the tarsi, which are covered with white hair Antenii -hoi I. -tout, about three- fourths as loiiir a- the width of the winn'. 15-jointed; joint 1 cylindrical ; joint 2 globose, larger than succeed inn- joint-- joint- :'-15 linear and sparsely clothed with brown hair. Yentr.il plate elongate, broad at the base, and nar- vowe I towards the apex, which is bilobed and linearly emar^inate. Habitai: Palo Alto, Cal. August 3, 1898. ( >ne specimen : S;;ii1a Crux Mnuulains. August !>, IS'.)."). Three spccininis : colh-ctimi :i|' l he 1, eland Stanford .Junior l"ni\ ci^it \ . A I mot a. \Y;;-h. Ten specimens, collected by Mr. H. W . Doane. of tlie \\'ashing1<)ii Agricultural College. This inlen-sl ing species belongs lo Ilallida\ '> -x-cond di\ ision of the Psychodida?, containing genera with a single simple 10 II nil-: I'svciioDiD.i-: <>K TIU: I-ACIKIC COAST. ISD1IJ ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. ;{; vein between the forked nervures, and since it agrees in every essenli:il generic character with Sycorax it has been referred to that .uToup, although ;i comparison with the European mate rial max necessitate the erection of a ne\\ "'enns for its reci-p tion. i:\IM. A! NATION (! I'l.ATK. 1-11. Ventral plate of I'syeliodidie. < .1 . ) l, II. SJ). (2.) J'rriro/nil tri!t/iiijti(i Kinc. (4.) /'i/<-//o.) rx>/rliinln flrf/iiiis Kinc. i(J.) /'crn'oiiiii lri!o/>'. ( 12.) Win.ii' of tit/rord.r /tnn-'n Inln. denuded of hair to show venation. ('KVi Ventral plate of I't'riroiiiii 1'iirciilti. ]). sp. o ON TWO NEW AND ONE PREVIOUSLY KNOWN FLEA, BY < 1 . V. B.\KI-:I{, Auburn. Ala. I'nlc.i- /loiriinlii Baker. In the ^I'oup wliieh inelndes tlli^ liea and faxr'uiliix and its allies, tlie males determine the s|c eies. 1'or this reason iricklninii and //iJ/rfri are not \\cll founded. 'Fhey were separated on characters whose valin^ could not have been correctly estimated at the time. The\ sliould be reduced to synonyms of lioin/rilii . Pulex irritans, var dugesii, n. var. Dr. DUI^T- In- -ni! MM- a tloa taken on Spertnophihl-S nnn-roarus at (Ju ma .iialo. Me\-.. n h'n-li agrees very closely in its character* with /'. irritans, Ini! is vi nailer, pal ei and! he le^-s are more > lender. I n 1 hc-e ji'irl iciilar- it aiijiroaclie- /inH/ arc I a r-e and half oval, and the mandibles about ct|iii! the torecdx.-e. Named for its discoverer, who Ins feen diligently investigating the .Mr \ii-:i n Si|>ln>irij>!rr,i for many ye:ir>. Hystrichopsylla americana. n -i). ',;._:, nun. A typical Hystrichopsylla. &\\o. i- lovely iv- <>!> I !!!<;<< i,.<. Color dee] i che-l i.ut l.rown. I lead not an^n- l-itcil in Iron! almve. luit evenly roundi-l troai (M-ripiit to month. ! I !:!(! ron di not perpendicular, as in ii<-c/>x. I nit. ou lowi-r margin of head, and consisting of ft.nrieci: spb;e> on cai-h -\(\c. 1'mnotal coml) of alniiit iifly >ma 1 1 . -.lender, t 'lose-set teeth. First aluioinina 1 segment only with a comb of about forty teeih. Abdomen \tr\ heavily bristle. I. as in o/,//>.v/Vy LANVKKNCK I>i;rM:i;. Conocephalus aUanticus n. sp. Grass green, very rarely flecked with dusky spots, moderately slender, with rather short wings and long ovipositor. Fastigium oithe vertex short, a trifle longer than bioad. rounded in front and furnished below with a blunt tooth at base. It i,- hor dered above at sides and in front by a yellowish line, below Avhicli it is more or less heavily marked in iron! by a transverse line of black. Prcnotum usually with lateral cnrin:;- yellowish, the disk flattened, quite coarsely punctate and granulate; the lateral lol.<- with anterior and posterior angles rounded. Tegmiua extending beyond the apex of the hind femora from one-fi ft h to one-third their length, their tips acuminateh rounded. Femora of front and middle legs below with 0-3 spines, those of hidd legs with spines 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 39 on both sides. Tibia; of all more or less infu-cnted. Ovipositor rather long and slender, as long or longer than the body, a little curved near the base. Antenna- rufous, becoming inl'iiscatnl api- cal ly. Length of body, male, -21--21 mm., female, iii-is mm.: of fasli- gium, male, 1.4mm.. female. l.G mm.: of prouotnin, male. 1:1 mrn.. female, G.7-7 mm.; of tegmina, male. :!;J mm., female, :>S-;;G mm.; of hind femora, male. 19 mm., female. 19-21 mm.: of oyipositoi, :!-..") 31 mm. HABITAT. Xew ,lerse\, Philadelphia neck, Pa. (,!. B. Smith); Maryland, Virginia (Bruner) ; Virginia (Pergaude). This insect approaches the C.yhHne who takes up the recent deserip li\ e works on I' redinacea- is surprised to see the number of species which depend on physiological characters." "The tendency to split up species on physiological grounds become-- more and more marked." "The explanation is to be sought in the fact that descriptive botany in certain groups of plants ;<) ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February has reached a point where the ordinary morphological charac- ters no longer suffice to classify what we know or wish to know about the plants themseKes." -i \Ve also feel warranted in believing that hereafter physiological characters will assume even a "'renter importance than at present in the character!/ ation of species." Anyone who is familiar with the systematic literature of botany knows how difficult it is to distinguish species even among the higher forms of plants on morphological grounds alone. The varieties of one botanist are apt to become the species of anot her : while both species and genera are trans ferred back and forth in a most astonishing manner. Dr. Gray once expressed theopinion that not more than one-third of the described species of oak were valid, and in one of his letters writes that the asters threatened to reduce him to blank despair. A well known authority in reviewing a recent work on grasses declares that six or eight good and valid spe- cies have been compressed into a single polymorphous one. The fact is that if minute differences were to be noted ever\ plant would represent a species. Something like this seems really to have happened in the case of the genus Sphagnum in regard to which a European bryologist remarks. SH u Tot sped mina, l o 01; Hvromsc orni >? It turns out that A>lmi., ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, October, 1893. is identic:) I with Hypomtscophus, Ck\\./Ann. Ma.tr. X:i(. Hist., October, 1898. Dr. Skinner cannot find out just w'.en the October ENTOMOI.IM.I. \i NEWS appeared, but 1 e >tates that it "is usually m-iilcd on or before t he last day of each month." Mc.-^rs. Taylor and KIMIUM^ inform me that the October Annals and Mnir. of Xat. Hist, wa* issued to the pulilic on September :ol li. at s.:{: i. in., which would be about ..;{( a. m. in I'biladeljibia. Such are the facts, and they leave us -.till in uncertainty. Unless more light is forthcoming, 1 am inclined to favor the use of M>'>-(>i>lif>iiivikta>t table. Lt must therefore li:i\c been mailed on September 30th, and owing to the diilerence of longitude, the London publication has priority of several hours. T. D. A. < '. 1S1>>] 41 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. I he < 'dud iictors of KNTO.MOI.O(;IC \ i, \ i:\vs -olieit ;i ml will t hank full. viveei \ e iteiii^ of news liki-ly to interest its readers from any source. The author's name will be given in each case, for the Information of cataloguers and iiihii should he remembered in sendinir special 01- important mattei- Tor a certain issue. Twenty-five "extras." wit hout change in form, will be given free, when they are Wanted; and this should he so stated on the MS., alomi \\ it h t he num- her desired. Tin- receipt of all paper's will be acknowledged. Ki>. PHILADELPHIA, PA., FKBKl'ARY, 1SU9. ' SoMKtime a.u'o an appeal tor assistance to advance the in- terests of entomology \\ as asked from a very wealthy woman in (bis city, and sncb assistance declined, on tbe ground thai sbe bad never wavered from a dislike to amateur collec- tions of insects immolated on pins and whose loii"- su fieri ni: no one could reali/e." Xow this all raises tbe question as to whetber tbe lady is correct in ber ideas on tbe subject. Iv :-n it' entomologists did immolate live insects on pins, it is probable I hat tbey would not sutler pain, but as a matter of fact tbe\ are killed before beinj;- ])inned. as otherwise tbey would be ruined as specimens. \\"hile insects do bave sensory ner\ e-. they are probably by no means as well developed as the motor nerves, which are essential in such active creatures. In the bibber orders of animals and those which brini;' forth fe\\ you !!<>, pain is necessary to protect life, and tbe loss of this protection in insects is compensated for by fecundity. There are also direct experiments to prove that insects do not suffer pain. It is said that a dragon -lly will eat from the end of its abdomen ;;s far as it may be fed toil. A I so if I he same insect be deprived of its abdomen and supplied with one of wax of the same si/.e and weight, I be insect will ,uo about its business and pursue mosquitos for food as I Inm.uh its anatomy had not been abbreviated. The nocturnal moths are also very tolerant of pins thrust through them in da\ time, but when niji'bl comes lhe\ endeavor to depart, pin. tree and all. if pinned to the latter. The writer has been accused of cruelty by lady friend-* in starviii",' to death the larti'e bombycid moths, which by tbe \\a\ , liave no moul h parts and only feed in tbe larva- condition. When our lady friends cease to wear sealskin coats, the plum age of beautiful birds and have the tails of their horses less Like effete dusl brn-he>. we \\ill be \\illin.u- to bear from them on the subject of eruelt\ to iusect>. 42 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February Notes and. Ne\vs. ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GLOBF.. NOTICE. Will correspondents kindly note that my address is now MESILLA PARK, New Mexico (Not Mesilla nor Las Graces)? T. D. A. COCKERELL. " THE regents of the University of New York have appointed Dr. Ephraim Porter Felt, State Entomologist. In the autumn of 1896 he was appointed Assistant State Entomologist under the late Dr. Lintner. The tenth to the twelfth Reports of the State Entomolo- gist were issued after his connection with the office." ADMIRAL DEWEY, it seems, is a great collector of butterflies, in addition Spanish vessels and other bric-a-brac. Philadelphia Ledger. Remark. If Admiral Dewey handler his specimens the way he did the Spanish fleet, he would not receive much in exchange for his duplicates. However, we aro pleased to learn that he is an en- tomologist. EPS. A NOTE ON COPULATION AMONG ODONATA The statement that in pairing the male dragonfly grasps the female by the prothorax or neck seems to have been generally accepted While this is true for AgrionicUe, so tar as I have had opportunity of observing, it is pos- sibly not true for JEschnida? and Libellulidse certainly r>ot true for all of them. During July, 1898, while collecting about Round Lake, in Northern Indiana, a pair of Celilln /n/x fnxciata was taken, and the male was found to be grasping the female by the head, the inferior appendage covering the occiput, while the supe- rior appendages rested against the reir of the head. In this case 1 held the pair in my fingers and separated the male from the female. Although unable to make so -positiA r e an observation in any other case, by carefully approaching pairs- of Celitlnin/x elisa. ('. (//<>iitn ,cta Sny, taken in copula. October i. 1893, in Delaware County, 1'a.. !>\ myself, killed ami pinned in the copulatory position. The appendages of the 'male -41 asp the head of the female In the man- ner above described by Mr. Williamson. P. P. CALVEKT. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 43 and female are usually submerged. II if male - -ra-ping the female and both clingirg to some aquatic ]tlnn( in which the eggs are being placed- In the ea-e of Cettthemis fasciata in flight the male iM-a.-p.- the female by the head. the leg- ot the latter hangini extruded. Tu copulation the abdoiy.eii of the male i- grasped by all the leg- of the female, or the second and third pairs of legs m i v gr.isp the ab- domen of the female herself. In ovipositing n, ( . UKl ] ( . illl( i female hover and flit about "in couple." the female frequently touching the tip of her abdomen to the water. E 15. AV n.i ,i \ M->N. < 'ar- negie Museum, Pittsburgh. iiflithi Linn. A> A FRUIT PKST. I do not remember to have seen a mention of this insert as a fruit pest I recently re- ceived a number of the beetles from Mr- George F. I'.reuiuger, who obtained them at Phoenix, Ariz , and writes corccrning them as follows: " They are the most destructive insect on fruit I have ever seen. They begin with the lir-t pen-lies that ripen ;:nd continue until about the first of October, when they dVippeir I ha ,-e -ecu so many on a peach as to completely hide it. and they go to the ground with much buzzing when the fruit drop> You will notice tbe cutting apparatus on the top of the head with which it dig- up the flesh of the fruit. It also feeds to -ome extent on melons and tomatoes." C. P. GILLETTE. Is Ceratomia catalpoz sp read ing northward? In t lie November number of THE NEWS (page 231 ) this southern species is recorded from Delaware County. Pa. In 1893 I received through Prof. Bcekwith. then of Delaware College, two -pecimens of this moth from Sussex County, Del., and in 189J. in a large <|uantity of electric light mn terial taken in this city (Wilmington, Del.), 1 found a single speci men; but this year the larvse have appeared on the catalp-i tier- in great numbers, and the moths v ere not rare at the lights: >< that in this Stale ('i-rltnnled in number-, where it ua- formerly very rare. FRANK M. JONES, Wilmington. Del. GRASSI-IOPPKK> r. NKW M I.XK . Tlii- \car IMI-^ i v. e have had qnitea plague of gra hopper- in the Me-ilh ^'aliey. The -pccie- couceraed were all residents. The princi])al otl'ender beinti" M /////\ (li_t)'ri-i-nlitih'x. with M. ft niiir-i-iiiii-iiiii a tair-cci.nd. M. nfitf/is was common, but seemed to re-trict it-eW almo-t entirely to t he native graes Tlic interesting feature of the attack \\a- that it \\asirt participated \D by three Melanopliiii (I prefer Ilii- term for the tribe to Melauopli). which were very common in the ina mediate vici nit v. Melanoplus herbaceus occui'l'eA in immen-e num- bers on the I'luriicu borealis,^ 7-.'./'o////\ eleyans was equally abundanl on .1 ////)/( .r cnmx,-, ,,.-. while HI-.-/H f<>i'< lli\ riri i|uite com- mon on JJ/t/c'nr/ti 'or loscoma] heterophylla VAr^ wriyhtii. Kaeh of tlie-r >iicrics is (H>lorcd like its food- pi i nt . and never by an\ chance leave- it for the cult ivaled tield-. H ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February At Tularosa.X. M., this tall. I was surprised to find great num- bersof a Mdrinot>lnx quite new to me, allied to M. bfrfllntiifi. It proves to be J/ ihtnn8,) a species only known hitherto by a single male captured by Bruner in the State of Durango, Mexico ! Its lial)its are quite like those of differ- entialtfi and birtff A. ('<>< KEHELL. We are accustomed !o heur of large spider^ coming from tropical regions in bunches oi b mams. The ordinary statement about these spiders is that they are " tarantulas" The genuine "tarantulas" belong to the family Theraphosidae. and the known habits ot these spiders are not such as would lead o.ie to suppose th it They would seek shelter in banana bunches. " Tarantulas" are ground spiders and rarely climb tivcs. So it is not surprising tint the large spid- . long le>anda hairy body, -o it is probable tint most of t he " tarantulas " from bananas ai e referable to thi> species The other spider -enl me as occurring amoiiy bananas is licit r<>- /iixld rciKiton'ii l/inn . the so-called huntsman spider, a common inhabitant of all tropical countries. Specimens have been seen from Xew York City and Corvallis. Ore. This spider belongs to the family Sparassida 1 . ch>>ely related to I lie Thomisid.-c. They spin no 1399 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS | , webs, but wander hi seuvh of prey Thi- species ts quite flat, and has very long' lei:s. The female cairi;-- her co-o-_ >:lr under th--- hod\ . Xothinir i> known n-i: irdin;r the poisonous qualities of tluse spider-. lni they are probably ranch les> danirerons than the true " i aran- tul;i>." NATHAN II \NV-. AN ArrEAL IN IlKii \ 1.1 'U KN I<>MC>I.<>< <, AND l\ INMI;I;D Si II-.NI i .-. In the interest of entomology, it Mould lie a irood plan if"ver\ ento- moloiiist in ( lie Tinted States would petition their representative** in ( 'oniiTe.-s lo li;i , e paragraph (iM! of tlie tariff l:iw of |S'.:7 amended, so that specimens of natural hi-tory tor -cientilic collert ions l,e admitted free of duty, whether intended I'm private or puldi<- u-'. The paragraph in (|iie>ti:>n come- under I h; 1 free li>l . and read> a- follows: "Spei'imei> of irilural liistory. hotiny and ii)ineralo'\ v, hen imported for scientific puMic collections, and not for -ale." A law that tends to discourau'e private scientific iv-eirch in natu- ral history should be h lot ted out imuiedht"l\ . a> it is a di-Li'raee (o a civilized nation. Kntoiuolo^y. especi \]\\ , merils all t lie encourage meut possible, and one of I lie best ways of helping I he can -e \\ ould be to remove the barrier from the private >tudent. All who re-id this are earnestly requested iminedi-ili 1\ to petition their repre-eni ativesnt Washing ton, urging 1 1 ha f the section in ([iie-tion be amend ed.and that \\ithout dela\. KDV/AUH A. KI.A--: -. \<>TK> ON in; lii-;.\n I P I . >'i <'I>I;NI;I; m MKNKO. At present the northern part o!' the State of (inerrero i- onsidered to be the lea-i known di.-trict of the rei)iiblic. Lyin- belwei'ii the route from Toluca to ('olima and the old road from Acapulcoup to Chilpan- cino'o ;n;d Mexico ('ity. it is almost mil raveled. < >n ac.-oiinl of the lon- drv season it is but little cultivated, and the hills. are sparsely covered with stunted tree-. The alt ilude ranges from l.iion to -J (KM feiM. with " eerros" of :!.'<><) to :).uni) feet . The numerous gold and quicksilver mines of the region and the "(.ran Paciiico" railroad, which is building, will s:on brin^ I he >: HI n I ry i nlo ]ir;>mi- iien -e Though at the present lime Dec., '98] lliedrx s-is'in i-onl\ fairly begun," the apparent in-e-t fauna is hardly :> percent, of that of the rainy season. There is still a ^ood \ariei\ of Orthoptera, especially L< ic 1 1 -I id,' a i (1 ( Jry II id a-. ( tdonata are. of cour-e. to be found ahum the Hio Mescala and Uio ( 'ociila : t now. but one of ! he 1110-1 intei est in- corner- of l he neot ropica I re>ioii i. -Inn ii I'IU'HS O N\' . I ' A I;I;K ri . Tacnlaya. \^. V . Mexico. IN Mr \Vellc-' ariicle i I )e-u ud ive Work of l>arcmma Calal- la- '. in your hecember number, the menfion of unusual abundance 46 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February of Deilephila liuenta larvae calls to mind a similar occurrence in this section in 1897. which, judging from reports from other locali- ties in the great western dry belt at that time, was probably of far- reaching extent. From even as far south as the Rio Grande Valley came a newspaper report, with the usual journalistic coloring, say- ing that millions of large striped worms, large as a man's finger, each with a horn on the end of its tail, were marching across the country in a body. These worms had never been seen there before, and no one could classify them. They did not stop nor turn back when they came to the Rio Grande River, but deliberately took to the current, and tlio-'e that were not swept away continued the line of march from the other side. This of conr-e. is the reporters sensational description of an extraordinary appeirance of some sphiugid caterpillar, possibly that of I), lineit<<. While 1 was engaged in netting Catocalas about a wooden station building of the railway at Green River, Utah, in August of the same year, a resident who observed me ventured the information that I should have been there in June. " for the whole desert wa then alive with big green striped worms.' The foot hills about Salt Lake City were, during the same period, over-run with countless myriads of the larvae of D liueata. They always preferred as food plant Clarkia rhomboidea. Rosa fend- l.eriana and Salix longifolia. Duringthe previous year (1896) these larva? Avere quite uncommon, but the moths were abundant I re member counting thirty ol the latter about a single electric lamp at one time, but during the season just past (18981 1 failed to find a single larva of this species, and but very few of the moths. - G. WESLEY BROWMM-. Salt Lake City. Utah. THE remarks in the December number of THE NEWS, about the prevalence of the different species of Pieris, interested me very much, because I find among my field notes -dine observations of the same nature. In 1895 P. oleracea was everywhere in the vicinity of Salt Lake City, from the. bottom of the valley to the neighborhood of nine or ten thous ind tVet above sea level. Since that tine it has steadily decreased until, during the last season, it has been almost a rarity her :, and as it has disappeared, P. rapae, which was not abundant in 189a, has increased prodigiously. P. protodiee. -o hra- 1 can judge, has remained of about the same numbers, being every year common hut at no time specially plentiful, f have often wondered what are l lie conditions that govern the limitations of lhe-e specie?. G- WKSLEY BROWMNC;. Salt Lake City. I'tah NOTE (IN CiiuYsxjPHANrs HKLI,<>II>I>. In 1S!>:> I leeeived from Ci'ih s(>me>|Hvimens of Chrysophanus helloides, and in September of the same year took at Roby. Ind., 7 specimens of what I at the timeof capture thought wa^ ('. li/r/>/>/t/< "* VVhen spread I com- |,S9J>] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 4- pared them with my cabinet specimens and fuuml them to be C. helloide-. On reporting this to some collectors who had been in- terested in this (Chicago) field for upward of 25 years, I was sur- prised to learn that the species had never beeu reported so far Eai An inquiry through the columns of THE ENTOMOLOGICAL NEW.* brought the information that its furthest previous Eastern appear- ance had been in Western Nebraska. 1 notified all the Chicago collectors to be on the lookout tor it in Is'Hj, with the result that it was reported from all parts of the dis- trict, and both in thespring and fall It is now found throughout the summer. as I have this year taken it in each mouth from May to September. Last fail, in making exchange with a Minneapolis, Minn., col lec- tor. 1 received a lot of Chrysophanus sp.? and at the same time a request for (."'. heUoides. In the lot received from my correspond- ent were nine specimens of heUoides, thus establishing a new local-- ity for the species. It seems to be spreading eastward, and I would like to hear from any one noting its occurrence further East or South than Chicago- JOHN L. HEALY. Sec. Chicago Entomological S. t ciety. o Entomological Ivi.teratu.re, COMPILED BY 1'. P. CALVERT. ruder the above head it is intended to mention papers received at tin- Acad- emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of the Americas i North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not he noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiology and embryolo^ of inserts, however, whether relating to American or exotic species, will he iv- eonled. The numbers in HEAVY-FACED TYPE refer to the journals, as n um- bered in tli- following list, in which the papers are published ; * denotes that tin- paper in question contains descriptions of new North American forms. Title- of all articles in foreign languages are translated into English; usually such articles are written in the same language as the title of the journal contain- ini; them, hut when s eh art ieles are in other lannuaues than Km:lish. French. trerman or Italian, this fact is indicated in brackets. 4. The Canadian Entomologist, London, Out . J >tv. 'its. 5. Psyche, Cambridge', Mass., Jan '!',). 7. Bulletin No. 18, new series, U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, Division of Entomology. Washington, "'.is. -9. The Entomologist, London, Jan. '!!!). II. The Annals and Maga- zine of Natural History. London, Dec. ? 98 21. The Entomologist - Record, London, Dec. 15, '98. 22. Zooloijischer Anzeiger, Leipsic, Dec. 12. '98. 33d. Denkschrifteu, kais Akademie der Wissenschaft- cn, Mathematisch-Naturwisserischattliche Classe, Ixiv, Vienna, '97 -33s Sitzuugsberichte of same, 84. Insekteu BOrse. Leipsic, '98. 4s ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February 99. Bulletins. Cornell (/Diversity Awriciiltnr.il Experiment Sta- tion, Ithaca, X. Y., Dee. '98. The General Subject. The Zoological .Record for 1897. London. '08. Brown, A. W. Araclvnida 50 pp., Myriopoda and Pro- totracheata 10 pp.; S h a r p , D., Insecta. 300 pp. B ra u d i- court, V . Protective colors, Bulletin, Societe Linneenne du Xord de la France, Amiens, Sept. -Oct., '97. C a r r et, A. M.F. Guillebeau and his entomological works (cont.), Lr'Echange, Re- vue Liuueenne. Lyon. Dec. '98. Com stock, J. H., and \eedham. J . G . The wings of insects iv, tigs., The Ameri- can Naturalist, Boston. Dec '98. D a n b y . W H . and G reen . C. DeB. Report on the Entomology of British Columbia, 1 pi. Bulletin of the Natural History Society of British Columbia. Vic- toria, 1893. H e y n e, A Hints on use of duplicates for the enrich- mentof one's own collection, 84, Dec. 22. H o w a r d , L . O. The dispersion of terrestrial species in general and of insects in particular hy the agency of man. [Fi-ench transl.] Notes et Revue, Archives de Zoologie Experimental et Geuerale (3) vi, 3. Paris, '98. On d em an s. ,} T h . De Nederiandscbe Insecten. Aflever- ing 9 s Gravenbage. Martinus Nijhoft'. '98. (Lepidoptera pp. 385-432. Diptera pis. xx-xxii.) S c h a u f s u s, C . The signifi- cance of formol for the insect collector, 84, Dec. 8. S e m p e r , G . Die Nachtfalter-Heterocera, ZteLieferung, 7 pis. Reisen im Archi- pel der Philippine!! von Dr. C- Semper, /ter Theil. "Wissenschaft- liclie Kesultate, 6 ter Band. Wiesbaden. C. W. Kreidel's Verlag. 1898. T i c h o m i r o w , A . On the anatomy of the insect te>tis. h'gs., 22. W e 1 1 e r , S . A bibliographic index of North Amer- ican Carboniferous Invertebrates. United States Geological Survey. Bulletin 153. Washington, '9s. Economic Entomology. A n o n. The introduction of beneficial lady birds from Australia into India. 7: Recent injury by the sugar- cane beetle and related species. 7: A new enemy to the grape vine in Mexico, 7 : Cotton field insects, 7 : An interesting case of myiasis, 7; A radical novelty in chinch hug work, 7. B an d o i n, ]\I . The employment of ants in operative medicine, Revue Scieutifiquc du Bourbonuais, Moulin*. Dec- !5, '9S. B e h r , H . H. Notes on ticks, 7. B r a n e r. F . Contributions to the knowledge ot extra- European CEstrid;p and parasitic ]VIiHcari:i', 1 pi., 33d. C h i 1 1 en - den. F. H. Biologic note on C0] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. |<) H . Cyanide ot potassium as an insecticide. (Gardeners' Chronicle. London. Dec. 17. '!s. E 1 e t c h c r . -F . Tlie Hessian fly attack- ing' timothy, 4. ( o u Id. II. 1'. Second Report on the San .lose scale, with remarks on the effects of kerosene on foliage, tigs . 99.no loo. (i r a s s i , B. Relations between malaria and arthro- pods, Kendieonti, Accademia dei Lincei, Home, Dec- 4. -'98. H o \v - ard, L. O. The work against /<<'///<( />//n7m.sV in Portugal. with an account of the introduction from America of A'o/-///\ cur- .l : The San .lose scale on dried fruit, 7. H u h bard . H . (i. andPergande, T. AnewCoccidonbirch,fig8.,*7. Ki ng. (i. B. China asters infested by a Coccid.5. () s b o r n . 11 . The Hessian fly [Oc/V/o//////V/ ilt'sfruchtr'} in the United Stales. 8 text tigs., 2 pl>_ Bulletin Ki, new series. U. S. Dep't. of Agriculture. Division of Entomology. Washington. I). C.. 'its. P e r g a n d e . T. The peach Lecanium, tigs.,* 7: A new plant louse on tobacco.* 4- S 1 i u g e r 1 a n d . M . V . The grape-vine flea-beetle, tigs.. 99. No. 157. Numerous minor " Notes from Correspondence" in 7. Arachnida. K o w a I c v s k y . A . A new lymphatic gland in the European scorpion, 2 pis.. Memoires. Academie Imperiale des Sciences, St. Petersburg, v, 10 . r f)7. Rec'd Dec. 20, '9s.- N a I e p a , A . To knowledge of the Phyllocoptina-. o ]ils.. 33d. Thysanura Becker, K. Some remarks on the anatomy of Min-tiilix imn-itiiiifi Ltitr.. 22. Hemiotsra. Anon. The European bat bug [Artnilhiti />/'/ii*- //v7//J in America. 7. B e r g , (.' . Descriptions of new Hydro- metrida- ot the Argentine republic. Comunicaciones del Museo Xacional de Buenos Aires, i, 1. Aug. 24. '!)S. B r e d d i n . (i' llemipterological studies iv, Jahresbericht u. Abhandlungen, Xatnr- wissenschaftliche Verein in .Magdeburg, '98. C o c k e r o 1 1 . T. I). A. Two new genera of Lecaniine Coccidae, 9; Se? Hymenop tera. Cockerel I, T. I). A. and King, (i . B. Tin- Coc.-id genus Sitlm-rocoiTtis in Massachusetts,* 4. II u b It a r d . 11 . (, . and 1' e r g a n d e, T . See Economic Entomology. *- K i r k a 1 d y . (i . W . A guide to the study of British wnter- bugs (aquatic Kliyndiota). 9. M arlatt, C. L. A new nomen- clature for the broods of the periodical Cicada. 7. M ok r / h e 1 - ski. S. Some observations on the cycle of flic >e\nal devclop- menl of the " blood loiise" i \<-lti-.siaii by \\ Fireman). 7. M < n tgo m cry. T. II .. Jr. The spcrmatogenesis in r<-nlinsia, iv, (i pis.: v. K) pis. fin L'ltin], Ada Societali- Scienl iarum rennica-. xxiii. Hehing- fors. '!)?. Keird Dec. 21. '!)s. S < n d d e r . S. 11. An unknown trad ou American insects l\ Thorn i- Siy. 5. S \> e i ^ e r . 1* . A 50 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February uew bat-parasite of Hie order Heiniptera, tig., 22. T i n s 1 e y , J . D . Notes oil Coecida?, with descriptions of new species, figs.,* 4. Coleoptera. A n o n . Westward spread of the common asparagus beetle \_Criocerii asparayt"], 7. C li i t t e 11 d e 11 , F . H . See Economic Entomology. Pic, M. Description of Coleoptera [Melyrodes], Le NaturaJiste, Paris. Dec 1, 'its. Diptera. B r a u e r , F. Contributions to the knowledge of o the Muscaria schizometopa and description of two species of Hypo- derma.. I pi, 33s, cvi, 4-7, April-July, '97. Rec'd Dec. 20. '98. C o q u i 1 1 e 1 1 . D . W . See Economic Entomology *-K e 1 - logg, V. L. The month parts of the nematocerous Diptera. i. 5 S c u d d e r , S . H . See Hemiptera. Lepidoptera. B a c o t , A. Notes on hybrids (2nd and 3rd crosses) between Tephrosia hixfortaia and T. c.r<'ininctil(ti-ii Catalogue of the Insects of New Jersex ." pertaining to the Othoptera. The new list will contain 142 species of this order against 114 in the old, and every species has a definite record, whereas in the old list many records were merely guess work. The same large percentage of increase was shown in the other orders. He further stated that some specimens of Cmi'icr/i/Hi'iix recently taken in the ''Xeck," Philadelphia, had proven to be ('. r Hi-dt . heretofore only known to occur in Texas and Mexico. Mr. Johnson exhibited a specimen of ('innln .sv^/r/m/rm// taken at Edge Hill, Montgomery county, in .June last l>y Mr. H. S. Viereck. It evidently represented brood seventeen due in this State in is.)s, but the speaker had observed no speci mens himself. Dr. Smith said the brood due in New .lersex this yeai INKS was peculiar in its distribution ; it crossed the state diagonally from Trenton and then struck northward, though small iso lated broods occurred at Vim-land and near New IJruuswiek. \V:\I. .1. F<>\. Secret a rv. At the annual meeting of t he American Entomological So ciety held December '_'!', IS'.tS. the following were elected to serve as officers for the year IS'.K); President. Henry < '. Me Cook: Vice President. ('. \\ . .lohnson : Treasurer. !]. T. Cre son ; Kecordinu Secretary. Henry Skinner ; < 'or res pout ling Sec retarv. \V. ,T. Fox; Curator. Henrv Skinner : Librarian. \V . .1 . 50 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February Fox ; Publication Committee, E. T.Cresson, ('. F. Seiss, I>. F. Smith; Executive Committee, P. Laurent, ('has. Licbeck, H. W. Wen/el ; Finance ( 'oinmittee, .1. YV. McAllister. ('. S Welles. C. ('. Cresson. HKNKY SKINXKR. Secretarv. At a business meeting of the Entomological Section (tt'the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, held December ii2, ISDN, the following were elected to serve as officers for the present year: Director, Philip Laurent; Vice Director, H. YV. YVen/e] ; Treasurer. E. T. Cresson: Conservator, Henry Skinner; Recorder. Henry Skinner; Secretary. "W. ,1. Fox. HKNKY SKINNKK. Recorder. t \ THE WASP AS AN ENGINEER, Several members of the United States Engineer Corps were wit- nesses receutlv of a feat of insect engineering- near the road on which they were working. One of their number found a blue ground wasp dragging along the ground a dead swamp spider one-quarter the size of a full-grown tarantula Whether the wasp killed the spider or found it dead isa question beyond solution. He was hav- ing a hard time dragging 1 his prey along, and presently left it to go prospecting for his abode. The discoverer of the wasp called his companions, and one of them in coming stepped upon the wasp's ground hole, crushing down some blades of dried grass across it . This caused no little trouble to the insect, who, upon locating the hole, nipped away at the obstrutciug stalks with his strong mandi- bles until he had cleared a passage Then he went back and sized up the spider, walking around the big body and surveying it from all sides. "He's reckoning that the hole isn't big enough," s'lid one of the engineers. "That's all right: he'll h'x it," said another, as the insect went back and began vigorously widening the entrance to his domicile. Again he returned to the spider, seized it and dragged it to within a toot of the orifice. To the spectators it was evident that more work would have to be done before the spider could be dragged in. This struck the wasp, too. for again he ran around Ihe body, exam- ing it carefully, and returned to the hole to take measurements He went to digging a second time. Having dug for two minutes he brought his prey to the edge of the hole, nipped out a piece ol dirt here, cut away a grass stem there, and a Her liiteen minutes ol hard and skilful labor disappeared under ground, dragging the spider after him. douhiK-^to form the /in'rc ilc /vv/.v/r///rr in a win- ter storehouse. The engineers then resumed I heir \\ ork. exchanging c .>m merits of admir it ion. Cltfrat/o ln1rr-( train. January ninnhti- //x.v imiilcd .Itntmn'i/ .'<>tli. KNT NKWS, v.,1 10 1-1 III k ( } AMPELOGLYPTER SESOSTRIS ENTOMOLOGICflL NEWS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. VOL. X. MARCH, 1899. No. 3 CONTENTS : Webster Some Notes on the Grape- Cane Gall-Maker, Ampeloglypter Sesostris "tf Ashmead Three New Species in the Genus Diploplectron Fox 55 Tinsley and King The Tenth Ants' - Nest Species of Coccid from Mas- sachusetts 57 Walker The Sound-Producing Or- gans of Lenia Trilineata 58 Uhler A New Destructive Capsid .. 59 Coquillett A New Dipterous Family Related to the Chironomid;e 60 Hough Some North American Gen- era of the Dipterous Calliphdri M;I- Gerschner <>- Editorial 67 Notes and News 68 Entomological Literature 71 Doings of Societies 7S Obituary *0 Exchanges i SOME NOTES ON THE GRAPE-CANE GALL-MAKER, AMPELOG LYPTER SESOSTRIS (Coieoptera ) * BY F. M. WEBSTER. In his First Report as State Entomologist of Missouri, p. 131, Dr. C. \ . Ki ley describes this species under the name Maduni* //7/.S-, stating- that the larva formed its gall in the Fall, pupating- in June and developing to the adult about two weeks later. He therefor gave as a remedial and preventive measure the collecting and burning of infested canes during Winter. In the " American Entomologist," Vol. II, p. 10"). the same writer states that the galls first become visible towards the latter end of July, the larva- producing them wintering over within these galls, but not becoming full grown until the Spring of the following year, pupating during the latter part of June and in a couple of weeks developing to adults. On May <>, ISDN, a lot of dried leaves were brought from a vineyard near the lake shore about (iypsum, ()., where 1he\ had fallen the Autumn before and been blown 1>\ the winds into bunches along an Osage orange hedge, remaining there throughout the Winter and placed in a breeding cage in 1 lie insectary. From among these leaves adults of .1. * Read before I he < thin stair Academy <>!' Science, I >c<-cml>er '."A 54 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March began to appear May 23, and continued t do so in consider- able numbers for several days. On June 24 my assistant visited the vineyard Jfrom which the leaves had been taken, and found a large number of galls on the new growth of cane, and within these galls were larv;e of considerable size. The same vineyard was again visited by myself on August 11, when all stages of development ex- cept the egg were found within the galls, the larvae now being- all of them nearly or quite full grown, while some of the adults were observed in the act of making their way out from the galls. I visited this vineyard again on September 15, and could then find only a single pupa (), after long and patient searching, this being in a gall in the latter growth of cane, all other galls, except for parasites, being entirely empty. A later examination, made early in November, revealed not a single adult in the galls, but a solitary one (a, ft) was discov- ered among the fallen leaves, where it was probably in hiber- nation. In this series of observations it seems to me that we have conclusive proof that in Northern Ohio at least the species is single brooded, the adult wintering over among fallen leaves and other similar rubbish, coming forth in Spring in time to begin ovipositiou in the earliest growth of cane. The greater abundance of galls in the earlier growth of cane points to the fact that the adults are abroad in numbers, and ready to begin ovipositiou, as soon as there is sufficient growth of young cane to afford them the necessary nidus, and while the period of ovipositiou for the species in any one locality may be, and probably is, considerably protracted, though, as previously shown, the season of development is over by the first of October. From within the galls I have taken pup?e from which a par- asite, Catol('ci<* ti/lodrniid (//), known loalso attack the larva- of Ti/lodfrtiHi fort'olatuiii, was also reared. and also pupa; (//) of a small fly, Myiophasia (citrtt (/). Of three of these latter pupa-, two gave me adult flies, while the third developed a secondary, hymeuopterous parasite (/), ('(tli/jtfit* tih'mtoi-. As the locality where these observations were made is fully three degrees of latitude north of St. Louis, Mo., it is quite possible that there may be a considerable difference in the habits of this species, and this seems all the more likely from 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. ;,;, the fact that while the climate along the lake shore is really milder iu Winter than it is a few miles farther inland, vet the ice in the lake, in Spring, usually remains long- enough to delay the putting forth of the early growth of cane, and also tends to keep the insect longer in hibernation. It is also inter- esting to note that although the hibernating adults were placed under a comparatively high temperature, probably from 65 to 80 Fah., yet they did not bestir themselves until about the time when proper facilities for oviposition would be offered them in their native haunls. KXIM. A NATION OF PLATK. Am/pelogtypter sexostris (Lee.) : , />, respectively, back and side view of adult ; r, larva ; d, pupa ; <\ galls in grape cane; /, Mi/iojilmxid IIIIKI; //. pupa case of same; //. ('tiln/iicriiN t>/Io- dermct! ; I, Cali/jita* tih'mtor. o THREE NEW SPECIES IN THE GENUS DIPLOPLECTRON FOX ' Hynieuopterai. I*>Y WILLIAM H. ASIHIKAD, Ctu-f of antenna 1 , tegnhe. anterior and middle legs and bind tiba 1 pale t'errngiiK.n-. (2) D. bnmneipes ( 'r. .::; ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March Pronotum black. Face with a triangular white spot at lower angle of inner orbits; clypeus white bidentate anteriorly, the anterior edge and teeth black; mandibles except tips white; an- terior femora beneath their tibia? and tarsi, and the mid- dle and hind tibia? and tarsi, rufous. (3) D. bidentatus Asm., n. sp. Face black; clypeus anteriorly rulous, simple, not dentate; mandibles except tips, anterior and middle tibia? and tarsi, hind tarsi and usually the tip of abdon ci.. rufous. (4) I), foxii Atl.n:., n. sp. (1) D. ferrugineus, u. sp. $ Length 4.6 mm. Uniformly pale ferruginous, except apex of mandibles, a spot between the ocelli and base of metathorax above, which are black. The three or four apical abdominal seg- ments are also more or less dusky or blackish. Wings hyaline, with a large smoky blotch behind the third cubital cell and including the apical half or more of the cell. Head and thorax, except meta- thorax, smooth, polished. Hab. Colorado. Type, No. 5061, U. S. N". M. (Baker Toll.) (2) D. bidentatus, n. sp. 9 Length 7 mm. Black; face with a triangular spot at base of inner orbits, a narrow line beneath the eyes, the clypeus except anterior margin, and the mandibles except tips, white. Clypeus produced .anteriorly into two black teeth ; flagellum brownish beneath ; legs black, the anterior femora beneath and all tibia? and tarsi, rufous. The head anteriorly is closelv punctate, the vertex coriaceous, with some scattered or sparse punctures; thorax .shining, but sparsely punctate. Metathorax rugulose, opaque; abdomen shining, but veiy delicately microscopically reticulated . Wings hyaline, with a large smoky cloud behind the marginal cell and in- cluding the apex of the cell ; stigma and veins piceous or dark rufous. Hab. Colorado. Type, No. :><><;:;. I . S. N . M . ( Baker Coll. > (3) D. foxii, n. sp. $ Length 56.5 mm. Bhu-k: mandibles, except tips, the ante- rior and middle tibite and tarsi, hind tarsi and terminal ahdrminal segment, rufous. Wings subhyaline, with a dusky cloud behind the truncate marginal cell. Hind tibia? behind. Avith a white line formed of silver y white hairs. Head and thorax, except metathorax, polished, impunctate; metathorax finely rugulosc. Hab. Colorado. Type, No. r.O*)!'. I" . S. X . M . < I'.akcr ( Wl.) 1899 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. Antenna- and les of Riper sia minimus. THE TENTH ANTS'-NEST SPECIES OF COCCID FROM MASSACHUSETTS. BY J. D. TIXSLEV and GEO. B. Ki\<;. Ripersia minimus, ij. sp. Alult v. L3n^th biraly 1 nrii.; coverd.'l with while secretion; color re Id ish brown : rather plump. No lateral or caudal fi laments observed with a hand-leuse. Ovisac, en- closing the female, ellipsoidal, about 2 mm. long and 1 1 4 mm. wide. Clear white, rather compact, cottony nutter. Eggs oval, pale yellow, quite small Antennae concolorous with the body or nearly so ; 7-jointed. 7 long- est aul thickest, 65-75 u long ; 2 and 3 usual- ly subequal, although 2 may be the longer, and 1 is sometimes longer than 3,2 and 3 about 40 u long : joint 1 is usually about 30 u long ; 6.5 and 4 ara more or Iss^ globular in shape and usually 6 is the longer and 4 and 5 are subequal, although 4 may be the shortest ; G i':> oat 23 u loii?, 4 and 5 about 25 u Ion?. Tiie following formulae have been observed: 7213(46)5-721(346)5. 7(23) 1645-7(12)3465. 7(23)16(45) 7231654 All the joints bearing rather large hairs. Legs concolorous with tha body, rather stout and largecomparad with the size of the body Femur 101 u long x 45 m wide; tibia 93 u long ; tarsus 60 u long ; tarsal digitules slejder hairs without knobs ; claw stout, with rather large denticle, 17 ulong; digitules of claw long, slender knobbed. Epidermis beiring rather numerous gland spots and some scattered, rather large hairs. The margins of the abdominal segments beat- groups of conical spines, usually two conical spines in a group. Anal ring with the usuil six hairs. Caudal tubercles normal, each with a r it her large seta, 100 u long, and several large hairs anil conical spines. Habitat. South Lawrence, Mass., October 15, 1898, on the root of a plant in the nest of Lnx!ns .Intrririi.inis Em. This is the smallest Dactylopiid with which we are yet ac- quainted, being probably a little smaller than liifnTxhi nnni- < /'.% Mask, which is given as 1-24 inch = 1 mm. This dill'crs from R. rn>ii ; <-ix Mask, in being 7 -jointed and not having the antennae so close together. FIG. 1. Upper side of posterior seg- ments of abdomen, showing position of sound-producing organ. - s ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March THE SOUND-PRODUCING ORCANS OF LEMATR1LINEATA. BY C. M. WALKER, Amherst, Mass. When Leuia fri/htcata is irritated or disturbed in any way it makes a curious shrill, squeaking sound, and if the insect be carefully watched, it may be observed that in producing this sound the tip of the ab- domen is raised and vibrated very rapidly, causing it to move back and forth against the underside of the elytra. Upon examining the struc- ture of the parts concerned, a hard horny area was found on the dorsum of the last segment of the abdomen (Fig. 1), composed of regular transverse ridges and divided by a median depression. This hard chitinous area is somewhat triangular in shape with the base at the middle of the ante- rior margin of the segment and the rounded tip near the middle. There are numerous hairs and spines]scattered tne remaining F](J o _^ p p er s j c } 6 of posterior segment of abdomen. portion of the S eg- 8howins ouml-prodm-in -orsan. ment (Fig. 2). With the aid of the compound microscope each elytron, especially on the tip and along the inner edge, was found to be covered with short spines directed posteriorly. The spines appeared to be of two kinds. Those along the extreme edge were larger and longer and fewer in number than those just back of the edge, which were of the character of modified scales. These scales were more or less flattened and were elevated at a slight angle, as seen when observed laterally. In order to produce the sound the beetle raises the end of the 1S<>9] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. abdomen, ami, bringing it in contact with the spines on the elytra, sets the tip of the abdomen in vibration. By the con- stant rubbing of the spines against the roughened portion the curious sound is made. The spines being directed posteriorly, the sound is produced only when the tip of the abdomen is raised. The sound is therefore intermittent, although it appears continuous because of the rapidity of the vibrations of the abdomen. Since both sexes possess these organs, it does not seem prob- able that the sound is used for sexual attraction. This beetle has a pungent, disgusting odor, which possibly makes it dis- tasteful to birds or other enemies. It may be that this sound is used as a note of warning. A NEW DESTRUCTIVE CAPSID. BY P. E. UHLEK. Dicyphus minimus, n. sp. A slender, cylindrical, black, polished, resembling D.('(il(fpot ; membrane dusky, veins and veins of wings blackish. Abdomen greenish, more or less black on the sides and at tip. Length to tip of venter :?!%, 92 mm., to tip of hemelytra -J , mm- Width of pronotum }.> mm. Numerous specimens of both sexes have been sent to me from various parts of Florida. 60 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March A NEW DIPTEROUS FAMILY RELATED TO THE CHI- ROINOMIDAE. BY D. W. COQUILLETT, Washington, D. C. Among a very interesting collection of Diptera recently re- ceived from Mr. C. W. Johnson for naming is a female speci- men of a very singular fly, which I am unable to locate in any known genus or family. The shape and structure of the head, body and legs, and the unusual development of the first an- tennal joint, appear to indicate its nearest approach to the genus Ceratopogon of the family Chironomidce ; but the vena- tionj as well as the general appearance of the insect, is very different from anything now located in that family. The pat- tern of venation is apparently a modification of that of a O/v/- topof/ott, in which the third vein coalesces with the first and the fourth vein is forked (see the figure by Winnertz in Lin nre Entomologica, vol. VI, plate VI, figure 41). By a further union of the veins, resulting in the coalescence of the median portion of the first and fourth veins, and by the addition of a second fork to the fourth vein, the venation of the present form would be produced. Although its relationship to the genus O/vr/o/>w/o;< is thu s seen to be a rather intimate one, still the general aspect is strikingly different ; besides the difference in venation already ready referred to, the unusually long and narrow wings, the widely separated eyes of the female, the concave instead of strongly convex vertex of the head, unite in giving the new form a very different appearance as compared to a ft'ntto- pogon. The antennte, which are broken off at the tip of the first joint in the single specimen before me, which, Mr. John- son writes me, is the only one he succeeded in capturing, and 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. the possession of a male specimen, may brim/ to light other differences than those revealed by the present .somewhat mu- tilated specimen. Even these differences an-. 1 believe, of sufficient importance to demand the establishing of a new family, the StenoxenidaB, an opinion also shared by Mr. .John sou. The description of the m-w genus and species is as fol- lows : Stenoxenus johnsoni, new genus iind species. Head narrower than the thorax; when viewed from iu front twice as broad as high . vertex slightly concave, lower half of face sparsely covered with bristles, eyes of female widely separated, deeply emarginate oppo- site the antennae, bare, wholly covered with facets of a uniform size; ocelli absent; proboscis about one-third as long' as heighth of head, very thick, les< than twice as long- as wide: palpi about one-half as long' as heighth of head, pendulous, sub-cylindrical. composed of three distinct joints which are sub-equal in length, and apparently with a very short one between the last two; first joint of antenna? unusually large, compressed, about one and one-half times as broad as long, eimrgiuate at the apex (remainder of an- tennae wanting). Body destitute of bristles, thorax truncate in front, not projecting over the head, destitute of a transverse suture abdomen slightly narrower than the thorax aud nearly twice as long, tapering posteriorly, the apex blunt. Legs slender, destitute of bristles, hind tibia? each bearing a short stout spur at the apex Of the inner side, the others destitute of apical spurs ; front tibia* twice as long as the first tarsal joint, the latter on all the tarsi much longer than any ot the other joints : tarsal claws sin.'ple, empodium and pulvilli wanting. Wings bare, unusually long and narrow, projecting about one-third of their length beyond the tip of the abdomen, venation as iu the accompanying figure: costal vein con- tinued around the tip of the wing, but becoming obsolete on the basal part ot the posterior margin; auxiliary, second and third veins wanting, first vein distinct at its base and apex only, else- where united with the fourth, which is forked near its middle, the upper branch also forked near its base: fifth vein forked near its middle. Halteres normal, color black, polished, lower part of face. mouth parts, coxa-, from and middle femora and the hind ones ex- cept their apices, also the middle tibia- and their tarsi vellow, apices of hind femora, front and hind tibiae and their tar-i ln-osvn; halti-rcs brown, their bases yellow: hairs of the body very short. light yellow: wing< whitish-hyaline, the vein- dn>kv yellowish- those near the po-t error margin only slightly lighter in color than ilm-e along the COSta, apical portion ot first vein faint. Length X nun. Delaware Water (Jap. New Jersey. A Dingle female -peri- men raptured July llth by Mr. ('. \V. .Join i-on. and \>\ him kind I y presented to the National Museum. Type No. 62 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March SOME NORTH AMERICAN GENERA OF THE DIPTEROUS GROUP, CALLIPHORINAE GIRSCHNER. BY GARRY DE N. HOUGH, M. D. The masterly researches of Herr Ernst Girschuer have thrown a flood of light upon the Cimmerian darkness of the classification of the Muscida?. One of the groups clearly es- tablished by him is that of the Calliphorime, the ISTorth American genera of which form the subject of this paper. The super- family Muscidse is thus defined by Prof. Willis- ton : Proboscis functional or rudimentary. In the former case usually short and with pseudotracheate labellse, but sometimes elongate and adapted for piercing ; palpi sometimes rudimentary, never jointed. Antenna? always three-jointed, the third joint simple, pound, oval or elongate, compressed and always (except in Crypto- chaetnm, where it is entirely absent), with a bare, pubescent or plumose, dorsal or subapical arista. Auxiliary vein sometimes ru- dimentary, often more or less coalescent with the first longitudinal vein, usually distinct in its entire course; never more than one submarginal and three posterior cells present; the submarginal and marginal cells always open; basal cells never large, the second basal sometimes coalesceut with the discal cell, the anal cell present or absent; posterior cross vein rarely absent. Pulvilli always pres- ent ; empodia wanting ; claws of the male often larger than those of the female. For over sixty years dipterologists have divided the Mus- Hdie into two great series : Calyptratre and Acalyptrata-. In general there is no difficulty in determining to which series a given form belongs, but to this rule there are exceptions. Girschner's definitions seem better than any others known to me. They are as follows : Acalyptratae Squamula alaris always distinctly developed, hut never very large; squamula thoracalis usually lacking, at most present as an insignificant widening of the f re num squamulare. Posthumeral and intraalar rnacrochaetse not simultaneously pres- ent. Thorax usually without a complete transverse suture. Pos- talar callus absent. Hypopleural macrochaet* absent. Calyptratae. Squamula alaris always distinctly developed: squam- ula thoracalis very variable in size, in the higher forms larger than the squamula alaris, often very much larger. Both posthumera and intraalar macrochaBtae present. Thorax with a complete transl- verse suture. Postalar callus present and separated by a distinct suture from the dorsurn of the thorax. Hypopleural macroclwt:r present or absent. Even these definitions, as Girschner has pointed out. are 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. ,;;; not absolute, certain forms, especially among the Seatomy- /Maraud Sapromyzidse, being; by the definition. < 'al\ ptrat;e. while other very closely allied species are, by the definition. Acalyptratae. Both these families are considered as families of the acalyptrate series l>y the best anthoiities. (firschuer separates the Calyptrata 1 into two grand divi- sions: Authoiuyidae and Tachinid;e. which are by no m*an> identical with the families usually understood by those nann->. Anthomyidae. Hypopleural maerocluietae absent, If three steruo- pleuril macrochaetse Jare present their arrangement i> always i;-2. Elbow (if any) of the fourth longitudinal yein witliout appendix. Ventral membrane usually present. Development of the squamuh; thoracalis very variable. Tachinidae. Hypopleural macrochaeta? present. If three steruo- pleural macrochsete are present their arrangement is always 2:1 or 1:1:1. Fourth longitudinal vein almostalways with an elbow, which frequently has an appendix. Ventral membrane usually not pres- ent. Squaniu la thoracalis always well developed, larger than the squamula alaris, sometimes very large. (Jirschner splits np his Tachinidu 1 into nine groups, one of which is the Calliphorinae, which may be thus defined : Calliphorinae. Hypopleural bristles present. Ventral membrane very rarely visible. Second ventral segment, in both sexes, lyini; with its edges upon and covering the edges of the correspond in_ dorsal segment, the other ventral segments lying free, at any rate in the male. Fifth ventral segment of the male frequently greatly developed, with its caudal border incised to a point beyond the middle. Usually only two posterior intraalar bristles. Color very frequently metallic. Arista, as a rule, long, plumose. Stigmata sometimes very large. Front of the male narrowed (eyc> som times in contact), that of the female wide. ^ The following American genera belong to this group: !'<>! l, r/iorniiti and Protocalliphora. It is (juite probable that the Mexican genera, TI/I-COHIIIHI and ('/i/i>i't>r/i]>xoiiii/i(i differ from the other genera ot the group in having the vibrissal angle some diMance dorsad of the edge of the mouth opening. I'ltllni'm has the thorax thickly beset with line, soft, woolly hair in addition to the inacroeh;rt;v. Fresh specimens show this very well, but if 4 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March the specimen is somewhat worn the woolly hair can often only be seen on the mesoplenra or on the pteropleura beneath the wing. Compsomyia has no woolly hair and the clorsum of the thorax is distinctly striped. For this latter genus the name C7*/7/.s'on//a, proposed by Desvoidy in 1830, should have priority over Compsomyia. Of PoTlenia I have seen but one Xorth American species, P. mdis Fabr. Of Chrysowi/io I have two species, the common (\ ms vein convex outwardly. The third longitudinal vein either without spines or with a very few at the extreme base. Genae naked. Cjinomia is a genus for which 1 find structural characters in the male sex only. The arista is usually plumose for not more than two- thirds! its length. The hypopygium is very prominent ; the apex of the abdomen ends with a pair of large, slightly curved, pointed processes, which are directed eephalad along the ventral surface of the abdomen, and usually more or le^- concealed by the fifth ventral segment ; this fifth ventral seg- ment is split in the median line from its caudal border about half way to its cephalic border. The female presents the most striking likeness to female Calliphorse. Neither the shape of the head, the extent of plumosity of the arista, nor the chsetotaxy being invariably such as to enable the sepa- ration to be made. It is true that an anterior iutraalar, or a third posterior achrostical macroclueta, is rarely present, but their presence, though rare, is a bar to making their ab- sence a generic character. I have found myself obliged to rely upon the rather more elongate form of CI/HOIIIHI and still more upon the pure metallic color of the abdomen, which is almost absolutely free from pollinose coating (except in ('. <'/<>IK/ini I know four species: nioi'litonnii \<, tniici-ictnid Hough, cllior HUHIII/H. Schiner in 1862 recognizes CallijrfnH'd and Lin-ilia and includes Phormia in the latter. Finally at the present time Prof. Brauer accepts C/ior and Liir!H, but does not mention Phonnia. The fact is that a satisfactory characterization of these genera is very difficult. Still, I believe that it can be found in the arrangement of characteristic macro- and micro- cheetae of the geuae, thorax and third longitudinal vein of the wing. To these characters I would add the form of that part of the thorax which is candad the transverse suture. To complete the satisfactory distribution into genera of all the species of this group known to me I must establish a fourth genus, which I propose to call P>-o1<><-ln>r for the two species Miinrti />ord the number of dorsocent ral and achroslical bristles caudad the suture is unvarying lor an\ species, and each individual macrochu-ta is well developed. In all the species that I have seen these dorsocent rals number three and these achrosi icaU either two or three. In riioniiid and I'ro/ontl/i/i/inni the posterior dorsocent rals. and achrosticals, one or both, vary in number or are poorh developed. Calltphora.Type ('. /-O////YO/VV/ L.thonix not flattened, caudad the transverse suture. Iii any sp cies the number of posterior dor- socentrab aud achrosticals is const-int, and botli seric> ron>i-t of well developed marrodueta 1 . Tlie geua? seen with an amplification of twenty diameters are distinctly hairy. The third longitudinal <66 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March vein has spines at its base only. The dorsal sin-face of the squamula thoracalis is hairy . The species known to nie which belong here are : vomitoria "L., erythrocephala Meig., violacea Meig., anthmcina Meig., latifrom nov. sp. and ni.gr ibticca nov. sp., which is, perhaps, only a variety of erythrocephala. Lucilia. Type L., camar L, Thorax not flattened caudad the transverse suture. In any species the number of posterior dorsocen- trals and achrosticals is constant and both series consist of well de- veloped macrochsetse. The genas seen witb an amplification of twenty diameters are absolutely naked. The spines of the third longitudinal vein are not limited to the extreme base, but extend well along the vein toward the small cross vein, say from two fifths to three quarters of that distance. The dorsal surface of both squamulae is bare. The species of Lucilia known to me are: cct'scir L., wrieat.a Meig., nobilis Meig., sylraritm Meig. and spinicosta Hough. Phormia Type Phormia regina Meig. Thorax somewhat flattened caudad the transverse suture. In any species the number of posterior dorsocentrals and achrosticals is inconstant; moreover, the macro- chaeta? of each series are notequally well developed, the most caudad being much the largest, and each succeeding one, as we passcephalad along the series, being usually smaller until the last one or two are so small as to be distinguishable with difficulty or not at all fi-om the surrounding- microchaetae. The geuae seen with an ampli- fication of twenty diameters are distinctly hairy. The spines of the third longitudinal vein are not limited to tne extreme base, but extend, roughly speaking, half way to the small cross vein The dorsal surface of the squamula thorcalis is bare. The species of Phormia known to me are: ret/hut Meig. and grintJamlica Zett. ProtocaJlt'i>li f urly constant, though not so absolutely invariable in a species as in Lucilia and Calliphorn ; eich macrochaetse of the series is well developed and all are of about the same size The posterior achrosticals are less well developed than the dorsocentrals, are va- riable in number in the same species and even on the two sides of the same specimen; in any specimen they may vary in si/e, these farthest cephalad being smallest. Thegenae seen with an amplifi- cation of twenty diameters are distinctly hairy, the hairs being much coarser than in Phormia or ( '/t/'i/i/iora. The spines of the third longitudinal vein are not limited to the extreme base, but ex- tend about balf way to the small cross vein. The dorsal surface of both squamnUe is bare. I am acquainted with two species of this genus: .:ur<' Fall, and chri/Horrhwa Meig. 1899] ;: ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [The Conductors of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS solicit and will thankfullyreceive items of news likely to interest its readers from any source. The author's n.-imi- will be given in each case, for the information of cataloguers and bibliograph- ers.] To Contributors, All contributions will be considered and passed upon at our earliest convenience, and, as far as may be, will be published according to date of reception. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS has reached a circulation, both in numbers and circumference, as to make it necessary to put "copy" into the hands of the printer for each number three weeks before date of issue. This should be remembered in sending special or important matter for a certain issue. Twenty-five "extras," without change in form, will be given free, when they are wanted; and this should be so stated on the M.S., along with the num- ber desired. The receipt of all papers will be acknowledged. En. PHILADELPHIA, PA., MARCH, 1899. EDITORIAL. Prof. Smith, in his obituary notice of the late Mr. Hubbard, in this number, says : "A pupil of Mr. Schwarx in methods of collecting, he soon equaled his master, while in getting at tin I't'ti/li/ rlttirurfcrisfir fdinid of a ret/ion he irx mic.rrt'llctl."' There are few collecting entomologists in this country Unit have this happy faculty of getting at the characteristic fauna, and it is this and this alone that is of value in the study of geographical regions and the distribution of species. The ordinary superficial collector picks up all the cosmopolitan species and all the showy things that are widely distributed, and often overlooks everything else. Some time ago the writer received a small collection of butterllies from Tucson. Arixona, and there was not a single species in the lot that is not found in Pennsylvania. Another lot from Arixona was almost entirely made up of common Eastern species. \Ve are constantly in receipt of local lists for publication in Tin: Xi;ws that show this defect of superficial collecting, and. therefore. they are hardly worth the room they take up. Mr. Hubbard's letters and Held notes will be published in Tin: N i:\vs. and. doubtless, much information on these points will be available from this prince of collectors. We wish our collectors of expe rieuce would publish more about their methods, for the bene lit of the entomological fraternity. 68 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March Notes and News. ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GLOBE. ON THE LARVA OF EVERGESTIS FUNALIS, GROTE.- Late iu July. 1898, I noticed that the Portulacca which grows abundantly on the campus of the N. M. Agricultural College, Mesilla Park, N. M., was shrivelling up and turning brown. A closer examination showed that it was attacked by enormous numbers of pyralid larvae. Some of these larvae, collected July 28th, were described as follows : 20. mm long, green, sage-green on back, with a transparent dark (not pigrnented) dorsal stripe; sides becoming darker (because more transparent) than the green subdorsal areas, until the level of the spiracles, where there is a greenish- white longitudinal band with a jagged upper edge; below this baud and beneath, is very pale green, with a pinkish suffusion above each leg. The piliferous tubercles just above the spiracles are darkened, and on the last two segments they are all dark, the dorsal ones variegated with whitish. Head pale ochreous, marbled with brown Legs all pale. A varie- ty has the sides and the ventral surface between the abdominal legs strongly suffused with pink. The moths bred from these larvae (emerging from August 6th on) are of two types, identical in markings, but differing iu color. One type, identified by Dr. H. G. Dyar as Emergent in fun-alt's, has the markings on the upper wings strong and blackish. The other has them very pale ochreous, quite inconspicuous. From the larvae I bred a parasite in fair numbers: this was identified by Mr. W. H. Ash mead as Tenielucha (formerly Porizori) facialis (Cresson). On September 4, 1895, the college campus at Mesilla Park was invaded by great numbers of another variable pyralid (Loxostege xiinil< CINELLIDS. As a very much belated addition to the notes on this subject, published in the News, volumes viii and ix, the following items tiny be of interest, while their non-entomo- logical source may cause them to be overlooked by the Coleopterol- ogists In recently re iding Sir William Martin ( 'ouway's " The Alps Irorn End to End " (Westminster,Archibald ( 'unstable & Co , 1895), I found on page 194 "Near the foot of the [Oberaar] glacier were countless lady-birds grouped on stones and even on the ice it- self [July 18th] ;" and on page '207 " The stone-covered Winter glacier, where there were again a quantity of lady-birds on the stones [July 21st] " P. P. CALVKRT. HABITS OF ISCHNURA KELLICOTTI (order Odouata). (See the NEWS tor November, 189S, page 209.) Writing of this species, in a per- sonal letter, itsdescriber, Mr. E. B. Williamson, si\ s : The first male 1 took I thought was Enallagma getni/iin,(>on specimens. MOSQUITOES SPREAD DISEASE. London, Jan. 31. The Colonial Office has determined to institute an earnest inquiry into the causes of the increase of tropical diseases. The inquiry will have especial reference to the alarming spread of malaria in India and Africa. Recent research by eminent scientists in all parts of Kurope has traced the epidemics to mosquitoes and other insects bred in I lie marshes and on the shores of rivers and seas. Under the auspices of * This is contrary to my recollection of tin 1 i>rh:i\ i<>r c>r the individuals I <-oi- Icdcd ill New ,li-rsi'\ . I'll I 1.1 r I', t ' \ I.VKKT. 70 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March the Colonial Office the scientists connected with the British Mu- seum are collecting mosquitoes from every part of the world. They have requested missionary societies and pioneer colonization companies to ask their missionaries and agents to assist in the work by sending as many specimens as possible, live bugs being pre- ferred. The object of the scheme is to classify the various species, in order to distinguish the disease-spreading kinds from such as are com- paratively innocuous. After this methods will be devised for a wholesale slaughter of the parasites. Philadelphia Press. " LET it alone, Willie," said the bad boy's mother. " Don't try to tear it open. It will be a beautful moth next year." " Mebhe it will, and mebbe it won't," replied the bad boy, pro- ceeding to dissect it. " All co " coons" look alike to me " - Chica- go Tribune. ALL friends and correspondents of the lamented Mr. H. G. Hub- bard, who have not yet received copies of his papers, " The Insect Guests of the Florida Land Tortoise"' (with "Additional Notes," etc. \ and " The Ambrosia Beetles of the United States," may obtain such by sending their addresses to the undersigned at the United States Department of Agriculture, "Washington, D. C. Various other papers bv Mr. Hubbard, mostly published in the Proc. Entomological Society, ot Washington, are also still available for distribution. E. A Schwarz. ON THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF SOME SPE- CIES OF INSECTS. Apropos to the several notes in the February number of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, relating to the sudden appear- ance of some insects in great numbers, where they had before been rarely, if at all, observed, and the equally sudden disappearance of other species, it may be interesting to know of similar phenomena in Ohio. For years I had been trying to rear hymenopterous para- sites from tfcolytus ruyulosus, but invariably failed to do so. though other entomologists were seemingly able to accomplish this with little trouble In 1897 several young fruit trees were killed by the experimental use of kcroseLe. ai.d were later attacked by Ihisbeetle These trees were cut in sections and placed in small boxes in the insectary, and during the winter and spring of 1897-8 hundreds of individuals of Chiroplatys colon, an English species, previously known iu this country, emerged therefrom, whereas before I had not been able to rear a single one. In the fall of 1897 some canes of wild blackberry were taken from a gully near Wooster and placed in the insectary of the Experiment Station . These canes were badlly infested by Diaspi* i-o.w, and from these scale insects there emerged myriads ot females of Arrhenophagus clii(>iii in the original leaf, covered with ichneumon in all stages of development. Some writers advise boiling specimens, but this \ have never tried. Should be pleased to hear from others on this subject. C ABBOTT DAVIS, B. S., Providence, H I. CALLIDKYAS EUBULE IN MKIKATION. The account of a migra- tion of Callidriia.* etibiile, communicated by Mr. Lancaster Thoma> 70 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March to the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and briefly presented in ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS (x, 21), recalls some observations made upou the same species in the autumn of 1894. These observations demonstrated in a remarkable way the exist- ence of a phase of insect migration hitherto seldom recognized the tendency of the migrants, when their number is not excessive, to proceed in Indian file over long- distances. The migration in question passed through the village of Guilford, Conn., near the shore of Long Island Sound, in the course of three days, September 22, 23 and 24. It was carefully studied by Mr. II. C. Dudley, Mr. E. G. Dudley and myself, with the valuable co- operation of several friends living in the town. Throughout the period the wind blew from the south, and the butterflies journeyed southwest, with swift and steady flight, for the most part in one dis- tinct, unwavering line. During one day only (September 23) a second line of flight was detected, parallel to the first and half a mile farther inland- The main path of the migration passed through gardens and farms, over marshes and streams; obstacles were avoided by rising into the air, with scarcely any lateral deviation, while in open coun- try an elevation of some five feet was maintained On the first and second days the flight began at about 9 a- m and lasted until about 5 p. m. ; on the third it began at 11 a. m . and ceased altogether in the middle of the afternoon. During the first day individual migrants passed the point of observation at intervals ranging from five to ten minutes; thereafter the average interval tended to increase Few of the migrants were captured, it being considered of pri- mary importance to watch their flight. The males appeared to be about twice as numerous as the females, and all were somewhat worn, though not to such an extent as might have been expected. When struck with the frame of the net, but not secured (three cases), the insects darted to one side, and sought temporary retreats in clusters of leaves, or fruits whose color harmonized with their own. Their quick perception of occasional yellow patches amid the pre- vailing green of the vegetation was significant. Before, during and after the migration many lazy stragglers of the same species were found among the flower beds of the village They showed no tendeucv to follow their more active brethren, but lin- gered behind until too weak and battered for lengthy flight. One elderly lady was able to capture seven of them in her fingers. Whence the migration proceeded is an unsolved question ; doubt- less in some favored locality to the northeast these persistent in- vaders from the South had maintained themselves for a short time, only to be forced to retreat, like many a generation of their ancestor-. before the early frosts. The recent abundance of fresh specimens of eubule at Nouquitt, on the Massachusetts coast (Psyche, vol. 8. p. 299), is an exampleof the way in which this species has repeatedly sought 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 7;; to extend its range into' New England, and may have terminated in another homeward pilgrimage. Lastly, by what means the migrants were enabled to follow one another so unerringly upon their journey we have no means of learn- ing. A possible clue to the situation lies in the fact that both sexes il' < iilmlc exhale a faint odor, which has been compared to the fra- grance of violets, [f we assume that from hour to hour, nay even from day to day, sufficient of this fleeting perfume lingered in the air to show the way to succeeding but terflies, then we are confronted by a wonderful phenomenon indeed. WILLIAM L. W- FIELD, Milton, Mass. THE NEW PEACH MITE Prof. Johnson's note in December EXTOMOLCK AI. XKWS and Prof. Webster's in January remind me that it may be interesting to note that the peach mite, to which Mr, Johnson refers, is quite widely distributed in the United States. It was first pointed out to me by Prof. Waite. After that I found it at the following stations in Florida: "Macclenny, Glen St. Mary. DeFuniak, Lake City, and, very recently, at Cocoauut Grove. It also occurrs in the Missouri Botanical Garden on an almond-tree. The effect is the same as in the case of the peach-tree, causing what may be termed a silvering of the leaves. While attending a meeting of the Georgia Horticultural Society I found it at Savannah, in '97. and a >'e.ir later at Columbus. It occurs also on the peach-trees of the Experiment Station ot Georgia, at Experiment, Ga , and at the Iowa Experiment Station, at Ames, la. It is also found in Eastern Iowa, at Le Claire. These observations stretch over a considerable time and likewise over a considerable area. I think the mite may occur in any section where the almond or peach is growing. In Florida it rarely causes any perceptible damage to nursery stock, from the fact that as soon as the rainy season sets in the mite is almost eradicated. As Prof. Johnson is making a study of this mite, I thought it would be interesting to note it- occurrence . Another mite, which seems to belong to this same genus and U possibly the same species, occurs on rose leaves, causing on these a somewhat metallic appearance' P. II Hoi.i s. 74 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March Entomological Literature, COMPILED BY P. P. CALVERT. Under the above head it is intended to mention papers received at the Acad- emy of Natural (Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of the Americas (North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not be noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiqlogy and embryology of insects, however, whether relating to American or exotic species, will be re- corded. The numbers in HEAVY-FACED TYPE refer to the journals, as num- bered in the following list, in which the papers are published ; * denotes that the paper in question contains descriptions of new North American forms. Titles of all articles in foreign languages are translated into English; usually such articles are written in the same language as the title of the journal contain- ing them, but when such articles are in other languages than English, French, German or Italian, this fact is indicated in brackets. 4. TheCauadiau Entomologist, London, Out., Jau.,'99. 5. Psyche, Cambridge, Mass., Feb., '99. 6. Journal of New York Entomolog- ical Society, Dec. ,'98. 7. TJ. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Washington; publications of, '98. 15. Biologia Cen- tral! Americana, London, part cxlv, Dec. '98. 21. The Entomologist's Recoi'd, London, Jan. 15, '99. 36. Transactions, Entomological So- ciety of London, '98, part 4, Dec. 22. 38. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung. xvii, 10, Dec. 31, '98. 45. Deutsche Entomologische Zeit- schrift, '98. 2, Berlin, Dec. 55. Le Naturaliste, Paris, Jan. 15, '99. 67. Entomologiske Tidskrift, xix, Stockholm, '98. 89. Zoologische Jahrbiicher, xii, 1, Jena, Dec. 30, 98. 100 Verhaudluugen, Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft, 8te Versammlung, Leipsic, '98. The General Subject. B u t 1 e r, A . G. On some new species of African Pierinae in the British Museum, with notes on seasonal forms of Beleuofs, 36. D a h 1 . Dr. Apparatus for thequantita tive determination of visits to flowers by insects, 100. L a m e e r e , A. Notice of Dr. Ernest Candeze, portrait, Aunales, Societe Ento- mologique de Belgique, xlii, 12,^Brussels, Dec. 26, '98. L u c a s . R., Stadelmanu, H., Waudolleck, B., Kolbe, H . J . , V e r h o e f f , C . Scientific works on Entomology during the year ]895. 748pp. Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, Ixii, ii, 2. Ber- lin, Dec., 1898. M e r r i f i e 1 d , F . and others. The coloring of pupa? of P. machaon and P. napi caused by the exposure to colored surroundings of the larvae preparing to pupate, 36, Proceedings. N u s s b a u m , M . On parthenogenesis among butterflies, Archiv fur Mikroscopische Anatomic liii, 3, Bonn, Dec. 1!. '!)S. P a u 1 s. On the Experimental Zoological Studies of Dr. M. Standfuss. Soci- etas Entomologica, Ziirich-Hottingen, Jan. 1, 9!). P o u 1 t o n , E. B. [Seasonal dimorphism in the genus /Vrr/VJ. 36, Proceed- 18] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 75 ings. S a v i 1 1 e- K e u t , W . The Naturalist iu Australia. London : Chapman & Hall, Limited. 1897. 4to. 302pp. 59 pis., 104 text figs. Chap. ix. Insect Oddities, pp. 252-265. Economic Entomology. A n o n. Abstracts of recent publications, 7, Experiment Station Record, x. 5. '!)!. A n o n. On the San Jo-' scale. Wiener 11 lustrirte Gar ten Zeitung, Dec., '98. B e u t o u, F. Bee Keeping, figs.. 7, Farmers' Bulletin Xo. 59 B 1 a n d t'o r d , W. F. II. On some Oriental Seolytida? of economic importance, with descriptions of five new species, 36. D a m m e r, U . The San Jose scale. Gardener's Chronicle, London, Jan. 14, '99. D a- g u i n , A . Edible insects of antiquity and of our own days, 55. Felt, E . P . Fourteenth Report of the State Entomologist on injurious and other insects of the State of New York. Bulletin of N. Y. State Museum, v. pp. ir>:<-2 ( .>:>. Albany, N. Y"., Dec., '98. Fletcher. J Evidence before the Select Standing Committee of the House of Commons on Agriculture and Colonization. May 1898. Printed by order of Parliament [Ottawa, Canada]. Gil- lette, C. P. Lite-history of the sheep scab-mite, Psoroptes <-iiiiiiiiitiif<, 4. G r i 1 1 , C. The [Swedish] State Entomological Institute. 2 pis. [in Swedish], 67. K e n y o n , F . C . Abstracts of some recent publications, 7, Experiment Station Record, x, 4. L a m p a . S . [Report of work of the State Entomological Insti- tute, etc., for 1897 in Swedish], 67. M a . r c h a 1 . P. Aspidfotu* pernfcios ts, or the San Jose scale of the United States Bulletin, Societe Nationale d'Acclimatation de France, Paris, Sept., '98. M a r 1 a t t , C . L . The principal insect enemies of the grape, 7, Farmers' Bulletin Xo. 70. M otter, M . G. A contribution to the study of the fatiua of the grave. A study of one hundred and fifty disinter raents, with some additional experimental observations, 6. R enter, E . A serious attack on the apple fruit by Aryi/- resthfa conjuf/ella Zell. iu Europe, 4. S a n d e r s o u, E. D Sweet potato insects, figs., Bulletin 59, Maryland Agric. Exper. Station, College Park, Md. Jan., '99. S m i t h , J. B. Ento- mological circulars Xos. 1-20. State of Xew Jersey. State Board of Agriculture. [Xot dated. Leaflets for distribution to farm- ers, etc.] Arachnida. C a m b r i d g e , O . P. Arachnida- Araueidea.* pp. 281-8, 15. K r a e p e 1 i n . K . Protest concerning the Limit- in -]><- cies of the genus Scorpio, Zuologisi-her Anzeiger. Lvipsic. !)(. _'!>. '98. P i e r s ig, R. The By drachuida of Germany (cont.), 13 pis. Biblinthf.i Zoologica, heft 22. v. Stuttgart. Rec'd. Feb. 2, '99. S c h i m k e w i t s c li . W . On the development of the ali- mentary canal in some Arachnida. .'! pls..Travaux, Socit'-tt'- Imperiale des Naturalistes, St. Petersbourg, xxix. 2. '98. S 1 o s s o n . Mrs. A. ;T. List of Aruiea? taken in Franconia, N. H., 6. S Iran d, E. Revision of the Scandinavian >pecies of the genus (Latr.) [in Swedish]. 67. 76 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March Orthoptera. Bordage, E . On the localization of the regen- erative surfaces in the Phasmida? (trans.), Annals and Magazine of Natural History, London, Jan., '99. B u r r. M. See Green, E. E. G r e e u , E . E . Further notes on Dyscritina Westw. With an appendix on the species of Dyscritina reared by Mr. Green, by M. Burr. 2 pis., 36. M o r s e , A. P. The distribution of the New England locusts, map. 5. d e S a u s s u r e, H. and P i c- tet, A. Orthoptera,* pp. 417-456, pi*, xx-xxii, 15. S h a r p , D. Account of the Phasmida?. with notes on the eggs, 3 pis. Zoological Results based on material from New Britain, New Guinea, Loyalty Islands and elsewhei-e, collected during the years 1895, 1896 and 1897, by Arthur Willey Part I. Cambridge: at the University Press. 1898. 4to. Tutt, J. W- Migration and dispersal of insects; Orthoptera, 21. Hemiptera. C h a m p i o n , G. C. Rhynchota Heteroptera* vol. ii, pp. 177-192, pi. xi. 15. E h r h o r u, E. M. Five new, Coccidae.* 4' F o w 1 e r , W" W . Rhynchota Homoptera,* vol. ii, pp. 201-216, pi. xiii, 15. P a r r o t t, P. J. Aspidiotus fer- ndldi (Ckll.), sub-sp. cockerelli sub-sp, nov.. figs,* 4. Q u a i n t- ance, A. L. New, or little known. Aleurodidae, i. 1 pi., 4. Webster, F. M. On the relations of a species of ant, Lasnis amer/i'ftiitis.to the peach root louse, Aphis pr> mi cola, 4; Odor of the San Jose scale, Aspidiotus perniciosus, 4. Coleoptera. -Born, P . Ceroglossus dynastes KOV. sp., Verhand- lungen kk. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, xlviii, 9, Dec. 23, '98. - C h a in p i o u , G . C . A list of the Clavicorn Coleop- tera of St. Vincent, Grenada, and the Grenadines, 36. C ockerell, T. D. A. Life-zones in New Mexico, ii. The zonal distribu- tion of Coleop^ra. Bulletin 28, New Mexico College of Agricul- ture and Mechanic Arts, Mesilla Park, N. M., Dec., '98. E s c h e r- ich. K. On the anatomy and biology of Paussus turcicus, figs., 2 pis, 89. F 1 e t c h e r , J . The bite of Ottorhynchus ovatus,4. G o r h a m , H . S . Coleoptera,* vol vii, pp. 249-256, 15. v . H e y d e n. L . Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Siberia, including those of the eastern Caspian i-egiou, Turcrnenia, Turkestan, North- Thibet and the Amur region. Supplements IL and III. Heraus- gegeben von der Deutschen Entomologischeu Gesellschaft. Berlin, '98. H o m u g r e u, N. Contribution to the knowledge of the bursa copulatrix in theElaterida?.2 pis. [in Swedish], 67 II o r n , W . On types of Cicindelidtf in some English collections, 45; Four new Cicindelid species, 45. Lea, A. M. Revision of the Australian Curculionidae belonging to the sub-family Crypt orhyn- chides, ii. Proceedings, Linneau Society of New South Wales, '98, pt ii, Sydney, Aug 30, '98. P i c , M . Description of new Cole- optera, 55. S c h e n k 1 i n g , S . Ten new Clerida> with remarks on already described species,* 45. W a 1 k e r, J . J. Coleoptera of an old ash-tree, 21. X a m b e u, C a p t , Habits and uietamor- 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 77 phoses of insects (Longicornes) (cont.), 1'E change Revue Linneenne Lyon, Dec., 1897. Diptera. C o q u i 1 1 e t t, D. W- Description of a new P*/- fopa,* 4 M i k, J. On the life history of Ilhayoletis cerasi L., with some remarks on the larvae and puparia of the Trypetida? and on the antennae of the Muscid larvae. 1 pi , 38. LepidoDtera. B u t 1 e r , A. G . Notes on the American forms of Km'hloe Hiibn.. 4. C h a p m a n . T. A. The larva of Erio- cephala allionella, 36 C o q u i 1 1 e t t , D . W . Descriptions of some Lepidopterous larvae. 6. -D r u c e . H . Lepidoptera Fletero- cera,* vol. ii, pp 521-536, 15. -D y a r . H . G . Notes on certain South American Cochlidiidae and allied families, 6; The life- histories of the New York slug caterpillars, xvii, 1 pi., 6 F 1 e t c h e r , J . Papilio njax var. mfHTrtlus\n British Columbia , 4. M of fat. J. A. A southerner arrested in Canada, 4. Nussbaum, M. See the General Subject. O u d e m a n s, J . T. Butterflies from castrated larva?, their appearance and be- havior, figs., 3 pis., 89. R e b e 1 , H. To knowledge of the respiratory organs of aquatic Lepidopterous larvae, 1 pi., 89. Renter, E. The system it ic position of P*<>tn/o/>i>t/f/ti, 21. R i p p o n , R . H . F . loones Ornithopterorum : A monoafnph of the Rhopalocerous genus Ornithoptera, or bird wing butterflies. Published by the Autnor. London. Pt. 13. Rec'd Feb. 2. '99.- S k i n n e r ,H . A new butterfly from Utah.* 4. S m i t li , H . G . Rhopalocera Exotica, being Illustrations of New, Rare or Unn'gurel Species of Butterflies. With colored drawings and descriptions. Part 47. Jan., 1899. London : Gurney and Jackson S p ii 1 e r , A On the recent results of Lepidopterology and the classification of the Tineins, figs., 103. U r e c h , F . Communications on the results of this yeir's aberrative and " chromitotara^h iischeu" experiments on species of Vftiirvstr, Bulletin, Socit'-tt- Zoologique Suisse, '98 Geneva. Hymetnptera A u o n . Mr and Mrs. G. W. Peckham's " Ou the instincts and habits of the solitary wasps," Revue Scientifique, Piris t Jan. 21, '99. C o c ke r e 1 1, T. D. A. Postscript ,011 Perdi/a, ' 5. F orel. A. Piribiosis of ants, Archives des S Men -es P.iys- iques et Naturelles, ciii, (4), vi, 12. Geneva, Dec. 15, '98. K i r b y , W. F. Marvels of ant life. London: S W. Partridge & Co. 189S. 12mo. 174 pp , figs K o n o w , F . "VY . A new system o f the Chalastogastra? [A criticism of that lately proposed by W. H. Ashmead.], 38. S e u r a t , L . G Observations on the gfenitil organs of the Braconida?, figs., Aunales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie, (8) vii, 5-6. Paris. O^t., '98 ; On the formation of the he id of the Hymenoptera at the moment of their passing into the nymph stage, Comptes Reudus, 1' Academic des Sciences, Paris. J in. 2, 99. Strand, E . List of the Hymeuoptera of Norway [in Latin], 67. W e b s t e r , F . M . See Hemiptera. 78 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March DOINGS OF SOCIETIES. A regular meeting of the Newark Entomological Society was held at Turn Hall, Sunday, January 8th, at 4 p. ra. President Bis. choft" presided, ten members present. Mr. Broadwell gave a list of captures made by himself and Mr, Weidt at Boonton. N- J., August 20, 1898, with notes whether rare or common. Crocota rubicundaria, corumou locally. Noctua Inbvicans, very commou at Sugar. Mamestra legitirna, rare at Sugar. Hadena spntatrix, common at Sugar. Hadena devastrix, rare at Sugar. Hadena modica, rare at Sugar. Perigea xanthioides. common at Sugar. Hyppa xylinoides, common at Sugar. Euplexia lucipara, rare at Sugar. Leucania albilinea, rare at Sugar. Leucauia pseudargyria, common at Sugar. Orthodes infirma, rare at Sugar- Pyrophila pyramidoides. very common at Sugar. Erastria carneola, common at Sugar. Pararellia bistriaris, rare at Sugar. Psendoglossa lubricalis, common at Sugar. Endropia amcenaria, common in field. Metrocampa margaritata, rare in field. Acidalia inductata, common in field. Boarmia crepesculina. commou in field- Xarithorhoe fluctuata, rare in field. Phlycteenia tertialis, very common in field. Pyrausta in sequalis, rare in field. Pyrausta argyralis, common in field. Evergestis straminalis, common in field. Crambus vulvigellus, common in field. Mr. Angleman remarked that he bred Tlydroecfa catlu't'ii scabra from under the bark of a tree December 24, 1898. Mr Augelmau proposed Mr. Ernest Mourner, who was unani- mously elected a member, A. J. WEIDT, Secretary. At the meeting of the Feldman Collecting Social held January 18, at the residence of Mr. H. W Weuzel, 1523 South Thirteenth street, Philadelphia, ten persons were present. The President, Dr. D. M. Castle, read his annual address, reviewing the origin and progress of the society. Mr. Wenzel recorded the capture, by silting, of Apion permmut-um, Phtsnonotum exstrfatinn and J'hithi/f/nix cunsor, along the New Jersey shore of the Delaware river, opposite Philadelphia. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 7 They had not before been reported from Xew Jersey. He described the method of sifting' for Coleoptera, aud spoke of the good results obtained bv allowing the iV/6/v'.v to remain in a warm place for a longer period than is usual with collectors. Mr. Johnson remarked on several new species of Diptera, and on a number of species not before recorded from New Jersey, which he had collected at the Delaware Water Gap during a few days in July, 1898. Of the Diptera taken during that short period he had so far identified 131 species. He also referred to a recent paper by Stein on the Anthomyiidae. and stated that miuy of the new species described therein are no doubt identical with some of Walker's species, whose descriptions had been entirely disregarded by Stein, although they are not always entirely useless for identification. At any rate, the speaker held, Walkers species will retain precedence when his types are restudied Dr. Skinner suggested that when the type of an unidentified and poorly described species is no longer in existence, it is advisable to decide on a type to be known thereafter as the species in question- He also referred to a species of Painphila from Clementon, N. J., August 3. taken by Mr. Fox, which he had believed to be a new species, but he is now satisfied that it is simply a variety of P attains. a Southern species. Another specimen had been taken by Mr. H. Wenzel. at DaCosta, N. J., July 19. The species had been searcher! ior subsequently on several occasions, but none others had been found in Ne w Jersey . The speaker possessed a specimen of the variety from Florida. He also recorded the capture of Ntsomades ausonius a.n& .2V". petrolling ii} southern New Jersey, both being new to the State- The following officers were elected for 1899: President, Dr. D. M. Castle; Vice President, Charles W Johnson: Secretary, Wil- liam J. Fox ; Treasurer, Henry W "Wenzel. At the invitation of Dr. Skinner the social will meet at his resi- dence. 71(! North Twentieth street, on March 15th. WILLIAM J. F<>\. Secretary. A MEKTIX<; of the Entomological section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia was held January 2i. 1S99 Mr. Philip Laurent, director.presiding : nine persons present The ne\v Director, in taking the chair, said that he appreciated the honor of his election, that lie accepted the office and would do what he could to further the interests of the Section. Mr Laurent donated to the collection two males of the Chinese mantid, Tenoilera .v//>r//.sY.v S MISS., taken at Mei-han's nursery, (icrmaiitown. Philadelphia, in the past reason. A notice of the death of Dr. J. A. Lintner was read. Mr. L'Uirent stated that he had seen a specimen of siai/omuntis Carolina which had been taken on a wharf in this city. He al>o exhibited both >e\e- of 'l'rnoic Mr. Hubbjird was engaged as the naturalist of the Stale ideological Survey of Kentucky, under Prof. Shaler, and amoni: other matters explored the Mammoth Cave, making known its peculiar fauna of blind insects. Becoming pos-e-^ed of a piece of laud near Cres.-ent City, Florida, in 1880, he devoted himself for a time to the horticultural interest - f that State, coin inning indeed to the time of his death. In issi he was engaged ;is ;i >pechl agent for the Division of En- tomology by Dr. C V. Kiley. working lirst on cotton insects, and afterward on those injurious to the orange: there-ult- nt the latter study being published as a bulletin of the department in issr>. It Was in the course of this work that he discovered and |iertectcd a practical method of emulsify ing kenene -o a> to allow it- dilution with water for insecticide purpose-. 82 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March The semi-tropical region of Florida had always interested him greatly, and this be outlined in 1885, paving the way for the rich finds made by Mr. Schwarz a few years later Always on the look-out for unusual faunas, that of the Hot Springs in the Yellowstone Park was studied in 1890 and 1891, and a year later a trip through the northwest with Mr. Schwarz, yielded accumulations which have not been even yet reported upon. The burrows made by (he Florida Land Tortoise or "Gopher" were investigated in 1895 and an altogether new fauna was there discovered. A new visit to the Lake Superior region in 1896 re- sulted in an admirable study of a Coccid infesting- the Birch, and this was followed in 1896 by a study of the "Ambrosia" beetle-. opportunity for which was given by the enormous increase of these beetles in the dead and dying trees, killed or seriously injured by the "great freeze," which caused a loss to Mr Hubbard and other orange growers of many thousands of dollars. In 1896 the pulmonary consumption from which he suffered had made such inroads that Mr. Hubbard was compelled to spend the winter in southwestern Arizona, where he immediately began an investigation into the fauna of that region and discovered an unsus- pected mine in the giant cactus. In 1897-98 he was joined by Mr. Schwarz, and the material gathered is now in process of arrangement. The letters written by Mr. Hubbard describing his method of collecting this character- istic fauna will be published in connection witli the descriptions of the numerous new forms that were turned up Personally, Mr. Hubbard was agentlemau in all that that term im- plies, and his most notable character was his unselfishness Scienti- fically he had a genius for investigation. A pupil of Mr. Schwarz in methods of collecting, he soon equalled his master, while in get- ting at the really characteristic fauna of a region be was unexcelled- He was as neat in preparing as he was thorough in collecting, and insisted on well-mounted, clean and properly labelled material. It is due to Hubbard and Schwarz that the importance of exact local- ities and dates of capture have become gradually appreciated. The loss to American Entomology is heavy, and I know of none fitted to fill the place left vacant by him. J 13. SMITH. PROF ACHILLE COSTA. Professor of Zoology in the University of Naples, died in Rome, November 18, 1898. He was born in Lecce. August 10, 182,3. He wrote extensively upon Italian insects, es- pecially the Hymeuoptera, personally exploring the Neapolitan provinces and the Island of Sardinia. The entomological results of these researches are embraced in his memoirs on the " Fauna del Regno di Napoli," and on the " Geo- fauna Sarda " A translation of some notes on the entomological collect ions at Naples, which he kindly furnished for the NEWS were published in volume vii, page 290 A brief notice of his life is given by Sign. A. Delia Valle in the " Rendiconto" of the Naples Academy for December, isjis. ENT NEWS, Vol 10 PI IV HENRY G. HUBBARD. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION ACAKKMV OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHII.ADKI.I-HIA. VOL. X. APEIL, 1899. Xo. I CONTENTS : Hubbard Letters from the South- .Editorial in] west 83 xotes and News HU Baker Remarks on Emposca no Entomological Literature loi siosson Collectingon Biscayne Bay 91 Casey-New Spec-its of I'emphus and I'oingsof Societies Tragosoma 97 l\ar On the Smallest Pyromorphid and its Larva... . 99 Obituary no Exehan-j. . . .i. ii LETTERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MY H. (I. HUBBARIV- The Home of Dinapate wrightii Horn, PALM SPKINCS, CAI.A.. February s, 1S97. I have just returned this afternoon from a visit to Palm canon and am somewhat sore and tired from contact with the saddle and also from my frantic excel ions to iind a sperimen of Dhut- )nilc tn'it/lifii. The Washingtonia i);:lms \r:>irtivliinnlfnti in this small canon are few in number, several hundreds perhaps strung aloni; in a si ratlin. if line and most of them bnrneil by the Indians who set (ire to the fans as a smoke offering to their dead. There are very few youn.u' palms, as the freshets wash away m;>-t of (he seed. However (here are occasional clumps of not \ery old plants on the higher benches and these are sheathed with immense accumulations of dead fans. Kvery part of this tree is so hu^eand tou^h (hat I. with my small hatchet, can make but lilt le impression upon it. Even to cut through one of the handles of the dead Leaves is almost beyond m\ strength, and where I here are accumnla * [These letlrr* \\<'iv addi'i'^i'd l<> llr,- iinilfrsii; ncd at Waslii nirtoii. 1 >. '.. a n d an- DOW, after the death of the author, |niMisiu-d wit IHMH an\ alterations. E. A . SCHWABZ.] $4 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April tions of leaves upon the ground, the long handles armed with knife-like points are so interwoven, that it is a severe task to overturn them. I found no living specimen of I) hi a pate in any stage, but I uncovered a dead and disintegrated specimen of this gigantic Bostrychid beetle lying between dead fans at the foot of a young palm. Many of the old palms are uprooted by the flood waters, and T saw probably .">(.) of these prostrate trunks upon the ground. Almost all of them are perforated all over, with round open holes, into most of which 1 can in- sert the end of my thumb. Some of the holes will however only admit the little finger. These holes evidently made by Dhiapate larva- open directly into a huge pupa chamber which is two inches long and lies vertically with the grain not more than one or two inches from the surface. The remainder of the gallery is solidly packed with sawdust and leads into such a labyrinth of borings into the interior that most of the at- tacked logs are completely riddled, and at the heart there is very little of the original texture left. So solid is the saw- dust, however, that these bored logs hardly lose any of their strength and, in fact, are used as gate posts at several of the ranches and at the hotel at the Springs, where the people think the holes are made by carpenter bees (Xylocopa). It is very certain that a log once vacated by a colony of I.) hi a pate is never afterwards entered or again attacked by them. I should say that most of the logs showed from 100 to 250 exit holes of the beetle, and, at the time of emergence, the person lucky enough to discover such a colony would find no difficulty in filling several Mason jars with the beetles. Of course, until they begin to emerge, there is no sign upon the outside of the 'presence of the insects within a palm trunk. I could find no trace of the living larvae and heard no sound of them in un- perforated logs. Dr. Murray, the landlord of this little hotel, tells me that Mr. Wright comes almost every year in September to this place and always goes without a word up the canon, so that no one here has ever heard of the existence of DhmjHitc. I could easily trace the operations of Mr. Wright among the fallen palm trunks. He has even cut down a number of the largest and tallest trees, no doubt in the hope of attracting the beetles to the fresh cut timber. But these logs lay upon the ground 1399] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEV.'S. s."i untouched except for the marks of Mr. W. are where he has subseqently cut into them, in the vain search for live beetles. I would almost suspect that they had become extinct here if it were not for my discovery of a dead specimen, which from its posi- tion between leaves still attached to the tree, could not have been there much over a year and probably not many months. Several logs, which Mr. W. has laid open to the heart, gave me an excellent chance of examining the old borings of the beetle, and I found some dead larvae and always, in each gal- lery examined, the pair of great jaws and the clypeus of the larva packed in the sawdust at the bottom of what was the pupa cell. I think, from my own observations and the evidently fruit- less visits of Mr. Wright, that colonies of the beetle are rare and very hard to find. This is probably its northern limit, but in Baja California it may possibly be more abundant. PALM SPRINGS, CALA., February 27, 1897. I have searched far and wide for a living brood of Dinapnt<\ as I have made an arrangement with Dr. Murray to secure the beetles later on in the season in case I find a colony of the larvae. With this object I explored Andreas canon on the 16th but did not go far enough and found only a few vigorous young trees. On the 2th I again visitel this canon, but did not reach the best part of it, being stopped by precipitous side walls and by the stream, which is now swollen to a dan- gerous torrent by heavy snows in the San Jacinto Mts. The bottom of these small canons is always nearly impassable by reason of huge bowlders and tangles of gr.ips vines, mesquite cat's claw aoacias together with, in the case of Andreas canon, thickets of quite large Alder trees, <'.ttomv.ods. Sycamores and piles of dead brush from the same, through which there is no forcing a passage. It is nesessary to make one's way along the stesp slopes, often 200 feet above the valley, and often to cross over and ascend the other wall in order to pass some vertical face of rocks. All this takes time and strength. I found however in Andreas canon a thorax of IH>ititf\ in a pile of stream drift, showing that the beetle occurs there. I finally left the m:iin cnuon and crawled over a divide into a still smaller valley, also very difficult, but within halt a mile I gfi ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April found a group of seven of the most magnificent palms, 70 to 80 feet high, and clothed with dead fans from foot to crown so that they looked like huge towers. It is the first time I have seen this magnificent tree in full size and with all the fans still clinging to it. It seems almost beyond the strength of man to penetrate these dense coverings of dead fans which cover the trunksSor 10 feet thick on every side so thatthediameter of the covered trunk is often 20 feet. T found in this little side canon among the group of living palms a single huge dead fallen trunk which had lain prostrate many years and had been covered up with grape vines and leaves of the cotton woods. This trunk was so entirely disintegrated that I was able to pull it away in pieces with my hands. It was bared in every direction with Dinajxttc galleries, and I had at last the good fortune to find, still in its pupa cell, a dead specimen of the beetle, the chitin of which was still perfect, but every ligament dissolved away so that the different sclerite-; adhered loosely in the surrounding sawdust. I found the specimen to be a male and preserved two small curiously twisted chitinons claspers which were within the abdomen. Yesterday accompanied by an Indian I visited again Palm canon and made straight for a certain palm tree which I had observed on my first visit, but too late in the day for a close examination. This is a young tree, not over 20 feet high, and still retains its clothing of fans. It is dead but the bud leaves are still in place. It has evidently been killed by something, and I cannot help suspecting that this has been done by the females of Dinajxttc before depositing their eggs. Xo //>/// tree is ever attacked by them, nor do they enter any trunk that has been long dead or fallen or cut dawn. 1 suspect that the female c.inuat deposit her eggs in any trunk deprived ot leaf bases. In this young palm examined by me the trunk was of very large diameter, and the first chips we removed with our axes showed galleries of IHimjHttr of full si/e and filled with frass quite fresh and light in color, together with evidently much older galleries of smaller si/e in which I he frass had turned dark with age. I found some of the sm::ll barings a! their beginning under the fibres of the leaf bases, where they were not larger than a friction match. \Vc finally uncovered a 1S<>I ENTOMOLOGICAL NK\VS. S? living larva of IHmijmlr, I'ull-.uTown ;iml apparent 1 v forming its pup;! cell )i- preparing 1o do so. After several hours' work we secured four specimens only one of which could be taken out uninjured, the oilier three specimens beinj; more or less cut 1o pieces or crushed between thetou.u'h fibres. All these larva- were thoroughly dormant and very flaccid: evi- dently they had eaten nothing for some months. I feel sure 1 hat 1 hey are more than one year and probably more than 1 wo years old, but no doubt they would have issued by .July or Au.u'iist of this year. All the larva- in this trunk appear 1;> lie not deeper than one or two inches beneath, the surface of the wood. It is possible however, that they may not issue until next year, and for 1 his reason I hesitate to have the tree cut down. The fibres of the wood are still moist and very li.u'ht in color showing very slight fermentation except where the juvenile ^allerie^ of a year or two ajj'o have pene- 1 rated. There are no younj;' larva-, and evidently all are of the same a.^e an 1 nearly or quite adult, and there are no exit holes in the tree. There may be ."><) to TOO larva- in the trunk, but of course this is only a surmise. Dr. Murray promises to watch the tree during the summer and will try to secure specimens of the beetle ;;s they emerge. I leel quite certain now that there are comparatively lew broods of I>!IIII/HI!(' existing in this region, and unless- it exists also in Haja California or on the southern slope of the San Ber- nardino ran<4'e, any year may witne^ its complete extinction ; because unless the females, in ima,u'o, feed upon and kill the buds of living palms in which they then oviposil. the number of trees in lit condition to rear the youn^ is exceedingly lim- ited. I have in fact seen but this one f ree in any of the canons I have visited. It is absolutely certain that only the Washing Ionia palm is capable of supporting the lar.nv broods of this .ui.uantic borer, and if the females should f;,il lo lind a suitable tree in any year, they must inevitably perish without issue. When I consider 1 he limited number of these 1 ree>> in existence in a wild state, ; .ml the slender chance the female beetle mils) have of finding a dyin^lree in the li^ht condition and at the ri^'ht lime, I am more than ever inclined to suspect that the beetles deliberately kill the 1 ree in which the\ oviposil. If they killed the tree merely by feeding as adults upon the bud>. 88 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April there would be many trees killed ; for often more than 200 adults issue from a single infested trunk. In the case of the tree I have examined, it is probably not the presence of the larvae that have killed it as they have not apparently pene- trated deeply into the interior and their galleries are not suffi- ciently numerous to seriously impede the circulation of the sap, even in the outer portion of the trunk. I feel highly elated at having discovered a living brood, and I think there is no doubt that Dr. Murray will be able to secure living specimens of the imago. It is so difficult to cut out large or small chunks of the wood without injuring the larvae that I have not thought it advisable to secure any in this way. PALM SPRINGS, GALA., March 13, 1897. On March 5 I made a serious expedition with a wagon and mules and an Indian to help, to Palm canon where I spent the day getting out more pieces of palm wood containing Dinapate larvae. I secured four pieces weighing each from 2 or 3 to 6 or 8 Ibs., and each containieg one or two living larvae. The largest piece undoubtedly contains several of the larvae. These pieces I now have in my bedroom and I can occasionally hear the larvae cutting the fibre with a snap like a pair of shears. I discovered much to my surprise that the interior of the palm trunk is entirely filled with galleries. I had before concluded that all the work had been done nearer the sur- face, the trunk being an extra thick one. I find however that this trunk like all the rest, has the interior entirely rid- dled with burrows and very little solid wood left by the larva-. Many of the larvae are still in the interior, although some of them are already forming cells near the exterior. AVe cut into a great many of the grubs in getting out these chunks of wood, and I secured several good additional specimens in alcohol . It is hard to realize the enormous extent and dimensions of the Dinapate galleries. Not the largest of our Florida palmettos could support more than three or four of these larvae; they would eat it all up and then die of starvation. If there are 20 or 30 holes in one of the \Vashingtonia palms, one finds the interior entirely eaten out from end to end, and one can follow the galleries, over one inch in diameter for 20 j S (,( ( j ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. feet up and down the trunk following the grain and without diminishing sensibly in diameter. Then think of the yards and yards of smaller galleries made by the larva while still young. Such extensive and prodigious borings cannot be made in one or two years, and certainly not in any tree trunk of moderate size. There is certainly no other plant here than this Washing tonia palm that is capable of supporting a brood of these huge and voracious grubs. Therefore, I do not hesitate to assert that they exist only in the Washingtonia, and that they are very certain soon to become extinct . 1 regard the discovery of a colony as one of the most interesting entomological events of my life and I can assure you that if we breed the imagos this year from this trunk, they will not soon be duplicated by others. There are some thousands of the trees left, but they are in small groups scattered miles apart in a few of the most inac- cessible canons of the Sin Jacinto range. Here the beetles are nearly extinct, but it is possible that in Baja California they may survive a few centuries longer. In tunes past they were abundant here, as evidenced by the numerous old trunks rid- dled with their burrows. But the trunks that have fallen in recent years are all free from their attacks, and as the Indians have burned all the trees that are accessible, so that their trunks are now bare of fronds, it must be now quite difficult for the female beetle to find a n't receptacle for her eggs. I am sure now that they do not oviposit in bare trunks or in healthy trees, although it is possible that the beetles kill the tree in which they ovipost their eggs.* * [Subsequently, in .nine. Mr. Huhhard forwarded to Washington the piec< - ol 1 tal i n wood ; and, niter some un Ton-seen aeciilenls and misfortunes, a small nuni- berof Imago beetles were bred from thew l at the Department of Agriculture during the latter part of August. In O'-tolier, IS'.IT, Mr. Iluhhard received a letter from Dr. Murray, of P'lm Springs, stating that, owing to the excessive heat in August, lie had lieen unable to visit Palm canon, and that, for the same reason, none of his Indians had been willing to underta ke t he trip. The imago and larva of liinapuie have been described and figured by the late I>r (i. II. Horn i Trans. Amer. Knt. Soc , \\\, ISSli, pp 1-1. plate I i. While at San Diego, Pa la.. Mr. Muhhard ascertained thai the type locality of /1i'Kif"t/f -n'l-ie/itn is I'alni Springs, I 'ala . and not theMojave Desert, as stated by Dr. Horn The full-nrown larva' col- lected by >[r ub bard are fully twice larger than that fitrured by Dr Horn. M r. W. <;. Wright, the discoverer of 1 Una pate, has, as far as known to me, never published anything on the food-plant or habits of this remarkable' species E- A. s iil;;ins most of the species in generous series, all but one being represented (and this, pcryamlei, of doubtful validity). 1 know thai it is easier to pull down than to build up, and appreciate very fully the difliculties arising in the study of KiiijHHftrii. The attempt is not made herein to finally settle the question. This paper may be considered simply a contri- bution to our knowledge of what constitutes a species in Eni- l>w. There is good reason to believe that Mr. Gillette's S3paration of his various "species" is highly artificial, and that in many cases his distinctions are based on individual in- stead of on specific characters. The species of this genus arrange themselves naturally in two groups : I. Those having the vertex very broadly rounded apically , not even sub-angulate, rarely slightly longer at middle than at eyes; third apical cell of elytra usually sub-linear, its base more nearly /^'-angled ; including the larger green, yellow or smoky species of (lie genus. II. Those having a distinctly angulated vertex, though often very obtusely so, and sometimes not longer at middle than at e\ es. this being due to the fore margin being paralleled by the anterior pronotal margin ; third apical cell of elytra usually more or less strongly widened apically, its base dis- tinctly ^-/-angled ; including the smaller species of the genus, which are of ten, vari- colored. Mr. Gillette had this same idea when lie first planned his "Analytical Key." to my certain knowledge. But he does not follow it out. Instead, he breaks up the continuity of the first group by int reducing nigra, pulchella, x)>!<';nli<>!i>ie ;l nd ittruldhr*. \ have examined the types and many other 1S09] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 9] specimens of these species. To me the vertex appears sub- angnlate and the other characters those of group II. Even superficially they show a far closer relationship with the spe cies cited under group II than with Niim>-(i;/. The size varies from rather small in H tricolor to large in anreoriridlx, which is one of the largest Typhlocybids These names represent geographical varieties, ranging from the East (represented by the forms of oMum), through the Rocky Mountain region (represented by the cJypeata and aure- oriridis forms) to the Pacific coast (represented by cli/pcata and liriiH/xloiiii). Specimens approaching typical smnraadnht are found throughout the United States, which is a significant fact. Trifasciata is paralleled by virdii and a variety of punt with smoky marked elytra. All the species of group II need further study, and I would recommend that entomologists all over the West sweep Ar- tf'iirisias especially, thoroughly, and not to pause until they have laid in series of hundreds of specimens of the species found on these and other Western plants. Atr<>/((b<'x and simitis are synonymous with splendida, which is a common species in the South. Xhirilix is entered in Gil- lette's table, but I find no description of it in the text. 1 have seen the types. The types of paUiiht were collected in 1.S71) and are totally decolored by their twenty years' experience in collections. I have swept the cotton plant in various parts of the South and have found on il only Empoawn JlarcuraiN and I>!crancnr(( itni- imitcla. Other than on the color, or rather lack of color, I cannot separate jut/lid't from Jl'.ircwnix (compare Gillette's de- scriptions and figures). Mr.riraiia and riridfxcrnx are insi-p arable in large series, running one into the other. Mr. Gillette mentions my original specimens, which he agreed with me was punt, yet he describes xnoiri, the descrip- tion of which is very good of the original specimen of jmnt. I 94 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April have series of pura from the far northwest and series from Arizona, which are his -SHO/H, and I cannot separate them. Some of the specimens from the northwest have the golden coloration which he mentions and some from Arizona are with- out it. The peculiar venation sho\vu in Mr. (Jillelte's drawing of the elytron oilmnid'i is a malformation, most other specimens not showing it. o COLLECTING ON BISCAYNE BAY. BY ANNIE TRUMBULL SLOSSOX. T came to Miami this year on January tHh. The weather was very warm when I arrived, but soon grew cooler. It has been very changeable and uncertain since then. We have had much more rain than is usual at this season and many cold nights. On the whole, the conditions have not been fa- vorable for collecting. During the summer over seven thou- sand soldiers were encamped here. Their camp occupied the place of a dense hammock of tropical trees and shrubs, which were cut down and cleared away for this purpose. The growth of Vegetation in this climate is almost miraculously rapid. The soldiers left here the last of the Summer, and their former camping ground is now a luxuriant tangle of vines, bushes and plants. Among these 1 have done the greater part of my collecting this season. The custard- apples (Car tea papaya), from four to ten feet high, are covered with their yellow flow- ers, which seem very attractive to butterflies. CatopsUia eu- bule and C. agarithe are always hovering over the blossoms, the former hardly to be distinguished from the flowers themselves. Masses of a white bur-marigold (Bidens leucantha) cover the ground, and around these fly hymenoptera, diptera and the smaller butterflies. A tall, shrubby nightshade (Holanum ver- bascifolium) is now in flower and fruit, too, and attracts many insects. On its greenish white flowers one often seas the odd long-snouted Breuthid, B. ancliomgo. I have taken some thirty or forty specimens on these blossoms. A tiny Anth- mus is also found on this plant. I took many last season here, and it is just as common now. It is apparent 1 v undescribed unless West Indian, A large purple convolvulus, the cream- 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 95 white moonflower, periwinkles both piiik ami white, a spurge with its desp gr33:i Igive? oddly marked with blood-red, capsi- cum, or red pepper, with purple flowers and scarlet berries, these and many m >re make this jungle a bright and fragrant spot. Among these tropical plants one finds some strangers now which seem quite out of place. Seeds scattered by the sol- diers while hero have sprung up and tomatoes, melons, squashes, potatoes, Indian corn and other homely though useful wanderers from the kitchen-garden grow here placidly among the brilliant exotics. And the tropical insects accept them calmly and adopt them as food plants. I have found the pretty chrysomelid, Lema solan i, which have fed hitherto on the wild nightshades here, eating the tomato now, while different insects of the tiny wild gourd i Mi'lothr'm jinnhi/n ) transfer their affections to its country cousins, the watermelon and squash. Insects are good bota- nists. The black nightshade (Solatium niynan) is plentiful here, as elsewhere, and has many insects on and about it. The pretty little II - 1 b 'tie, Ejltrix i> IITH'IU, abounds on this plant. A larga Hemipter, a yellowish brown bag, tipzi'tocera diffuxtt, is always found on it, too, while a dainty little "hopper," of brilliant green and black, Acutalis sp., lives on the stem and leaves. The handsome day-flying moth, Syntomeida <']>i/(tix, with wings of metallic green, spotted with white, and blue, red -tipped body, is common now among the flowers, while the tiny N. iniiiliiri. its copy in miniature, is occasionally seen, and I have taken one specimen of N. ii>i:>rtia, and, m >sl plentiful of all, the pretty little Kumrnui alula, called hole the '" < 'omptie fly." A II t hese lovely winged creat nres kn:i\\ I he soldiers' descried camping ground and visit it in the sunshine. The Airi i found here, and which I have distributed under t lit- naiii" of ti-nr/litili/ln. is, 1 am assured, the \Vest Indian />!! I'\i'). In lif.-, and for a few honr> after t)<; ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April death, this butterfly has a delicate bluish bloom over the deep rich red of its wings, entirely absent from the dried insect. I have as yet seen but two shabby specimens of Timetes dcuclm. I found a pupa under some dock leaves the other day, and from it has just emerged a fine shining golden moth, Ptusio rcrrtica. I have seen but one specimen of Composia fidelliH- sima this season, nor have I seen Alypia wittfeldii, so common last winter here around the white bur-marigold. Skippers (Hesperidce) are fairly numerous, two or three spe- cies very common. The little P. hayhurstii is everywhere; Pamphila ethliux is common, and its odd larvae are ruining the cauuas in the hotel grounds. Erycidcs amyntas is not rare this season. Dr. Dyar discovered its life history here two years ago. Its food plant is Jamaica dogwood (Piwidia eryth- rina), a shrub or small tree of the Legumiuosa?. The most common Lycaeua, or " little blue," is L. aininon. Here, and also at Lake Worth, it is very common, flying all day about flowers in the sunshine. L. file nut and L. thevnu-t, the latter having the wings of female white faintly shaded with blue, are not rare. But a few specimens of Thecla arix have as yet appeared, and I have seen only one T. wn-tialis. I have done but little collecting at light this season. The evenings have been too cool or too windy as a general thing. As usual. the chocolate brown sphinx, E.i>/:> ln;/uhris, is very common, both at flowers in the twilight and at light, while the lovely green sphiugid, Perffesathorat.es, not yet included in our printed lists, is not uncommon. The larger green Art/eux /ahriixnt is occasionally seen, as is also the still larger sphinx, r.idiylla iicux. One very warm still evening this month thousands of small beetles came swarming to the lights. Hundreds of the little water beetle, Helochnwx ocliracriix, came into doors and windows, and many small Scolytids and Lougicorns rested on floor of piazza near the electric lights. Last night I took a moth I have never before seen, and which I suppose to !>< Halisidola striffoxa. It is a beautiful insect, with crimson ab domeu tipped with black and thinly scaled brownish wings, a West Indian species. (To he Continued.} MIAMI, FLA., February th. 1,S<)9] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 97 NEW SPECIES OF PEMPHUS AND TRAGOSOMA i < 'oleoptera). P>Y THOS. L. CASEY. The tribe Cyehrini of the Carabidae has ever been a favorite with coleopterists, because of the large size and elegant form of the species, although the colors are usually not so brilliant as in ('ambus in fact throughout the entire genus Brennus, excepting iitnrf/iiuthn and a few allied forms, the species are of an intense black. Pemphus is similar in this respect, the lus- tre however being invariably dark and not shining as in Breu- nns. The genera of the books are, in my opinion, valid and not sul )gen era. I'KMi'HUS Motsch. The following species belongs near lon-yipes, and Mr. Kick- seeker, to whom I am indebted for a fine pair, writes me that the habits are similar to those recorded under my description of the latter (Col. Not., VII, p. 331) ). the motions being rather sluggish and the gait deliberate. Pemphus opacus, u. sp Moderately convex, the elytra somewhat ventricose, broadening to about apical third, black throughout and dull in lustre. Head elongate, the eyes small ; vertex feebly convex, very slightly wrin- kled transversely ; antennae long and slender, the basil joint thicker, claviform, 2.7-3.0 mm. in length. Prothorax apparently very slightly longer than wide, dilated and broadly rounded at the sides distinctly before the middle, the sides sinuate toward base; surface very feebly convex, the side margin moderately reflexed . Elytra about a third longer than wide, nearly two and a half times wider than the prothorax; sides broadly arcuate, the hnmeri not well marked; surface finely and irregularly punctate throughout, each elytron with two or three di*:;:il intervals which are nearly regular ; side margins feebly concave, coarsely and unevenly punctate, the reflexed edge smaller than tint of the prothorax. Under surface more shining than the uppyr, the legs long and slender. Length 21.5-27.0 mm.; width fl 5-11.4 mm ; length of head and mandibles 6.0-G.7 mm.; length of hind (ib'r.i !). 5-11.0 mm. California (Sonoma Co. ). The male is smaller and Uss ventricose than the female and has the anterior tarsi moderately dilated, with the basal joint densely pubescent beneath in distinctly less than apical half. Since completing my revision of Brenuus ( 1. c., p. 305), I have received a pair of B. fuller I Horn, from Mr. Wickham, 98 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April and find that it ni ust be associated with the mirglnatiis group by reason of the fourteen elytral strias as stated by Dr. Horn. It is abundantly distinct from that species, or any of its al- lies, however, in general form, and is distinguishable at once from any other of the group by its black coloration ; it can in no sense be considered a variety of TRAGOSOMA Serv. Two species of this holarctic genus have previously (Col. Not. ,11, p. 491) baan made known by the writer, making, with the two previously described, four well-characterized species. Two more equally distinct are now added in the following- table, which includes also the European form for comparison : Elytral sculpture uniform throughout, the punctures coarse and subcontinent ; tine ridges distinctly traceable to the basal mar- gin; antennae glabrous ......................... ................ 2 Elytral sculpture not uniform, the punctures distinct and widely isolated throughout, becoming much coarser, deep and conspic- uous toward base, where the flue subcostitbrm lines become ob- solete in about basal third ; antenna: pubescent ................ 2 Anterior tarsi rather strongly dilated in the male; prothorax nearly twice as wide as the head and conspicuously hairy ...... : Anterior tarsi narrow and very feeblydilated in the male; prothorax small, only slightly wider than the head, very broadly aud feebly rounded at the sides, with the process slender, abrupt and spiculiform ................................................ ;> 3 Sides of the prothorax acutely triangular between the apical and basal angles, with the sides of the angle nearly straight aud the lateral process anguliform, broadening continuously from its apex. Northern United States and Canada ........ HARRISI Lcr- Sides of the prothorax broadly roundei, with the process spicu 15- form and abruptly projecting from the arcuate limb ........... 4 4 -Elytraabouttwiceaslongas wide, the side margins rather widely and very distinctly reflexed. Europe ........... DEPSARIA Linn- Elytra more than twice as long as wide, the lateral edges extremely narrowly reflexed ; body brown in color, shining, the antennae very slender and paler; prothorax strongly and closely, but evenly punctured and shining, conspicuously clothed with long^ erect, fulvous hair; elytra glabrous. Length 26.0-28.0 nun .' width 9.6 mrn. Colorado ......................... SOD ALTS, n. sp. 5 Pronotum rather finely punctate and conspicuously hairy, deeply and transversely impressed throughout along the apical margin : antennas relatively a little thicker than in the group with more dilated tarsi; in general color, lustre and sculpture very similar to sodalis, the body smaller. Length 24.8 mm ; width 8.0 m in 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 99 Utah (southwestern) Mr. Weidt PARVICOLLIS. n -p. Prouotum very coarsely punr.tale and glabrous, or very nearly so. the surface not deeply impressed along the apical margin, at lea?( toward the middle: antennre much stouter, darker in color than in any other species. New Mexico SPICTLT'M Csy. 6 Prothor.ix hr^e, transverse, the lateral process long:, slender, finely aciculate and abruptly formel, the surface unusually convex longitudinally-, very coarsely and somewhat sparsely punctate and glabrous, with short erect hairs toward the sides only ; an- lennse slender and filiform. California (.Mt. Diablo). PILOSICORNIS Csy. The sexual characters are very feeble in this genus, and there is a strong and persistent similarity of type throughout ; the male characters evince themselves, however, in the slightly longer antennae, with more elongate outer joints and in the rather more dilated tarsi. In harri.fi there is a large transverse discal area of the prouotum, which is very finely and densely punctate, and of which there is no trace in the female or in the male of sodalis. Pilosicornis is the most aberrant species of the genus, and is wholly isolated from the other five in many very radical structural characters. o ON THE SMALLEST PYROMORPHID AND ITS LARVA. BY HARRISON G. DYAR. The smallest known I'yroiuorphid is the Cuban genii-. Si tiinlf-s II. -S. I have met with a tor in of this in the Unhainas. which I describe herewith : Genus SETIOI>I> II. S. ;-';; Setiodes Herrich-Schaffer, Corr, Blatt min.zool.ver. Rc- gensb., xx TOO. is ;: Fonniculus (irote. Pro.'. Ent. So.-. IMiil.. vi. 184. Palpi i-udi'pentary ; antenna? pectinate, the terminal pectination- thickened, the Whole organ somewhat >hori and slightly clubbed ; legs withoui >purs: wings very long and narrow, more -<> than in Harrisina, the hind wini^ especially reduced; fore wings with II veins, vein !i absent. 10 and 11 stalked, the re.-l ;n-i>ini: >eparatel\- from the cell, which is divided by the distinct d'lM-il vein: hind wini:-> with very small internal area, the internal veins all lacking \eins 2 to 7 evenly spaced from the cell. s absent . L'and .". short and down curved. The peculiar <:-enn< has t wo spe :-ies. or local forms, separable ;u follows ; Hind win with a white spot; spot of to. - c wing- large. ..nana, II. S. Hind wing entirely black ; spot of fore wing :iv!ll..bahamensis.ii sp. 100 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [ApriJ 1. Setiodes nana H. S This is the Cuban species, redescribed by Grote as Fjrmicu- luspyf/Hioeus. I have the Grote type before nie, through the kindness of Dr. Skinner. It shows decidedly the effect of the lapse of time, having lost the abdomen and having been bored through by museum pests, but what is left corresponds evi- dently with Herrich-Schaffer's very characteristic description. Grote seems to have had only females and Herrich-Schaffer only males. 2. Setiodss bahamensis, n. sp. Blue black; front, spot below eye, tips of rmlimantiry pilpi. sides of collar, point at base of patagia. points on coxae, tips of hind femora, bases of middle and hind tibiae outwardly, a row of minute lateral points on abdomen becoming" streaks on the sixth segment and a row of ventral points on the posterior e3ge? of the segments white; fore wing with a small whitish hyaline patch in the end of the cell, divided by the discil vein, the base of cell and submeclian interspace more thinly scale! thin elsewhere. Hinil wing uni- formly black. Expanse 15 mm. One in lie, the last two segments tufted on the sides. Hab. Xassau, Xew Providence, B. W. I. Xational Mu- seum, type Xo. 4,167. Larva. Flattened as usual in the family, thick and rather square; feet normal ; five warts on thorax, four on abdomen, the warts low. simply tufts of short dark hair with three of four long pale ones at the extremities. Centrally the color is bluish white, a dorsal, two subdorsal (one above and one below wart iii) and asubtravental (be- low wart iv. and v), straight, narrow, purple-brown lines, connected anteriorly by a transverse band on joint 5 ; the ends (joints 2 to 4 and and 12 to 13) light red ; a conspicuous pale yellowish spot behind wart i. and ii. of joint 12, like a pair of eyes ; joints 13 and also 2 to 4 rather broken up by pale spots, but not much contrasting. Head in the hood about 1 mm, wide or a little over Skin with clear gran- ules; hair smooth, pointed, not bulbous. Length 8 mm. The larva span the characteristic white web of flocculent silk which is usual in the species of this family. A moth emerged in four mouths. Food plant a species of Ampelopsis. 1899] 101 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [The Conductors of ENTOMOLOGICAL, NEWS solicit and will thankfullyrecelve items ni m-\\s likelv to interest its readers from any source. The autlior's name will be given i" each case, for the information of cataloguers and bibliograph- ers.] To Contributors. All contributions will be considered and passed upon at our curliest convenience, and, as far as may be, will be published according to date of reception. EXTOMOLOGICAL, NEWS has reached a circulation, both in numbers and circumference, as to make it necessary to put "copy" into the hands of I lie printer for each number three weeks before date of issue. This should be remembered in sending special or important matter for a certain issue. Twenty-five "extras," without change in form, will be given free, when they are wanted; and this should be so stated on the MS., along with the num- ber desired. The receipt of all papers will be acknowledged. ED. PHILADELPHIA, PA., APKIL, 1899. EDITORIAL We are very busy people here at the Academy, and we must catch the moments as they fly. We haven't the time to read all the journals that come here; and, in fact, we are not interested in all the subjects of which they treat. However, we do like to look over the journals devoted to entomology, both for our pleasure and profit, as we may wish to jot down a record or two of some interesting new point or other. We don't feel inclined to look through every page of a journal, as that is wasteful of our precious time, but in some cases it is a necessity, especially for the compiler of the literature, as some journals do not publish an index to their contents. After much circumlocution we have arrived at the point. Among onr distinguished contemporaries who merit our dire dis- pleasure in this respect may be mentioned the i- Entomologist's Record and .Journal of Variation'' and the '''Canadian Kn tomologist." Could one imagine '-Psyche" without its table of contents on the cover page.' Such a thing is inconceivable and would he like trying to tind a paper published by the I". S. Department of Agriculture. At once one's brain would begin to seel he with Old Series, New Series, Special Series and other combinations we can't unravel. 102 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April Notes and. Ne\vs. ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GLOBE. ALLORHINA NITIDA Linn. As a Fruit Pest. lu addition to what Prof. Gillette quotes Irani one of his correepoi. dents at Phoenix, Ariz , about this insect as a fruit pest in the NEWS for February, I wish to say that Allorhina niiida has been very abundant in our Western Maryland peach orchards alor.g the Blue Ridge Mountains during the past season They were conspicuous upon the variety salway in September, and not infrequently from fifty to a hundred were seen clustered upon a peach. "We noticed that fruit which had begun to rot upon the tree was especially subject to their at- tacks They were easily disturbed, and would very often take flight when one approached the tree. 1 have not seen them attack- ing the peach in its normal condition; but I have no doubt they would. We have seen from one to five clusters of these beetles up- on a tree at a time, and when one is disturber! the others take flight immediately afterward, causing much confusion and buzzing. W. G. JOHNSON, College Park, Md. LONG LIFE OF MOSQUITO LARVAE - Vernon L. Kellogg, Stanford University, California. The normal life of a mosquito wriggler is. for those mosquito species whose life history has been studied, only one or two weeks. *Dr. Howard found the normal life of the wrigo'ler of C'n/>.,- piaigens,a mosquito common at Washington, to be seven or eight days. " The length of time." he adds, " which elapses for a gener- ation * is almost indefinitely enlarged if the weather be cool. Larvae were watched for twenty days, during which time they did not reach full growth." Eggs were laid by a mosquito in my laboratory at -!.:{<) p. in., October t), 1898. The larvae issued from the eggs on the night of October 10th. I kept these wrigglers in a small jar of water, on my writing table. The direct rays of the sun did not strike the jar, but the laboratory is well lighted, and the wrigglers were in a normal condition as regards light. The temperature of the laboratory dur- ing the day time was about G5-75 F. ; at night, never as low ;i> :-tt, F.. usually not below J0-50 F. Occasionally a little water was put into the jar to replace that lost by evaporation. There were 14 larvae on October 10th, They increased in size vary slowly and one after another died. On December lf>th there were six larva- alive, and apparently about full-grown. ()u December 2!)t h live larva? were alive: on January ll.lS'.m, 3 were alive: on January 17th, 2 were alive, and on January ;5()th there wa. but one alive. This one lived until February 16th, when it died at the "ripe old age" ot four mouths and a week. No larva pupated. * I Inward and Murlatt, The Principle Household Insects of the United stnti>. Hull. 4, X. $., Div. of Ent., U. S. Kept., AirrirulMirc-, 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. Why did no larva pupate? The environment w:is not abnormal. unless, perhaps, the food .supply was scanty. Perhaps the reison lies iu the condilions of the " boruinjr ' These slow -gro win g, long- lived, non-pupating wrigglers issued from eggs which were laid by a virgin female The female issued from it.s pupal case and almost immediately laid eggs. There was no other mosquito in the jar. and there was certainly no mating. Perhaps parthenogenesis is not unknown among mosquitoes. I do know that it is known. l>ul it' all the parthenogenetically produced la r vie fare out their lives as these I have watched did. parthenogenesis among mosquitoes is in- fanticide. Tin; ODONATA <>i TIII: ''BiOLOGiA CENTKALI- AMERICANA." - Hav- ing recently been asked by Mr. F. D. G-odmau, of London, to under- take the preparation of the part of this work relating to the Odonata, and having accepted this offer. I desire to make this part as complete as possible. As the " Biologia" aims to embrace all Mexican and Central American specie?, whether include! in the joint collections of Mr. Godmau and the late Mr. Silviu or not. 1 shall be great lv indebted to any persons who will loan me Odomta (" drogonflies," " darning-needles") from those countries for examination, the re- sults of such study to be included in this work. In this connection I will identify unnamed material for a very moderate return in duplicates. As some recent collectors have distributed specimens from that region quite widely, I suggest that any one willing to aid me should write to me before sending the insects and let me know the sources of their material, as, some time, labor and expense may thereby be saved PHILIP P. CALVERT, Academy of Natural Sciences, 19th and Race Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. " (Jo to the ant, thou sluggard I " commanded the Proverb. Accordingly the Sluggard went to the Ant. " Go to the devil I " exclaimed the Ant. 'Talk about red tape!" sighed the Slugg-ird Detroit Journal. 104 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April Entomological Literature, COMPILED BY P. P. CALVEKT. Under the above head it is intended to mention papers received at the Acad- emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of the Americas (North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not be noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiology and embryology of insects, however, whether relating to American or exotic species, will be re- corded. The numbers in HEAVY-FACED TYPE refer to the journals, a* num- bered in the following list, in which the papers are published ; * denotes that the paper in question contains descriptions of new North American forms. Titles of all articles in foreign languages are translated into English; usually such articles are written in the same language as the title of the journal contain- ing them, but when such articles are in other languages than English, French i German or Italian, this fact is indicated in brackets. 4. The Canadian Entomologist, London, Ont., Feb., '99. 5. Psyche, Cambridge, Mass , March, '99 9. The Entomologist, London, Feb.. ? 99. II. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, London, Feb., '99. 12. Comptes Rendus, L'Academie des Sciences, Paris, Jan. 23, '99. 21. The Entomologist's Record, London, Feb. 15, '99.- 25. Bolletino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Amtomia Comparata d. R. Uuiversita di Torino, 189835. Annales, Societe Entomologiqne de Belgique, Brussels, '93. 45. Deutsche Entomologische Zeit- schrift, '98, zweites lepidopterologisches Heft, Berlin. Feb. 10, '99. 61. Natural Science, London, Feb. '99. 74. Naturwissenscbaft- liche Wochenschrift. Berlin, '99. 81. Biologiscb.es Centralblatt, Er- langen. '99. 84. Insekten Burse, Leipsic, '99.-IOI. Rovartaui Lapok, Budapest, Feb., '99. The General Subject. A i g n e r- A b a f i . L . The scientific ar- rangement of an insect collection [in Hungarian], 101. B o r d age. E . On the probable mode of formation of the fusion between the femuraud troshanter in Arthropods (transl. from French), II. C o 1 - lin, A. Determination of the date of publication of Liune- Gmelin. Editio XIII Regnum Animale, Pars, vi, Zoologischer Au- zeiger, Leipsic, Jan. 16, '99. E s c h e rich. Iv . On myrmeco- philous Arthropods with especial reference to the biology [life- history], Zoologisches Centralblatt, Leipsic, Jan 17, '99. J a net. C. On the mechanism of flight in insects, 12. K e r r e m a n s , C. Sexual dimorphism, 35, xlii. i;$, Jan- '24. M c C 1 n n g, C . E. A peculiar nuclear element in the male reproductive cell?; of insects, figs., Zoological Bulletin, Boston, Feb '99. -W i 1 1 o y . A. Trophoblast and serosa : a contribution to the morphology of the embryonic membranes of insects, Quarterly Journal of Microscop- ical Science, London, Jan., 99. Economic Entomology. A u o n. An/tircrctt Ann'r/cn/ia, 4. Neurontera. o m s t o c k . J. H.. and X c c d h a m . J. d- The wings of insects, iv (cont.) [Ephemeridae], figs , American Naturalist, Boston, Feb.. '91). Hemiptera. B erg, r . T*v,> mw Argentine -i> -ie< of the genii- (iypona [in Latin], Anales, Sociedad Cientitici Argentina, xlvii', 1. Buenos Aires, Jan. '99 C o e k e r e 1 I . T . I) . A . Note, on Central American Coccidse, with descriptions of three new spivu-s,* II; The odor of ( 'o:-<-id;t>, 4: Three new ('itr.-il:e from Br.i/il. 4.- tving. G. B. A new variety of ( hiomis/iis /'////'/////< Fitch 106 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April and notes on other species,* 5. K i r k a 1 d y , G . AY . On some aquatic Rhynchota from Jamaica,* 9. T i n s 1 e y, J. D. Con- tributions to Coccidology, i. 4. (bleoptera. B o r d a s, L . Researches on the anal glands of the Carabidte, 12. F let iaux, E. Note on some Eucnernidce and description of new species. 35. xliii, 1, Feb. 11. -G a n g 1 b a u e r , L . Die Kiifer von Mitteleuropa. Dritter Band, erste Hiilfte. Familienreilie Staphylinoidea. 2. Theil Scydmsenidse Histerida?. Wien. Carl Gerold's Sohn. 408 pp. Svo- :-}() text, figures K a r a - waiew, AY. On the anatomy and metamorphoses of the ali- mentary canal of the larva of Aitobiinii pa)u'ceum,figs.,8\, Feb. 15 K nan 8, AY. Collecting- notes on Kansas Coleoptera, 4 P i c . M. Attempt at a study of the Ptfnnsof Brazil, 35, xliii, 1, Feb. 11. AY i c k h a m , II . F . The habits of American Cicindelida.-. Proceedings, Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, vii. Daven- port, Iowa, '99; The Lucanidse of Ontario and Quebec, figs., 4. Diptera. A u s t e n , E. E. Oa the preliminary stages and mode of escape of the imago in the Dipterous geuus Xylomyia Roud, (Subula, Mg. et auct.), with especial reference to X. maculata F. and on the systematic position of the genus, 4, !l. K e 1 1 o g g. V . L . The mouth-parts of the nematocerous Diptera, ii, figs., 5. AY i 1 I i s t o n , S . W . Oo the genu.s Tklipwr/aster Bond., 5. Lepidoptera B ii r g e r, O. Sr;m:l file's " Experimsntelle Zoologische Tjuiersuchuugen mit Lepidoptera,'' 81, Jan. 15 Chapman, T. A. Lepidoptera Phalfenas of the whole world, 9 ; Lepidoptera with a general inland distribution in Europe, but confined to coast habitats in England, 2i Dy ar- il. G . Description of larva of liif/ura delineata Gueu, 4. A suggestion for the Pterophoridae, 1 pi., 21; D ascription of the larva of Calocampa curvimacula,5. F i s c h e r , E . Experi^ mental critical researches on the perc3utage-o^curreiice of abar- rations in Vanessa caused by gi'ext cold, Societas Entomologicas Ziirich-Hottiugen, Feb. 15, '99 F y 1 es, T. VY . Early stage, of Trigonophora periculosa Gn .4 G r i f f i n 5 , A O >serv i- tions on the genus Nannagroecia Redteub .with description of a new species (Voyage of Dr. E Festa to Ecuador) tig , 25, No. \\1 .!. Sept. 14 II o f m a u u , O- Tiie OrneoJidte (Alucitidae; of the palasarctic region, 1 pi , 45 N e w b i g i n . M.I. The colors and pignaentsof butterflies, 61. R e b e 1 , II . On the present posi- tion of classification of the Lepidoptera, 45. S c h u 1 t z , O . On the relative frequency of gyuanclromorphous structures in the vari- ous palsearctic species of Lepidoptera, 84, Jan. 20 S m i t h , J . B. A new species of Asteroscopus Bd,* 4. S t a n d f u ss, M Summary of the temperature and hybrid!/, ilion experiments hith- erto undertaken, 84, Jan 5 S t a u d i n g er, O On ihc species and forms of the genus Ayrias, 45, S t i c h e 1 , II . Ne\v // '/- contA'S from Southern Brazil, Eutomologische Nichvidilc.:. '!>!>, _>, Berlin, Jan. T r i m e n , R. Seasonal diinoriihisiu in Lepidop- ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 1()7 tera. Transaction*, Entomological Society London, 'its. pt. v. Pro- ceedings. Feb. li. 'its. Tut t, J . W. The L isiocampids. tig.. Proceedings South London Entomological ami Natural History Society, ''.is. pt. 1. Hymenoptera. A s h m e ad, AV . 11 . Four nev; specie^ belong- ing to the genus ri<-,,n<-iihtx Fox,* 5. li u 1 in a n . (i . AV . Bees and the origin of flowers. 6! P c r k i n s. I!. (', L See Arach- nid _Y o u n g . C . Descriptions of sawny '.arva'. 4. DOINGS OF SOCIETIES. A regular ineetinii of Hie (.'hicayo Entomological Society \va- hcld on Thursday. Fc'liruary It-. IS!)',), at tlie ( rerar Library. >.'cni- bers present. ]2: visitors, i;. Prof. James (i. Needbain, of Lake Forest I" Diversity, gave a very interesting talk on the Odoiiata, their habits and the bc-l method of obtaining speriniens for study. The Society now has over twenty members and more are confi- dently expected. < und (juarters and access to a well stocked library have placed it on a tirui footing, and it is contemplated to issue a volume of proceeding* in the near future. A . K AVI AT. Sec. At the February meeting of the Feldnmi Collecting Sochi, held at the residence of Mr H. W. Weuzel. 1.VJ:! South 13th street, i\ persons were present. Mr. Boerner recorded the cap tu re of Bar in tm m1f.i\ an introduced >pei'ies. Mr. Bosruer stated the specimeas in quostion had been taken on limber washed up on the beach. Mr. II. AVen/el al-.> i < -orded. f he cap lure of no less i Inn inn ^peciex of Coleoptera trom a bag ot nnlerial gatheied for sifting, on .Ian uaryJStli at \Vcstvilk-, N. J. The bag held about one-half bushel of debris. Eight specie- of S -ydm ie:nd ie were taken, and a specimen of ('(jiniti'dclu'liit crihrffiillis, a -out hern -pecies. Also a specimen O? OllSthopUS inn-dn^ and six sjMvie- of J'/'i //////'.-'. Mr. Boerner referred to a former communication on the hiber- nation of Conotrachelus fissunguis, and slated be had taken a speci- men hibernating on January 2'M. \V J. Fox, Secretary. JOS ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April A REGULAR meeting of the Newark Entomological Society was held Sunday, February 12tli, at 4:00 p. m . with President Bischott' in the chair, and ten members present. Mr. Weidt proposed Mr. W. D. Kearfott, who was unanimously elected a in amber. Mr. S. T. Kemp read the following article on Saperda lateral-is: " During the winter of 1897-9S I found in a patch of under- growth in the neighborhood of Merchantville. N. J.. numerous coleopterous larvae infesting the young shoots of hickory and oak. One species which attracted my attention more than others, on ac- count of the apparent impossibility of collecting the larvae in their natural abode, proved, on maturity, to be&aperda lateralis. I only found them on breaking off the dead shoots of hickory, which ap- peared to grow out of old stumps of the original trees, cut off or worn away close to the ground- They inhabit these shoots right at the very base of them, and appear to burrow almost laterally and slightly upwards. On breaking off these shoots, which were from one to two inches in diameter, and which, when infested, break de.su off easily at the base, the larva becomes almost entirely ex- posed, sometimes even falling out on to the ground. Not recognizing the species at the time. I visiled the same patch about the IstofMay, 1898. and collected a number of them which by this time had pup- ated in th^ same situation, and when these matured, towards the end of May, they gave me the information I desired, viz.: the name of the species of larva? I had been studying I found,on close exam- ination, that the wood attacked by this borer was invariably a shoot that had bean bored during tha previous season, and been broken off three er four feet above the ground by the larvas of Ela- phidiou parallelum. " It appeared to ma from my observation, that the latter species commences the work of destruction,and that the wood is not in a tit condition to suit the requirements of Saperda lateralis until the following season. 1 found mostly one, sometimes two, and occa- sionally in the largest shoots three of the larvae in the same shoot, but always in a separate burrow . The above noted habits of thee larvae may not be of much interest to experienced coleopterists, but may be read with interest by beginners, judging from my personal experience a few years back, and may tend to lead them to closer observation while on their ramblesin the country. S. T. KEMP. Elizabeth, S. J. Mr. Kearfott exhibited a series of blown larvae of the genus Dat- Meeting adjourned A. J. WEIDT, Secretary. A meeting of the American Entomological Society was held Feb- ruary -2:5d, Kev. II. C. McCook, I) D., president, in the chair. Dr. ( 'alvert exhibitedaSphinx larva from the collection of the Biologi- cal School of the Vniversitv of Peimsvlvania, which was so covered 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 109 with the cocoons of a parasite as to almost obscure- tin- larva from view. The specimen was found on the red mangrove at Osprer, Florida. The parasites were Braconida?. Two hundred and fifty larvae were counted, although there were many more. As. high as twelve hundred parasites have been reported from a single larva Dr. Skinner made some remarks on insects in relation to pain and emphasized the fact that the greit numbers of progeny produced compensated for pain as a means of protection to lite, so necessary in the higher order of animals. Mr. Sc-i related, in which a lion munched his arm and no pain was felt- !>; Skinner madesoine re- marks on the subject of insects as carriers of disease, and especially mentioned the probability of M>ixc domestica carrying the Bacil- nis ti/phoxtis, the cause of typhoid or enteric fever These insects settle on fecal matter, from patients sutfjrin > from this disease and then settle on food, and the poison of the disease is carried into the alimentary canal of other persons. The flies foot is admirably adopted for picking up "germs "and cirrying them about. The life history of Mw-t domesticpt ha-; 10 bairing on this subject, ex- cept that they are more numerous whei-3 hor-e miumv is plentiful. All latrines in camps should be covered, as diurnal ins^cfs avoid dark places. Dr. McCooksiid he had visited every principal camp in this country and Cuba during the lit? war and found the flies simply disgusting at times. At Camp Alger.in June, flies swanm-d around the mouths of patients suffering frjin variou* diseises. In the mess tents of the o/ftVo-.s- it was impolitic to eit with any de- gree ot comfort, without an abundant supply of mosquito netting. The president said while in Cub i h;- w is to > b;i ;y to study insi- sts, but did DOtice the "cutting ants" while g,>;ni up theliillto Morro Castle. A black spe-ie< was cHinbing up t'n pit'is and tlu-cu-pi- dor shaped openings were observed and the ants seen carrying in the little bits of leives and probably \\ o.rh-rini:- wlntall the din ot battle had be3n about. At Sin .Fuanridg;- they were airiin notice 1 and around a tree a Iarg3 tormiciry of the- an!- w.i- fouinl- They seem to have the sens? of dire -lion iv.u irk i ! )ly w,-ll dcy, -loped and their burrows, on line< through a rank tro])ical grass and wci-ils, run almost as accurately as an engineer run- a siraiirht lint- !'r a rail- road. At Sintiau'o twj hand<.:ii;- 8p83i - of -jiidcrs wen- ols:>rvcd, which hadtiirovvn th;-ir \\ '- lor forty fes . making a canopy over a path, covered on either side by rich tropical loli.agt- about eight feet in hei"-ht. These interesting natural scene- uvre i:i greit con- 1|() ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April irist to tli-' horrors of war as seen in the hospital rear by. The spiders saen were a common Nep!'l sp. and an Ar<'j><'i r . The Treisurer reporter! that the bequest of m,. II . Horn had been received. DH. HENRY SKIXM.TJ, Secretary. OBITUARY. It is with sorrow I record the death, on February 25th, at Mai- den. Mass., of my friend and fellow collet-tor, Henry G. White. For the past seventeen years he had been in poor health from Avhat wa- supposed to be a form of Bright's disease, and two or three times a year would have severe and painful attacks, which would confine him to his bed for weeks at a time. The last and what proved to be fatal attack c line upon bin: in August, since which time he had been unable to leave his room. He suffered greater agony than be falls the lot of most men. but. in spite of his affliction, was always cheerful and contented, and a most indefatigable collector of /eptdoptertt, in which he specialized. Mr. White was born in Worcester, England. November 23, is.'nt. and came to this country when eighteen years of age. After spend ing a few rears in Pittsburg, Pa., he traveled extensively through the West and finally returned to the Eastern States, and spent the greater part of his life in or near New York city. In the spring of 1895 he came to Maiden, and for about a year was connected with the Gipsy Moth Commission, but his con- tinued poor heilth compelled him to resign his position, since which lie has devoted himself to collecting insects, rearing larv;e and the many other pleasures which a true lover of nature enjoys while pursuing his favorite hobby ; and what a blessing this hobby has been to him, helping to while away the weiry hours and bring days of contentment to this poor sufterer. By profession " Harry' 1 White was a mechanical engineer, by birth and education a gentleman. His \vas a most generous nature, and often would he give from his own collection to help out a less fortunate friend. If he found a choice collecting ground he wanted all his friends (and all entomologists were his friends) to enjoy it with him. His unselfishness was well illustrate:! by a remark I once heard him make when remonstrated wiih for giving so freely from his cabinet. '' What are they good for," said he. " except to give awny 'i I cannot take them with me when I die." We have all of us lost a friend indec I . He leaves a wife whose untiring devotion helped to prolong his life manv years Two brothers survive him. one in Colorado, the other in England, also his mother. HARRY 11 NKWCOMB. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. VOL. X. MAY, 1899. No. 5. CONTENTS : Skinner Notes on Butterflies, with Descriptions of New Species Ill Snyder Reflections on the Realiza- tion of One of Boyhood's Dreams-114 Wickham Recollections of Old Col- lecting Grounds 120 Slosson Collecting on BiscayneBay.124 Smith Description of Haploa Trian- angularis, N. Sp 126 Thomas Additions to the List of Cranberry, N. C., Butterflies 128 Dyar A New Cossid from Texas 129 Coquillet A New Try pet id from Ha- waii 129 Dyar Notes on Alaskan Arctiida-. !'!<) Holdridge A Hybrid Between Li- mentis Ursula and L. Archippus.,131 Editorial 132 Economic Entomology 134 Notes and News 144 Entomological Literature ; 147 Doings of Societies 152 Exchanges i, ii NOTES ON BUTTERFLIES, WITH NEW SPECIES. DESCRIPTIONS OF BY HENRY SKINNER, M. D. Pa m phi la ttcmMeri, n. sp. Male. Expands U inch. Supe- rior wings yellow fulvous, with a darker border, -about an one-eighth inch in width; the yellow fulvous runs into this darker color along the nervures ; the stigrna is long and nar- row, and becomes thinner as it approaches the subniediau iier- vure. Inferior wings yellow fulvous ; costal margin fuscous ; edge of wing fuscous ; fringes whitish-yellow. Under side of superiors with a large black patch at the base; remainder nearly immaculate. Inferiors light yellow-fulvous, immaeu- late. Female. Expands but slightly more. Superiors darker in color, with a row of yellow spots extending across the \\i from the cost a to the inner margin ; tirst come three distinct subapieal spots, then two small ones further toward the outer 112 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May margin, and below these one between each two nervures until the inner margin is reached ; these spots become larger as the inner margin is approached. Inferiors as in the male. Under- sides as in the male. This species is more nearly allied to napa Edw. than any other, bnt is more nearly immaculate both above and below ; the stigma is larger and narrower than in napa. Described from [a pair sent to me by Dr. S. H. Scudder who has a good series in his collection. They were taken on the White Elver, Colorado, between July 24th and August 13th. Pamphila oslari, n. sp. Male expands one and five-six- teenths inches. Upperside : All four wings light fuscous, with an almost obsolete black stigma. Underside : Superiors im- maculate, excepting that there is a black basal dash with red- dish-yellow color above it . Inferiors hoary under a lens show- ing numerous white scales on a dark brown back-ground. This species has a superficial resemblance to fusca Grote and Robinson. Described from four males taken in Chimney Gulch, Colorado, by Mr. E. J. Oslar on the 18th of June. I have received a fresh specimen of Lycorea cleobcea var, atergatis Doub-Hew, taken January the 19th at Miami, Dade, county, Florida. This specimen was taken by Mr. S. K. Ehoads and adds a rather handsome uymphalid to our fauna. It is a wanderer from further south, being found in Brazil and Central America. From the same locality has been re- ceived Danais berenice strigosa. Eudamiift titi/nisan& E. zestox fly together at Miami and neither seem to vary toward the other, and I think it likely that they are distinct species. It has been suggested that zcstox is a variety of titifni*. A series of specimens of Eimica tatlla from Miami, Florida, show wonderful variation on the inferiors below, hardly any two specimens being marked alike. Erycides amui/tax is very abundant at Miami. Nisoniades petronius found at this same place has been taken by myself in ^"ew Jersey not far from Philadelphia. Specimens of P!li<> or Col i a a, when at them they would go until the larger species would be chased out of sight. After a time they would come back and resume the same cir- cular flight, one behind the other. In order to capture any, HIM- is obliged to stand perfectly still for five or ten minutes in the path of their flight, until they get used to your presence, and then they get nearer and nearer to your net which you must hold in position to strike as quickly as possible. It is a case of hit or miss ; if the latter you will not see them again for quite awhile. 1 have waited fora half-hour before they would put in an appearance again at the old spot and then they took good care to keep out of range of my net. Il i> single brooded I believe; I have never seen or taken it after July." 114 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May REFLECTIONS ON THE REALIZATION OF ONE OF BOY- HOOD'S DREAMS. BY PROF. A. J. SNYDER, Belvidere, 111. [Not intended for those who live within the rnagic circles whose boundaries circumscribe the cities of Boston, Philadel- phia, New York, Reading, Pittsburg, Newark, nor for the in- habitants of any other city which is the proud possessor of an Entomological Society, are these lines written ; but for the poor, isolated 'f bugologist " who lives one thousand miles from "nowhere," who seldom meets a congenial spirit, but who is considered an irredeemable crank, even by his relatives, and who must send all his rara aves within the charmed circle in order that they may be properly christened ; to you, fellow- creatures in lonesomeness, who frequently write me about how your n. sp. have been annexed while in pursuit of cognomens, this epistle is inscribed.] My first thought concerning these remarks was to label them " Post Mortem Examinations," for they are based on the fact that the past summer found me in the East examining the re- mains, u legs, thoraxes, abdomens," etc., of all those insects which you poor collectors have been sending there for years and about Avhich at least semi-annually a wail goes up from the editorial page of entomological journals. You remember how we are instructed to always "pin firmly, pack in one box which is enclosed in another, all around which must be several inches of springy packing material, the whole branded on each of its six faces. " Fragile ! ! With Care ! ! ! " etc. It is useless to extenuate you know how they ought to be packed, or at least you should know ; but really, brethren, now that, like Caesar, I may say, " Veni, vidi," the greatest marvel of the age is how those Eastern collectors can so skillfully patch up specimens ; for, within the magic circle, I actually saw (believe it, if you can) whole drawers full of butterflies without a single antler missing ; and, name it not in Gath, but some of those butler flies met their death at our hands. I know it, for occasionally some of them still bear our labels. Probably every boy who inclines to scientific pursuits dreams of some day visiting the Smithsonian and the National Museum ; and if, as in my case, his dream is not realized until 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. he reaches man's estate, he has by that time learned of other great collections in the East which he longs to see. Our magazines sometimes contain articles describing visii- to the great collections of insects in Europe, bnt I fail to re- member a single description of America's collections. Only two years ago a friend, whose collection I was viewing, said : F was down East last summer and visited all the collections ;" yet, to my sorrow, that was about all that he said about them, and he, like the rest, kept to himself all that he had seen and we must excuse him, for he is a very busy man. By the way, is it generally known that nearly all of the great collections of insects in America to-day have been made by men who were very busy men who earned their ' ( bread and butter ' - in some way not connected with entomology, or by a few fortunate mortals born with enough of this world's goods to need to give no attention to ' ' bread and butter, ' ' but so interested in entomology that their time was devoted to it with no other remuneration than the pleasure it afforded! These reflections are not written in the spirit of one who knows all about the great collections, but with the feeling that something has been gained which should be passed on and with a fervent wish to help the less fortunate. Were any one to ask me to-day, " Where is the greatest collection of Lepidoptera in America? ' : I should be compelled to say, "I don't know." At least three times in the past have I gained access to a great collection and the owner has siid, "You now stand in the presence of the greatest collec- tion of Lepidoptera in America," or words to that effect. I have never disputed the statement, but I dare not tell where these collections are; for I have a feeling that at least half a dozen others would rise in wrath and say to those who make such claims words unsuitable to reproduce here. You can s\ mpathize with such pride in one's collection ; for where is the cabinet. e\eu of the tyro, that does not contain specimens which he would not exchange for gold or others .' To return to the story. Last July found me in the company of thousands of pedagogues roaming the streets of " the City of M aguificent Distances. ' ' K\ en as some men approach Xiaga ra Falls, with both desire to see and reluctance to have realized. or as the moth approaches the flame in ever narrowing circles. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May yet irresistibly drawn to the centre, we approached the Smith- sonian and the National Museum. First we visited the Cap- itol, called on the President of the United States, viewed the Government Buildings, the Monument, Mt. Veruou; but finally, having sent our lady friends upon an errand sure to detain them all day, and having found my congenial friend, Mr. James E. McDade, of Chicago, an early morning attack upon the United States Entomologist, Mr. L. O. Howard, was then planned, with a determined attempt to gain access to the goverment collections of insects. Our peregrinations about the government buildings assisted us somewhat in locating the Entomologist's office. We had neglected to bring letters of introduction, so presented our cards. I enjoy finding what may be accomplished without the assistance of that too frequently used power known as a " pull . ' ' We had no excuse for an intrusion upon government officials except our interest in entomology, but found that all-sufficient. and were soon chatting pleasantly with Mr. Howard, whom we fonud to be a genial, business-like man, with unusual ability to rattle off scientific names of insects, even if they consisted of some twenty-six or more syllables. After some minutes of pleasant conversation on insects and men, Mr. Howard gave us a note of introduction to Mr. Ash- mead, one of his assistants, whom we found by entering a dark hole in one corner of the National Museum and then ascending a winding stair. E\ r ery possible courtesy was extended us, and soon Mr. Mc- Dade was examining the Odonata of the National Museum, ^hile my attention was given to taking notes on the Argyn- uids. Before noon Mr. McDade joined me, and we then made a hasty examination of most of the American species. After thanking the authorities for their assistance we could hardly "wait to get around a corner before turning to gaze at each other in amazement, for the collections in both Lepidoptera and Odonata were far below what we had anticipated. Out side the Noctuidae and Bombycidre, where the labors of Prof. J. B. Smith and Harrison G. Dyar are plainly evident, the National Collection falls far below many private collections I have seen in the West. Just why this should be so F am somewhat at a loss to explain, but two probable reasons sug- 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 1 ] 7 gest themselves: First, the government has not provided adequate means for building up a great collection of insects, and departmental workers have had to build up private col- lections in the special orders in which they work at their own expense, which the government has neglected afterward to purchase; secondly, collectors and scientists have not shown the proper spirit of generosity and donated to the Rational Museum duplicates of new and rare specimens which they have captured. At reasonable cost and within a few years, by placing at the disposal of the head of each department (Lepidoptera, Odo- nata, Coleoptera, etc.) a reasonable financial support, and tli rough a system of exchange and purchase, a collection could be built up which would be second to none, as a National Col- lection should be. Such a collection would be of inestimable value to all scientists, but especially would it be an inspiration to young scientists and give them an advantage unknown to the entomologists of to-day. Economic entomology, which has dealt mainly with larval forms, would be immensely aided by a Rational Collection containing long series in both adult and larval stages, and no thinking person can doubt that such a collection would pay financially in the added ability which it would give to cope with insect pests and their depredations. Xo criticism upon the present officials is intended, for they are doing all in their power, but a plea is offered for a gen- eral awakening among legislators and others to the need of increased appropriations for such work. Too many rare speci- mens have already crossed the ocean to swell the collections of more appreciative collectors, who are willing to pay some- thing near the real value. Does not America possess a millionaire who would willing! v devote one of his millions to build up a great American col- lection of insects? If not, at least we who do not possess the millions we may contribute something from our duplicate list> for the love which our hearts bear this great nation and for the benefit of those who in future shall care for its interests. The Rational Museum contains, practically, no types of Ar- gyimids. Among the rather rare species represented there are nokomis, iHitixlma, electa, cohunb'm, lilinini. 118 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May eurynome and arge. There are a few examples of nevadensis and meadii, but the species are not separated. Bulletin No. 44 of the National Museum, by Prof. Smith, gives the names of the Catocalw in the collection, and few if any additions have been made since its publication. Experience taught nie that it was useless to try to remember or even to take notes on all that one sees in a great collection ; hence throughout my trip special attention was paid to Argyn- nids and CatocaUe. It is but a few hours' ride from Washington to Philadelphia, where I soon stood in the presence of the collection of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences. With less than a week for the purpose it would be useless to attempt to see or speak of the collection as a whole, and besides a glance at a few of the beautiful exotics, and the method of mounting them with glass above and below, so that both surfaces niay be seen without removing the specimens, the time was devoted to the two genera mentioned above. Here, as at the National Mu- seum, I soon realized that to see what I most wished to see I must seek private collections. Of especial note were Arg. bischoffi (the vars. saga and arctica~), hiornata, clio, astatic, bois- Hh<'*nx was secured and is of particular interest, since it is 'Pacific in distribution. Mr. Schwarz had, however, previously taken one at Veta Pass, al- titude 9,400 feet. We took two species of Serica, one of them like vesperthia, while the other approaches trod for mix in ap- pearance but differs in sculpture. A female Lachitoxtrnnt ni/> it/iiioxct was found floating in an irrigating ditch. Of Loughorns we took several. Prionux ctd/foniicux was seen rarely, one specimen deserving note on account of reach- ing a length of but 25 mm., about half the usual size of the spenies. Xylotrcrltii* tiitdidatux, Plagithmysus muricatulus, A<-m- d'opx protens, Monohammus maculosus and M.,xcuteUhix were all dwellers on the wood-pile. Some Chrysomelidse observed are asfollows: Coscinoptera i>iiiiic-riftriunox<( under stones or al)out the roots of plants, in company with (_''ti-ic.v d((fit-ifix \\ as not rare under pine needles or in the rubbish about the roots of plants. It seems not worth while to enumerate the other Hrteromerous beetles found, and the rather small series of Khynchophora. A collector going into this valley will find it interest ing as an example of the encroachment on rather high altitudes ol'manx species belonging more properly to the plains fauna. This seems to result from the very gradual slope of the Arkansas valley and the peculiar characteristics of the soil. 124 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May COLLECTING ON BISCAYNE BAY. BY ANNIE TRUMBULL SLOSSON. ( Continued from page 94.) But there are other collecting grounds besides the deserted camp. I spend many hours along the shore of the bay. There are several accessible stretches of sandy beach whei-e at low tide 1 find some in- teresting things. Under wet seaweed or beneath bits of coral rock or pieces of wood are many beetles, some very rare ones. But it is not easy to discover or to capture them, for there are so many other liv- ing creatures to distract the eye and mind. As one turns over a heap of seaweed, hundreds of small shrimplike crustaceans, " sand flees" as they are called jump and wriffgle about in a bewildering way. As they strike the sand there is a pattering sound as of rain drops. Then large brown shining ear wigs glide rapidly out from under the seaweed, looking much like big Staphyltmdce, or slender Carabs. Pinkish earthworms crawl sluggishly along, tiny ants run on the sand, and occasionally an immature cricket, soft and pallid, hops up. All this movement and life is at first distracting, but the trained eye soon learns how to distinguish reidily what it seeks. Platynus fl,oriden,sis,& graceful Carab of greenish black runs swiftly out, Bembfdni.m const rictum darts from the heap of seaweed and Ardistomis obliqua with its two bright red oblique spots steals out more slowly. Here too I always find Tachys capax, a tiny beetle of shining black, with pale legs and antennae, and Anthicus vicinos, more slender and graceful. I have taken lie re also LoxaiK/rus fior- ideusis. L. celer, Oodes lecontei, Dyschirius hcemorrhoidaUs. Chin ' ni'tt-s en'ctirnciitctns, Ardistomis schaumif, Att-cenius Icognatus, A. yracilis, and several others. There are also many Staphyliuids. the most common one being the little Bltdhts basalts which is always running over the white sand. Philonthns a turn mis isalso plentiful, while there are two or three species of /Stenus and at least two of fhinius. When tired and stiff with sitting on the damp sand I change my position, take my net and going to the sandy stretch a little farther from the water I chase tiger-beetles, flies, and aquatic .bugs. There are two or three species of tialda which fly over the sand, one of them very pale in color, almost white and very diffi- cult to detect on the white sand. Ii. diptera there are some very pretty Dollchopodidae, most of them of whitish green, to harmonize with the tints of the shore, an occasional robber fly and Borhums renaficits by thousands. I find also on the damp sand a species of the little three-toed cricket, Tridactylus, looking like a miniature mole-ericket. It is very agile and hard to capture. Still farther back from the water and on higher ground grow many flowers. and there I hunt bees, wasps, butterflies and bugs till time to wend my way homeward over the glaring white, hot coral road. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 125 Sometimes I spend a mornieg on the Miami River in a rowboat. We row along the shore under the mangrove and search the leaves for larvae on coccoons. Here can be watched the whole lite history of the dark blue butterfly, E rye idea ba1abno, which was fully re- corded a year or two ago by Dr. Dyar. It is a beautiful life in every phase, from egg to imago. Ft is still fascinating to me, after seeing it so many times, to peep into the carefully folded mangrove leaf fastened with finest, strongest silk, and see the lonely larva of rich purple red, the color he wears until his last moult, Theu he becomes quite a different creature, of soft bluish white with head still of crimson. Theu comes the graceful white chrysalis and last the butterfly of rich dark blue. On the mangrove too the little white moth, Eupoeya slossonice lives its life. The genus is no longer Eupoeya, but I have forgotten its latest name and have noth- ing here to tell me of it. The larvaa are lovely, soft, silvery green things, hard to distinguish when flattened and motionless on the green leaves, and the small white cot-coon of parchment-like tex- ture is a dainty cell in which to await its snow white wings. Among the mangroves fly several species of small dragon flies, easily caught from the boat with a net. And over and across the blue water are always flying scores of little gray and white Pyralid moths, a species of Nymphaella, I think ; perhaps the same one we have by our northern waters, N. macidalis. They often fly within reach of our nets, sometimes even coming into the boat and resting there. Our mornings among the mangroves are pleasant ones. It is an indolent, luxurious way of collecting, not such hard work as grubbing in wet sand or hunting under dank seaweed, and I like it fora change. Sometimes \ve take a little naptha launch and go far up the river almost to the everglades. There, the other day, I landed and hunted about for half an hour. I took, tor the first time on the east coB.st t JBurtia belce, a pretty day flying moth, with scar- let body and transparent wings. I have taken many at Punta Gorda on the west coast, but these are much larger than any I have seen there. I took also the other day, on some flowers near the river, a moth I suppose to be Ilitrriximt australi's, Stretch. The type came. 1 think, from Florida. It is greenish black, with orange collar, and about the size of //. 'n/./.:is. Uut the number of spe- cies was small. PtUodactyla s<-rric. Ground color white; the markings smoky brown or blackish; head rusty or orange yellow ; legs ot the same color, save that the anterior and middle tibiae and tarsi are black ; antennas black ; collar red or orange yellow, with two black or brown spots at the centre; thorax with a blackish baud through the centre and this is continued more or less obviously over the centre of the abdomen There is a yellowish shading at the junction of the thorax and abdomen, and in the male the anal tufting is also tinged with yellow or rusty. The primaries have a black or brown costal stripe which extends nearly to the apex. A similar stripe extends along the inner margin, but does not quite reach the base. There is a narrow outer margin, wh'ch may or may not reach the apex and rarely reaches the inner angle. From the inner angle, in fully marked specimens, a stripe runs diagonally toward the costa, which it reaches about ^ from base. From the middle of this stripe runs another, reaching the outer margin just below the apex. This leaves a triangular white patch just within the outer margin above the inner angle, and a narrow white band from the basal third to the apex. This band in fully marked specimens is divided by two nai rower smoky bands into three white spots. In this case there is a broad white stripe running approximately through the centre of the wing below the median vein, but not reaching the inner angle. A large white tri- angular spot just above the inner angle and three white spots below the costa, the outer covering the apex. This complete maculatioii is rarely present. The first break occurs in the narrow cross bands separating the three white spots, and then we have a continuous white shading extending below the costa to the apex. The next to break is the connection between the white stripe miming- below the median vein and the triangular white spot above the inner angle. Finally, the connection between the oblique stripe running below the apex is broken, and this leaves as the simplest marking a 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 127 triangular smoky or blackish blotch, the apex resting- at the middle of the median vein, the base extending- from vein 1 to vein 5 or thereabouts. Every intermediate form is represented. Second- aries white, with or without a black or blackish dot on vein -2 near the outer margin. Beneath white, with a more or less marked yel- lowish tinge and with the markings of the upper side showing through and sometimes rather distinct. Expands 1-25 to 1.50 inches' 31 to 38 mm- Habitat : Near Newark, N. J. A series of eleven specimens, representing both sexes, is be- fore me by the courtesy of Mr. J. B. Augelmau, of Newark, N. J. Mr. Augelnian has taken this species rather commonly ; and, considering it one of the normal forms, has made no special effort to preserve it in numbers. At first sight it is easy to mistake it for confiixa Lymau ; but when the markings are carefully examined it will be seen that they are almost identical with sufi'iiNd Smith. This seems now to be considered a white form of colona Huebner ; but, whether that is so or not, it is certain that the type of niaculatiou in the new species is pre- cisely that of the forms which I named xuffuM. It is, how- ever, a distinctly smaller species, more sordid in appearance, and the contrasts between the dark and white markings are much less evident. Furthermore, the tendency toward the breaking up of the markings shows itself in a different way ; and in every case, in the new species, perhaps the most prom- inent feature is the triangular black patch toward the inner angle of the fore wing. It seems remarkable that there should be a good new species belonging to this genus in a region that has been so well collected over as has the eastern part of New Jersey, and. the species indeed does not seem to be at all rare. Dr. Dyar has a specimen from Plattsburg, N. Y. It is cer- tainly as good a one as any other in the genus ; and, though 1 have seen hunreds of specimens, from all sources, since the time that I published on this subject in the Proceedings V. S. N. M., I have seen no reasons to change the conclusions as to the validity of the species therein recogiii/.ed. unless indeed it be admitted that the white forms arc simply varieties of those that are normally maculate. No one has, so far as I am aware, bred any of the species from egg to adult, and until this is done it may not be possible to decide finally on the specific values of these insects. 128 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May ADDITIONS TO THE LIST OF CRANBERRY, N. C., BIT- TERFLIES. BY LANCASTER THOMAS, Philadelphia, Peuua. In ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, 4,80,1894, Dr. Henry Skinner gave a listof the butterflies taken at Cranberry, Mitchell county, North Carolina, in the two weeks extending- from July 7th to July 21st. This list contained the names of thirty -one species. Since that time I have visited Cranberry every season, and remained there from June until October, and collected nearly every favorable day. In addition to the list given by Dr. Skinner I can now add thirty- five species as follows, making a total of sixty -live species for this locality. LIST. Agraulis vauillae I Colias caesonia Melitaea phaeton Terias jncuuda Phyciodes nycteis Terias delia Thecla m-album Pamphila campestris Thecla calanus Pamphila zabu Ion Thecla poeas Pamphila phylaeus Feniseca tarquiuius Pamphila accius Vanessa antiopa Pamphila fusca Grapta interrogationis Pamphila peckius Grapta comma Pamphila verna Grapta progue Pholisora catullus Pyramies cardui Nisouiades juveualis Junonia coeuia Nisoniades petrouius Neonympha eurytus Amblyscirtes vialis Satyrus alope Pyrgus ttssellata Pieris protodice Eudamus pylades Callidryas eubule Eudamus bathyllus Eudamus lycidas It will be noticed that in the above list there occurs three species that are new to the locality,one Grapta prot/ne, reported byScudder and Holland as not having been taken south of Pennsylvania, and the other two Terias jucunda and delia, reported so far from the gulf States only. P.progne can be taken in proper season in large numbers, &udji/>ii.^. It is quite a handsome butterfly and should probably be called Limeti- itis tn-xtilii in-rkii>i>nx, hybrid. Fanciful names for hybrids are ob - jectionable. It is best to indicate by the name what they reillv are. 132 [May ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [The Conductors of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS solicit and will thankfullyreceive items of news likely to interest its readers from any source. The author's name will be given in each case, for the information of cataloguers and bibliograph- ers.] To Contributors. All contributions will be considered and passed upon at our earliest convenience, and, as far as may be, will be published according to date of reception. ENTOMOLOGICAL, NEWS has reached a circulation, both in numbers and circumference, as to make it necessary to put "copy" into the hands of the printer for each number three weeks before date of issue. This should be remembered in sending special or important matter for a certain issue. Twenty-five "extras," without change in form, will be given free, when they are wanted; and this should be so stated on the MS., along with the num- ber desired. The receipt of all papers will be acknowledged. ED. PHILADELPHIA, PA., MAY, 1899. NATURAL HISTORY SPECIMENS IN THE FOREIGN MAILS AGAIN. The Wash iiigton Congress of the Universal Postal Union, held in May, 1897, adopted a convention, one paragraph of which admits articles of natural history to the mails of the Union at the rate for, and under the conditions applicable to, samples of merchandise. The Congress fixed January 1, 1899, as the date when this convention should go into effect. Since the beginning of the present year the editors of the NEWS have received several letters, from persons in various parts of the United States, to the effect that postmasters have refused to accept specimens of natural history intended for foreign countries at the rates permitted by the Washington Convention. At the wish of certain correspondents, we have investigated the possible reasons for such refusals. The fol- lowing letter from Mr. N. M. Brooks, Superintendent of For- eign Mails of the United States Post Office, will therefore prove of interest. WASHINGTON, March 24, 1899. Mr. Philip P. Calvert, Philadelphia. SIR. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st inst. calling attention to the circumstance that, since the 1st of January last, postmasters at certain United States Post Offices have refused to receive packages containing " Specimens of Natural His- tory '' whi ch were presented for mailing to foreign countries as *' samples." In reply L have to inform you that such refusals must be attrib- uted to ignorance on the part of the postmasters in question due to their failure to observe the instructio ns published in the 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 133 (,'t/i//c issued by this department in the mouths of September (page 10) and January last (page 1086) as follows, viz.: " Specimens of natural history, such as dried or preserved suii- mals or plants, geological specimens, etc., which are not sent for commercial purposes, are admitted at the postage rate and un- der the conditions of weight and size prescribed for samples." The same information in given in Section 10 on page 19 of the Postal Guide for the current month (March). I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, [Signed] N. M. BROOKS, Superintendent of Foreign Mails. In this connection we reprint, for the benefit of correspond- ents, the following extracts from the Washington Convention, given in the NEWS for February, 1898, page 46. The conditions which must be observed for the transmission of samples of merchandise are the packages to admit of easy inspec- tion, not to " bear any manuscript other than the name or the social position of the sender, the address of the addressee, a manufacturer's ora trade-mark, numbers of order, prices and indications relating to weight and size, as well as to the quantity to be disposed of, or those which are necessary to precisely indicate the origin and na- ture of the merchandise," while articles of glass, liquids, oils, fatty substances and dry powdersmust be packed to prevent their dam- aging, or escaping into, the other contents of mails (chap, iii, art. xvii). " Packets of samples of merchandise may not contain any article having a salable value; they must not exceed 350 grams [12.35 Avoirdupois ounces] in weight, or measure more than 30 centime- tres [11.8 inches] in length, 20 centimetres [7.87 inches] in breadth, and 10 centimetres [3.93 inches] in depth, or, if they are in the form of a roll, 30 centimetres [11.8 inches] in length and 15 centimetres [5.9 inches] in diameter " (chap. 1, art. 5, sect. 5). " It is forbidden : First, to send by mail : (a) samples and other articles which, from their nature, may prove dangerous to the postal employees, soil or injure the correspondence ; (6) explosive, inflammable or dangerous substances, animals and insects, living or dead, excepting the cases provided for in the Regulations of detail " (chap. 1. art. 16, sect. 3). The " Regulations of detail and order for the Execution of the Convention" form chapter iii, in which the following occurs as paragraph 5 of article xvii. "There are likewise admitted at the rate applicable to samples, articles of natural history, dried or pre- served animals and plants, geological specimens, etc., which are not transmitted for a commercial purpose, and which are wrapped in conformity with the general stipulations concerning samples of merchandise." Finally, the rate of postage for samples N ti \nl : it :> centimes for every fifty grams, that is one cent for every two ounces. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY Edited by Prof. JOHN B. SMITH, Sc. D.. New Brunswick, X, J. Papers for this department are solicited. They should be" sent to the editor, Prof. John B. Smith, Sc. D., New Brunswick, N. J. A CONTRIBUTION TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAUNISTIC ENTOMOLOGY OF OHIO.* BY F. M. WEBSTER. During- the last seven years I have been able to study the insect fauna of Ohio with more or less care, and have been much impressed by the rapidity and trend of diffusion in several species of insects, some of which have appeared within the boundaries of this State since a comparatively recent date. Insects make their way into Ohio from other States, coming- from almost all points of the com- pass, except the North, which is protected, to a large extent at least, by Lake Erie. As my duties have obliged me to pay particular attention to such species of insects as possess habits of economic in- terest, I have studied these with greater care, and, in fact, others may have made their way into the State without my having observed them. However, injurious insects have some characteristics which tend to give them a value iu fauuistic studies, for, though they must become quite destructive before they are likely to attract the atten- tion of the husbandman, yet often the time nnd place where their depredations are first observed offers no mean basis for working out the problems of introduction and diffusion. In a majority of cases,, perhaps-, an insect will have made its appearance a number of years before it will be discovered by entomological collectors, and then it may be several years before it has increased in sufficient numbers to become destructive. But, other things being equal, it is likely to become a pest first somewhere near the point where it first gained a foothold. The data here given, while not as full in all cases as could be wished, yet it is not only the best that can be secured at present, but it is practically all that we have on which to base fu- ture investigations of this character. This information has been se- cured by personal observation and by correspondence, the latter being used after rigid inspection and sufficient evidence of its accu- racy obtained . The direction taken by a species on first entering the State is often influenced by rivers. Perhaps this element has had a greater influ- ence than any other in shaping, directly or indirectly, the course of diffusion in a majority of the species included in this paper. Rail- ways comeiu for a share of the credit for diffusing some species, while commerce also may be credited with shaping the course of other spe- cies. Of course the most potent factor in both shaping and defining *Read before the Ohio .State Academv of Science, December 29, 1898. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 135 the insect fauna of any section is the nature of the flora, both natural and cultivated, as, without food plants, it will be impossible for a herbivagous insect to exist at all. The two beetles, Phytotwimi* /m/ictalus (the Clover Leaf weevil) and Hylastes trifolii (Clover Root-borer), both came to Ohio via Western New York, spreading out over Western Pennsylvania into Eastern Ohio. (See Mapl.) I saw the former quite abundant at novr\uS 'ovx.Yvc.V'Avii. vilckSles tnyAu. / MAP No. i. Chautauqua Lake in the most western county in New York, in the autumn of 1888, while the late Dr, John Hamilton, of Allegheny. Pennsylvania, records it as occurring in Westmoreland county and also in Allegheny county', also in 1888, but stated that up to Decem- ber, 1891, it had not become abundant enough to attract attention. 136 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May In 1892 it was reported to me as abundant, in the larval stage, at Perry, Lake county, northeastern Ohio, and during the same year Mr. Charles Dury collected the beetles near Cincinnati, nearly in the extreme southwestern part of the State. The stomach of a crow shot in Michigan, also in ,1892, contained an adult of this species, but it was known to have been first introduced into this latter State by a lady, who unknowingly and unintentionally brought it in her trunk from some of the more eastern States, where she had been spending the summer. Mr. Hine found it the following year in the northwestern part of Ohio, but it must have spread less rapidly to the south, as it was not until 1893 that it made its first appear- ance at Wooster, about fifty miles from localities where it had oc- curred in great abundance two years earlier. Specimens now began to be received from localities along the Ohio river throughout its entire length in this State, some of these localities being situated at a considerable distance away from the river, especially in the southwestern part of the State, and it was plainly to be seen that the Phytonomus was spreading toward the centre from all points of the compass except the west. The late Dr. Kellicott reported its first discovery at Columbus in 1895, and there was yet a limited section to the west of this that was not known to be infested. In view of all the' data at hand it seems clear that Phytonomus punctatus spread westward from New York, through western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio, and was here washed into some or all of the tributaries of the Ohio river in this region during high waters, and carried down stream, probably clinging to drift wood and other debris. This drift was often carried by back waters far back into the country, and with the receding of the waters left not only high and dry, but often in the midst of clover fields. As I have found the sexes pairing in autumn, it is not unlikely that more or less females are thus fertilized in the fall, and if carried down stream, however isolated they might ultimately find themselves, they would be able to start a colony in the adjacent clover fields, and their pro- geny would spread still farther inland. At the time I observed the species at Chautauqua Lake, New York, the adults were floating about in the waters of the lake, seemingly little, if at all, affected by their bath. Hylastes trifolfi doubtless spi'ead from nearly the same locality in New York, and so far as my information extends followed almost precisely the same course, though its diffusion, except so far as this was due to being carried down the Ohio river, was slightly less rapid. It was first observed in northeastern Ohio, though it proba- bly preceded Phyloiioimts by several years, and spread westward, and seemingly less rapidly to the southward. While its pi-ogress across the northern part of the State, where it also attacked peas as well as clover, was being noted, my source of information being largely reports, accompanied by specimens from farmers, one of these reports was unexpectedly received from southeastern Indiana, 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. L37 a direction almost directly opposite to where it already occurred in Ohio, and in the 3ounty adjacent to the one in Ohio, where Mr. Dury had first discovered the Phytonomus. From material received from correspondents and from personal observations, I am led to believe th^t, as with the Phytonomtm, it was washed into the upper ltM.* f bh ern e r 6fc\o r m ^ v' bh MAP No. 2. tributaries of the Ohio river and left along 1 its course by the falling stream, thus becoming established over the same territory, the out- break iu Dearborn county, Indiana, originating from adults carried into the lowlands about the mouth of the Big Miami river and below. From this point it made its way north and eastward into Ohio, meeting the south-bound tide of diffusion probably in or near 138 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May Mercer county, but leaving aceutral area to be occupied later by the slow but steady advance of the species now from all directions. The species had been reporter! from extreme southeastern Michi- gan as early as 1889. the introduction being- attributed to specimens having probably been brought across Lake Erie by the winds from some eastern locality. A year later a tew specimens were found at Lansing, but it was not until 1892 that it began to make its pres ence felt, and then only over a strip of country extending from Monroe to Grand Rapids, As the insect was abundant enough in Paulding county, Ohio, to work serious injury to the clover crop in 1893, L am disposed to doubt the above mentioned theory of tirst in- troduction into southeastern Michigan by way of Lake Erie and to ascribe it to a continuation of the Ohio invasion. This seems all the more probable, as it would be only after the insect had become seri- ously injurious that information would be likely to reach me through farmers, and the pioneers might be and probably were sev- eral years in advance of this. A year later, in 1894, came the re- ports from Mercer county, Ohio, which might have been due to the southern diffusion of the northern Ohio and southern Michigan in- vasion, but the outbreak in Dearborn county, Indiana, could not be accounted ioriu thesame way, and this must, therefore, beattributed to a separate introduction, for which there appears to be no other explanation than that the species, like Phi/foiioH/us, was carried down this river and left stranded in the lowlands in that section. Besides this, both correspondence and personal observation shows that the species became noticeably numerous in eistern Ohio before it did in the central portion of the State. It was not until 1896 that it was observed on the Experiment Station grounds at Wooster, which is slightly over 75 miles in a direct line from Columbus, and slightly less 50 miles, also in a direct line, from Cleveland. The influence of rivers on the diffusion of Diabroticn iongicornis is probably indirect, but, uevertheless,clearly defined. (See Map 2.) In a previous paper presented before this body* I called attention to the peculiar adaptation of this species in the corulields of the middle West, and there called attention also to the fact that it had probably long ago made its way over ihe country, but was able to retain its hold only in small and widely separated localities, until the second tide of diffusion with the more highly developed food habits of the larvae rendered its establishment in Ohio in its present abundance possible. The trend of diffusion is now certainly parallel with the course taken by rivers, (hough not necessarilv in the same direction as the water flows. This insect cannot breed in great numbers in fields that are subjected to a rotation of crops. The same ground must be devoted to maize for a series of years in order to enable the insect to become even numerous, and it is the bottom lauds that border the * Fifth Report Ohio Academy of .Science, \>. 11. 1899 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. sti-eams which are more frequently than any other devoted (o corn year after year, simply because the soil will stand this sort of man- agement, and, indeed, in some localities, like the lower Scioto val- ley, it is impossible to raise any other crop there. Next to this rich level lands are kept more continuously in corn, and thus the low rich lands, generally speaking, form the highways along which this species makes its way in its eastward spread. This information was gained on my part from years of study and observation in Illi- nois, supplemented by eight years of equally careful study and ob- servation in Indiana, before coming to Ohio, all of which prepared me for further investigations in the latter State. While in Indiana I had been able to trace the species throughout the entire length of the valley of the Wabash river, whose upper tributaries intermingle with those of the Maumee and the Big Miami in northeastern In- diana. Knowing the habits of this insect, it will require but a study ot the topography and soil of northwestern Ohio to fully understand the ease with which it would make its way from the country about Fort Wayne, Indiana, to the vicinity of Toledo and Sandusky, in Ohio. I have not as yet found it to the eastward of Sandusky and Seneca counties, except across Sandusky bay in Ot- tawa county, and farther southward it holds to about this distance east, even to the vicinity of Columbus, where it is now known to occur, though none were to be found there or in that vicinity in But, precisely as in case of flyl'ixft'x. we had a separate outbreak in the vicinity of the mouth of the Big Miami river, this time, how- ever, in Hamilton county. Ohio, and it was here that serious injury was first observed* though it is probable that it was also destructive at this time in the region of the upper Maumee river, away to the north. It is very significant that while so abundant in western Hamilton county so good a collector as Mr. Dury should not have been able to find it in the vicinity of Cincinnati, in the eastern por- tion of the same county, the reason probably being that it did not then occur there. There seems every probability that it had found its way to the bottom lands about the mouth of the Big Miami river, and owing to the fact that in that vicinity there is a large permanent area of corn, developed there in greit abundance, spreading northeastward up the Big Miami valley until the corn fields enabled it to span the region intervening between thN and the valley of the Little Miami down which it made its way, and when it reached the vicinity of Cincinnati a couple of yetrs later Mr. Dury was able to collect it in abundance. The species also probably continued on its northeast- ern course until it mingled with the diffusion fro in northern In- diana, and then the trend of diffusion was southward down the val- ley of the Scioto river to the Ohio, as I found it in limited numbers in the bottoms of the former stream a couple of years ago. It may be stated again that the bottom lauds of the lower Scioto have in 140 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May some places been devoted to corn continuously for over a century, but this insect known to be so destructive to this crop is just find- ing its way to that locality. The species may be expected to spread eastward in the centre of the State until it reaches the Muskingum river, when it will likely spread throughout the valley of this stream, where corn is the principal crop and is grown continuously on the same laud for a series of years. With any amount of search- ing we have never yet found asiugle specimen of Dtabrotica lonyi- cornis about Wooster, though the future will doubtless see it abundant in the bottoms of the Killbuck, a small stream with wide bottom lands on either side. In Murgantia histrionica we have a different problem of diffu- sion to solve, and whatever influence rivers have had in shaping the trend of such diffusion, this has been by such as are located in adjoining States, except possibly in a single instance, where the Ohio river may have had something to do with its course of migra- gratiou for a comparatively short distance. See Map 3. As is well known, this species is a native to Central America, the West Indies and probably Mexico. Our first record of its appear- ance in the United States gives its area of distribution as * k Louisi- ana and Texas," and extends back to 1864. Since that time it has spread to Long Island, New York, on the Atlantic coast, and inland it is now found in Colorado, Missouri, southern Illinois, extending northward in Indiana to Indianapolis and in Ohio to within twenty miles of Lake Ei-ie. It has never been a seriously destructive insect in Illinois, and in Indiana only so along the Ohio river below Louisville. Kentucky, where it first began to attract attention in 1890. When I came from Indiana to Ohio in 1891 there was in the insect collection of the Experiment Station a single specimen, said to have been collected in Warren county a year or so before. Prof. A. D. Hopkins has since informed me that he took a specimen in Wood county, West Virginia, in 1891. Being already interested in the distribution and diffusion of .this species I was 'on the watch for its appearance in greater numbers and in other localities, but was not able to sub- stantiate its occurrence in Warren couhty, or, indeed, find it at all, either in the vicinity of Cincinnati or elsewhere to the westward to the Indiana line, the direction from which I naturally expected it to enter the State. In 1895 I was surprised to receive it from a locality nearly 120 miles in a direct line east of Cincinnati and up the Ohio river. Within a week after this first report came a second from a point about eighty miles southeast of Cincinnati and also on the Ohio river. In both instances it was stated that the pest had worked serious ravages the year before, 1894. Still the species could not be found anywhere about Cincinnati, although the large acreage of cabbage, its principal food plant in that vicinity, would imply its appearance there as soon as elsewhere, especially as its appearance 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 141 east of Missouri, where it appeared about the year 1870, had been uniformly more aud more recent until the present, in Ohio. It was not until 1896 that it was observed about Cincinnati, from whence it has gradually but steadily moved northward for a distance of about sixty miles. From the locality where the species was first reported it has made its way northward fully 140 miles, and through Wvi.Ygarvlv.Cx W\5trioni cr. Howard would term a commercial leap," or else to the north of Lake Krie, t hnumh < Mitario, t here has been an i n dependent t ide ol ' in Jurat ion. t hoiiirh, it' t he latter were t he case, it should have been observed and reported in that section of t 'anada, before thU late day. 144 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May the details, though iu the main I believe that it will be found ac- curate, and my hope is tliat it will serve as a nucleus to which others with more light and further studies will be able to build, and if the future structures are better than mine, so much the better. F. M. W. o Notes and News. ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THE GHLOBE. ALLORHINA NITIDA L., again. As Prof. Gillette's note on the above insect has called forth remarks from Mr. Cockerell and Prof. L. O. Howard, I feel that I will be in good company when I call at- tention to the tact, that in the second annual report of the South Carolina Experiment Station for 1889, as Entomologist to the Station, I gave a short notice on page 105. of the damage done the Fig crop in the South, by Allorhina nitida or the " Fig-eater"' of the Children's vocabulary, (pronounced "Fig-gater.") ELLISON A. SMYTH, JR. THE Ohio State University has purchased from Mrs Kellicott the extensive collection of Odouata, which had been brought together by the late Prof. D. S. Kellicott. Aside from the complete series of Ohio species forming the basis of Prof. Kellicott's published papers on the group there is a representative series of North Ameri- can species and a number of exotics, making altogether a most ex- cellent study collection. It is fortunate that the collection is assured permanent preservation and the University is very fortunate in the acquisition Prof. Kellicott had nearly finished, the manuscript of a descriptive catalogue of the Ohio Odouata based on this collection, written especially for the use of students. The species not treated in the original manuscript have been covered by Mr. J. S. Hine, and the work is being printed by the Ohio Academy of Sciences. HERBERT OSBORN. BULLETIN 15, Div. of Entomology, U. S. Dept. Ag., by Prof. F. M Webster, devoted to the Chinch-bug, is a valuable contribution to the literature on this widespread pest. Could its teachings be thoroughly distributed and heeded by the class of farmers who suf- fer most froni the ravages of the pest it would accomplish great things Unfortunately the farmers most needing it are likely to give it the least attention. Asa study in geographical distribution it is a valuable contribu- tion to science as it contains a very complete presentation of Prof. Webster's view as to the original habitat and lines of dispersal of the insect, a view to which he certainly brings a strong array of evidence His statements concerning the probable conditions pro- ducing dimorphism are perhaps less fully supported, but there is here the possibility of so many factors having been operative that 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 145 it is not safe to be too dogmatic. It would seem most probable that the winged forms are the more primitive, and the brachypterous forms the derivatives, and while it is possible that prairie fires may have had something to do in preventing- the development of brachypterous races in the west, I can hardly see how they could be a primary factor since it appears to me more a matter of adaptation to constant or inconstant food supply. His discussion of the experiments with fungous diseases of the chinch-bug and their utility is very candid, and on the whole ap- pears judicious. He might have cited numerous other experiments indicating the effect of their use, none however, having the cer- tainty of an experiment under absolute control.as such experiments are practically out of the question in a case of this kind. With his presentation and conclusions the practical farmer ought not to be too strongly encouraged to expect immediate and complete relief by this method nor will he feel that the method is entirely worth- less. HERBERT OSBORN. GERMAN physiology isattacking the intelligence of the ant. Pro- fessor Bethe, of Strasburg, thinks he has found a purely material reason for their recognizing each other. He cleansed the ants taken from one hill in a solution of alcohol, dipped them in a decoction made of ants from another hill, and placed them in thestrange hill. They were not attacked as strangers, even when of different color and conformation. On the other hand, ants treated in this manner when put back in their own hills were not recognized by their tribe, but at once attacked and killed. Professor Bethe infers from this that ants must give out some liquid whose odor guides them and that each colony must have its own peculiar smell. Ban, Francisco Examiner. I NOTE (to my horror; that in the article on Calliphorinae in March NEWS, page 63, I omitted one of the most important char- acters that defines the group. Lateral post humeral bristle situated laterad the prexntnrnstnlnf. of Weise. FREDERICK KNAB. -o- Entomological Litera.tu.re, COMPILED BY P. P. CALVERT. Under the above head it is intended to mention papers received at the Acad- emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of the Americas (North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not be noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiology and embryology of insects, however, whether relating to American or exotic species.will be re- corded. The numbers in HKAVV-FACED TYPE refer to the journals, as num- bered in the following list, in which the papers are published ; * denotes that the paper in question contains descriptions of new North American forms. Titles of all articles in foreign languages are translated into English ; usually such articles are written in the same language as the title of the journal contain, ing them, but when such articles are in other languages than English, French- German or Italian, this fact is indicated in brackets. 4. The Canadian Entomologist, London, Ont., '99. 5. Psyche, Cambridge, Mass., April, '996. Journal of the New York En- tomological Society, March, '99. 8. The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, April, '99. II. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, London, March, '99. 12. Comptes Rendus, L' Academic des Sciences, Paris, March 6, '99. 21. The Entomologist's Record. London, March 15, '99. 22. Zoofogischer Anzeiger,Leipsie,'99. 35. Annales, Socictc Entomologiquede Belgique, Brussels, xliii. '2, March i;. '!>!). 40. Societas Entomologica,Zurich-Hottingen,'99 51. Novi- tates Zoologic-fc, v. 4, Tring, England, Dec. HI, '98. 60. Comuni< M ciones, Museo Nacioual de Buenos Aires, i, 2, Dec. 17, '98. 68. Sci- ence, New York, '99. 82. Centralblatt fiir Bakteriologie, Jena, '99.- 84 Insekteu B<">rse, Leipsic, '99. 87. RivueScieutitique, Paris, '99. 102. Proceedings, Entomological Society of Washington, iv. 3. '!>'.). 103 p. Occasional Papers, California Academy of Sciences, vi, San Francisco, Feb. 28, '99. 104. Mittheilungen, Naturhistorisches J4S ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May Museum in Hamburg, xv, '98. 105. Videuskabelige Meddelelser, Naturhistoriske Foreniug i Kjobeuhavn. Copenhagen, '98. 106. Buletinul Societalii de Sciinte din Bucarescu, Eomauia. vii, Bucar- est, '98. The General Subject. A n o u. Gustav Schoch [obituary], portrait, 84, March 16. B erg, C . Substitution of generic names, 60 c- Bethune, C. J. S. The rise and progress of entomology in Canada, Transactions, Koyal Society of Canada (2) iv, 4, Ottawa, '98. C ockerell, T. D. A. Color in nature, 68, March 24 - Kunckel d'Hercnlais. On moulting in insects considered as a means of defense against animal or vegetable parasites; special roles oftracheal and of intestinal moults, 12. Pauls. Experi- mental zoological studies of Dr. M. Staudfuss, 40, March 15 Poulton, E. B. The instincts of wasps as a problem in evo- lution, figs., Nature, London, March 16, '99. S c h u p p , A. On the "place-sense" of insects, 84, March 2. Vire, A. The sub- terranean world : the blind animals, figs., 87, Feb. 25. W a 1 s i n g- h a m . Transmission of natural history specimens abroad by sample post, 8. Economic Entomology. An on. Abstract of recent publications, Experiment Station Record, x, 6. 7. U. S- Dept. Agriculture, Washington, '99- Berg, C. On the enemies of the migra- tory locust (Schistocerca paranensis Burm. [in Spanish], 60 c. C lement, A. L. On a retarded escape from the cocoon of Attacus cynthia, Bulletin, Societe Nationale de Acclimatatiou de France, Paris. March, '99. Levat, L. A. The disappearance of the bird and the multiplication of the insect, 87, March 18. Lounsbury, C. P. Report of the Government Entomolo- gist for the year 1897 Cape of Good Hope Dept. of Agriculture. Cape Town, 1898; Entomology, figs., The AgriculturalJournal pub- lished by the Department of Agriculture, Cape of Good Hope, xiv, 4. Cape Town, Feb. 16, '99. L o w e, V. H. i. The raspberry saw-fly, ii. Preliminary notes on the grape-vine flea beetle, 7 pis.. Bulletin No. 150. New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva. X. Y. Dec., '98. Two destructive orchard insects: i. the apple-tree teut-cattei-pillar; ii. spraying experiments against the spring canker-worm, figs. ,4 pis., Ibid, Bull. No. 152. M ar pma n u . On the occurrence of rnites in urine, 82, March 13.- N u t a 1 1 , G . H . F . The mosquito-malaria theory, 82, March 13, etc. S a g n i e r The San Jose scale, Bulletin des seances, Societe National d' Agricul- ture de France, Paris, Feb., '99. S m i t h , J . B . Report of the Entomological Department of the New Jei-sey Agricultural College Experiment Station for the year 1898. N. J. Agr. Col. Exper. Stat. Rep. 1898. pp. 371-467, 15 figs. Trenton, '99. W e b s t e r , F . M . A serviceable iusectary, 2 pis., 4, April. Arachnida. B e r g , C. On Ihelyphonas maximits Taruani.60c- Hentschel, E, Contributions to knowledge ot spiders' 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 14 eyes, 2 pis., Zoologische Jahrbiicher, (Abtheil. Auat. Outog ) xii, 3, Jena, Feb. 22, '99. K r a e p e 1 i 11 , K. New pedipalpi and scorpions of the Hamburg 1 museum,* 104. Pocock, R. I- The geographical distribution of the Arachnida of the orders Pedi- palpi and Solifngae, maps, Natural Science, London, March, '99- Soreusen, "W . Arachnida Groeulandica ( Acaris excepta; [iu Danish],* 105. S u p i u o, F . Considerations on the classifica- tion of the Ixodes, Atti, Societa Veneto-Trentina di Scieuze Natu- rali, (2), iii 2, Padua, '!)9. Myriopoda. C o o k, O. F. The Diplopod family Strinriidae,* 2 pis., Proceedings, U. S. National Museum, No. 1109. Washington '99; African Diplopoda of the family Gomphodesmidae, 7 pis., Ibid . No. 1170, "99. S i 1 v e s t r i, P , New Argentine Geophiloi- dea [in Latin] 60 c. Thysanura. S i 1 v e s t r i , F .First notice on the Argentine Thysauura [in Spanish], 60 c. Orthoptera. v . B r u n u , M . Parthenogenesis in Phasmidae observed by a transmarine merchant, 104. B u r r . M . On the ab- breviation of organs of flight in Orthoptera, 21. M c N e i 1 1 , J . Notes on Arkansas Truxalina 1 .* 4, March : Arkansas Melauopli, ii,* 5. S c u d d e r , S . H. The Orthopteran genus Schistocerca* Proceeding's, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, xxxiv, 15, Boston, '99; Supplement to a revision of the Melauopli,* 3 pis. .Pro- ceedings, Davenport [Iowa] Academy of Natural Sciences, vii, '99. Neuroptera. B a n k s , N. A classification of the North Ameri- can Myrmeleonidse,* 4, March. K e 1 1 o gg , V. L. Mallo- phaga from birds of Panama. Baja California and Alaska,* 4 pis., 103 p K e 1 1 o g g , V . L . and C h a p m a n , B . L . Mal- lophaga from birds of California,* 5 pis., 103 p. M c L a c h 1 a n , R. Notes on certain pahearctic species of the genus Hemerobiti*. figs., 8. S u o d g r a s s , R . E . The anatomy of the Mallophaga, 8 pis , 130 p. Voiuov, D. N. Digestive epithelium ot the nymphs of ^EiscItHfi, 106; Physiological researches on the digestive apparatus aud the adipose tissue of Odonate larva?, 2 pis.. 106. Hemiptera C o c k e r e 1 1 , T . D . A. A date-palm scale in- sect, 68, March 17. C o c k e r e 1 1 , T. D. A. and King, G. B. An apparently new Xecffftiwm found on white cedar,* 5. D o 1 b y - T y 1 e r , C H . Leconfum hunjuhnii Douglas para- sitized by LecatHtbiii* cockf-rcUi Ash mead. Secondary parasite Holrn/H'lt,'. n. sp., Ash in , 8. H o w a r d , L . O. The odor of Coccidae. 4. April. II u u t e r, S. J. The Coccidas of Kansas,* 7 pis , Kansas University Quarterly, viii., ], Lawrence, Kan., Jan., '99.- J o h n s o u, W. G. The odor of Coccidic, 4, April. - King, G. B. Two new Coccids from Bermuda, 5. M o u - tandon, A. L. A new form in the genus Ramitrn, descrip- tion of a new species, 106; Hemiptera cryptocerata, notes and de_ 150 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May scriptions of new species, 106. M o n t g o m e r y , T . H . , J r . Chromatin reduction in the Heraiptera: a correction, 22, Feb. 20. Quaint a nee, A. L. New or little known Aleuroclklae, ii,* figs., 4, April. S c.h w a r zr, E . A . Note on the Cedrela Psyl- lids (genus Freysuila Alemau),* 102, March 16. Coleoptera. B erg, C . Description of a new genus of Cerara- bycidae of the Argentine Republic [in Latin], 60 c. B o r d a s L. Anatomy of the anal glands of the Coleoptera of the tribe Brachinina?, figs., 22, Feb 20. C hag no n, G- A chase for Coleoptera at Boucherville. Le Naturaliste Canadien, Chicoutinii Quebec, Feb., '99. C h a m p i o n , G . C . A list ot the Rhipi- dophoridte and (Edemeridae supplementary to the " Munich" Cat- alogue, 35. D i e r c k x , F . Researches on the defensive glands of the bombardier Carabidae, 12. F all. H. C Synopsis of the species of Acma?odera of America north of Mexico,* 6. H e y - m o 11 s. R . The development of wings in the larvae of Tenebrio molitor L. (transl?), 21. Linelll, M. L- Descriptions of some new species of North American heterotnerous Coleoptera [posthumous],* 102, March 7. P 1 a n e t , L . Monographic essay on the Coleoptera of the genera Pseudolucanns and Lucanns, Le Naturaliste, Paris, March 15, '99. S c h e n k 1 i n g , C . On the habits of our Apions, 84, March 9, 23 W i c k h a m , H . F . The Coleoptera of Canada : xxi. The Pythidas of Ontario and Que- bec, figs-, 4, March; xxxii., Supplementary remarks to earlier papers, figs., 4, April. Diptera. K c 1 1 o g g , V. L. The month-parts of the uemato- cerous Diptera, iii, figs., 5. L u n d l> e c k , W . Diptera Groen- landica,* figs., 2 pis-. 105. Robertson, E. H The singing- fly [Syrphidas]. Science Gossip, London, April, '99. Roths- child , N . C . Contributions to the knowledge of the Siphou- aptera, 3 pis., 51. Lepidoptera. B e u t e u m ii 1 1 e r , W. Notes on the American forms of Enchloe Hubner, 4. March. B u 1 1 e r , A . G . A revision of the Pierine genus Hiiphinrt, with notes on the seasonal phases and descriptions of new species, II. C h a p m an, T A . British Lepidoptera, Entomologist, London, March. '99.- C o c k- erel 1, T. D. A. Notes on some New Mexico butterflies, 4, March ; On a synonymic catalogue oi theNorth American Rhopalo- cera by Henry Skinner, 68, Mai-ch 10 D r u c e , H . Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera from Tropical America, Africa and the Eastern Islands,* II D y a r , H. G. On the larva? of North American Nolidae, with descriptions of new species,* 4. March ; The life-histories of the New York slug-caterpillars, xviii., 1 pi. ,6; Life-history of Diphthera fallax H.-S. ; Spathulate head setae on the larva of Chamyrls cerintha Treits, 5 Dyar. H> G - and Chapman, T. A. Color change in the adult larva 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 151 of Scoliopteryx libatrix, just previous to pupation, 21. Fab re J. H. Entomological souvenirs: i. The great peacock; ii. The Bombyx of the oak, Archives de iZoologie Generale et Exper- imentale, (3) vi. 3, Paris, '98. F i s c h e r, E. Critical exper- imental researches on the occurrence per cent, of Vanessa aberra- tions produced by intense cold, 40. March 1 . Grote, A. R. Synonymy [of Cochlidionidae, i e., Limacodidas, etc.], 4, March. H a n h a m, A. W- A list of Manitoba moths, part ii, 4, March. H e a t h , E . F . Manitoba butterflies, 4, April H ever, E. Hybridation among Bombycidre. 40, Dec 15, '98 Kay e, W . J . Collecting Lepidoptera in Trinidad, 21. v Linden, M . , F r i e d e 1 , E . Are flying butterflies followed by birds? Naturwissenschaftliche Wochenschrift, Berlin, Feb 5, 19, '99- Mackenzie,J.D.B.F. A preliminary list of the moths of Miramichi [New Brunswick], with note* thereon Proceedings of the Natural History Association of Miramichi, No 1. Chatham* N. B , 1899. M o o r e , F . Lepidoptera [udica, part xxxv. Lon- don, Lovell Reeve & Co- 1898. Rec'd March 13, '99 (Vol iii, pp. 217-232, pis. 271-278. Nymphalinte-Limenitiua). R o t h s c h i 1 d , W. , and J o r d a u , K. A monograph of Cha raxes and the allied Prionopterous genera, 11 pis., tigs., 51. -S m i t h , J. B. Notes on Scotogramma and Oncocnemis, with descriptions of new species,* 6; Description of the gopher moth,* 4, April. 8 tan cl- fuss, M. Summary of the temperature and hybridation experi- ments hitherto undertaken [on Lepidoptera], 84, March 16. U r e c h , F . Notice and critical remarks on terminology, and on evolution of heat and color in aberrations of Vanessa to and nrtfcat produced by me, figs , 22. March 13 V e r s o n , E . The evolu- tion of the intestinal tube in the silk worm, ii, Archives Italieunes de Biologie, xxx. 3, Turin, '98. Hymenoptera. A s h m e a d , W . H. Super-families in the 11 y- menoptera and generic synopses of the families Thynuidoe, Myrmo- sidae and Mutillidie, 6 D o 1 b y - T y 1 e r , C . H . See He miptera. Harrington, "W . H. Six new Ottawa Procto- trypidae, 4, April. K o k o u y e w , N. On some preoccupied names of Braconidae, 35. K o n o w , F . W New contribution to the synonymy of the Chalastogastra, EntomologischeNach rich ten, Berlin, March '99. P o u 1 t o u , E . B . See the General Subject. R u d o w . Some exotic bees' buildings, 84. March ->:>. etc. W a s m a n n , E. Last its flir of an entomologist, and an entomologist is one who has a broad guage knowledge of insects, and also of the economy of in- sects. The best compliment I can pay our friend from ''Spain'' is to say that entomologists are scarce. It does not follow from whatl have said that these are the only good men we have in the societies mentioned. Those to whom I have alluded may be more con- picuous by reason of their fondness for the " annex " or other rea- sons, but space and time do not permit me to mention all, but they are equally great." \VILLIAM J. Fox, Secretary. A mealing of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences was held March 23d, Mr Laurent, Director, pre- siding. Eleven persons were present. Dr Calvert stated that he had recently been studying some galls found in the roots of the poison ivy. Some of the roots and galls were preserved in a flower pot and some were placed in alcohol. From these latter a number of dipterous larvre were taken. Some of the live galls were opened and two flies found. A living fly was also reared from the galls. There were also found some small Hymeuopterous insects, presumably Chalcids. These were parasitic on the flies The flies belong to either Cecidowyia or Mycetophilfl.. Mr. C. W- Johnson exhibited specimens of the family Acroceridae. All of these insects are extremely rire, the speaker having taken only but two or three specimens. Very little is known of their life habits. Those known are parasitic on spiders or their cocoons. Dr Skinner spoke ot the possibility of flies carrying the ch.olera bacillus and quoted as fol- lows from an article by the late Dr. John A. Ryder : " Suppose a case; imagine a cholera victim upon street or any- where else vomiting; the flies present are attracted and drink until sated, and have their feet and mouth parts wetted with the vomit containing the germs. They then perhaps fly out in the street, take a place on a horse-car, ride several miles, dismount, fly 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL, NEWS. 155 into another house "/here the family is at dinner and contaminate the food set before them with the germs of the cholera carried in the mouth parts and feet ot the insects. Some of the family sicken and die, yet no one of them will ever, perhaps, suspect that the flies may have carried the germs, as supposed above. for miles from some other case. The safeguards are to at once clear away, disinfect with corrosive sublimate solution or scald the spots where the vomit has been tin-own, and to be vigilantin the use of fly-screens. " During the civil war, Professor Joseph Leidy pointed out, with beneficient results, that the common house-fly was instrumental in spreading the contagion of hospital gangrene. The same speaker stated that he thought it probable that there was in nature an almost mathematically exact percentage of immunity from all diseases in man and the lower animals. This accounts for the fact that many people drink water contaminated with the bacillus of typhoid fever and do not get the disease. In insects the same idea holds good, as a certain amount of immunity from parasitism pre- vents the destruction of the species. This immunity may vary from year to year, but will probably average about the same. Dr. John B. Smith said that the general law of immunity and parasit- ism was of interest in economic entomology, the balance between organisms being nicely adjusted, and seldom materially disturbed. The larva of the moth,Te)'as oxycoccana,i never parasitized in the first brood, frequently in the second brood, and almost certainly in the third brood. The life history of the "Elm Leat Beetle" was mentioned, and a statement made in regard to the effect of weather in favoring parasitic disease on this species. Mr Johnson men- tioned the effect of cold in driving away Heliconius charttoiinis from the vicinity of St. Augustine, Fla. Mr. Laurent exhibited a blown larva of Tolype velleda, and spoke of its wonderful resem- blance io the twig on which it was found. He also reported the capture of a 9 of Pttmphila mystic at Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, on the 5th of June. HENRY SKINNER, Recorder. The regular meeting of the Newark Entomological Society was held Sunday, March 12th, Vice President Ke-np presiding, and 12 members present. A series of the genus Do tana and Crocota were exhibited by the most ot the members for study and identification. Prof. Smith exhibited a series ot Knlxi/tfic ( CrocoftH, illustrating the species found in this territory. Especial attention was called to the varieties of nurnntfaca and the differences exhibited, not only in the marking, but to some extent in the wing form. It wa- suggested that no broods of the species had ever been raised, and that this would give a good chance for an original piece of work that could be completed in one season. The common form- in his experience are riilHrinnlario and ^/vr/Vf>/v> /.-,. which shade into each 156 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May other very gradually. The white spotted form he has not taken. The others bad in New Jersey. Mr. Keartbtt reported the capture of Xylina vmmoda and Atiis- opterix pometaria at Montclair, N. J., March 5, 1899. Mr. Augleman exhibited a series of the new species Callimor- pha triangulata, taken near Newark, N. J., in the latter part of June. Mr. Kearfott remarked that he had taken a specimen of the same species at Erie, Pa.. July 18th. The family Notodontidae was selected for study and comparison at the next meet ing. Adjourned. A. J. WEIDT. ENT. NEWS, Vol 10 PI. V NEW LEPIDOPTERA (Mengel) ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS A N I PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. VOL. X. JUNE, 1899. No. G. CONTENTS : Fowler California Bees of the Genus Nomada ir>7 Hopping Some Notes on Coleoptera Found on Species of Ceanothus 1(>2 Mengel Four New Species of Butter- flies from South America ItiG Hancock The Castle-Building Spider ( Lycosa Domifex) ' ItiS Banks New Myrmeleonidse 170 Ball Some New Species of At hy.sanus 172 Ehrmann Notes on Eastern N. A. Cychrus 174 Editorial 17ii Notes and News. 178 Entomological Literature 1*2 Doings of Societies isit Obituary , I'.IO Exchanges i , ii CALIFORNIA BELS OF THL GLNUS NOMADA, BY CARKOLL FOWLEK, Berkeley, Cal. Among the most characteristic of our early spring bees are those of the genus Nomada, which are to be found rather of the University of California. The species exhibit a great deal of variation in color and also in the wing venation. The latter character cannot be used at all in classifying because in abundantly upon our yellow wild tlowers. This article is based upon a study of the species Nomada in my collection and that the single species hivif/nata, of which we have a large series- all the extremes of variation in the venation are to be found. The color pattern, although variable, seems to be the most reliable character. The following synopsis is an attempt at the natural classification of the species known to me, with the probable position of the other California species indicated in foot notes. Bright yellow markings on blaek ground, with very little brown. 158 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June Second abdominal segment broadly yellow ; two large yellow spots on metathorax.* .... YINNDLA. Yellow on second segment narrowed or interrupted ; metathoracic spots feeble, usually wanting. Legs largely yellow ; fifth abdominal segment almost entirely yellow. Yellow band on second abdominal segment not interrupted. Second joint of the nagellum slightly shorter than the third CIVILIS. Second joint of the nagellum about one-third the length of the third RIVALIS. Legs black with brown markings ; broad basal portion of the fifth abdominal segment black. Yellow bauds of the abdomen entire. . . FRAGILIS. Yellow bauds on segments 2-4 broadly interrupted. INTERRUPT A. Eeddish brown and black, sometimes with pale yellow lateral markings on the abdomeu. Second abdomiual segment with large whitish, lateral markings connected by a narrow, medially inter- rupted line near the posterior edge. . . CROTOHII. Lateral markings, when present, yellowish and not exteud- iug medially. On the sides of the abdominal-segments a large basal black spot crowding the yellow into a narrow ob- lique liue OBLIQUA Black spots small or wanting. Broad base of segments 1-4 black. . . OBSCURA. Little or no black on base of segments 1-4. Fifth abdomiual segment with two yellow spots or a baud.f Scutellum sub-bilobate, with yellow spots. YIMTA. * Citrina, edwardsii and suavis, which are unknown lo me, also appear to go here Swaz/wdifTers from vinnitli in that the fifth abdominal segment is entirely yellow; edwzrdsii from both of these, in havinu : yellow markings on the disc of the thorax ; and citrina from all these, in that the second joint of the Ilanellnm is shorter than the third. t Opposila may be distinguished by its pale ferrutrinous color from :.'< la and lepida, which are dark. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 159 Seutellum not prominent, black. LEPIDA. No yellow on fifth segment. Thorax black, abdomen reddish. MELLIVENTRIS. Thorax and abdomen reddish. Unicolorous RUBKA. Marked with black, abdomen often with lateral yellow spots. BISK ;\ ATA. 1. NOMAD A YIXXULA Cress. Fresno, Cal., May 4, two specimens collected upon MrUlotm intlicti Alhambra and Po- mona, Los Angeles county, June, five specimens (H. O. Wood- worth). Previously recorded from Nevada. L'. NOMADA SUAVIS Cress. California. Unknown to me. 3. NOMADA EDWARDSII Cress. California. Unknown to me. 4. NOMADA CITRIXA Cress. California. Unknown to me. 5. NOMAD A CIVILIS Cress. Berkeley, Cal. (H. O. Wood- worth), March 28. Four males, collected upon Eanuin-uliix I'ltliforniea and Brtctiln* <-] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. lettes, hut at 7,000 feet this beetle is invariably a dark blue all over. Pachybrachys mclanoxticliix Suffr. Not common. Found on the leaves from 1,000 to 5,000 feet. Pachybrachys Instrans Lee. Not common. I have found three varieties of this at 4,000 feet. n ; x * uivi r i L33. Not C3in;n m. Like the above, found on the leaves, from :;,()(() to 5,000 feet. forj/imtiix Leo. Common at ahout 5,000 feet. melxlifiincri Cr. Not common, at 4,000 feet. Found on the leaves. Odontota cdlifornicd Horn. Found with the al>ove. Not common. gracilia'Le.c. Common. Found from 1,000 to 4,000 feet. opaca Lee. Common from 1,000 to 5,000 feet. Isomira discolor IJQC. One of the commonest beetles from 1,000 to 7,000 feet, Asclcra discolor Lee. Found in limited numbers at 4,000 to 5,000 feet. Annxpi* atra Lee. Found in great quantities from 1,000 to 6,000 feet. Anaspix collar is Lee, Rare; 4,000 feet. Mordelld scuMlaritt Fabr. Common from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. Corphyra punctnlata Lee Found from 1,000 to 7,000 feet. Common. From 1,000 to 4,000 feet this beetle is of a straw color, and much smaller than the Alpine varietv , the elytra of which are a shining black. < \mtfiaris xti/f/ica Lee. Common. At 1,000 feet this is not found on Ceanothux, and is a vivid green, hut at 3,000 to 6,000 feet is a uniform dark blue. In the four species where I have noted color variation in the foot-hill and Alpine specimens I have not found any that were intermediate. From the number of determinations by Dr. LeConte, his specimens must have been collected on Ccanothux, as many of these species are found nowhere else. ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June FOUR NEW SPECIES OF BUITERFLILS FROM SOUTH AMERICA. LEVI W. MENGEL, Beading, Pa. (See Plate.) Eplphile Zipa, sp. nov. Expanse about 2 in. Upper side of superior wings orange and dark brown. The orange dark- ens at base of wings to light brown ; otherwise uniform. The orange extends half way to the apex, along the anterior mar- gin ; from the base along the sub-median nervure almost to the inner angle and thence diagonally across the wing to the costa. The orange thus makes a large triangular patch, al- most surrounded by brown. The remainder of the superiors brown, uniform, with the exception of a strongly marked white spot near the apex. The inferiors are a rich blue, fad- ing to brown along the interior and exterior margins. There are two very light blue spots in the median nervures. Along the anterior margin, half way to the apex, is an orange diffu- sion fading to brown, along the sub-costal nervure. Under side of superiors very much paler than above, the orange changing to yellow, darker near base and extending along the sub-median nervure almost to the exterior margin. Eemaiuiug portion of wing very light brown, with a blue black ocellus, surrounded by a yellow edge, near apical angle. The ocellus is surmounted by a decided white spot. Inferiors pale brown, changing to light reddish brown along the irmer and exterior margins. A row of well-marked ocelli extends along margin. A triangular silvery yellow spot on the costa extends almost to discoidal cell, with the apex of the triangle pointing downward. Habitat : Neiva, Tolima, U. S. Columbia. Archonias xeque, sp. nov. Expanse l.i; in. Ground of su- periors dark, nearly black, with a row of well-marked white spots running from the apex to the inner margin, midway be- tween the base and the inner angle. Al.so a row of smaller white spots running parallel to the exterior margin, with a few white dashes near the apex. Base of inferiors black, with a bar of spots extending from anterior margin two-third* across the wing towards the inner margin. The upper part of this bar is white, while the remaining portion, including part 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. Ki7 in cell, is deep orange. The exterior parts are black, though not so intense as the base. A row of decided white spots runs parallel to the exterior margin. There are a few faint whitish dashes on the margin. Interior margin, white. Under parts of superiors, general ground work black, the diagonal row of white spots of upper side showing through wing. The exterior margin is covered with a row of arrow- shaped luuules, which are yellow at apex, changing to white at inner margin. Under parts of inferiors yellow, with black diffusion, near base. A serrated black line extends from apex to inner angle, making a number of toothed or arrow- shaped markings along the margin. The uervures run to the apices of these marks. Body above and below black, with abdomen yellow. This species is nearest to .-1. chri/*<>/<>i>li?<>j>h xi win in i/(/<>x9. The type of n/V'7' .' has not been recovered in the Marx collection, but Mr. Banks sent rue the above specimen, taking it to be 170 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June that species. It is closely allied, if not identical, with my do m if ex, and though the markings are different they are not any more, perhaps, than attains in different sexes of the Lyco- sidce. The points wherein the male n!dlf<\c differs from the de- scription given above are as follows : There is a dark band one-third the width of the abdomen on the venter and the whole coloring above and below on the body is darker ; a noteworthy difference occurs on the legs underneath ; the third and fourth joints of all the legs are darkest, getting lighter to- ward the extremities, while in d>(fe.r the dark mirkings are confined to the last three joints of the first and second pair of legs. There are apparently no markings on the upper surface of the abdomen in the alcoholic example under consideration. It is hoped a study of more material the coming summer will bring forth new light on these interesting members of the Lycosidce. -0- NEW MYRMELEONIDAE. BY NATHAN BANKS Acn.nthaclisis ha gen in. sp. Very similar to A congener, and may be best described by com- parison with that species. The vertex is shining black (not shining in A. congener) nnd there are transverse lines of white Imirs.and two patches of them behind ; pronotnm has two small spots in front far- ther apart than in A. congener, and outside of them two others, near the middle of each side is a large pale spot, and a transverse one each side on the hind margin, (in A. congener there are two pale spots in front, a row of three each side, and two transverse ones on the hind margin): on the middle of mesothorax in front there are two large oblique pale marks (in A congener there are four eubequal spots forming a square) : on mesoscutellnm the pale spots are much larger. The veins of the wings aie less interrupted with pale and those of the posterior part are almost wholly black. The wings are uari'ower than in A congener, especially noticeable in the middle of the hind border. The radial sector has ten brandies, seven before the last transversal before the pterostigma (in A congener there are eight branches, live before the last transversal before the pterostigma. Phoenix, Arizona, May [Dr. Kuuze]. Brachynemurus.mdculosus n. sp. Face yellow, between and above antennae a large dark area from eye to eye, sometimes showing a pale double spot in the center, the dark is continued over upon the vertex in the middle; antenna*, brown; palpi pale, last article dark at tip ; prothorax moderately 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. short, yellow, with four browu Hues, the lateral ones only reach the sulcus; anterior part of rnesothorax mostly dark brown, with a pale narrow stripe each side, each lateral lobe shows a small pale spot above the base of fore wing; scutellum of mesothorax pale with a medium dark stripe (not one each side as in most species) ; metathorax pale with a median brown spot forked and divergent in Iront, sides dark brown ; pleura of thorax almost wholly dark; legs pale yellow, without marks except base and apex of the tarsi dark; abdomen pale at base, lineate with dark, dark at tip ; wings hyaline, costal's iorked only near tip, three transversals before the radial sector, pterostigma pale, dark on base; veins dark, interrupted with pale, except the vein behind radial sector which is wholly pale, at oneei-d of most of the transversals (including those ending on radial sector ar.d fork of same) there is a large daik spot, also ore lpots on vertex, tips of palpi dark, antem a i pale brownish: prothorax shows only the lateral stripes and these are very indistinct, but each tip shows a prominent dark dot at the sulcus; thorax with a few dark spots, no signs ol marls on mesoscutelhim ; al dcmen pale yel- low, with a median and lateral dark line, apex obscure; leg.- pale yellow, ur.markcd, except the joints of tarsi are tipped with dark ; wings clear, without marks, veins dark, interrupted with pale, but without any adjoining clouds, pterostigma darker at base; hii'd 172 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June wing similar to fore wing; costals forked only iiear the pterostigma one to three transversals basad of radial sector. Length $ 18 mm> expanse 37 mm. Phoenix, Arizona, September [Dr. Kunze]. Nearer to B, minuvculus than to any other species, but easily sep- arated from that by the lack of median lines on the pronotum, un- marked hind femora, etc. o ^SOME NLW SPECIES OF ATHYSANUS. BY E. D. BALL, Fort Collins, Colo. Athysanus frigidus, u. sp. General appearance of A. exitiosa broader and shorter. As broad as obso1etu8,wiih a rounder vertex. Length, 9 4-4.5min, cJ 1 3.5mni ; width, 9 l.Gnini, cT 1.2inrn. Vertex two and one half times wider than long, half longer on middle than against eye, the surface sloping and broadly rounding to the tumid front ; ocelli distant from eves ; front wider than long, twice wider at apex than the parallel margined clypeus ; prouotmn half longer than vertex, lateral margins very short, humeral mar- gins long, rotindiug; elytra slightly longer than the body in both sexes, narrowing behind, vemtion normal, apical cells rather short Color : Grayish or hrownish white ; a large oval spot on either side the middle of the anterior margin of the vertex, a large round one between the ocelli and the eyes, sometimes thrse small ones on the disc, forming a triangle, a pair of elongate marks on the pronotum back of the anterior margin and a pair of spots on the disc of the scutellum, black; elytra covered with a whitish " bloom," the uervures obscure; face light, a pair of large spots be- low those on the vertex, another pair, irregular in shape, near the apex of front. Light colored specimens may lack some of the spots on face, while darker ones and the males as a rule have brown stripes between the light veins of the elytra. Geuitalia : Female, ultimate ventral segment twice longer than penultimate, shallowly emarginate posteriorly, with a broad, slightly, roundingly, bilobed, median tooth: pygofers twice longer than wide, equaling the ovipositor; male, ultimate ventral segment long, half longer than valve, valve broad, obtusely rounding, plates broad at base, regularly narrowing to the slightly divergent points, scarcely twice longer than the valve. Described from numerous specimens collected at Fort Col- lins, Colo., and back into the lower foot-hills. Found only 011 Artemisia friyida, to which the white color and powdery " bloom" of both larva? and adults well adapt it. Athysaiuix (irctoxtaphyli, n. sp. Shorter and stouter than A. inntabilis, with shorter elytra. 1899 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 173 deep chestnut brown ; vertex yellow, with transverse fuscous lines. Length, 9 4mm, c?3.5mm ; width, ? 1.6mm, c?1.2mm. Vertex obtusely annulate, twice wider than long-, not quite two- thirds as long against eye as on middle, anterior margin thick, rounding to the face; front a little longer than wide, but little wider at the apex than theclypeus; pronofum strongly arcuated anteriorly, the side margins very short ; elytra short and stout, reaching the end of the abdomen, appendix minute, apical cells short, sometimes a second cross nervure between the sectors. Color: Vertex tawny yellow, a line between the fulvous ocelli, broken forwards in the middle, a transverse band back of this, and a crescent near each basal angle connected by a curved line, dark brown; prouotum yellowish, irrorate with fuscous except on the anterior margin ; elytral uervures pale, testaceous, heavily margined with fuscous; face yellow, sutures, arcs of the front and a spot on the clypeus fuscous; below brownish fuscous, legs annulate with fuscous. Genitalia: Female, ultimate ventral segment little longer than penultimate, posterior margin shallowly excavated either side of the middle; pygofers over twice longer than wide, equalling the ovi- positer. Male, valve broad, obtusely rounding: plates broad at base, triangular, three times lonffer than valve, outer margin thickly set with coarse hairs. Described from numerous specimens taken in the mountains west of Fort Collins, Colo., between 7,000 and 9,000 feet alti- tude, and one specimen from Leadvile, Col. (C. P. Gillette). The Fort Collins specimens were all taken, together with their larvae, from bearberry (Arctostaphi/los um ursi). Athi/fHtiiiix (tljtiiiiix, 11. sp. General form and color of obxoletux, with the longer vertex of <'.ri ntxHs. Pale clouded yellow, with t\vo transverse fuscous bauds on the vertex. Length, 9 5.5-6mm, c? 4.5mm; width, ? 2mm, c? l.fnnm. Vertex nearly as long as the pronotum, twice as long on the middle MS against eye, three-fifths as long as the basal width, ob- tusely angulate before, the margin blunt and rounding; front, no longer than its basal width, twice longer than clypeus; pronotimi two and one-half times wider than long: elytra shorter than the abdomen in the female, sligthly exceeding it in the male. Color: Dirty straw yellow, a fuscous, transverse band between the ocelli, angled forwards nearly to the apex of the vertex, a brownish fuscous band just behind and parallel with the first, fork- inir at cadi end, the anterior forks running forward to the ocelli, the posterior ones back to the basal angles; pronotum with four 174 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June longitudinal stripes commencing back of the anterior margin, the outer pair divergent, the inner pair uniting across the scutellum ; elytral nervures light, apical cells fuscous margined in the male ; face yellow, a spot above either antenna and about seven arcs on the upper part of the front, fuscous. Geuitalia: Female, ultimate ventral segment half longer than the penultimate, outer angles rounded, a stout median process tipped with two divergent teeth, either side of which is a narrow angular emargination. Male, valve as broad as the ultimate segment and about half as long, plates triangular, two-thirds the width ot the valve and two and one half times as long, their margins straight or sligbtly concave. Described from fifteen specimens taken from a damp moun- tain meadow on the Little Beaver, Larimer county, Colorado, at an elevation of 9,500 feet. NOTES ON EASTERN N, A. CYCHRUS. GEO. A EHRMANN, Pittsburg, Pa Cychrus nitidicollis Chev. I have taken this species but once in this locality, a single specimen; I have, however, taken it several times at Charleroi, Washington county, and received it from Fairniount. W Va. All were found during the months of August aud September C. nitidicollis, var. brevoorti, Lee Of this extremely rare form I have found but one specimen, nt Charleroi, November 12, 1896, aud since then have not happened across it. C. stenostomus Web. I only found three specimens under dry leaves at base of beech- nut tree, on September 4, 1896, aud none since C. stenostomus, var. leconte', Dej. The most abundant of the Cyhcri found in this section. I have taken this form in every mouth of the year, sometimes during January imbedded in ice. and holding these in my In nd, the heat of which would soon resuscitate them. C. stenostomus, var bicarinatus, Lee I found one specimen only of this rather rare form on Seplem- ber 9, 1897. C. canadensis Chd. Is recorded as being found at Pittsburg. \ liud, however, after examining the collections in this section, that all specimens are from Prof. Jerome Schmitt, of St. Vincent's College, u ho has frequently taken it at Chestnut Ridge, Cambria county. Pa. C. elevatus Fab This is also recorded as found in this section. The specimen upon which the record in Hamilton's list of Coleoptera of Western Pennsylvania, is based, giving the locality as Jem- 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 175 nette, Pa., was originally in iny possession and is from Green Ridge Mo. Am of the opinion this species does not occur in southwestern Pennsylvania. C. viduus Dej. I have apparently been more fortunate than most collectors in the capture of this species, yet all were taken in a small, re- stricted locality at Baldwin's station. Several specimens have often been found very close together, as many as four at one time under a stone about one foot in di- ameter. It has often been a great pleasure to me to hold this beautiful insect in my hand and admire its graceful form. Though I have had as many as three specimens in my hands at one time, it does not always happen that success rewards a search for this species, having many times turned over so many stones, logs, sticks and bark that my back felt broken from the exertion; on glancing backward over the route followed in the vain search, it looked as if it had been struck by a cyclone [ have held a live Cychrus vidttus in mv hand whose head was imbedded in the mouth of a shell of the large land snail, who was so intent on his occupation that transferring my hold from him to the shell and letting him hang suspended did not inter- fere with him in the least ; he seemed so absorbed in the pro- cess of feeding that continual maneuvering in this manner failed to distract his attention from his prey. The species is found here from April until the end of September. C guyoti Lee Tliis species is so rare that it is represented in but few collec- tions Prof. Jerome Schmitt,of St. Vincent, Pa., has a fine pair re- ceived some years ago from North Carolina. As for as recorded, this species occurs only in the mountain re- gions of that State. (A note concerning the above record will be published in the September number.) C ridingsii Bland . This very pretty little species, in appearance so much like a diminutive C. andreiesii, has only been found at Uuiontown ami Cressou, Pa., proving it to be a strictly mountain species, as is the case with C. cnlni8 cften'olafiRwm, and Strataegus juliamis Uurm. They reveled in the cyanide. There was no boiling' water. I made a hypodermic syringe by drawing the tip of my medicine-dropper to a fine, slender point in an alcohol flame. By puncturing- the thick wall of the metasteruum with a strong setting-needle I could easily insert the" hypo" and inject three or four drops of gasoline directly into the body cavity. Death was instantaneous ; no second dose required I now use the same plan for all large insects. Even the largest sphiug-ids like Ainphonix medorUv, are killed in two seconds - without turning a scale. Care should be taken to have the bulb of the " hypo '' tit air-tight the tip should taper gradually and with a slight-curve It should be inserted from beneath into the middle of the thorax, and if well managed little or no gasoline should appear on the outside. The tip of the " hypo " may be protected by thrusting it into a good - sized cork. " Hypo " and small vial of gasoline may be carried in the same small pocket O. W- BARRETT, Tacubaya, T). F , Mexico ECDYSIS OF Aittottieffx leucaite Hbn. The thin cocoon is made of coarse, gluey, red-brown silk; 5 mm. inside the front end is a transverse wall or screen with meshes (usually) of about 1 mm. This wall is fastened rather loosely to the cocoon and is not "dis- solved," scarcely softened even, by the imago, but merely loosened at one side. The abdomen at once lengthens 5 mm. or 8 mm. after the pupa case is ruptured and so good " push power'' is developed. The hinges of the screen door being broken the ecdyis is completed in three to five minutes, the front end of the cocoon offering but little resistance. Twenty to thirty minutes alter the screen snaps back into place the wings are full-sized. O. AV. BARRETT A NEW RECORD IN AN ODD PLACE. In January of 1899, while in practice in Los Angeles, a patient presented himself complaining of pain and discharge of watery fluid from one of his ears. Examination revealed a tick that was easily removed The tick looked 11 nt a mi liar, and on forwarding it to the Dept. of Agriculture at Washington it was discovered to be Argasmegini, I )uges. origin- ally described from Mexico and not hitherto reported from the United State*. The patient had never beeu twenty miles away from Los Ange- les, and had intheautumn spent a few weeks in the country .but had not been sleeping out of doors. A. DAVIDSON, M. D., Clifton, Arizona- Si'HEX ELI:<;ANS. This wasp for some reason or other is very sel- dom found among the many other wasps one may capture in a few days of collectin: yet they must be common in summer, for their 180 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June nests are frequently to be found in the stems of the white sage so common throughout South California. For nesting sites they prefer the larger stems, first gnawing through the thin partitions opposite the leaf insertions, which nat- urally divide au otherwise hollow stem. The parent wasp first packs the bottom of this tube with very fine, grass-like fibres; which, on investigation, prove to be fine strips of the loosely fib- rous bark of Audibertia polystacha, from 1-4 inch to 1 1-2 inches in length. On this is laid the larval food supply which consists of, on au average, of seven or eight tree crickets. The egg is laid on the breast of one of the tree crickets, a wad of bark ti'jre is placed on the top which forms the base for the next cell, elc. A copious wad. sometimes three or four inches in depth, protects the topmost cell. The cocoon when completed is one inch long and one quarter inch wide at its widest part at the cephalic end. It has two coverinirs the outer a loose sac resembling tissue paper, of a grayish brown color, the inner somewhat resembling that of the common mud dauber, but stouter and denser. The majority of the adult wasps hatch out in July and August and pass the winter concealed in crevices or other convenient shel- ters in trees and rooks; a few, probably not more than 15 or 20 per cent., remain in the larval stage till the following May. They make their escape by forcing their way through the fibrous divis- ions above, seldom cutting their way through the sides of the stem. P. trypoxylonisi Towns; may, as usual, be found to have con- sumed the larval food. Of genuine parasites there are few, all of them attack the larva after it has spun its coo^on. They are Epis- f< //ia cwrtdata, Pkotopsts unicolor, Photopsisferrugineo. A DAVIDSON, M. D.. Clifton, Arizona. NOTES ON CALIFORNIA WASPS. THE NESTING HABITS OF ANCIS- TROCEKUS BIRENIMACULATUS, SAuss. In the end of February or in the first week of March, before the increasing warmth of spring has yet stirred any of the other \vasps,this one has broken its way through its cell and begun building for its coming brood. It usually constructs its cells in the hollow stems of plants or in the deserted tunnel of some other species. If the cavity is a narrow one, these cells are placed in a single series; it 1 wide, they are grouped to- gether laterally, in sufficient numbers to till the cavity. The cells vary in size according to the cavity they occupy, their average ex. terual measurement being 710 inch long by 3-1!) wide. They are circular on section, truncate at the ends, and are built of little pel- lets of clay pieced together in a manner similar to that of the com- mon mud-dauber wasp of this section. The number of cells built by each wasp varies from 2 to 15. Immediately on exit they begin to build fresh nests and many may be found complete in April. The young are fed on the small green larvae found so abundantly on the leaves of the common Ar- 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. temesia; eight of these is the average number found in each cell. The egg is deposited after the cell is tilled. The larva 1 of this spe- cies, in common with many others, can devour more food than the parent wasp generally allows them; one of them tint 1 experi- mented witli had no difficulty in disposing of four small spiders immediately after consuming the maternal allowance. The parasites affecting these are few in number and are limited to one species, viz . Chrysfs cti'rn/initf, Fabr. This wasp, I believe, possesses the distinction of having a smaller percentage of parasites than any other 1 have investigated. Of the hundreds of cells I have examined only h've contained parasites. This immunity is probably wholly due to the nests being com- pleted mon hs earlier than the majority of parasites usually appear. A. DAVIDSON, M. 1).. Clifton, Arizona. Prof. F. W. Mally. of Hulen, Texas, has recently been elected, by the directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texn-. State Entomologist and Professor of Entomology in the college. Dr. A.. Feuyes has started on a collecting trip to Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, and will begone live months. Dr- William Barnes is collecting Lepidoptera in Southern Arizona. Dr. Henry Skinner, Prof. A J. Snyderand Mr. Philip Laurent are planning a collecting trip to the Rocky Mountains. The following is of interest as an early reference to Ci<-tnf<> w/if en- dec ini. The brood referred to seems to be that due in 1902. E. FOSTER, New Orleans. La " A respectable old gentleman, who has seen and observed the locust at the different periods of their appearance, as noted below, has favored the editor of the Register with the following memo- randa : " ' The locust appeared " ' In 1749, in the month of May. " ' In 1766, they came out of the ground from the 14th to the 17th of May. " ' In 178', they c-.ime out frou the 16th to the 10th of May. " ' In 1800, from the 19th to the 26th of May. " ' In 1817, they did not appear until the beginning of June. It is supposed the cold and wet weather retarded their progress. " 'They continue from four to six weeks, and arc harmless, except to young and tender fruit trees or the twigs of older trees, wherein the female deposits her eggs, which in a few days vivify, and the twigs either break oh" or the young locust emerges and falls to the ground, aiul mikes its way into the earth for another period ot seventeen vears ' " JW/e.v' Weekly Rri /:?. IS 17. A"//, p. 310. 182 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June Entomological Literature, COMPILED BY P. P. CALVERT. Under the above head it is intended to mention papers received at the Ac-ad- - einy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia pertaining to the Entomology of the Americas (North and South). Articles irrelevant to American entomology will not be noted. Contributions to the anatomy, physiology and embryology of insects, however, whether relating to American or exotic species, will be re- corded. The numbers in HEAVY-FACED TYPE refer to the journals, as num- bered in the following list, in which the papers are published ;' * denotes that the paper in question contains descriptions of new North American forms. Titles of all articles in foreign languages are translated into English ; usually such articles are written in the same language as the title of the journal contain- ing them, but when such articles are in other languages than English, French, German or Italian, this fact is indicated in brackets. 3. The American Naturalist, Boston, May, '99. 4. The Canadian Entomologist, London, Out., May. '99. 5. Psyche, Cambridge, Mas , May, '99 9. The Entomologist, London, May, '99. 10. Na- ture, London, '99. II. The Annals and Magazine of Natural His- tory, London, April, '99. 14. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, '98, pt. iv, April 1, '99. 15. Biologia Ceutrali- Americana. London, pt. cxlvi, Feb '9922. Zoologischer Anzeiger, Leipsic, '99. 35. Aunales, Societe Eutomologique de Belgique, Brussels, xliii, 8, March 30; 4, April 27, '99. 38. AViener Entomologische Zeitung, xviii, 2-3, March 31, '99. -40. Societas Eutomologica, Ziirich-Hottingen, '99. 46 Tijdschrift voor Euto- molog'ie, xli, 3-4. The Higue, March 28, '99. 55. Le Naturaliste, Paris, April 1, '99 59. Sitzungsberichte der naturforschenden Frenude, Berlin. 75. Twenty-ninth Annual Report, Entomological Society of Ontario, Toronto, '99. 84. Insokten Borse. Leipsic, '99. 86 a. Aunales, Societe Eutomologique de France. Paris. '97; 1, Dec. t '97; -2-3, April, '98; 4. July, '98; all received May, '99 86 b. Bulletin of the preceding. '97, received May, '99. - 107. Revista do Museu Paulista, iii, 5, S Paulo, Brazil, '98. 108. The Agricultural Jour- nal. Published by the Department of Agriculture, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, '99. 109. Proceedings, Royal Society of Queens- land, xiv, Brisbane, '99. 110. Bulletin, Societe d'FIistoire Naturelle de Colmar, nouvelle scria, iv, '98. The General Subject. B a e h m e tj e w, P. The critical point and the normal solidification point of insect juices, 43, April 1. B r a i n e r d , D. The preparation of specimens for the exhibition of life-histories in the cabinet, tigs., 75 B r i n d 1 e y, H . H . On certain characters of reproduced appendages, particularly in the Blattida 1 , 1 pi , 14 Com stock. A. B. Hints on making collections of insects, Teacher's Leaflets, for use in the public schools, prepared by the ! ollege of Agriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca. N. Y., No. 7, June 1, '97 E vans, J . D . Notes on insects of theyear,divisiouNo. 2, Bay of Quintedistriet,75. H a r r i ngton . W. H . Notes on insects of the year, division No. 1, Ottawa dis- trict, tigs . 75. H u b b a r d , H . G . Insect fauna of the giant c.actus of Arizona: letters from the southwest, 5 K i 1 m a u , A. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. l,s;; H. Notes on insects of the year, division No. 4, Niagara district, figs., 75. K ii n c k e 1 d'Herculais, J. Moulting 1 in insects considered as a means of defense against vegetable or animal para- sites; special roles of traoheil and intestinal moult ing, Auales Sociedad Cientitu-a Argentini, Buenos Aires, March, .'99. L e m o i u e , V . On the application of the Roentgen rays to the study of Arti 'ulates 85 b. L o c h h e a d , W Entomology in schools, figs.. 75. -Lyra an, H II. The President's annual address, 75; The freezing- of inserts. 75 M a r c li a 1 , P. The Ceoidomyids of cereils airl their puvisites, figs., 8 pis.. 86 a, 1. Mayet, V. Note on t 1 e insects of the salt lands 86 b.~ M o f f a t , J . A . Notes on the seison of 1893, 75. -N orris, A. E. Cabinet pest deterrent, 4. d e P e y e r i m h o f f , P- Sexual variation in the Arthropods. 86 a. 2-3. R e n u i e. R. W . Notes on insects of the year, division No. .">, London district, figs., 75. R o u s s e a u , E Oa a projes? parmitting the study of the internal anatomy of inserts without dissection (preliminary com- munication), 35. 4 S c h e n k 1 i n g , S . Ou myrmecophilous Ar- thropods,^, April 13; Springing b2aiis,84-, April 20. S c h w a r z, E. A. Clissifiel list of species observed by H. G. Hubbard on the giant c ictus, 5, supplement. W e b s t e r , F . M . The col- le -tor and his relation to pure and applied entomology, 75 Economic Entomology. A n o n. Abstract of recent publications, Experimant Sration R?c >:\1, x, s, U. S. Dap 1 1 of Agriculture, Wash- ington, -'99. A u o n . Dragjnflies airl chicken-raising, 84, April 27. Anon. The gypy moth and economic entomology, 3. Austen, E . E- Mosquitoes and malaria, the manner in \vhirh mosquitoes inteade;! for de'erinimtion should be collected and pre- served, 10, April 20. Benu, J. H., and others. Locust exter- mination, 108. M'uvh 3 >. - C a r e w -G i b s o n , E . A . , M a t - s i m u r a , M . [The apple fruit miner, Arf/i/resthm conjttf/eUa], 4 C h i t t e n d e n. F . H. Soai3 in>3^ts injurious to garden and orchard crop?, figs., Bulletin No. 1!), new series, U. S Dep't Agriculture, Division of E itoniDlogy, \Vasliiugton, '99. (J h o - baut, A. O.2 a Xy.'eVv/v/v p irasite of an orchid in Kuro|H'in greenhouses, 86 a, 2-3. D a g u i n . E.lible insects in antiquitv and in our own day, 55. I) a n i e 1 s . C . W . On truismis-ion of profeosoin i to birds by the mosquito: a report to the Malaria (' mamittee of the Royil S>.-iely, Pi\)coe. lings of the Royal Society. London, Ixiv, 411, AprillS,'!!-) D e a r n e s s , J . The cotton boll worm in Canadian corn. 75. D u g ir a r , L> . M . Notes on the use of the fungus Xi>nrntrif'iin>i ij'.n'm'ift rimi for the --lest ruction ot the chiiich-!);i^ ; I5li ;i> Icn- .].icr.i-) in the Unite, 1 St:itt->. ( '.-ntralblatt tTir Hakteriologie. Jena. March 31. '!)!. K d i n g t o n . Locust ex- terniiu it i in by fie iiiein> of fungus. 103. Man-h l(i. F 1 e t c h c r . J . The brown- tail moth ; [njuriousinssctsin 1 s > *. ti^>.. 75. - !' o r - bush, E. II. Tliegvpsy moth, 75. F u 1 I e r , C. Tin- com- mon blue tick ot Cape Culony and it- relationship to the red water 184 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June ticks of North America and Australia, figs, 108, March 16.- F y I es, T. W. The farmers' garden and its insect foes, figs., 75. Hunter, S. J. Alfalfa, Grasshoppers. Bees : their rela- tionship, figs., Contributions from Entomological Laboratory, Uni- versity of Kansas, No. 65. Lawrence, Jan '99. H u t t , H . L . A few of the most troublesome insects of the past season (1898), figs., 75 I 1 1 i d g 3 , R. Life-history, etc., of timber moths, 109. L o u n s b u r y , C . P . Coddling moth again, 108, March 2 [L u g g e r O?] Butterflies and moths injurious to our fruit-pro- ducing' plants, 237 figs. Bulletin 61, University of Minnesota Agri c. Exper. Station, Division of Entomology. St. Anthony Park, Minn , Dec.. '98. M a r c h a 1 . P. See the General Subject; also numerous short note? in 85 b. M a y e r , C. A new remedy against phylloxera, 108, March 2. Pound, C. J. Not^s on the cattle tick, 109. R o b e r t s , L. Ticks and their destruction, 108, March 16. S h i r 1 e y , J . Notes on bees and [as destroyers of] wax-scales, 109. S 1 i u s e r 1 a n d , M . V. Some new notions about some old insects, Reprint from Transactions, Massa- chusetts Horticultural Society, pt. 1, Boston, '99 ; Insect pests of 1898, Reprint from Proceedings, Forty-fourth Annual Meeting, "Western New York Horticultural Society, Jan. 25, 26, '99. S p a 1 i - kovrski, E. New researches on the accidents caused by the stings of bees, 55. Webster, F. M. Some economic features of international entomology, figs , 75. "W e e d , C . M . The for- est tent caterpillar, figs., Bulletin 64, New Himpshire College Agricultural Experiment Station, Durlaim. N H., April. '99; [Report of] Department of Entomology, figs, Tenth Annual Report of the same. Nov., '98. W e 1 1 s , H. H. and others. Locust fungus operations, 108. March 2. Arachnida. B i r o, L . Mimetic spiders, [in Magyar, brief sum- mary in German], Rovartaui Lapok, Budapest, April '99. C a m - bridge, F . O . P . On new species of spiders from Trinidad, West Indies. 1 pi., 14. C a m b r i d g e, O. P. Arachuida- Araneidea, pp. 289-296*, 15. G i 1 1 et te, C. P. Life-history of the sheep scab-mite, Psoroptes communis.75.v anHasselt, A . W . M . The venom of spiders. 46. M o e u k h a u s , W . J . Contribution to knowledge of the Arachnida of San Paulo, 1 pi., 107. Pocock, R. I. A new stridulating Theraphosid spider from South America, II. T r o u e s s a r t , E Note on the orgiu of fixation and of suction in the larva of Trornbidion, figs , 86 b. Myriopoda. H e n n i n g s . Tinnosvary's organ of Glomeris, figs.i 59. '99, No. 3. V e r h o e f f, C. On the European cive fauna' especially Diplopoda and Chilopoda, 22, April 17. Thysanura. B ouvier. E. L. The genus Mtiimlroin'n, new type of the family Lepismidae, 86 b. C a 1 a n d r u c c i o , S. On the biology of Japyx solifuyus Hal . and Campodea staphylinus Westw., preliminary note, Bulletino d. Societa Entomologica Ital- iana, xxx, 1-2, Florence, Oct. SI, '98. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 185 Orthoptera. B o 1 i v a r, I . Description of a new species of Or- thoptera from Peru, 86 b.B r i n d 1 e y , H. H. See the General Subject. C u e n o t , L. The absorbent region in the intestine of Blatta, figs., Archives de Zoologie Experimentale et Genera le, (3) vi, 5, Paris, '98. H u n t e r , S . J . See Economic Entomology. P e t r u n k e w i t s c h , A. On the physiology of digestion in Periplaneta onentnlis&ud. Blatia germanica, figs., 22, March 27. d e S a u s s u r e , H . and P i c t e t , A . Orthoptera, pp. 457-8*^ 15.- S c u d d e r. S . H . The Stenopalmatiuae of the Pacific coast,* 4 S t ad e 1 m a u n , H. A case of parthenogenesis in Bacillus rossius, 59, '98. Neuroptera. K e 1 I i c o t t, D. S. The Odonata of Ohio (see the review*, post) M a r t i n , R. Description of new Odonaia* 86 a, 4. T u ni p e 1 . R . Die Geradfliiger Mitteleuropas. Eisen- ach, Verlag von M. Wilckens Lieferuug 2-4. pp. 25-96, pis. iv- xiv and 24 text figs., Odonata and Ephemerida Hemiptera C h a m p i o n . G. C. Rhynchota-Ileteroptera T vol.ii, pp. 193-216, pi. xii,* I5.-C oc kerel 1 , T. D. A. On the habits and structure of the Coccid genus Margarodes* 3 ; Four new Diaspine Coccidae ,* 4 ; Aleurodicus rnirnbilis , 5; Some new Coccida? collected at Campinas, Brazil, by F. Noack (three papers), 107. E h r h o r n, E - M . Three new Coccida?,* 4. F o w 1 e r, W . W. Rhyuchota-Homoptera, vol. ii, pp. 217-224, pi. xiv.* 15. H e in p e 1 , A. Notes on Capuhnia Jaboticabai Ihering, 1 pi.. 107 King, G. B. Contributions to knowledge of Massachu- setts Coccidae,M, 4. M a y e t , V . Longevity of the cysts of 31f the mouth-parts of llydi'vphilmt, figs , 59, '99, No. 3. D i e r k x , F . Structure and function of the defensive gland in the genus lii-udtt/- intfi. figs . 22, April 17. E s c h e r i c h , K . To knowledge of the coleopterous genus Zomihrfs Harold, 1 pi., 38 and heft 4, April 30 18(3 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Jlllie '99 Everts, J. E. Ooleoptera Neerlaudica. De schildvleu- gelige Insecten van Nederland en het aangrenzend Gebied. Deel I, 2de Gedeelte. 'sGraveuhage Martinus Nijhoff 1899. pp 369-677, figs. 28-62 [in Dutch]. F o r m a 11 e k , U On the period of flight of some Ooleoptera, 38- G adeaude Kerville, H. Physiological experiments on Dyticus marginalia, 86 b - G o r - ham, H . S . Coleoplera, vol. vii., pp. 257-276, i-xii,* 15 H a r- r i 11 g t o n . W. II. A lew Canadian Longicorus. 4. Hub- bard, H. G. On Thalassa montezumca Muls. (family Coccinel- lidae), figs , Proceedings, Entomological Society of Washington, iv^ 3. April 28. '99. L e s n e , P . Revision of the Ooleoptera of the family Bostrychidae, part ii, figs., 86 a, 2-3 ; On a new species of Ooleoptera ot the family Bostrychidae* (Heterarthron subdepressus. n. sp.). 86 b. P ic, M. On the carnivorous instincts of the An- thieidae, 86 b - R a f f r a y , A. Revision of Batrisus and allied genera of Central and South America,* 1 pi , 86 a, 4. S c b w a r z , E. A. Description of new species of Ooleoptera,* 5, supplement. T h e r y , A. Descriptions of new Buprestida? and various re- marks, 86 a. 2-3 Diptera. A u s t e n , E . E . See Economic Entomology Da hi, F. The flea and its position in the system, 59, '98- Elliot, R. Two avian parasites; notes on their meta- morphoses. figs., 75 K e 1 1 o g g , V . L . The mouth parts of the Nematocerous Diptera, iv, figs., 5 Ma re ha 1, P. See the General Subject. W e 1 t n e r, W . The spawn of Chironomus fit'ii-CNtri F. 59. '98. v a n der Wulp, F. M. Diptera. vol. ii.. pp 385-392, pi X,*I5. Lepidoptera. A u d r e , E. Suicide of caterpillars. Bulletin, Societe d'Histoire Naturelle de Macon, No. 12, Dec. 1, '98. B u t - ler, A. G. Chrysophanus thoe ot' Gray why is it not C. \vl- lus Cramer? 4. Dog n in, P. New Heterocera from South America, 35. 3. D r u c e , H . Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera from Tropical America, II ; Lepidoptera Heterocera, vol ii, p!. xcviii, 15. Dyar, II. G- A new Lithosiau,* 5. F e t t i g. Variability in t he order Lepidoptera a propos of some aberrations observed in Alsace, 110. F r i e d m a n u , F . On the formation of pigment in butterflies' wings, 1 pi. Archiv fiir mikro- schopische Anatomic, liv, 1. Bonn, March 27, '99. F rings, C . Preference of Lepidoptera for their own colors, 40, April 15. F y 1 e s , T . W . Observations upon tfpilosoma congrua Walk., 4. G i b s o u , A . Muskoka as a collecting ground, figs., 75 ; On the Noctuida? occurring in Toronto, figs.. 75. H a in p s o n , G F . A revision of the moths of the subfamily Pyraustiuae and fam- ily Pyralidae. pt. 1, figs., 2 pis.,* 14. J o n e s , E. D. Emer- gence of a butterfly, figs., Science Gossip, London, May, '99. Lathy, P . L . Descriptions of new species of Syntomidas in the collection of Mr. H. J. Adams, 9. [L u g g e r , O?] See Eco- nomic Entomology. M a b i 1 1 e, P . Description of new Lep- ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. idoptera, 86 a, 2-3. -M c I n t o s h . W. The butterflies of New Brunswick, Bulletin, Xatural History Society of Xe\v Brunswick, xvii, St John. X. B., '99 M o f f a t . J . A . Random recollec- tions in natural history. tigs., 75 : A bit of history, 75. M core, F . Lepidoptera Indica, part xxxvi. [Vol. iii, pp. 2:5:5-254. pis. 279-286, completing vol. iii.] London: Lovell, Reeve & Co, Ltd. 1899. Rec'd Apr. 24. O b e r t h u r, C. Descriptions of new Lepidoptera, tigs.. 86 b. P i c t e t , A. Aerial development of the wing's of Lepidoptera. Archives dss Sciences Physiques et Xaturelles (4) vii, 3. Geneva, March 15, '99. S u e 1 1 e n . P . C . T. Some rein irks on Pynlidse, with description of new species [in Dutch], 2 pis , 46. S t a n d f u s < , M . Summary of the ex-' periments hitherto undertaken on Temperature and Hybridation, 84. April 27. S t a u d i n e r , O . Lepidoptera of the Ham- burg Magellan Collecting Expedition. Ergebnisse der Hamburger Migilhaeusischen Simmelreisj, iv, '99. T r i in e u , R . Seasonal dimorphism in Lepidoptera. 13, April i:s. W inn, A. F. Xotes on Papilfo brevicauda Sauuders. 75. Hymenoptera. d u B u y s son. R . Study of the Chrysididse of the Museum of Paris, 2 pis.,* 85 a, 4. C a m e r o n . P . Hymen- optera, vol. i, pp. 4(37-474, vol. ii, pp. 401-404,* 15. C o c k e r e 1 1 , T. D. A. Xotes on American bees,* 9. D y a r , H. G. Larva of Xyelidse, 4. F e r t o u . C. Remarks on the habits of some species et' Prosopfs Fabr., 86 b. F ox, W . J . The Xorth Amer- ican Mutillidae,* Proceedings, Academy of Xitural Sciences of Phil- adelphia, 1899, April 17; Synopsis of the Uuited States species of the Hymen )pteraus genus C-'ittrit Fabr.. with des, -notion of a new species from Trini.lid,* Id- H u n t e r , S. J. See Economic Entomology. K i a e r. H. R3view of the Phytophagous Hy- menoptera of Arctic Xorway, 1 pi-. Tromso Museums Aarhet'te* xix, '93. K i e f f e r , J . J . Cvnipidre, pp. 289-36S, pis. xiii-xv, of Vol. VII, Species des HymJnopfcSres d'Europeet d'Algvrie fond e p-ir Klmjiid Anlr' ei continuS sous Ernest Andre, 65e Fa-i-icule P. iris. Vve Du'josclard, J in. 1, 1)9. K o n o w . F . W- On some new Chilastog'a.str.i,* 38 M a r s h a 1 1 . T. A . A monograph of British Bnconidie, pirt viii, 1 pi.. Transact ions. Entomological Society of London, 'i9, pt i. M o r i c e , F . D Pastor Konovr's proposils as to the classification of Hymenoptcr.i. Kntomologi-t-' Monthly Magazine. London, May. 'li!. \V a s m a n n , E . Sup- plement to " TJasius fuliginoms as predatory ant,'' 22. April 17; The psychical activities of ants, 3 pis., Zoologica, heft 2-;, XI B.I, 1, Stuttgart, '99. THK ODOXATA OF Oim>. BY' DAVIDS. KI.I.I.U on. PH. D. Ohio State University. Contributions from the I >.[) irtmeut of Zoology and Entomology. Xo. 1. [Riprinteil from th> S|>e.-ial Paper- of the Ohio Academy of Sciences. X.). 2.] Columbus, Ohio. Pub- lished bv the State University, March. is!>:t. Svo. pj). viii, 11(J- 188 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June Portrait of the author. Three plates, containing 39 outline figures of parts of species of Eiiallagma, Lestes, Diplax and Gomphus. This posthumous work of Prof. Kellicott is introduced by a pref- atory note from his successor, Prof. Herbert Osborn, stating that it has been prepared from the origin il manuscript left by its author. Of this the lirst 01 pages are unchanged. The remainder has been completed, in accordance with Professor Kellicott's plan of treat- ment, by his associate, Mr. J. S. Hiue, who also contributes a bio- graphical notice and a bibliography of his deceased colleague. Practically, therefore, the present essay is due to Messrs. Kellicott and Hine The figures have bsen drawn by Mr. W. E. Kellicott. We have previously expressed, in this journal, our high apprecia- tion of Prof. K3llicott's work on the dragouflies of Ohio. We are, therefore, much indebted to Mr. Hiue to? placing before us the present more extended results of that study. The subject matter proper begins with a brief introduction, in which the student is referred to other authors for a knowledge of the structure and metamorphoses of these insects. The 100 species found in Ohio are then described, with frequent keys to assist in their identification- Notes are frequently added upon the habits of flight and of ovipositiou. We incline to think that the localities in which the rarer species have been found have not always been suffi- ciently indicated. In the hurried perusal with which we have been obliged to content ourselves, it seems to us that the key to the species of Lestes (p. 15) is not very helpful ; that some names, such as fonscofombia and Diplax, have been continued which must be given up; and that an error has been made in the key to the genera of Libellulinre (p. 92) in using the character " sectors of the arculus pedicillate" for Dipl(M\_=jSympetru.m] and Leucorhinia, for the reason that a very considerable amount of variation exists in this regard. Very little change has been made in arrangement and classifica- tion. A considerable number of mistakes have been made by our- selves and others in treating of various species of the North American Odonata, and some of these errors appear in the present work. As the corrections have not yet been published, however, neither Prof. Kellicott nor Mr. Hine are responsible for the errors of their predecessors; but students will do well to be on their guard in identifying forms allied to EnnUfnima pollntinn, (r<>inj>/t>ix lie id us, fraternity and externus. In closing, we call attention to a remark in the Introduction, which is very cheering to the odonatologisl. Treating of the ques- tion of the decrease or increase in the number of species, we read : " It is the opinion of the writer that some few forms once resident are no longer within our limits, but that others have taken up their homes here at the same time: in fact, it appears probable that the number has increased, rather than diminished, up to the present time." PHILIP P. CALVERT. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 189 DOINGS OF SOCIETIES. Regular meeting 1 of the Newark Entomological Society was held Sunday, April 9th, at Town Hall, President Bischott' presidium and fourteen members present. The family X<>tnti0 species Of these species there were about 9 ) Carabids, 4i) Staphylinidos, 8 ( 'hrysomelide, 17 weevil s nnd the rest scattered throughout the order. They were mostly collected among dead leaves and debris, on the ground, under bushes." A. J. WEIDT, Sec. At the April meeting of the Feldimn Collecting Social, hold ;it the residence of Mr. II. "W. \Venzel. 1523 South Thirteenth street,. eleven members and one visitor were present. Mr. Wenzel stated that in the oldedition of the Catalogue of New Jersey insects there were but nine specif- of Xi-i/ilnnit'iiiilu listed, whereas the number will be iucreised to seventeen in the forthcoming edition as far as his own collecting is concerned. He had taken the following species of that family in New Jersey from January 2Sth to April liith: Brachycepsis subpunctatus, i ft /HTfuruhm, Srt/iiilHt'iliiX ffitrifiirsitx. X /'.v.v/r/r/-, ,S. l,i>- A' analis, &. brevicorm's, S. clnri/n j s, A'. /Wr//.v. < 'i'/>In'iifi/ IDII ci>r/,n rs ///,,. 190 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June Mr. Laurent reported the abundance of pupi of Ceratomia ca- talpa at Moores, Delaware county. Pa. The pupa and many dead caterpillars liy justunder the sod at the base of trees. The irregu- lar appearance in abundance of the species was discussed by Messrs. Laurent, Skinner and Wenzel. Dr. Skinner referred to a recently received letter, the writer dwelling on the probable large number of sp3vues new to science which existed in the private collections of miny persons who were averse to sending them to specialists for study for fear that the spe- cialists would desire to retain the specimen in payment for the trouble in identifying. The speaker held that specialists have the right to retain desirable specimens in such cases, and spoke of the ingratitude existing as a rule with those who expect to have sci- entific workers devote their time and experience in naming their specimens without recompense. Discussed by Messrs. H. Weuzal and Bland, who concurred with Dr. Skinner. Mr. H. Weuzel recorded the capture of Erchomus lasvus in abundance at Anglesea, N. J., during the winter. WILLIAM J. Fox, Secretary. OBITUARY. We announce with sorrow and regret the death of Edward Win- slow Cross on April 23d, who resided in Manchester, N. H., and was bom in that city July 21, 1875. He was an ardent student of ento- mology and a contributor to the pages ot this journal. The Geome- tridse claimed his especial attention, and he had a fine collection in the family. He was the youngest sou of Judge David Cross, and a student at Harvard College Law School, and was graduited from Amherst College, class '97. The February NEWS was mailed February 3d. The March NEWS was mailed March 4th. The April NEWS was mailed March 27th. The Mav NEWS was mailed Mav :;d. ENT. NEWS, Vol 10 PI. VI 7 10 /3 CYCHRUS, etc., (Liebeck) ENTOMOLOGICflL NEWS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICflL SECTION A( AKK.MV OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. VOL. X. SEPTEMBEB. 18!l. No. 7 CONTENTS : Liebeck Cychrus Guyoti vs. C. An- Hine Sciara In onstans Reared clrewsii var.. ..!!! fronl Carnations I'd I A sb mead The Largest Oak-Gall in the World and its Parasites 193 Wi ckham Recollections of Old-Col- Dyar Life History of Notodonta Georgica - H. S. 202 Editorial .2iVi Kconomic Entomology '-N~ lecting Grounds !!> Notes an ,, NVws 20H Williamson Calopteryx August!- Entomological Literature 'JN pennisSelysin Western Pennsyl- l">innsof Societies 219 \aiiia W> Exchanges i, ii CYCHRUS GUYOTI vs, C, ANDREWSII YAR. BY CHAKI.KS LIEBECK, Philadelphia, Pa. (See Plate VI.) In the recent paper on d/dintx by G. E. Ehrmann, atten- tion was called to a paragraph pertaining to certain specimens of C. dni/oti (No. 9 of plate), in the possession of Prof. Je- rome Schmitt, of St. Vincent's College, Pa. Some confusion regarding the identity of this species exists in many collec- tions, and the following notes are submitted with a view to preventing future errors. C. (riii/oti was described by Dr. Lecoute, Proc. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sciences in l,s(i(), p. : }(>:}, from a unique female collected in the Black Mountains of North Carolina. Later Dr. Horn, in his paper on ( 1 i/<-/inix ot N. A. Trans. Am. Knt. Sue.. 1S7S, Vol. 7.]). I 7.'M 7 I. submitted the characters of male tarsi, sep- arating these species as follows : A nterior tarsus of male with a slight papillose space at tip of first joint. (iinjnti. Anterior tarsus ot' maledensel\. spongy pubescent be neath, first joint clothed over nearly the entire surface. Andrewsii. 192 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Sept When males are not present the position of the strial punc- tures of the elytron will readily separate the species. Punctures of striae regular and well centered. Andrewsii. Punctures of striae confused and encroaching on the intervals. Guyoti. This character pertains to the basal three- fourths of the elytra, as the striae and punctuation become confused at the apex in both species. But three authentic specimens of C. Guy at i have been ex- amined, and possibly forty of C. Andrewsii, all forms, and no deviation from the above rule occurs. There is a tendency in many specimens of C. Andrewsii to a broadly augulated form of thorax as is shown by the accom- panying plate, the series showing gradual development from No. 4 to 9 in regular order. A series of C. Riding-m, Nos. 10, 11 and 12, is also utilized to show the same character. Without types or authentic specimens at hand, and only females present, the student can very easily go astray, as can be seen by a glance at No. 9, a supposed Guyoti, or No. 5, a small Andrewsii, whi(Ji could very readily be confused with Ridingsii. The figures of plate show the comparative size of the various species, and it will be seen that Giiyoti is much larger than Andrewm, being quite as large as the larger form of C. viduus. Specimens of the several species from Pennsylvania have the thorax longer and narrower than those of North Carolina and Tennessee. I am indebted to Dr. Henry Skinner for the excellent pho- tograph of the specimens and to Mr. Roland Hayward for careful comparisons with the Leconte specimens in the Cam- bridge Museum. EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 1. C Guyoti Lee. male (Horn Coll.). 2. C Guyoti Lee female (Wenzel Coll.). 3. C. viduus De.j . 4. C. Andrewsii Harr. Pa. 5. C. Andrewsii Harr. Va. 6. C Andrewsii Harr. N C. 7. C. Andrewsii Harr. N. C. 8. C, Andrewsii Harr Sawyer's Springs, Tenn. q C. Andrewsii Harr. N. C. 10. C. Ridingsii Bland, type female. Va. 11. ('. Ridingsii Bland, Pa. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 193 l-J. C. Ridinssii Bland, Tenn. 13. < 'reniHstorhilus leuro^tirtiis Burin, male. 14. Crernastocbilus leucost ictus Burin, female. O THE, LARGEST OAK-GALL IN THL WORLD AND ITS PAR- ASITES. BY WILLIAM H. ASH MEAD. Some two or more years ago, February 20, 1897, the Na- tional Museum received from Dr. A. Duges, of Guauajaro, Mexico, the largest oak-gall it has ever beeu my pleasure to see, and which is undoubtedly the largest Cyuipid gall yet discovered. Subsequently additional specimens of the same species, but much smaller and exceedingly variable in shape and size, were also received from Dr. Duges. The first and largest specimen received, and which is un- questionably the largest oak-gall in the world, is of an irregu- lar oblong, globular shape, and measures fully 4J inches long by 3 inches in diameter. Externally it is opague, more or less roughened, and of a greyish color or somewhat similar in color to the bark of our common white oak ; white internally it is brown and of a dense, hard, pithy substance. It is polytha- lamous ; the larvae cells being numerous and deeply imbedded, in the interior of the gall, as in those of similar structure. The other specimens, afterwards received from Dr. Duges. are, as stated before, much smaller, more irregular in shape, and dwindle down in size to specimens not exceeding an inch in diameter. All of them, as we are reliably informed by Dr. Duges, were obtained from the roots of an unknown Mexican oak tree. At the time of the receipt of the largest of these galls, I re- ported the gall was the product of an undescribed Cynipid, which would probably prove to belong to the genus Andri- cus. The rearing of three of the gall-flies by Dr. Duges con- firms my opinion in reference to the generic position of the gall -makers of this gigantic gall, but the gallitself is evidently similar to one described as (\i/ni)>N Clutinjtiotii by Mr. Peter Cameron, in Biologia Central!- Americana, Hymoptera, vol. 1, p. 70, the maker of which was unknown. Dr. Duges also bred from this gall two distinct parasites: ;t Miquiline, Si/n rr/iix sp., and a Toryiuid, Tori/nntx sp.; also M 194 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Sept beautiful uudeseribed rkynchopkorus beetle. Tke last tke late Mr. Martin Liuell kad intended to describe under tke name of - I believe with Dr. Culvert, tkat a name given to a gall alone, witkout a knowledge of tke gall-uiaker, will kold in most cases, but suck descriptions skould be discouraged, since tke identification of galls, witkout tkeir makers, is always at- tended with uncertainty ever afterwards. It is so in this case, but tke name given by Mr. Cameron must be retained, and I give below, for tke first time, tke description of its maker, and its parasites. Andrieus championi Cameron Cyuips ckampioui Cam. Biol. Ceutr. Am. Hyiu I, p. 70. (Gall). Gall-fly. ? Length 4.5 mm. Black, tke abdomen and an- terior and middle femora rufous. Head and tkorax rugoso- punctate, clothed with a sparse, glittering pubescence ; abdo- men smooth, polished, im punctate, tke sides of segments 1-7 witk sparse glittering hairs, antenna? 14 jointed, long, fili- form, black, the third joint tke longest, more tkan six times as long as (kick, tke following joints to the 13th, gradually short- ening, the 13th joint being scarcely one-third the length of the third joint, the last joint almost as long as 12-13 united. Clypeus rounded at apex. Mandible strong, trideutate, pice- ous black, tke inner tootk minute, tke middle and outr tootk large, subequal. Mesotkorax witk tke parapsidal furrows distinct and posteriorly becoming obliterated just before at- taining tke base of tke scutellum ; a median furrow only slightly or vaguely defined on tke middle of tke disk; ante- riorly close to tke margin are two short,glabrous lines ; while tke scapulae have a long glabrous line ; scutellum rounded, rugose, the fovea? at base with raised lines; metatkorax short, witk too median carimi'. Wings kyaline, tke veins piceous- black, tke vein at base of tke open marginal being short and strongly augulated. Abdomen ovate, as long as tke kead and tkorax united, polisked impunctate except some sparse punc- tures on tkesides of tke seventh segment ; sheaths of ovipositor black, not at all prominent. Hab Guauaj uato, Mexi< -o . Type, No. 4304 U. S. X. M. 1S99] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 195 Described from 3 ? specimens, received from Dr. A.Duges. Synergus Dugesi, n. sp. -Length 3mm. Black, head, except the vertex, eyes, and occiput, the antenna?, the prouotum, except anteriorly, the trochanters, the knees, the tips of anterior and middle tib- iae and beneath, and their tarsi, brownish-yellow. Head ru- go>o-puiictate, the face and cheeks with strong 1 converging- stria 1 . Mandibles ferruginous, black at tips. Antennas 13-jointed the third joint very nearly as long as 4-5 united. Mesoiio- 1um rather coarsely, transversely rngalose, the parapsidal fur- rows very nearly obliterated by the coarseness of the sculpture. Mesopleura longitudinally striated. Metanotum short ob- li(|iie, with two, rather widely separated, median cariua' and a distinct lateral cariua, the angles prominent, pubescent, with prominent spiracles. Wings hyaline, the teguhe pice- ous, the veins, except the subcostal and the median veins to- wards base which are pale yellowish piceous black. Abdo- men ovate, about one-third longer than the head and thorax united, highly polished, black, the second segment, except the very short petiole, occupying the whole surface, the ter- minal segments being retracted. -Length 2-6 mm. Agrees well with the ?, except the sides of the pronotum, the mesopleura, but not the mesopectus and the legs, except a dusty shade on the hind tibia> and tarsi, are wholly brownish yellow ; the parapsidal furrows are distinct, the tegnl;e brownish-yellow, while the antenna- are 15- jointed, the third joint being somewhat thickened, slightly curved and fully as long a> joints 4-5 united, the following joints sube<|ual. Type, No. 4:505 U.S. X. M. Described from 1 ' and '2 specimens, bred by Dr. A. Duges from Andricus i ( '\ nipv) ( 'hampioni Cam. Torymus Mexicanus. n. sp. V. Length 4 mm.; ovipositor '>.5 mm. Head and thorax metallic green, the hind margin of the mesopleura violaceous followed by a bright cupreous band ; abdomen broii/.ed-black : tlagellum black ; scape, teguhe and tarsi brownish-yellow : co\;e metallic green; anterior femora towards lase and the hind femora except tips, metallic brown, the rest of the legs rufous wings hyaline, the veins, except the subcostal at base, 196 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Sept dark brown. Head shagreened and punctate, the face clothed with a white pubescence ; mandibles ferruginous, the teeth black. Thorax sparsely pubescent, transversely shagreeued and punctured, the punctures more distinct and coarser along the hind margin of the pronotum, on the parapsides along the furrow of same, and on the scutellum. Mesopleura except the hind margin sculptured, the hind margin smooth, impunc- tate. Hind coxa? large, reticulately sculptured. Abdomen finely or microscopically reticulated, the dorsal flap bluish. cf. Length 3. 2 mm. Agrees well with the 9 in color and in the structure of the head and thorax, but the tegulae and the femora are bluish-green, the tibia? dark brown, the tarsi, except the terminal joint, whitish, while the abdomen is bluish-green scarcely as long as the thorax, with the dorsal flap bright green. Type, Kb. 4306 U. S. K. M. Described from ] ? bred from the small gall. o RECOLLECTIONS OF OLD COLLECTING GROUNDS. BY H. F. WICKHAM, Iowa City, Iowa. IX. The Alpine Districts about Leadi-We. Leaving Buena Vista, the railroad follows the Arkansas Valley very closely in the long climb to Leadville. As the mountain summits draw nearer and nearer the waters of the turbulent stream become ever less muddy and by the time the great mining camp is reached the dwindled Arkansas is trans- formed into a clear brook, flowing over a pebbly bed or glid- ing more slowly on a torturous course through broad marshy meadows. The altitude has now exceeded ten thousand feet and the fauna and flora are essentially modified in conse- quence. We arrived at the station late in the afternoon of July 7th, during a heavy rain. Every afternoon of our eight day so- journ was marred by a like precipitation of moisture and this detracted materially from the pleasure of the trip as well as interfering with collecting. These showers are very cold and quickly result in benumbed hands which are slow to grasp the ground-inhabiting insects, and the saturated dripping foliage precludes successful use of the sweep-net or umbrella. The little butterflies (apparently some species of Li/cwna) fold 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 197 their wings and hang quite still upon the shrubs while a cold storm cloud is passing over, only to awake to active flight al- most the instant that the sun comes out again. The dirty, smoky city covers a great deal of ground and it is something of a walk from the " up town " hotels into the wooded hills which rise on every hand. The large timber, if there ever was much of it, is now mostly gone and the re- maining trees are chiefly so dwarfed or undersized as to be of no use for commercial purposes. To this they owe their ex- istence and as they still support some insects let us hope that they may long remain undisturbed. Many of the large ra- vines and gulches have been ruined entomologically by exten- sive mining operations but a few spots were- found which yielded tolerably well. The stony porous soil of most of the hillsides holds but very little water and supports a fauna, which is in strong contrast to that of the marshy valley region. \Ve saw no living C'u'in<1<'lirrrihli<[u and .V ///- t'dfiii, I'dfrobiix (ifcrrinius and some Staphyliuida-. while I!>'in/>!- '. tnl jecta, Clerux nif/riw'ntrifi, C. xphct/ritx, Thniuishnux nndulil.iinx. Altogether we considered our visit to this vicinity as being a successful one, although the neighborhood is probably by no means as rich as in former days before the development of its mineral re- sources so ruined the beauty which must have marked it pre- vious to the ad vent of the railroad and the smelter. CALOrTERYX ANGUSTIPENNIS 5ELYS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. BY E. B. WILLIAMSON, Pittsburgh, Pa. Oil June 18th of this year Mr. 1). A. Atkinson, ,T. L. f>mis lias been known to exist than t hat in the Hritish Museum, sent l>y Ahhot from Georgia S century ano. Three females have been previously known See llauen, Psyche, v, p. 211. P. P. CAI.VKKT. 200 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Sept the river. The bed of the stream is filled with large sand- stone and conglomerate boulders, past which the current rushes with great velocity. The Calopteryx in its flight and habits much resembles Hetaerina americana, flitting over the rapids, resting on the boulders and on the few bushes and grasses margining the stream. They are swifter in flight and more difficult to take than Galopteryx maculata. Only adults were seen. One pair was taken in copulation. Compared with Hagen's description, published in Psyche in 1889, the following may be noted : Hind wing, d\ 36 ; 9, 38. Width at nodus of hind wing, c? and 9,8. Ante-cubitals, front wings, cT and 9, about 28 ; ante-cubitals of hind wings, c?, about 22 ; 9, about 25. Ab- domen, c?, 46 ; 9, 43. d\ Second joint of antennae, labruiu and a small inferior median spot on rhinarium greenish white ; labrum with a round black spot just below the white spot on rhiuarium ; la- bimn black, outer lobe narrowly margined with greenish white ; upper part of head, especially about the ocelli, with brassy reflections ; eyes brown, thorax and abdomen bright green ; sutures of thorax black ; pectus pruiuose with a trans- verse green band before the base of 1. Wings with the re- ticulation largely green, most noticeable when seen from the front ; subcostal apparently black ; median vein and princi- pal sector closely joined for the distance of four or five aiite- cubitals ; principal sector apparently arising from the sub- nodal. Abdomen darker anteriorly with bluish reflections, tending to brassy posteriorly, greenish black underneath ; sternum of 1 chalky white ; base of sterna of 3 to 8, with two blu- ish spots ; appendages dark greenish brown, as competed with C. viryo and C. maculata relatively longer, possibly with more teeth on the exterior dorsal edge of the superiors. Since the above was written I have had the privilege of ex- amining a male and female of this species collected by Mr. E. C. Osburn and Mr. J. B. Parker, on June 10th, in cent nil Ohio, eight days before the species was taken at Ohio Pyle. The specimens were taken along Pine Creek, a tributary of Clear Fork, which in turn empties into the Mohican. They offer no differences from the western Pennsylvania specimens. 1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. L'Ol ISCIARA INCONSTANS-REARED FROM CARNATIONS. BY JAMES S. HINE. In his second report Fitch described ;is an insect which he found common in December on the win- dows of his room. He states that in all probability they emerged from earth in some flower-pots. In January of the present year the complaint came' in that 202 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Sept carnations in the greenhouse were dying from some unknown cause. I investigated the matter and found no cause except numbers of minute white larvae which were boring inside of all the stems that showed serious injury. From these larvae I reared several adults which were easily traced to the genus Seiara, but not being sure of the species I sentspecimens to the Department of Agriculture at Washington where they were labeled inconstant. From what I knew of the habits of the larvae of the Mycetophylidae I supposed at first that the plants were killed in some other way and then were attacked by these insects, but by farther observation I was convinced that they fed upon the growing plants. In the accompanying drawing, figure 1 represents the adult female, figure 2 the adult male, figure 3 the ventral view of pupa, figure 4 side view of pupa, figure 5 the la i va and fig- ure 6 the last abdominal segment of the male. o LIFE HISTORY OF NOTODONTA GEORGICA-H S BY HARBISON (I. DYAK. This larva is here described for the first time. Dr. Pack- ard's description (Mon. Notodout., p. 154) of georgica larva was taken from some specimens in the National Museum which appear to have neverjbeen bred. What reason led to theij identification as georgica is unknown to me, but they are in reality evidently larvae of Heterocampa obliqua. It will be remembered that Abbott and Smith figure N. georgica and N. anguloxa as sexes of one species. My breeding explains this matter, since the larvae of these species have the same food plant and habits and moreover resemble each other almost to identity. The main difference is the colored tuber- cle on the eighth abdominal segment of georgica. Apparently Abbot, overlooking this slight difference, figured the two spe- cies as sexes of one, since he probably bred them from what he considered the same larva. Egg. I have not found these in nature. Eggs from the ab- domen of the female moth are apparently hemispherical, white, coarsely granular rather than reticular and about 1 mm. in diameter. 189i>] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 203 Stage /. Head rounded, brown, a black shade over the ver- tex and behind ; width .55 mm. Body slender, smooth and vshining, sordid snioky greenish ; a diffuse dark dorsal shade; a reddish baud subventrally, joined to large blackish spots on joints 5, 6, 11, 12 subventrally with smaller spots on joints 3 and 4. Feet all black. Joint 12 a little enlarged ; seta 1 short, pale ; tubercles minute, black, normal, primary ; cervical shield small, quadrate, dusky. stage II. Head rounded, bilobed, sordid green, a black line at the junction with neck and a blackish shade from the jaw to base of antenna ; width 1 mm. Body opaque greenish white, dorsal vessel dark; a narrow white lateral line and yellow substigmatal one ; subventral region olive brown the whole length. Thoracic feet, tubercles and leg plates black ; anal plate dusky ; cervical shield not distinct ; joint 12 a lit- tle enlarged, its tubercles i large, contiguous, not elevated. Stage III. Head green, a faint yellow line on each side be- hind the ocelli ; width 1.4 to 1.8 mm. Body much as before, the tubercles and leg plates green ; tubercles i of joint 12 large, at first concolorous, later yellowish. stag