ache 4 Zoe a x Ni < SN ¥ SASS . NY nS, i A) SN Ni x * . RSS ANY \ a AS . SON se : RN ‘ = ‘ . . SN \Y S AN at sae - ese oe aie panes pra dih ey es NS Er A OV Wwe SC x CAE ; cal AN \ \, j \e ‘ f . nd ee es My ‘ J id al it at SY As ebay hah eesitees as Wi Nee eS eek WN SS SESS Ase). ANA et ied) ee Fe “§ ee & Ned ‘ oie Gk ; ‘ AeA —~ ~~ we ie ¥h\ ij J wD . is - * * . 4 wi 5 A a ee Wes A hos % A A = . NA GRP NA Ned AA ORS oe wy ah Wy Nerryeretee oe BS o Set ASS bck ON Cate RS Sg? NSN Y e T= Bh ey | Rise sess foe ‘se tt Nad Ww. et f Lew i iN iad Si DAs ¥ (= | Cay), ‘I \/ Dhnh O Neleaes CCNY he Wy MSE SR < € CO a CE etcac CG 4 Youw Ne Wd Sd ANS VNU SN ? TUN SSS SC Doe Net New ~ Ned ee —, — Se resented to Che Library of the University of Toronto by Walker “>, . > = . ~l 3 ‘ & € 7 ie < th, be lor * 4 & a & a & eZ a SS , 4 ( cs é a Gos + P fi 4 oe Be if 3 sts - Bee nr ' ENTOMOLOGIST. VOLUME XXIII EDITED BY THE Aeo. ©. I. S. Bethune, M. 3., D.C. F., PORT HOPE, ONTARIO. ASSISTED BY J. Fletcher, Ottawa; H.H. Lyman, Montreal, and Rev. T. W. Fyles, Quebec. ——$__—____—__ +>o--dU UU ——--—— Wondon, Ont.: LONDON PRINTING AND LITHOGRAPHING CO. 1SQI, # invame: LIST OF GONTRIBUTORS 10 THIS VOLUME. -———_++e—— -- ALDRICH, PM. 38 Sf aig ep Maem BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAkora. ASHMEAD, W. H........ lec ... WASHINGTON, D. C. Pee a PL PEA ee es cds ae WASHINGTON, D. C. eee, A te ecg es ee Port Hope. _BETHUNE, REV. C. J. S. (The Editor).. Port Hope. es ear PINOLE RR Wit esiccccccs ss cen .». NEW YORK. + MEPL CLEY, W. Siccce es cne.. i+. coped eRRE HAUTE, INDIANA. ae BOS EWN oo fcc Ao voip wae) Ws ss + tame TORONTO. RR EPs line eats tae f+ e's see .BRockport, N.Y. Se Bama oere i, IA WIRING, 6 os... pens LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. heh te Di Ws ao ok so ke -.-. AKRON, OHIO. WIN Ws Dios Gras awe vy vor wowed s VicTorIA, B. C. Re Oe SG euS aids au sb vo v0, ana ewe TOMPKINSVILLE, STATEN ISLAND, N, Y- EES RR A sas wey Sa pine os a0 co's pe we NEW YORK. ROEM ML WV GGET sc bo es oes Soe eo obs COALBURGH WEST VA, Terai), ©. Fe te. Pees Sima + bie ...- AMHERST, MAss, MRP Pree Eilts PAVE 650s ale op ceee ce OTTAWA, : MANERA oo Cy PL ee th ss 4 Sic eiels «e+ ee-sCARBONDALE, ILL, mera tee ete OW eee cca es nak g SOUTH QUEBEC. ee SM ee Cains 6 kind Cis ee Ms BREMEN, GERMANY. ROE IEP ALES fe eee eer eles OTTAWA. BIAMILION, DR. JORN Fo6i oc cee. ALLEGHENY, Pa. TIARRING LON, We HAGUE ooo. os. OTTAWA, , NE Bi cao 8s Ch iw EER: sn oe etal MONTREAL, eRe eG Wee ices ees anaes PITTSBURG, PA. Derm tenes i Gs... ve he Peeks eee YELLOWSTONE PARK. MBA PUNTO Re FE sg os psc s cay ks cw eee NEw York. KEEN. REV. bs SES Paige Sharam MASsETT, B. C. MeRTACOER Bl). Sipe vis ce ike ide oe a CoLuMBus, OHIO. LINTNER, J. eee ee ALBANY, N. Y. Re RE Eh a a a kn ae + 40006 SS MONTREAL. ACCEL LASE VN Pace OD bcs oo iin v0 ne IrHaca, N. Y. PAS be As ead gob e's es dee LoNnpDON, ONT. MURTFELDT, MISS M. Biiaies ices eee Sr. Louis, Mo, NEUMOEFGEN, 6 OUR G eate em T NEW YORK, SPORE, PBR i. ieee iccas cee AMEs, IOWA. ee RRS We Ee 0c ed's hndcve ace OheaeS HARTFORD, CONN. Palate EATS A cre a cie sce s see WASHINGTON, D. C. RRGP eee oe Wes oe ys es 6 ss CURRYVILLE, Mo. SCHWARZ, BER eee wise. 5. ee WASHINGTON, D.C. SMITH, DR. Too weer ius... ee New Brunswick, N, J. RO A, oval ces... cee LAWRENCE, KANSAS, Dae eee Be. GG) Wie ec... eee VICTORIA, B. C, Step eee ROLAND. 4.;..:. ... eee NEw HAVEN, CONN. a) Nome. Hi: TYLER..,... eee. LAs Cruces, NEW MEXICO. TE Le VOR a as bods vcees + Can LONDON, ENGLAND. VAN DUZEE ei ick a ie oe . BUFFALO, N. Y. Wa), Fees et... ee ee AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MIss. % Were t erty Pia PIU as aces ow eee cas .... BOSTON, Mass. WINN, ‘A. Be ee oy es . MONTREAL, EMR EE We Aa oo ety sss... ok eee SAN BERNARDINO, CAL. | The Canadian Hintomalogist VOL. XXIII. LONDON, JANUARY, 1801. NO, Ts DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW CANADIAN BRACONID&. BY WM. H. ASHMEAD, BERLIN, PRUSSIA, The interesting new species of Braconide described below, unless otherwise stated, were all captured by my good friend Mr. W. Hague Harrington, at Ottawa, Canada. BRACON FABR. (1) Bracon brachyurus n. sp. ; @.—Length 2 mm.; ovip.} mm. Black, polished; mandibles, palpi and legs, except the posterior coxee and the basal two-thirds of their femora, yellowish-brown. Tegulz honey-yellow. The head is transverse, _ the cheeks rounded off posteriorly. Antenne 22-jointed. The parap- sides are not sharply defined, only indicated by slight depressions in the mesonotal surface. Metathorax finely rugose with a delicate median keel. Abdomen oval, depressed, the ist and znd segments wrinkled or slightly rugose, the segments beyond smooth, shining, and all of nearly an equal length. Wings hyaline, the venation brown ; the recurrent nervure is not interstitial with the rst transverse cubital, and the 2nd branch of the radius is about twice the length of the rst. Described from a single specimen. — (2) Bracon melanaspis n. sp. ?.—Length 23 mm.; ovip. } mm. Black, polished ; mandibles, palpi and legs, except the posterior pair which are entirely black except the apex of the femora, and extreme apex of abdomen, brownish-yellow. The wide lateral membranous portion of 1st abdominal segment, pale yellow. The head as in the previous species. Antenne very long 28- jointed. Tegulz black. Parapsidal grooves not sharply defined, and fringed with long hairs. The scutellum is also sparsely pubescent. Meta- thorax and pleure smooth, shining. Abdomen oval, the 1st segment with a smooth, black shield, the sides of which are parallel and the disk 2 THE 5 CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, with a slight elevation. Wings greyish-hyaline, due to the pubescence, Me, venation brown, the rst branch of the radius more than half as long as the 2nd, the recurrent nervure not interstitial with the rst transverse cubital. Described from one specimen. (3) Bracon nigridorsum Nn. sp. 2.—Length 3; mm.; ovip. § mm. Black, polished; mdndibles, palpi, legs, including coxz, and the abdomen, except the disk of 1st, end, 3rd, 4th and 5th segments, which are black, wholly pale brownish-yellow. Tegule honey-yellow. Antennze 35-jointed. Parapsides distinct. Meta- thorax and mesopleure smooth, polished, the latter with a single fovea — near the posterior suture. Metapleure very hairy. Abdomen long oval, — the shield of the 1st segment trapezoidal, finely rugose, rounded off at apex and between it and the lateral margins of the segment are two long channels ; the 2nd segment is slightly shagreened at base. Wings hyaline, strongly iridescent, the venation brown ; the 2nd branch of the radius is twice the length of the rst, the recurrent nervure not interstitial. | SPATHIUS NEES. (4) Spathius Canadensis n. sp. ? .—Length 2§ mm.; ovip. 17mm. Reddish-brown, the dorsum of thorax blackish or dark fuscous, the abdomen, except the long petiole and the base of the 2nd segment, black. The antenne are honey-yellow, very long, multiarticulate, the posterior femora and tibie slightly fuscous. Head perfectly smooth, polished ; the thorax delicately shagreened, the parapsidal grooves very distinct, deep ; the metathorax with 3 or 4 delicate longitudinal carine. Wings fuscous, the base and tips hyaline and with — a white or hyaline band across the middle, including the basal half of the stigma. es Described from one specimen. The species comes nearest to Z. Laflammei Prov., but is readily separated from it and other species by its smaller size, perfectly smooth head and by the brevity of the ovipositor. CHNOPHANES FORSTER. (5) Canophanes borealis n. sp. ? .—Length 33 mm.; ovip. § mm. Very elongate, black, finely rugose; the quadrate head is smooth, but with delicate transverse aciculations on THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. : 3 the vertex ; the apical portion of 3, 4 and 5 abdominal segments, two- thirds of the 6th and the 7th wholly smooth and polished. Antenne honey-yellow, long and slender. Legs brownish-yellow, the posterior coxz black, the anterior and middle pairs more or less dusky basally. - Parapsidal grooves distinct, the middle lobe with a median longitudinal furrow. Wings hyaline, the venation as usual, the 1st transverse cubital vein obliterated. Described from one specimen. RHOGAS NEES. (6) Rhogas mellipes n. sp. g.—Length 3% mm. Black; Antenne 29-jointed, brown; man- _ dibles, palpi and apical abdominal segment white ; legs, including coxe uniformly pale honey-yellow. Head smooth, polished, the face with some sparse hairs. Thorax with parapsides distinct, the three lobes, ex- cept the middle lobe posteriorly just in front of the scutellum where it is coarsely rugose, are smooth and polished. Scutellum rufous. The upper: portion of the mesopleurz and the metathorax coarsely rugose. Abdo- men, except the three basal segments which are coarsely longitudinally striated, smooth, shining ; the apical edge of the 3rd segment is tinged with rufous. Wings hyaline, the venation pale brown ; the second branch of the radius is only slightly longer than the rst. Described from one specimen. MICROPLITIS FORSTER. (7) Microplitis cincta n. sp. ¢.—Length 33 mm. Black, opaque, rugoso-punctate, and with a sparse, short pubescence ; the palpi, legs, the membranous portion of the 1st, and 2nd and 3rd abdominal segments reddish-yellow ; the posterior cox basally, a small spot at extreme tips of their femora and tarsi fus- cous ; the apical joints of antennez and the middle tarsi are also fuscous. Antennz 18-jointed, black, except as mentioned, longer than the body, the rst two joints of flagellum of about an equal length, and slightly longer than the joints beyond. Parapsides indicated slightly posteriorly. Mesopleure with an oblique groove on the disk. Metathorax coarsely rugose without carinze, except two slight ones laterally extending in the form of an indistinct channel from the rounded spiracles. Abdomen 4 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. oval, depressed, smooth and _ shining; the shield of the 1st segment — linear, and with the posterior corners rounded off. Wings hyaline, the — stigma and most of the cost, brown-black, the other veins brown; areolet — large, closed. ee | _ Described from one specimen. This species comes nearest to 17. mamestre Weed. OPIUS WESMAEL. (8) Opius Canadensis n. sp. | f.—Length 22 mm. Black, polished; the orbits broadly, the face wholly, the scape and two or three flagellar joints beneath, legs, including coxee, the lateral or membranous portion of rst and 2nd abdo- minal segments, and the suture between the 2nd and 3rd, all honey- yellow; the posterior tibie apically and their tarsi slightly dusky. Antenne as long as the body, 35-jointed, brown. Wings hyaline, the venation brown, the recurrent nervure almost interstitial with the first transverse cubital, the median and submedian cells of an equal length. Metathorax smooth, with some sparse, long bristles scattered over its surface. The shield of the rst abdominal segment is longer than wide, smooth, the disk impressed, the sides parallel ; the 2nd and 3rd segments are slightly rugose, the following smooth, shining, sparsely hairy. Described from one specimen. (9) Optus bicarinatus n. sp. q.—Length 3? mm. Robust, black, shining and _ pubescent. Head broad, rugosely punctate ; face with glittering pile ; palpi and legs pale rufous, the posterior coxz black. The thorax has the. parapsidal grooves coarsely indicated and punctured at bottom, across the base of the scutellum is a deep broad fovea, while the pleurz are rugoso-punctate. The metathorax is finely rugose, and there is a large fovea on each side of the post scutellum. Abdomen oval, depressed, rufous, the base and apex black; the 1st segment is the longest with two carine on the disk and rugose, the 2nd segment is also rugose, while the following segments are smooth and covered with fine hairs. Wings hyaline, the venation dark brown; the 2nd submarginal cell is much narrowed at apex, from an exceedingly short 2nd transverse cubital nervure, and this will be found to be a good character to distinguish the species, Described from one specimen, : THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. i) IDIASTA FORSTER. (10) /diasta macrocera Nn. sp. &.—Length 33 mm. Black, hig polished, the second abdominal segment with a rufous stain. Antennz 4o-jointed, nearly twice as long as the body, brown, the scape and 2nd joint red, the 4th about one-third longer than the 3rd. Palpi pale ; mandibles and legs red. Thorax with _ the parapsidal grooves indicated only anteriorly by short, punctate lines, a grooved line on the shoulders and a fovea just in front of the scutellum. _ The scutellum has at base two large fovez separated by a slight carina. _ Mesopleure smooth, with a broad punctate space between them and the mesopectus. Metathorax coarsely rugose. Abdomen ovate, and except- ing the petiole, which is longitudinally striated, smooth and polished. _ Wings hyaline, the stigma very large, ovate, brown, the veins paler. Described from one specimen. : APHIDIUS NEES. (11) Aphidius macrogaster. n. sp. f.—Length 3% mm. Head, thorax and legs rufous ; the anterior legs slightly yellowish. The abdomen is very long, lanceolate, slightly more than twice the length of the head and thorax combined, terminating in asmall curved prong. Antennz 20-jointed, brown, the joints of the _ flagellum about twice as long as thick. The mesonotum exhibits some fine longitudinal aciculations just in front of the scutellum and the parap- sidal grooves are present, otherwise it is smooth and shining. Wings hyaline, the venation brown ; the znd branch of the radius is about as 3 long as the transverse cubital nervure. Described from one specimen. The species approaches nearest to A. dzcolor Ashm.; but that species is larger, the head black,.and the sculpture of the mesonotum is different. (12) Aphidius crassicornis n. sp. “ q.—Length 2! mm. Black polished; clypeus piceous ; mandibles, palpi, two basal antennal joints and legs, yellow, the middle and posterior tibiz and tarsi sightly obfuscated. Antennz 21-jointed, stouter than usual and remarkable for the shortness of the flagellar joints, which are hardly longer than wide and readily separate the species from all other described forms. The abdomen, except a rufous tinge on the 2nd seg- THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. oS ment, is black, smooth, the petiole being slightly roughened and about twice as long as wide. Wings hyaline, the venation brown. ; Described from one specimen. A 2 named in ms. A. brevicornis, but which I now believe to be the opposite sex of the above species, agrees with it in colour, but has unusually short, 16-jointed antennz that do not extend beyond the apex of the metathorax, and while the flagellar joints are also short, they are yet distinctly longer than wide. The opportunity is taken here to describe three other species in this genus, which have been long in my collection, as follows :— (13) Aphidius pinaphidis n. sp. © af ¢.—Length 23 to 3 mm. Brownish-yellow; in the # the occiput, disks of metathorax and abdomen are black or blackish ; in the 2 only the abdomen shows a dark blotch or shade above toward the tip, otherwise it is wholly brownish-yellow. The f antennz are 25-jointed, the 2 16- jointed, and in both sexes the flagellum is black, the joints being longer than wide, while the mesonotum is distinctly punctate. Wings hyaline, venation as usual brown. Hab.—Jacksonville, Fla. Described from several specimens reared by me many years ago from the pine aphis Lachnus Australis. (14) be te bifasciatus 0. sp. ?.—Length 25mm. Brownish-yellow ; the abdomen and flagellum black, the petiole yellowish. This species has 20-jointed antennex, a peculiar shagreened peinehiiaten, no parapsidal grooves, two transverse brown bands on the anterior wings, and thickened or swollen posterior femora. Hab.—Jacksonville, Fla. Described from a single specimen reared from the pine aphis. The banded front wings and the swollen posterior thighs readily distinguish the species. (15) Aphidius nigriceps n. sp. 7 .—Length 2} to 2§mm. Bright yellow testaceous, smooth and pol- ished ; the head above and the disk of the mesonotum black. Sometimes the disk of two or three of the abdominal segments also show dusky blotches or shades. The antenne are 21 or 22-jointed, very long, black, except the two basal joints ; the flagellar joints are about twice as long as THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 7 thick and delicately fluted. The mesonotal grooves are wanting. Meta- thorax areolated. The abdominal petiole is about two and a-half times as long as wide, finely rugose and with a slight constriction at about the middle above. The middle and posterior tarsi are slightly dusky. Wings hyaline, the venation pale, the 2nd branch of the radius longer than the _ transverse cubital nervure. Described from two specimens taken by Mr. E. A. Schwarz, at Oak- land, Md. ‘LIPOLEXIS FORSTER. (16) Lipolexis fuscicornis n. sp. 2.—Length 13 mm. Black, polished ; mandibles, palpi, two basal joints of antennz base of third, legs and petiole flavo-testaceous, the 2nd abdominal segment piceous. Face scaly. Antenne 12-jointed, the flagellum slightly thickened toward tip, fuscous, the joints twice as long as thick. Wings hyaline, the venation brown, the radius unusually long and almost forming a closed radial cell. _ Taken at Ottawa. This is the only species to be described in this genus with 12-jointed antenne, and this character, with the Jong radial vein, will readily distinguish it from the several other species now placed here. : HISTEROMERUS WESMAEL. (17) Histeromerus Canadensis n. sp. 2.—Length 2$ mm.; ovip. j mm. Black, polished; collar and prosternum flavo-testaceous ; legs yellowish-red. ‘The oblong head is a little longer than wide, a little wider behind than in front, smooth and polished, except some punctures above the clypeus. Antenne 15-jointed, and when extended backward extend only to the tegule. The dorsum of thorax is flattened, the parapsidal grooves indicated only anteriorly by some punctures. The abdomen is as long as the head and thorax together, compressed, black, the sutures of the ventral segments tinged with yellow. Wings subhyaline, somewhat narrowed, the veins brown ; the 2nd submarginal cell is long and rather narrow, about one-third longer than the 3rd; the recurrent nervure enters the 2nd submarginal cell at its lower posterior angle. Described from a single specimen. Its smaller size, colour and the paucity of joints in the antennz, will at once separate it from A. mysta- cinus Wesmael. 8 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. NOTE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF LEPISESIA FLAVO- FASCIATA, BARNSTON. — BY H. H. LYMAN, MONTREAL, Having been asked by Sir William Dawson to look over two collec- tions, of insects which had been sent in in competition for a prize, I was © delighted to find in one of them a specimen of this very rare moth. Knowing that everything in connection with the capture of such a rarity would be of interest, I asked Sir William to ascertain from Mr. R. McDougall, the collector, all the facts that he could furnish in connection - with such an interesting event, and I duly received, through Sir William, a letter about it, from which I extract the following account :— | ‘The moth was caught at Ormstown, Chateauguay County, and was 3 the only one observed during the summer. If I remember aright, it was captured on the wing, about three o’clock one bright sunny afternoon. It was hovering over a garden, where many kinds of flowers were growing side by side. The capture was made, I believe, about the middle of June.” This species has been taken sparingly at widely separated localities. It was described by Barnston from a specimen taken at St. Martin’s - Falls, on the Albany River, Hudson’s Bay Territory. Grote and Robin- son gave its habitat as the Atlantic district. Strecker figured it on Plate’ XIIL., fig. 4, of his ‘‘ Lepidoptera,” but in nature the yellow of the hind wings is brighter, and with a good deal more orange in it than would be supposed from Strecker’s figure. Strecker gave the localities as Canada; Holyoke, Mass. Prof. Fernald says of this species:—‘“The early stages and food plant of this exceedingly rare moth are unknown. It has been taken in Canada, Massachusetts, Belfast and Orono, Maine. Mr. Thaxter in- forms me that he saw one at Kittery, Maine, flying around the flowers of Larkspur in June. It flies in the middle of the day in the hot sunshine around the flowers of apple, lilac, shad-bush, etc. It appears to be one of our earliest day-flying sphinx moths,” | THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 9 THE HABITS OF A GROUND-HORNET. BY WM. T. DAVIS, TOMPKINSVILLE, STATEN ISLAND, N. Y. - Stisus speciosus is the largest native ground-hornet, and its formid- able appearance and great activity generally secure it undisputed posses- sion of the square rod where it happens to alight. It is from an inch to an inch and one-half in length ; the head and thorax are brown, and the abdomen is black with six irregular yellow blotches. These markings are discernible as it flies swiftly about its business, and give it a particu- larly tiger-like appearance. It seems to be afraid of nothing, and if you walk near its burrow it flies with a menacing buzz in circles about you, and its brown, black and yellow body gleams in the sunlight. In constructing its burrows, it usually selects a country roadside or a _ dry, barren hill, where a freedom from roots makes digging less laborious. On the hill back of Richmond village, on Staten Island, I have seen them carrying heavy harvest-flies to these burrows, several of which are dug there nearly every summer. ‘The task of carrying so great a burden as a Cicada is a particularly laborious one, and they do not fly very fast when thus heavily laden. Sometimes they drag the harvest-flies a distance along the ground, and sometimes they resort to an ingenious method to finally get them to their burrows. _ In August, 1889, I observed a Stiézus carrying a Cicada, and flying slowly up a hillside. It lit at the base of a black birch on the hill-top, and dragged the harvest-fly, holding the smooth dorsal surface to the bark, to the topmost branches, finally disappearing among the leaves. I did not see it leave the tree, for I was unable to command a view on all sides at the same time, and then there was a neighboring birch whose branches interlocked with the one where the hornet was. I satisfied myself that it did leave, by climbing up and violently shaking the branches and tree top. Stzus employs this method of transporting the heavy Cicada ; it climbs the tree with the insect, and then flies from the branches, the excessive weight gradually bringing it to the ground again, but nearer to its burrow. Professor Morse, in his annual address before the American Association in 1887, notices the following :—‘‘ Dr. Thomas Meehan describes a hornet that was gifted with great intelligence. He saw this insect struggling with a large locust in unsuccessful attemps to fly away with it. After several fruitless efforts to fly up from the ground with his victim, he 10 | THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. finally dragged it fully thirty feet to a tree, to the top of which he laboriously ascended, still clinging to his burden, and having attained this elevated position he flew off in a horizontal direction with the locust.” Commenting upon this, Mr. C. G. Rockwood, jr., in Science for August roth, 1887, gives an account of “a large insect evidently of the wasp family,” that carried a Cicada for a distance of twenty feet up a maple tree and then flew away with it as described above. Wishing to ascertain the relative weights of these insects, I had dried specimens, including pins, weighed in a druggist’s scales. Cicada tibicen weighed thirteen grains and Stizus speciosus seven and one-half. | LIST OF LEPIDOPTERA TAKEN AT LITTLE METIS (RIMOUSKI CO), P. QUE. , BY ALBERT F. WINN, MONTREAL. My collecting at Little Metis having been confined to July and August, my knowledge of the forms occurring there is necessarily very’ incomplete ; but as the insect fauna of the Lower St. Lawrence seems to differ considerably from that of Ontario and the western part of Quebec, I venture to give a list of the species I know to occur there, and hope that in the event of my not going there again, some other cotomsaloarat will give us a list of additions. 1. Papilo turnus Linn, Common inland ; rarer on the shore ; Fly. 2 n a@stertas Fabr. Rare; July; larva in August. 3. Pieris oleracea Bd. Very common; July and August. 4. vape Linn. Very common; July and August. . 5. Colias philodice Godt. Very common; July and August; Albino females sometimes as common as yellow ones, though: not usually. Danais archippus Fabr. Very rare; 1 specimen, August, Argynnis cybele Fabr. Females common ; July; no #’s seen. " atlantis Edw. Very common ; July and August. Ss r myrina Cram. Rare ; July (commoner, no doubt, in June.) 0 bellona Fabr, Very rare ; July, in a swampy bse 9O WI D a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 11 Il. 32. 13. 14. 7a. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 2I. 22. 23. 24. at. 26. _ 27- fhyciodes tharos Drury. Common; July. Grapta faynus Edw. Rare; August. ou gracilis G. & R. Common; August, but hard to catch. u progne Cram. Very rare; 1 specimen, Aug. 18th. » J-album Bd. . Very rare ; 1 specimen, Aug. 12th. Vanessa antiopa Linn. Common ; August; larve on poplar, July. 1 Milberti Godt. Very rare; 1 specimen, August. Pyrameis atalanta Linn. Very rare ; August. | " huntera Dru. Rather common; August. " cardui Linn. Abundant in 1884 and 1889; none seen other years. Limenitis arthemis Dru. Local, but common where found ; July. " disippus Godt. Rare; July. Satyrus alope, dim nephele Kirby. Very rare; 1 specimen (2), August, 1884. Chrysophanus americana D’Urban. Abundant; July and August. Lycena Couperi Grt. Very rare; 2 specimens, July 8th and Aug. 18th, Pamphila Peckius Kirby. Common ; July. " manitoba Scud. Common; end of July and August ; very fond of buttercup flowers. ZYGENID&, . Ctenucha virginica Charp. Local, but abundant in places ; July. BOMBYCIDZ. . Deiopeia bella Linn. Very rare; t specimen, August. . Arctia virgo Linn. Rather common at light ; July. " Saundersii Grt. Common ; July and August ; light. . Spilosoma virginica Fabr. ) | . Leucarctia acrea Pack. _ Larve common in August; moths, . Halesidota carye Harr. ; probably about in June. Th maculata Harr. . Orgyia nova Fitch. Common; August. 1 leucostigma A.&S. Rare; August. . Lchthyura‘albosigma Fabr. Rare; July, 1 specimen ; light. . Pheosia rimosa Pack. Rare; July; light. . Clisiocampa americana Harr. Rare ; July, 1 specimen. . Hepialus 4-guttatus Pack, Very rare ; August ; light. 12 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. a . Mamestra lorea Steph. NOCTUIDA, . Gonophora scripta Gosse. Rare; July and August. . Raphia frater Grit. Rare; July. . Bryophila lepidula Grt. Rare ; July and August. . Microcelia fragilis Guen. Common ; July. . Agrotis baja 8. V. Common; July. u C-nigrum Linn. Common; August; light; treacle, and in fields by day. | : . Agrotis haruspica Grt. Very common; July and August. u fennica Tausch. Very common ; July and August. » subgothica Haw.. Common; July. » plecta Linn. Rare; July, 1 ¢landestina Harr. Common ; July and August. 1 yppstion Rott. Rare; August. » occulta Linn. Rare ; July. ie renigera Steph. ; Common ; July. . Hadena devastatrix Brace "arctica Bd. Common ; July and August ; ee light, u dubitans Walk. (?) ( and treacle. n Sputatrix Grtt. 1 verbascoides (2?) Guen. Rare; 1 specimen, July. n dignicolor Guen. Rare; July. 1 impulsa Guen. Rare; July and August. 1 mactata Guen. Rare; July. . Hyppa xylinoides Guen. Rare; July. Trigonophora periculosa Guen. Rare; July, 2 ‘specimens, " V-brunneum Grt. Prenat ; ; July and August. . Luplexia lucipara Linn. Rare ; July. . Apamea nictitans Esp. Rare; August. . Heliophila pallens Linn. Abundant; July. " adonea Grt. Rare.; July. . Amphipyra tragopogonis Linn, Rare; August. . Caradrina multifera Walk. Rare; July, 1 specimen. Orthosia helva Grt. Abundant ; July and August. . Cucullia intermedia Spey. Rare; July, 1 specimen -found on a poplar. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 13. Abrostola urentis Guen. Very rare; July, 1 specimen. Plusia erevides Grt. Common ; July ; light. 1 @rea Guen.. Common; August. n mappa G.& R. Rare; August; light. ah u bimaculata Steph. Abundant; July and August ; light. n wtridisignata Grt. Common; August; day flier. brassice Riley. Common; uly ; light. u ampla Walk. Rare; July; light. : n szmplex Guen. Common; August ; day flier. Pyrrhia exprimens Walk. Common ; August ; light. Drasteria erechtea Hiibn. Common ; July. Lypena humuli Harr. Rare ; August, 1 specimen. GEOMETRID&. . Endropia obtusaria Hibn. Rare; July. ). Metrocampa perlaria Guen. Very common ; July and August. Sicya macularia Harr. Common ; July; light. yt. Amphidasys cognataria Guen. Rare; August, 1 specimen. . Deilinia variolaria Guen. Common; July ; light. _Semiothisa enotata Guen. Rare; July, 1 specimen. 94. Ihamnonoma subcessaria Walk. Common ; July and August. 95. Lozogramma defluata Walk. Common ; tall: - 96. fydria undulata Linn. Rare ; Magus. 797. Rheumaptera hastata Linn. Common; July; by light. P98. " lacustrata Pack. Rare; July; by light. 99. Hydriomena trifasciata Bork. Rare; August. too. Letrophora diversilineata Hiibn. Eo imon ; August. ‘IOI. " hersiliata Guen. Rare; July. 102. populata Linn. Common; July ; by light. ‘103. » prunata Linn. Rare; July, 104. Glaucopteryx cesiata Bork. Not rare; July. 105. Lupithecia ——— sp. Rare; 1 specimen, July. PYRALID&., : | 106, Deiboa kite noctuella S. V. Very common ; August. 107. Crambus girardelius Clem. Rare; 1 "specimen, August. K 14 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. : ae DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREPARATORY STAGES OF SMERINTHUS EXCACATUS, A. &S. BY WM. BEUTENMULLER, NEW YORK. Ecc.—Oval ; pale apple green, smooth, shining; slightly flattened above and below. Width, 2 mm.; height, 1.50 mm. Clemens, in his Synopsis of N orth American Sphingide, p. 182 (Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci., Phil., 1859), describes the egg as being ‘‘ smooth, white, with an equatorial reddish-brown band, having a slender central white line.” All the eggs, about one hundred and fifty in number, which I examined were entirely green, with no 0 indications whatever of the bands mentioned by Clemens. Duration of this stage, six days. Younc Larva.—Head rather large, subglobose, dull pale green ; mouth parts pitchy black. Body above and beneath uniformly yellowish- green, with the caudal horn very long and reddish-brown. As the larva advances in age there gradually appears along each side a series of eight lateral oblique yellowish bands, and a subdorsal longitudinal stripe of the same colour. The caudal horn also becomes somewhat brighter, and the head concolorous to the body. Length, 6mm. Length, when es to moult, 10 mm. Duration of this stage, about four days. ArtER First Moutt.—The head is now covered with yellow granu- lations, and the caudal horn is somewhat longer and more prominent, with a yellow band near the apex. The body has also now some few granulations on the anterior segments. The oblique lateral bands are brighter in colour, and the longitudinal subdorsal stripes are broken by the bands. Length, 13 mm. Duration of this stage, about six days. AFTER SECOND Moutt.—Little difference from the previous moult, except in shape of the head, which now assumes a triangular form, and the granulations and markings are also somewhat more distinct, and the tips of the thoracic feet reddish-brown, with their bases green. Length, 16mm. Duration of this stage, about four days. ArrerR TuirD Moutt.—The body i in colour now is apple green, and is much stouter. The caudal horn is tipped with reddish-brown at the apex, and is covered with granulations, as is also the body, especially along the dorsal region on the first to the fourth segments. On each side of the head is an oblique band which meet at the vertex. Length, 23 mm. Duration of this stage, about six days. | THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 15 AFTER FourtH Movutt.—The body in colour is the same as in the preceding moult, and the caudal horn lacks the reddish-brown colour at the apex. The thoracic feet are now yellow, tipped with reddish- brown, and the abdominal legs have on the outer side of each a small patch of the same colour. The mandibles are pitchy black, and the labrum pink. Length, 34 mm. Duration of this stage, about seven days. y Arter Firth Moutt.—No perceptible difference from the previous __ moult, except that the elevated granulations which cover the body are _ more distinct. The thoracic feet are reddish-brown with their bases yellow. Spiracles white with black margins. Length, about 55 mm. | Foop Piants.*—Wisteria, cherry, spirea, blackberry, apple, rose, _ plum, elm, oak, hazel, hornbeam, birch, willow and poplar. - The eggs were kindly sent to me from Cotuit, Mass., by Mr. Henry ___ F. Crosby, of New York. Double brooded. CORRESPONDENCE. HYBERNIA DEFOLIARIA LINN., IN VANCOUVER ISLAND. Sir,—In 1887 I took a specimen of Aybernia defoliaria at rest on an oak near Victoria. Mr.G. Hulst, who kindly leoked over my Geometra in 1888, expressed a doubt as to the correctness of the locality, as defoliaria, though so common in England, had not been noticed by any American > entomologists. Since the first capture I have several times seen larvee which I am almost certain were of this species, for in the Old Country ten years ago I was familiar with the insect in all its stages. To-day, how- ever (Nov. 18), I have satisfied myself by the capture of two males and one female of typical defo/iaria. ‘They were all at rest on fences in the City of Victoria, and two or three miles away from the locality where I first observed the species. Possibly this moth is an importation, and, if so, not a very desirable one, as in some parts of England it is considered quite a pest. Gro. W. Taytor. The specimen mentioned above by Mr. Taylor, as taken in 1887, is now in my collection, and is, I should say, certainly a typical H de- Soliaria. J. FLETCHER, Ottawa. * See Food Plants of Lepidoptera, No. 2, Ent. Am., 1, p. 196, 16 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. | CHIONOBAS *BORE. Sir,—We have in Colorado a butterfly identical, according to the determination of Dr. Staudinger (see C. E. XVIII., 15), with Chionobas’ Bore Lehn. and Hiibner, and by the aid of Mr, David Bruce I have been able the past season to rear the larvae from egg to adult stage, soon after reaching which hibernation took place. This has led me to inquire into Sandberg’s history of Bore of Lapland, referred to by Mr. Scudder (Butt. N. E., p. 126), and on writing Dr. Holland on the subject, he very kindly looked up Sandberg’s paper, and has sent me a translation of it. So far as 1 know no translation into English has been published, and I suggest that you print it in full, so that when the history of the American form is published—as it will be after pupation is reached—the habits on the two. continents can be compared. It is already clear that our form does not hibernate through two winters. The larval stages began on 16th’ July, and the fourth (and last) moult was reached gth September, so that their duration to last moult was but about nine weeks. I hope to see pupz soon after the winter passes, and shall then fully illustrate the species in ‘*‘ Butterflies of North America.” W. H. Epwarps. Sandberg’s article is contained in the Berliner Entomologische Zéits- chrift, Vol. XXIX., 1885, Part II., pp. 245-265. It is entitled ‘‘ Beobach- tungen ueber Metamorphosen der Arktischen Falter.”—Anglice. Obser-. vations upon the Metamorphoses of Arctic Lepidoptera. I gather from the preliminary pages that the author was for twelve years an official residing in Norwegian Finmark, and that he there made the observations which -he records in his paper. I send you a translation hurriedly made of what he has to ied concerning Oeneis Bore at p. 247 ef seg as follows : 1. Oeneis Bore Schn. Egg cylindrical, marble-white, longitudinally ribbed. Caterpillar clothed with fine hairs, bright brownish-yellow, ornamented by a narrow dark dorsal line, which terminates abruptly, and two broader dark lines, one upon either side. The head is globular, small in propor- tion to the body, greenish-yellow, with six dark lateral stripes, and black THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 17 eyes. The spiracles are of the same colour as the body. ‘The latter is round, tapering posteriorly and with the back arched. The anus is two- pointed. (Zweispitzig.) Length 35 mm. The caterpillar feeds upon different grasses, and is of an exceedingly sluggish disposition. When disturbed it curls up and remains for a long time without motion. It hibernates twice, and pupates in the month of May in its winter quarters among the roots of grass just below the surface of the ground. It is greatly subject to the attacks of ichneumon-wasps. The handsomely coloured chrysalis is short and thick, provided with long and broad wing-sheaths, which, as well as the thorax, are of a bright green colour. The abdomen is bright reddish-yellow, with dark spots and a bright green line upon the dorsal aspect, together with a darker line of the same colour upon either side ; the spots in the vicinity of the middle line are arranged in pairs upon each segment ; the cre- master is short and blunt; the region of the head is adorned on each side by a coal-black, shining streak, which is bent into the form of a half- moon. The chrysalis, which, as in the case of all Satyrids, is stiff and incap- able of motion, and when moved gives no evidence of life, is attacked _ by parasites of a larger species of ichneumon than attacks the caterpillar. The imago is disclosed after the lapse of from three to six weeks from the date of pupation. The transformations have been hitherto unknown. This thoroughly Arctic species, which hitherto has not been found south of Lat. 68-69 N., was first detected by Dr. Staudinger upon Nor- wegian territory in the year 1860, by a pair of specimens coming from Kautokeine in Finmark. Later, in the year 1875, the butterfly was taken by me in numbers upon the sandy meadows near Jacobsely, close to the margin of the Arctic Ocean, in profusion in the interior at Nejden, at Skogerones ten Kilm, nearer to the sea, and in scattering examples upon the crags at Kirkenes. In Russian Lapland, upon the stretch of country lying between Jacobsely and Kola, this species of butterfly is of very common occurrence. Upon the Norwegian coast, west of Warangerfjord, it has, nevertheless, not been as yet observed. . The caterpillar was found for the first time upon May r1sth, 1880. 18 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. A single hibernating example, about romm. (about four-tenths of an inch, which would be after second moult), was detected in withered grass upon the barren sand-banks near Jacobsely, and here later in the year a second almost thoroughly matured specimen of the same species was captured. As was to be surmised from the abundance of the butterfly in grassy spots, the larva feeds upon different species of grasses, especially Festuca ovina, with which the level reaches about Jacobsely are everywhere overgrown. The theory broached by W. M. Schoyen in his ‘Oversigt over de i Norges arktiske Region hidtil fundne Lepidoptere, Kristiania, 1879,” and which is founded upon the observations made by Prof. C. Berg, of Buenos Ayres, in the case of another species of the genus, viz., Oen. Gutta Hb., viz., that the larva feeds upon lichens, has, in consequence, not been established. The caterpillars which had Ree collected attained their full develop- ment about the end of August, and ceased then to feed, and sank into a lethargic condition. As they gave no evidence of a disposition to pupate, I buried them toward winter, at the end of September, in the ground. On the 15th May of the following year their winter quarters were opened, and one of the caterpillars was found to be dead, the other, on the contrary, appeared to be in @ very healthy condition, and crept around lustily with- out, however, taking any nourishment. Its good health was unfortunately only apparent, for the little creature in a former stage of its larval existence had been stung by an ichneumon-wasp, the larve of which were ready to pupate upon May 23rd, and in the end, as they broke through the outer integuments of their host and emerged into freedom, gave the deathblow to the unfortunate victim of misplaced hospitality. These little larve transformed speedily, and presently the caterpillar was enveloped by about fifty greyish-white cocoons, which, after the lapse of five weeks in the latter days of June, disclosed the imagines. Thus all the hopes I had built upon these larvae were brought to an end, and it was not my good fortune until in the spring of the following year, when I again visited Jacobsely, to find fresh specimens. The caterpillars at this time appeared in numbers scattered throughout the grass, so that in the course of a few hours I succeeded in collecting about fifty full-grown examples, among them, unfortunately, not a single example which could be used, inasmuch as they all appeared to have harbored guests during the winter, and were all decorated with from forty- THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 19 to fifty-four parasitic cocoons of the same species as that before observed. Some of the hosts had died during the process, others were still alive ; but all further development was at an end in the case of the latter, dad at the end of eight days the last one died. Inasmuch as not _a single uninjured specimen was to be found among so many caterpillars, I reached the conclusion that the place to look for the chrysalids was under the ground, and that only these caterpillars which were forced by the pressure of the circumstances which I have related, made excursions to the upper world. _ The parasitic cocoons which I had collected disclosed the first wasps on the 2oth day of June,-and pupation, therefore, must have occurred about the middle of May. ‘Their hosts must, therefore,’ have awakened _ from their winter’s sleep at the beginning of May, and, therefore, their _ pupation, if everything had progressed favorably, would have taken place 5 probably i in the course of the two following weeks. My diligent search for pupz was for a long while fruitless, until at last on the 25th of May I succeeded in digging up one. It was lying free in the sand concealed under the roots of grass. The transformation had just taken place, as was shown by the skin of the caterpillar, which was quite fresh and still clinging to the anal extremity. The chrysalis on the 24th of June dis- closed the butterfly of Geis Bore in a beautiful male example. From four to six days before the butterfly emerged from the chrysalis the wing- sheaths had assumed a dark yellowish-grey, and at last quite bluish- -plack colour. On the 31st day of May I found still another chrysalis of the same species lying in the grass, but brown in colour. This produced no butterfly, but, upon the 17th and 18th of June following, three speci- mens of ichneumon-wasps of another much larger species than that which had infested the caterpillar. In the spring of the year 1883, which, for our high latitudes, was unusually early and warm, this butterfly was observed as early as the middle of June upon the crag at Siidwaranger Prestegaarde. At Jacobsely I found on the 15th and 2oth of May, under moss in barren spots, con- _cealed among the roots of grass, two caterpillars, which both transformed five days later, and on the 1oth and 13th of June following disclosed the imagines (two f f). The duration of the chrysalis stage of existence was, therefore, scarcely three weeks. - W. J. Howuzanp. 20 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. BOOK NOTICE. Insecta: By Alpheus Hyatt and J. N. Arms. Boston: D. C. Heath & Co. This handy volume forms the eighth of the series of the “ Guides for Science Teaching” issued by these well-known publishers of educational works. The series is intended for the use of teachers who wish to give practical instruction to their classes in Natural History. The volume before us forms a marked advance upon those previously issued, inas- much as it consists of 300 pages, with over 200 illustrations, while none of the others were more than a fourth of these dimensions. This great enlargement is due, no doubt, to the growing popularity of entomology as a subject for the teaching of observation in schools, as well as for in- telligent recreation and serious study on the part of individuals. The volume before us is an admirable manual for teachers who wish to instruct their pupils in the science of entomology, and will be found most useful also by private students. It is full of admirable diagrams and illustrations, for the most part original, and it takes up for discussion some of the commonest insects in the different orders that can be readily pro- cured by anyone. For instance, the external structure and the internal anatomy of insects are first taught by means of the common Locust ( Ca/- optenus), which can be taken in quantities anywhere, a May-fly (Zpfe- mera), a Dragon-fly, a Cockroach, a May-beetle, the Archippus butterfly, etc., are used to illustrate the different orders. No teacher or student need be at a loss for material with which to follow out the instructions in the book. The whole work is excellent, and we have no doubt that it will be found most valuable in the various agricultural colleges especially, as well as in other educational institutions. : We may quote the following advice from the opening chapter :—. ‘“‘ Encourage children to watch living locusts...... Better a child should learn to handle one animal, to see and know its structure and how it lives and moves, than to go through the whole animal kingdom with the best text-book, under the best teacher, aided by the best charts ever made. The former would have learned what real knowledge is, and how to get it, while the latter would have simply learned how to pass at his school examination.” ; Mailed January 6th. The Camaitian Hentomologist VOL. XXIII. LONDON, FEBRUARY, 18or. No. 2. NOTES ON A FEW CANADIAN RHYNCOPHORA. BY W. HAGUE HARRINGTON, OTTAWA. _ Rhynchites bicolor Fab. has not that general distribution, in Canada at least, that is believed by Mr.-Wickham, who remarks (Can. Enrt., Vol. XXIL., p. 171): ‘‘ In fact I doubt if there is a spot on this continent where _ roses grow that Rhynchites bicolor does not inhabit too.” On the Pacific _ coast it is certainly a very common insect, as I found at Victoria, V. L., and New Westminster, B. C., in May and June, 1888. At some points also in the Northwest Territories it is abundant, for my brother sent me many specimens from Moosejaw, Assa. But as we come eastward it seems to disappear. Pettit does not record it in his list of the Coleoptera of Grimsby, nor does Cooper or Provancher give it as occurring in Quebec. ____ It does not appear in any of the catalogues published by the Geological _ Survey of Canada, nor in that of Hubbard and Schwarz of the Coleoptera of the Lake Superior region, the fauna of which is almost identical with that of Ontario. It certainly can scarcely occur in the vicinity of Ottawa, _as both Mr. Fletcher and I have carefully examined our various species of roses for several years and have not observed it. Rhynchites cyanellus Lec. occurs quite frequently on small willows, sometimes in copulation, and the beetles seem to feed upon the leaves. R. @ratus Say has only been found once by me, when two specimens were taken upon Bitter Hickory (Carya amara). Attelabus rhois Boh. is the only representative of the family which is found at Ottawa, and is of rare occurrence. The few specimens taken have been on oak and basswood, but I have found upon birch several leaves rolled probably by this species, but from which I did not succeed in rearing the beetles, Provancher gives it as ordinarily found upon hazel, but not common. Barynotus Schenherri Zett. This species has had a place in American Check Lists on the strength of a specimen received by LeConte from Newfoundland. In August, 1884, I was, however, fortunate enough to THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, bo bo collect at Sydney, Cape Breton, N. S., several beetles which ultimately proved to belong to this species. A short time after I obtained them I sent one to a correspondent in the United States and he named it Z7z- colepis alternata (?). Last winter, in trying to get my Rhyncophora in better shape, I found that some mistake had been made, and after a care- ful examination of the beetles I decided that they must be B. Schenherri, and my finding was at once confirmed by Dr. Hamilton when I sent him a specimen. The beetles were found under logs or drift wood, chiefly near the “‘ ballast heaps,” and were well covered with scales, as compared with the one mentioned by LeConte, but not so bright and fresh looking as specimens I have recently obtained from England. I made a hurried search for it in September last in the same locality, but did not find any. The “ ballast heaps,” I may add, are formed by vessels discharging their ballast of stone, earth, etc., before loading coal, and many species of in- troduced plants are found on, or about them. Agaspherops nigra Horn has been several times recorded, but the — specimens appear to have been old rubbed ones. A specimen in my col- lection from Vancouver Island shows it to be a more striking beetle than the description indicates. The elytra are ornamented with interrupted irregular bands of pearly and golden scales intermixed, and roughly form- ing humeral and apical lunules. The anterior and lateral margins of the prothorax are also irregularly clothed, and patches occur on the head and ventral surface. The style of ornamentation is similar to that of Hormorus undulatus Uhler. which LeConte (classification p. 439) states to be more ornate. Otiorhynchus sulcatus Fab. was found by me at Sydney in August, 1884, and again in September last. It is apparently quite abundant, as at several points I found fine fresh specimens under boards, etc. Provancher states that this beetle is common in Quebec, and adds, “ we think that its Jarva lives in haws, as we have nearly always found — it beneath hawthorns and apple trees.” Otiorhynchus sp. With the preceding species I found at dediney, both in 1884 and 1890, specimens of a blackish Otiorhynchus which has not been identified. It is in all probability a European species, but does not agree with any I have received, and has not been recognized by Dr. Hamilton, or by Dr. Horn, to whom he showed a specimen, It is larger, rougher and blacker than QO. ovatus Linn, which, curiously, appears to be very rare at Sydney, as I only obtained one specimen, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 93 Strophosomus ? This is another species which was found at Sydney in 1884 and 1890 and which does not appear to be uncommon. My specimens were obtained under logs, above high-water mark, and among _the grass roots exposed along the sides of the depressions caused by the logs, The species has a marked general resemblance to Strophosomus _ corylt Fab. recorded from New Jersey by Mr. Jiilich (Ent. Am., Vol. V., p. 56), but has the legs almost concolorous with the body, and has the _ head and thorax ungrooved. It is a European species, for in an old case of English beetles which recently came into my possession, I find five specimens of this species placed with three of .S. cory/i, having either been confounded with that species by the maker of the collection, or having lost their label subsequently. I have hitherto considered this beetle an otiorhynchid, not having microscopically examined the mandibles, but it may be more nearly allied to Strophosomus. Aramigus Fulleri Horn appears to be steadily extending its range, and in 1889 one of our city florists suffered a very severe loss from the beetles obtaining a foothold in his rose-house, evidently with imported plants. Not understanding the attack, he had attributed the injury to other causes, and had allowed the beetles to breed, so that in December when [I visited the houses both beetles and grubs were abundant. He had then, however, commenced the vigorous application of remedies suggested to him by Mr. Fletcher. Scythropus elegans Coup. occurs abundantly upon white pine, and varies in colour, as mentioned by Mr. Chittenden (Ent. Am., Vol. VI., p. 168). I have also found it upon spruces, but not frequently. Podapion gallicola Riley forms numerous galls on the young branches of red pine (Pinus resinosa) within a few miles of Ottawa, and Mr. Fletcher, who has visited the lumbering districts, informs me that the _ galls are very abundant upon the same species in some sections. Lepyrus geminatus Say is a common species upon willows, but I have not been able to discover the larva. Mr. Wickham, in his Vancouver notes, says ‘‘ Lepyrus is common upon willow,” referring to Z. gemellus Kirby, or Z. colon Linn., which are both recorded from the West Coast, but probably to the former, as it, or a closely allied species, is apparently common. This genus has a very northerly distribution (through Hudson _ Bay region, Alaska, etc.), and willows also range far north, so that it is not unlikely that all the species infest these trees. 24 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Listronotus. Of this genus several species occur upon semi-aquatic plants, but it may not be generally known that they appear to be more readily attracted by lights than most rhyncophora. Such I found to be the case one summer, when considerable numbers came to lights placed on a balcony for moths, although the house stood on a hill at some distance from the water (Rideau river). Pachylobius picivorus Germ. is quoted by Mr. Beutenmuller (Can. Ent., Vol. XXII., p. 202,) as infesting pine, because in a list of insects found upon that tree (Trans. Ottawa Field Nat. Club, No. 2, p. 33,) I mention /ylobius stupidus. The beetles so referred to I have since found to be only somewhat larger specimens of 4. pales, which were so — labelled in the collection of the late Mr. Billings, and probably in other Canadian collections. While speaking of this genus I may mention that I once found a hibernated specimen of H. confusus Kirby which had punctured with its beak the tube of a blossom of the Mayflower (Trailing Arbutus, Zpigea repens) and was apparently feasting on the nectar therein. I do not recollect the date, but snow was still upon the ground in sheltered spots. Tanysphyrus lemne Fab. is very abundant during the summer upon Lemna, upon the surface of which hundreds may sometimes be seen crawling. I have also obtained many, by sifting, from moss in which they hibernate, and the specimens so obtained are cleaner than those taken in summer, which are frequently encrusted with mud or slime. Magdalis. Dr. Hamilton (Can. Ent., Vol. XVIII., p. 115) separates from MM. Leconte Horn a bluish species from Eastern Pennsylvania and Canada. What appears to be this species is common here upon young pines, especially stunted ones growing in stony or poor ground. Specimens vary considerably in the punctuation of the thorax, and some approach the form with canaliculate thorax, which he mentions as found © on spruce. Anthonomus corvulus Lec. is found in profusion upon the flowers of Cornel ( Cornus) in May, and is readily recognized by its small size, its apion-like form and shining appearance. It varies slightly in size, but not apparently in other respects. Orchestes. The various species of this genus are found, as recorded, upon willows, especially in spring. O. padlicornis Say is always common, and O. rufipes sometimes so on trees in moist localities. O. miger Horn THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 25 was last season as plentiful as pa//icornis, although seldom taken pre- viously. O. subhirtus Horn, and OQ. ephippiatus Say are very rare. I have also one specimen (captured a few miles north of Ottawa on 4th June) of a species which is entirely rufous, except the pectus. It is about the size and form of padlicornis and appears to be undescribed. Acalyptus carpini Ubst., Elleschus bipunctatus Linn., and £. ephip- _ piatus Say may all be found in profusion on willows, when they are in bloom. The second species varies a good deal in its coloration. Piazorhinus scuteliaris Say is not very rare, but my specimens have _ been mostly accidental captures by sweeping or sifting. I have, however, _ found it upon hickory in July. _ Miarus hispidulus Lec. has not occurred at Ottawa yet, but is abund- ant in some parts of Ontario. At London on 15th Oct., 1885, 1 found the seed capsules of Lobelia inflata very extensively attacked by abies from which I reared a large number of beetles. Pseudomus truncatus Lec. By an unfortunate clerical error of a cor- _ respondent I was led to record this species as occurring at Ottawa upon _ butternut. On the appearance of my List of Ottawa Coleoptera (Trans. Ottawa Field-Nat. Club, No. 5, p. 71) this species was questioned by Mr. Schwarz (it occurring only in the Southeastern States), and on examina- tion the species was found to be Cryptorhynchus parochus Hbst. (Crotch 9233 instead of 9223). I regret that such a mistake should have been _ made, especially as Mr. Beutenmuller has quoted the record (Can. ENT., Vol. XXII., p. 258). : Piazurus oculatus Say is rare here, but I find two specimens labelled as taken upon basswood on 21st July. Acoptus suturalis Lec. has been found quite abundantly, sometimes in copulation, on hickory stumps about the end of June. Mononychus vulpeculus Fab. ‘This rotund little beetle can always be found upon the flowers of Iris in spring, busy love-making or puncturing the base of the flower and depositing its eggs. In autumn it can be obtained in any desired number from the pods, few of which are some- times free from it. Many of the beetles are, however, destroyed by Pimpla pterelas Say, which I have bred in large numbers from the infested pods. Caeliodes nebulosus Lec. occurs abundantly in June upon toinod vegetation near water, but I have not ascertained what plants it especially 26 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. frequents. Ceutorhynchus, Pelenomus, Celogaster and RAinoncus occur under similar conditions, and also in moss obtained from such localities in the fall. : Centrinus rectirostris Lec. may be found in June, in wet localities, upon Club-rush ( Scirpus eriophorum ), and about the middle of the month the beetles are abundant and are often seen in copulation, or depositing their eggs in the lower portions of the stems. The larva is a moderately stoutish white grub about one-quarter of an inch long, with a brownish head, the sutures of which are whitish. The burrow sometimes goes down nearly to the root, and extends upward severalinches. The larva generally winters in the upper part of the burrow so as to be safe from the spring flooding of the ground, and about May transforms to the pupa; the time of the change and the duration of this stage being probably largely dependent on the weather. Some years the grubs are extremely abundant and scarcely a stem of the Scirpus in some localities is without its — occupant. It is very rarely, however, that more than one grub is found in a stem. | Centrinus prolixus Lec. is common some seasons upon sedges and aquatic plants, but the habits of the larva are unknown to me. Sphenophorus pertinax Oliv. lives in the lower portion of the stem of the Cat-tail Flag (Zypha /atifolia), and its larva and that of the ‘moth Arzama obliquata often inhabit the same stem. Stenoscelis brevis Boh. has been taken on oak, as well as on some of the trees named by Mr. Chittenden (Ent. Am., Vol. VI., p. 99), and my observations of its habits fully confirm his statement that it bores only in standing timber denuded of bark. Cossonint. Two specimens of a small species were obtained at Sydney in 1884 under the bark of a dead spruce. I am informed that Dr. Horn has the same species from Mass., but it is not described. A species of similar size, but belonging to another genus, occurs here, also under the bark of spruce. Dryocetes affaber Mann. has been observed boring in terminal shoots of the branches of large white pines, and the cones and twigs (the former chiefly) of the red pine are much infested by this species or septentrionadlis Mann. ‘The attacked cones may be easily recognized by their stunted and shrivelled appearance, they seldom exceed the size of an acorn. Several larve may be found in one cone, and the beetles seem to spend the greater part of their time burrowing in the cones, as I kept a lot of THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 27 infested cones in a tin box, and the beetles could seldom be found out of their burrows. Dendroctonus simplex Lec. A very extensive attack of this beetle _ was observed a few years ago in a grove of large larches about three miles from the city. In August, when I first noted the sickly appearance of _ the trees, I found that the bark, apparently all over the trees (the tops could not be examined), was riddled and loosened, and thousands of these beetles with larvee and pupz were observed. ‘The trees were, of course, killed, but whether the injury was due entirely to this species, or that the ____trees had been weakened by other causes I cannot say. I could find, however, no other injuries such as to account for the death of so many _ large and, previously, apparently vigorous trees. VANESSA CALIFORNICA. BY W. G. WRIGHT, SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA. It is reported from various quarters that V. Californica has within a year or two first been observed in British Columbia, where it is now regarded as something new and strange. It has been suggested to me _ that a few facts about it, as to California and Oregon, would be of -__ interest. s I have observed it in great numbers from near the Canada line in _ _ Washington and Idaho almost to Mexico. Doubtless it ranges down into the Mexican State of Lower California, 200 miles or more, to the great mountain of San Pedro Martier,'in latitude 30° N., or the same as St. Augustine, Florida. Its range, as to altitude varies according to latitude. In the more northern places it flies from tide water to the tops of the highest mountains, at 14,500 feet. In the warmer regions of South California it becomes ‘a stranded butterfly,” (if, indeed, there be such a thing,) and is seen only on high elevations and the tops of mountains, and never at any season of the year in the valleys. In South California it is not seen lower down than 3,000 feet above tide, and from that up to and above the tops of the highest mountains. In that region, near the Mexican line, is a mountain 11,900 feet high, as repeatedly indicated by my barometer, and on that high crest I have seen vast numbers of this Vavessa flying over. One day in September, 1880, I was there as guide with a party of strangers, and the butterflies were so thick that even the tenderfeet noticed them. ‘The insects came flying up the western sloping side of the crest upon the wings of the trade wind 28 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. moving faster than anyone could follow, and upon reaching the crest, instead of dropping rapidly down the precipice on the eastern side, as they might have been expected to do, they kept right on at the same angle of elevation directly up into the air and out of sight, as if they were going to the moon. Incoming up the slope they all made directly for the highest peak, and did not drop over the side of the crest, as they might easily have done. No other species was with them. So, on Mt. Hood, in Oregon, V. Cadifornica flies in countless millions, About the great glacier, at an elevation of 7,000 to 9,000 feet, I have seen them in vast numbers flitting about in the lee of the trees or resting on the ground in the warm spots. I never ascended the high peak of Mt. Hood, but the guides, and every one else who had been high up, spoke of the clouds of this one butterfly to be seen upon the peak. Sometimes the remark was made that “they were all flying in one direction.” The larval food plant in California is Manzanita. Doubtless the larvee feed also on other plants, as must necessarily be the case in a species so widely spread. The butterfly itself is but rarely seen feeding on flowers. It is often seen at water on the sands of little mountain streams, and is oftenest captured in such places, as its flight is so rapid and strong that it is difficult to capture one on the wing. I had often marvelled that it is so seldem seen on flowers, and at length, several years ago, found it in numbers feeding on sap or dampness that envelops the freshly opening young leaves of fir trees, Adzes. They were so eager and absorbed in lapping up this nectar that I could pick them off with my fingers, or push the cyanide bottle over them without alarming them, and did so capture a number, which is saying a good deal for a butterfly that is so uniformly wild and difficult of approach. From this circumstance, and from other corroborative indications, I judge that the sap of Adies is their chief food in the imago state. | This species of butterfly, like P. Carduz, is something of a hoodoo: it is of no value itself, it is usually present when you don’t want it, and its appearance seems to be the signal for more interesting species to disappear, It is also of quite a quarrelsome disposition, taking delight in dashing at a nice Argynnid or other nice thing just as you are about to capture it, and chasing it out of sight. For all these things, and for others, itis no pet of the butterfly man, and if it has recently irrupted into British Columbia the invasion is one that will give the lepidopterists of that country no joy, it is evident. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 29 NEW N. A. MICROLEPIDOPTERA. BY PROF. C. H. FERNALD, AMHERST, MASS. Psecadia delliella nv. sp. Expanse of wings, 21 mm. Palpi white, with the outside of the first two joints black. Head white. Antenne brown, white above basally. Thorax show white, with two black bands, one across the middle and the other across the scutellum. Forewings snow white, with a satin lustre and crossed by five more or less interrupted nearly equidistant bluish-black stripes. The first is nearly straight and extends from the costa nearly across the wing; the second crosses at the basal fourth of the wing and is angulated outwardly near the middle of the wing; the third arises from the costa just before - the middle, is angulated outwardly at the middle of the wing and ends at the middle of the hinder margin. This stripe is sometimes interrupted near the middle, and is more or less completely connected with a spot outside of it on the upper side of the cell. The fourth stripe starts from the outer fourth of the hinder margin and extends up to the fold where it stops. A little above and outside of this is an elongated oblique spot. The fifth stripe runs from the anal angle up to the end of the cell where it branches, one branch continuing in the same course up to the costa but broken at the point of branching, the other branch extending obliquely up _and inward nearly to the costa where there are three or four costal marks of different sizes. Outside of this stripe, on the middle of the wing, are two dashes, not in the same line, but sometimes connected. About nine spots of unequal size, more or less confluent, rest on the outer edge of the wing, three on the costa and the rest on the outer margin. A small black spot rests on the base of the costa. The basal half of the fringe is orange yellow and the outer half smoky-brown. Hind wings, above and beneath, white basally, pale fuscous apically, fringes white. Underside of forewings dull whitish, with fuscous along the costa and outer border, and faintly showing the marks of the upper side. Abdomen dark smoky brown, the segments edged with whitish. Anal tuft, and second segment orange yellow. Underside white with a black spot on the middle of the basal part of each segment. _Forelegs black With the joints tipped with white, and the fore coxe are white with a 30 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. black stripe on the outside. The middle and hind legs are white and ringed with black. | 4 Habitat, Texas. Described from one female in my collection, and one male ‘in the collection of Mr. A. Bolter. I have named this beautiful little insect for Miss Dellie Stebbiris, who has ably assisted me for the past three years in my entomological work. Propexus magnificus 0. sp. Expanse of wings, 40 mm. Head and palpi pale fawn color, the latter as long as the head and thorax and mixed with black scales. Maxillary palpi somewhat lighter. Antenne white above and ringed with dark ; the pectinations are black. Thorax pale fawn coloured with a dorsal white stripe, and the inner edge of the patagiz is also white. The forewings are pale fawn coloured and mixed more or less with darker scales, except on the costal region and a stripe along the fold. The costa and hinder border are narrowly edged with white, and the veins are striped with white, the median stripe being much the widest ; all are more or less expanded on the outer border. Fringes white and cut with two parallel lines of the ground colour of the wings. Hind wings and abdomen very pale fuscous. Fringes white. Under- side of all the wings pale fuscous, the forewings being the darkest. Underside of the body, and all the legs, pale fawn coloured, the latter marked with white on the inner side. ! Described from two males taken at Salida, Colorado, June 11, 1888, and sent to me by the Rev. Geo, D. Hulst, from whom I have ne numerous favours. Schenobius maximellus n. sp. Expanse of wings,63 mm. Head, palpi, thorax and forewings d ochre yellow. The labial palpi and forewings are sprinkled uniformly with dark brown atoms, and the forewings have a brownish sha extending outwardly over the cell, a terminal row of dark brown dots resting one each on the ends of the veins; a row of indistinct brown spots extending from the apex in the direction of the outer third of the hinder margin ; a similar spot resting on the median vein near the ori of vein 2, and another at the end of the median vein. Fringes of iS same colour as the wing but without the brown sprinkles. Hind wings, and abdomen above and beneath, very pale yellow and sprinkled with brownish atoms ; the former with a terminal row of dark THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 31 brown dots, and the latter with irregular fawn coloured patches on the _ second, third and fourth segments. Underside of all the wings lighter than above and with terminal brown dots. Legs dull ochre yellow and more or less sprinkled with dark atoms. Described from one female in my collection, taken in Austin, Texas. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF EREBIA, AND NOTES ON THE SO-CALLED CHIONOBAS BORE OF COLORADO. BY W. H. EDWARDS, COALBURGH, WEST VA. Erebia Ethela. Ma.e.—Expands 1.5 inch. Upper side dark brown; both wings have a common extra-discal band of red-fulvous elongated spots, on primaries six, filling the jmterspaces from lower branch of subcostal to submedian, the second and third from the top a little longer than the others, these last being equal ; at the end of the cell a small fulvous patch. Secondaries have five spots, the fifth being in second median interspace, the upper three equal, sub-oval, the fourth about half the size of the third, and the fifth still smaller ; fringes of both wings concolored. Under side of primaries dark brown along the margins to the continuous fulvous band which replaces the spots of upper side ; the cellular patch much diffused ; all the wing inside the band obscure -fulvous on dark brown ground. Secondaries dull black with a grayish tint ; the spots repeated, but in yellow-buff, with scales of fulvous about the edges ; inside the cell, and against subcostal nervure a small patch of buff scales, less bright than the spots. FreMaLe.—Same size. Same colour and similarly marked ; underside as in the male. From two 7, two §, sent me by Professor Edward T. Owen, part of fourteen examples taken by him in the Yellowstone Park, June, 1890. This species is allied to Lfpipsodea, is smaller, and quite otherwise ornamented with fulvous. The change from fulvous on upper side of secondaries to buff is similar to what is sometimes seen in Zredbia _Pyrrha of Europe. Esper’s figure of Z. Pharte, 2, pl. cxx., fig. 3, represents a species of the same size as both sexes of Lthe/a, and the Markings are similar in character, only that on upper side the fulvous THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. wy bo a est os spots of forewing make a continuous band, and are broader than in Lthela, and beneath hind wing the spots are red instead of yellow. Probably Z¢he/a is a dweller in Colorado also, as the late Mr. W. S. Foster told of a small Zredia, distinct from Epipsodea and Callias, which he had seen an example of in Marshall Pass, and which had red spots on the wings. At the request of Prof. Owen, I name this species in memory of his daughter, Miss Ethel, who assisted him in the yapeure of these Erebias, and whom he has since unhappily lost. Professor Owen also took the female of Z. Haydenii, not before observed. It is in all respects like the male. After the translation of Sandberg’s paper was sent to the Can. ENT. (see XXIII., 16, Jan., 1891), I received from Dr. Staudinger a letter saying that he was satisfied his determination of the Colorado form of Chionobas, in 1886, as identical with Lapland Bore was wrong. That he had recently received six perfect examples of this Colorado form, and a very large number of true Bore from Norway and Lapland. “I see that this species, even in one locality, offers much variation. With one or two exceptions, all have on the under side of the secondaries the veins white like Zaygete Hibn., from Labrador. Some are hardly to be distinguished from them, and, therefore, I believe Zaygete of Labrador a local form of Bore Hiibn. “ Crambis Freyer is described from Labrador specimens, and. dieke also show much variation, and I have some which come so near to some of Bore that they are difficult to separate. | “ Now as to the Colorado specimens: some varieties of the European Bore, without white veins on under side of secondaries, come so near to these (of Colorado) that from one specimen only (as in 1886) I could suppose this to be Bore. But as I now have six before me, and no one has the white veins like Bore, or only very little white, as sometimes is the case also with Crambis, of Labrador, I can only believe this a grayish (instead of brownish) form of Crambis Freyer. Also, except in the colour, the underside of the primaries of this Colorado form agrees perfectly with the true Cramdis.” In another letter he says: ‘* I would counsel you to name this, perhaps, Crambis, var. griseous or otherwise.” I have four Crambis from Labrador, 2 ?, 2 $, sent me by the late H. B. Moschler, as Craméis Freyer. All are dark brown, of thick THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 33 texture of wing, quite opaque. On the underside, the forewing is not distinguishable in colour or marking from Semidea ; the hind wing is dark —a dusky gray, the band within its bordering lines darker, or brown. It closely resembles Semzdea of Labrador, as determined by Moschler. I have under view eleven of the Colorado form in question, 5 %, 6 2, and have seen several others. All are or were gray-brown above, of slight texture of wing, so transparent that the white labels on the pins are distinctly seen through the wings when viewed vertically. All have the band beneath the hind wings gray-white within, and there is a consider- able space outside of and next to the band on either side of pure white, forming a conspicuous feature ; the rest of the wing, at base and over extra-discal area, is gray-white. The band has similar outline and breadth to that of Cramdzs of Labrador, with variations in both species, and the band of the Labrador Semzdea is similar to the other two. As to the forewing beneath, except that in the Colorado form the colours are paler, that form is closely like Cramdzs and also Semidea, both of Labrador and White Mountains, of New Hampshire. I have eight Zaygete Hiibn. from Labrador and Alaska, and the band is of the same character as in all the other species mentioned, varying in outline, but the veins are white in all the eight, as Dr. Staudinger says Taygete should have the veins. Also this species is usually yellow-brown ; one Alaskan example is dark brown. In Dr. Staudinger’s view the Colorado form is a permanent variety. It certainly is completely isolated, and for untold ages must have been as much so as to-day. A permanent variety in such case is a species. If it originally branched from the Labrador Craméis, and of this we are absolutely ignorant, it has lost all connection; breeds true, and fulfills every requirement of a species. And as a species J regard it. Consider- ing that we owe all our knowledge of it to Mr. David Bruce, who, during the last three years, has taken great pains to investigate its localities and habits, and has obtained eggs whereby I have been able to rear the species to adult larval stage, I cannot do otherwise than name it Chionobas Brucei. Mr. Bean, at Laggan, Alberta, has taken a single specimen of this _Brucei. Mr. Bruce has taken more than 300, and he tells me the peculiar characteristics which I have enumerated have been found in the whole of them. 34 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. FOOD PLANTS OF SOME BOMBYCIDA: AND NOCTUIDA NOT INCLUDED IN H. EDWARDS'S CATALOGUE. BY ROLAND THAXTER, NEW HAVEN, CONN. The following brief list of food plants of Bombycide and Noctuide , not included in the recently issued catalogue of Mr. Henry Edwards, may be of some interest to persons engaged in rearing Lepidoptera. When not otherwise stated the insects have been found and reared, or reared from the eggs by myself, and were mostly collected at Kittery, Maine :— BOMBYCID. Orgyia nova Fitch. Pinus strobus “ definita Pack. Quercus. Parorgyia basiflava Pack. Betula. Limacodes biguttata Pack. Carya. « — Ofasciola H.-S. Carya. - Y-inversa Pack. Carya, Packardia geminata Pack. Carya. | Ichthyura strigosa Grote. Populus. of indentata Pack. Salix. " vau Fitch. Populus. Gluphisia trilineata Pack. Populus. Notodonta stragula Grote. Populus. Lophodonta ferruginea Pack. Betula. i od Georgica H.-S. Quercus. Setrodonta bilineata Pack. Quercus. (Edemasia eximia Grote. Salix, Populus. Dasylophia anguina A. & S. Baptisia. 53 interna Pack? Carya. Calodasys biguttata Pack. (Schisura ipomee Doubl., Lec., Pack). Acer, Ulmus, Quercus, Betula, Vaccinium, Ceanothus. ‘© Leptinoides Grote. Carya. Heterocampa obliqua Pack. Quercus. “ guttivitta Walk. Quercus, Carya. Bs biundata Walk. Carya. Cerura aquilonaris Lint. Populus. Prioma bilineata Pack. Betula. wo oo THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Callosamia angulifera Walk. Liriodendron. _ Artace punctistriga Walk. Diospyros virginiana. Tolype laricis Fitch. Pinus, three species. NOCTUID&, _Leptina dormitans Guen. Carya. _ Habrosyne scripta Gosse. Lilia. _ Audela acronyctoides Walk ? Abies balsamea. Charadra deridens Guen. Ulmus. Raphia frater Grote. Populus. _ Feralia jocosa Guen. Abies canadensis and balsamea. Apatela vinnula Grote. Ulmus. = occidentalis G. & R. Pyrus malus. “ furcifera Guen. Prunus serotina. <—sfuneralis G. & R, Carya. € dactylina Grote. Salix, Betula, Alnus. " hastulifera A.& S. Alnus. “ persuasa Harv. Quercus (Chapman). 5 clarescens Guen. Rosacez (esp. Pyrus malus). _ ovata Gr. Castanea. . dissecta G. & R. Acer. . sperata Grote. Rubus. es xyliniformis Guen. Rubus. _ « lanceolaria Grote. Found on Comptonia not feeding. Prob- = ably a general feeder like od/inmita. Figured in Abbott’s un- : published drawings on Gat//ardia. Harrisimemna trisignata Walk. Diervilla, Ilex verticillata. Agrotis trabalis Grote? Pinus strobus. » “ stricta Morr. Helianthus. Oligia versicolor Grote. Pinus strobus. Abies Canadensis. Homohadena badistriga Grote. Lonicera cult. Gortyna Harrisii Grote. Heracleum lanatum. Nonagria subflava Grote. Scirpus. . oblonga Grote. Typha. Macronoctua onusta Grote. Iris versicolor. _Euthisanotia timais Cram. Pancratium, Narcissus, Scolecocampa liburna Geyer. Various species of Corticium Polyporus and other of the larger Basidiomycetons fungi. 36 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Crocigrapha Normani Grote. Quercus. Xylomiges confusa Hiibn. Quercus. Scopelosoma Moffatiana Grote. Hamamelis. _ Litoprosopus futilis G. & R. Sabal palmetto (Lec., Chapman). Marasmalus ventilator Grote. Rhus typhina. es histrio Grote. Rhus. Deva purpurigera Walk. Thalictrum cornutum. Plusia Putnami Grote. Poa, Agrostis, etc. Plusia monodon Grote. Liatris, Helianthus. Pyrrhia exprimens Walk. Rhus., Robinia. Catocala relicta Walk. Betula, Populus. “ Briseis Edw. Salix. ‘“« habilis Gr. Juglans. Panopoda carneicosta Guen. Quercus. . rufimargo Hiibn. Quercus, Lilia. Homoptera minerea Guen, Salix. TEN NEW SPECIES OF ORTHOPTERA FROM NEBRASKA— NOTES ON HABITS, WING VARIATION, ETC. BY LAWRENCE BRUNER, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, A trifle more than two years ago the writer first entertained the idea of preparing a synopsis of the Orthoptera of Nebraska, with the intention of publishing it as,a special bulletin from the Agricnltural Experiment Station. With that end in view, work was immediately begun ; and in the course of a few months the greater portion of the manuscript was ready for the printer. At this time other matters that were considered of more immediate importance came up at the Station, and that of the Orthoptera was laid aside. It has now been lying nearly two years. As the result of special collecting and study on the order for the past eighteen years within the State, my collection contains 241 species that have been taken within its boundary. Among these there are about two dozen species that appear to be new to the science of entomology. From among these apparently new things, the following. are selected for publication at this. time ; THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 37 ' GRYLLID&. Cycloptilus borealis n. sp.—Head and pronotum of both sexes, together with the two basal abdominal segments of the female, light mahogany brown above ; abdomen dark brown inclining to black on the dorsum which is more or less densely covered with silvery grey scales, giving the insect a grizzled appearance. Tibie and apical portion of the femora indistinctly fasciate with brown. Underside and basal portion of the legs pale yellowish. | _ Moderately robust, fusiform ; the middle pair of legs rather small ; posterior femora not very much inflated. Anal cerci of the female a little more than half as long as the body, quite stout and somewhat hairy ;— those of the male shorter and slenderer ; those of the female directed backward, those of the male considerably divergent. — Length of body, % and 9, 7.5-8 mm.; of pronotum, 7, 2.15 mm.; 2, 1.85 mm.; of antenne, J and $, about ro mm.; of hind femora, 2, 3-5 mm.; 2, 4 mm.; of anal cerci, J, 3 mm.; 2, 4.1 mm.; of ovipositor, 4 mm. This active little cricket was first taken by me on the roth of August, 1888, at Valentine, near the Niobrara river. It was found among dead grass upon sandy soil on a south hill-slope. It was again met with on the margins of the large salt basin west of Lincoln on the rsth of the follow- ing month. These latter specimens were under boards lying upon sandy soil. Judging from the fact that all the specimens thus far taken have been found upon sandy soil, it will be safe to call it a frequenter of sand districts, where it may be looked for under boards, loose stones, sticks and loose debris of all kinds during daytime. Tow other representatives of the genus have been described from North American localities, 2. ¢., Cycloptilus sguamosus Scudder, a Texan species, and Cyc/. Americanus Saussure, a Cuban species. LOCUSTID. Ceuthophilus pallescens n. sp.—This wingless cricket is very similar in appearance to C. pallidus Thos., but differs from that species in its markings and in the number and arrangement of the femoral and tibial spines, In size it is similar to C. macudatus, than which it is slightly less arched. 38 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. A moderately long legged species in which the spines are arranged as follows : Anterior femora with two spines beneath internally ; the middle, with about four pairs and an outer apical one ; posterior femora with both the inner and outer carinz of the lower edge very thickly set with minute teeth-like spines, the inner row doubled near the middle. Posterior tibia furnished with five spines on each edge, somewhat alternately arranged and with the intermediate spaces filled with teeth-like shorter ones ; the lower edge is also supplied with three sub-apical and two apical spines only a little less prominent than those above. Middle and anterior tibiz with three pairs of spines each on the under side. Antenne moderately long. Eyes of medium size, pyriform. es > 2 General color very pale straw color. The middle and hind thoracic | segments, together with the first abdominal, marked above with a narrow transverse black patch each. Through these there is drawn a narrow dorsal line that severs them into lateral halves. Eyes shining black. Spines of legs tipped with brown. In addition to the usual spines this insect is characterized by the presence of numerous smaller, almost micro- scopical spines that are scattered over the general surface of the femora and tibie. These latter are entirely brown. Length of body, 2, 19 mm.; of antenne, 30 mm.; of hind femora, 12.5 mm.; of hind tibie, 14 mm.; of ovipositor, 12.25 mm. Described from one female and one immature male. Habitat.— Dawes and Sioux counties in northwestern Nebraska. The female specimen was taken in a shallow well 17 miles north of Harrison. The male was found under a timber at the tunnel on the line of the Bur. lington & Missouri R. R., south of Crawford, in Dawes Co. Udeopsylla compacta n. sp.—About the size of Dathinia* brevipes Hald., to which it bears a very striking resemblance ; but is darker coloured than that insect, and at once distinguishable from it in having the tarsi of anterior and posterior legs four-jointed instead of only three-jointed. The posterior femora of this insect also lack the heavy spines that are so characteristic of the other. Legs short and heavy, the posterior femora in the male very daieess those of the female, very minutely spined below ; the posterior tibize hot *The genus Dathinia is based on the abnormal number of tarsal joints in the anterior and posterior feet, where there are three instead of four, Haldemann’s type was not an unique in that respect. I have fully a dozen specimens all of the typical form, tik CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 39 bowed, strongly spined above and below. Antenne heavy, about as long as the body. Length of body, 7 and 2, 22 mm.; of antennz, about 24 mm.; of posterior femora, # and 9, 12.5-14 mm.; of hind tibie, f and 2, 16 mm. | , oe This hitherto undescribed cricket is a native of the sandy districts of Nebraska, Dakota and Kansas; and like the Dashinia brevipes Hald., to which it has been compared, also burrows into the sand. So closely do these two insects resemble each other at a cursory glance that I did not distinguish their difference until about to label them for cabinet specimens. It is to be distinguished from Udeopsylla robusta and nigra by the greater size of its: pronotum, also by its less glossy appearance. In - colour it is a pitch-brown above and paler beneath. There is still another species of these large, wingless ‘‘ sand crickets ” to be occasionally met with here in the West. It is the insect that I have called Udeopsylla gigantea.* As that characterization was very brief, the following description is herewith presented :— Very dark brown, almost black, with an interrupted dorsal line and a few mottlings of a lighter shade. The posterior femora are very heavy and clumsy in the male, reaching more than half their length beyond the extremity of the body, furnished below with a row of nine short strong spines ; posterior tibiz three-sided, more strongly bowed than usual, and furnished above with two rows each of four spines which alternate, and between these smaller ones ; the lower side also spined on apical half. Legs of female less inflated and not so strongly spined. Length of body, ¢, 30 mm.; 2, 26 mm.; of antenne, ~ ard 2, about 30 mm.; of hind femora, f, 24.5 mm., 9,17 mm.; of hind tibiz, 4, 25 mm., 9, 19 mm. This insect appears to be much scarcer than either brevipes, robusta, nigra or compacta, and is confined in its distribution to a much smaller area. It also burrows in the ground and lives solitary. It has been seen by me but once within the State, viz., in the vicinity of Lincoln, near the large salt basin. It is also to be met with in Kansas and the Indian ter- ritory—the pair upon which this description is based having been taken in Kansas.. *Bulletin of the Washburn Laboratory of Natural History, Vol. I., p. 127. 40 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Thus far comparatively little attention has been paid to the conocephalids among the Locustidze of North America. Especially is this true with reference to the genera Xiphidium and Orchelimum, both of which are rich in species here in Nebraska as well as in almost every other State of the Union. When I undertook to work over the specimens of these in- sects in my collection, it was but a very short time before the discovery was made of a number of new things. Some of the most striking of these are now described. (To be continued.) NOTES. PHRAGMATOBIA RUBRICOSA HARRIS. There is no doubt but that our specimens which go by the abo name are referable to the European P. /udiginosa Linn. Prof. Smith has noticed their superficial resemblance* which siitiiiis to identity. I have compared examples from France with a series from New York and I can find no difference in ornamentation. Neither do they differ structurally. The venation is identical.t The genitalia of the male also are the same within the limits of variation of the species, which appear to be wide. In the specimen from Europe examined the supra- anal plate is elongate-triangular, produced to a point, concave below, slightly curved down and bulging a little laterally at the base. The side pieces are very long and narrow, gradually tapering and curved inwards. They are strongly concave on the inside, the sides being almost curved over, with a short, sharp projection above and below at a little more than half their length. Of rudricosa three specimens were examined. In two the anal plate was aborted, being represented only by a short, square piece ; in the third it was present, of the same shape as in the specimen of fuliginosa, but a little narrower. The side pieces also varied. In the first and third specimens their edges were so much incurved that the two points came together and were united in one piece; in the other speci- men they were as in fudiginosa, perhaps even a little less ‘incurved. : From the above it will be seen that rzdricosa cannot stand as a distinct species. Harrison G. Dyar, New York. _ *CAN. ENt., XXII., 120. +My specimens differ from Prof. Smith’s figure on page 235 (fig. 8) in that the second subcostal venule branches off before the fifth, while in the ge is the case. This is so in both European and American examples. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 41 AELLOPOS TITAN. Mr. Lyman’s interesting note on the occurrence of Lefzsesia flavo- fasciata reminded me that the Society has in its possession a very rare moth, Ae//opos titan Cram., and possibly the only Canadian specimen in the country. It was obtained by the Society with the Pettit collection ; and Mr. Pettit told me that a neighbour’s boy at Grimsby brought it to him alive one morning in his closed hands, and asked if it was of any use ‘to him. Prof. Fernald, in his “ Sphingide of New England,” says it is ‘unknown to him, but is said to occur rarely in the southern part of New ‘England Mr. Grote does not mention it in his “‘ Hawk Moths of North America,” but gives it in his Check List of 1882 as a N. A. species, and in the Can. Ent. for July, 1886, speaks of it as belonging to the colony _ of West Indian moths in Florida, some of which at times invade New England. & _ For the benefit of any of your readers that may be fortunate in securing a specimen I transcribe Prof. Fernald’s description :— “‘ Expanse of wings, two inches and three-tenths. Dull blackish with a. slight olivaceous tinge; discal spot black and scarcely visible; a straight, semi-transparent, whitish band crosses the middle of the fore- wing, followed by another which is much narrower. A somewhat arcuated, similarly coloured band formed of a double series of semi- vitreous, lunate spots extends from the costa nearly across the wing. The _ terminal space is paler and has purplish reflections. The underside is dark brownish, and the whitish markings of the upper side are distinctly reproduced. The hind wings are blackish, paler at the base and shaded with yellowish along the costa. Head and thorax above, dull brownish with a slight olivaceous tinge. Abdomen olivaceous, with the third abdominal segment white above; fourth segment with a large dark brownish lateral shade which is much reduced on the fifth, but extends entirely across the sixth. Anal hairs, brown on the sides and olivaceous in the middle.” That description applies well to the specimen before me, with the exception that the straight whitish band does not quite cross the middle of the forewings, terminating before reaching the costa, and the black discal spot is quite distinct. Our specimen is fresh, and in excellent condition, its only defect being the absence of part of the anal tuft on - one side, Pits J. Auston Morrat, Curator, ° 42 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. LEPISESIA FLAVO-FASCIATA, The notice of the capture of Lepisesia Flavo-fasciata in Canada re- minds me that I had omitted recording its occurrence in Colorado. I have taken it there near South Park, above 10,000 ft. elevation. The larva feeds on Epilobium in July and August, and varies from greenish- yellow to brown ; when young it has a yellowish caudal horn which it loses when half grown (at third moult ?) and it then presents a shining black ‘‘button” like that of Zhyreus Abbottiz. When full grown the larva is of a dirty olive brown color, with darker mottlings and fine longi- tudinal lines. It pupates under leaves without making a cocoon or enter- ing the earth. The moth flies in June in Colorado (but I had one emerge last March from a pupa that had been kept in a cool room all winter). This species is partial to the flowers of a species of Ribes, flying swiftly from one bush to another, and appears to have all the habits of the two small species of Hemaris that frequent the same locality. The larva of Alypia Lorquinii is also abundant on Epilobium at the same time, and I was collecting it when I discovered the larva of Z. Flavo-fasciata. Davip Bruck, Brockport, Monroe Co., N. Y. | ‘ SCENT-GLANDS IN THE LARVA OF LIMACODES, Described from four larve found on Liquidambar, Oct. 18. When disturbed the larva has the power of emitting drops of clear liquid from pores along the edges of the back, this liquid having an odour similar to that of crushed Liquidambar leaves. These pores are sixteen in number, situated along the edges of the back, their location being indicated by darker green spots just below the edge; between the seventh and eighth pairs of pores on each side is a white spot, and behind the eighth a white dot. - : The back varies from entirely brown, excepting the anterior border, to having the anterior fourth, a median stripe from it, and an irregular spot behind the middle, green. The side is green with more or less brown beneath. | The larva is inverted boat-shaped or casket-shaped, obtusely truncate anteriorly and prolonged into a short tail posteriorly ; hump-backed. At the median angle on each upper edge is a prominence on each side, behind which and separated from it by the fifth pair of pores is a smaller — THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 43 prominence. ‘The prothorax is free from the “ casket” and retractile ; its spiracle on the posterior border ; eight pairs of spiracles are visible on the sides of the “casket.” The ‘‘subjoint” is situated beneath and is retractile. W. Hampton Patron, Hartford, Conn. A CORRECTION. A curious error occurred in the ‘catalogue of Arctitde in the last volume of the Can. Ent., pp. 167 and 168. Under Euchaetes egle 1 placed as synonyms Zanada antica Whk., and Arctia sciurus Bdv. In some way they have attained specific rank in the paper as it stands. They should be indented as synonyms, without the preceding generic _abbreviation. | A similar error occurred under. Ayphantria, pp. 163-165, where punctatissima, congrua, punctata, textor and candida all stand as species * instead of synonyms as was intended. In both cases the error is apparent if the bibliography is consulted carefully ; but I deem it better to call attention to it so that the correction may be made in the volume. J. B. Smiru. 7 CORRESPONDENCE. ARCTIIDZ OF NORTH AMERICA. Dear Sir : Kindly insert the following synonymical note. On page 231 of Vol. XXII. Prof. Smith refers to -Halisidota trigona Grt. I would correct this to read as follows :— _ Halisidota specularis Her.-Sch. 1854—H.-S., Saml, neuer oder wenig bek, ausser. Schmett., page 72, fig. 59, Zrichromia. ib trigona Grt. 1879—Grt., No. Am. Ent., 46, Hadisidota. 1881—Grt., Trans. Kansas Ac. Sci, VII., 64. Habitat—Colorado, New Mexico, Brazil. I have compared Mr, Grote’s description with Dr. -‘Herrich- Schafer’s figure, and there is no doubt but that the two refer to the same insect. Harrison G, Dyar, New York, 44 , THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. BOOK NOTICE. Amona THE Morus AND BUTTERFLIES: By Julia P. Ballard. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1890; pp. 237. This beautiful book is an enlarged and revised edition of “‘ Insect Lives,” published 1880, and contains recent studies and many additional — illustrations. It treats especially of rearing butterflies, sphinges and moths from the caterpillars, and is based wholly on the personal observations of the author. Without previous knowledge of entomology, Mrs. Ballard found herself attracted by some species of caterpillar, and followed it up to pupa and imago, making original discoveries at every step, and gaining experience day by day, and has become an expert in that line. Many of the species treated of, if their early history is mentioned at all in books, have never been so carefully studied as here ; witness the story of the great Leopard Moth, the Bulrush Caterpillar, the Monkeyfaced Moth, the Beechnut Box, the Rosy Dryocampa. Of many others, better known than these, are interesting notes, as Orgyia leucostigma, Deilephila lineata, Ceratocampa regalis. The enthusiasm of the author is contagious, and. makes the reader wish that spring would hurry along. I do not know ofany book——certainly there is none in America—which has attempted to enter upon the field now taken possession of by Mrs. Ballard. Ifany good pater, or aunt, or cousin, wishes to do a kind turn to an active boy or girl, they could not do better than put this book in the young person’s hands,—at the same time a net and collecting apparatus (which our good friend John Akhurst will be happy to furnish), and bid them, when spring comes, search the fields and woods as Mrs. Ballard has done. The difference between eyes and no eyes is wonderful, and occupying the former will. keep young people out of mischief, at least giving them something to do and to think of. Once let a boy put his foot over the threshold of this temple of ours and catch a glimpse of the inner mystery, and there will be no idle and wasted hours. And to this end the author of “ Moths and Butterflies ” has well served her generation. Wo. H,. Epwarps, * .* Subscribers are respectfully reminded that their subscriptions are now due and should be paid forthwith to the Treasurer. The date to which payment has already been made will be found on the address label. Mailed February 4th, y the anadiay, Entomologist VOL. XXIIL LONDON, MARCH, 18oq1. No. 3. REMARKS ON PROF. JOHN B, SMITH’S REVISION OF THE GENUS AGROTIS. BY A. R. GROTE, A. M., BREMEN, GERMANY. To the great kindness of Prof. French I owe a copy of the Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum No 38, which contains Prof. Smith’s Revision of the North American Species of Agrotis. In view of the fact that out of the 252 species reviewed by Prof. Smith, no less than 110 are credited to myself, besides five species ‘‘not placed,” it might be reasonably supposed that I was interested to receive this publication and that I must regret not having received it before publishing my New Check List. With regard to the classification of the group it is conducted upon the basis first suggested by myself, z. ¢., the forms with unarmed fore tibiz are . separated, and other divisions are based upon genitalia and sexual char- | acters. These latter, in my opinion, are not sufficient for generic distinc- tions in the noctuidz, and we may thus regard the whole as forming one . - genus, the more so as the European species are not fully drawn -into comparison. Prof. Smith is quite right in saying that I had no idea of the extent of my genus Carneades. I only regard as belonging to it - species with tuberculated clypeus. At the time of establishing the genus upon moerens and citricolor,I had no longer the opportunity of com- paring my former material. I believe there can only bea question of three genera at the expense of Agrofis as considered by modern authori- ties: one in which the anterior tibie are unarmed; one in which the tibize are all armed, both of these with smooth clypeus ; the third (Carn- eades Grote) in which the front is tuberculate. I do not know that the generic term /Voctwa can be used for any of these divisions, according to the rules of zoological nomenclature, because I believe it was previously used in the Birds. For the characters to be used in separating the groups of Agrotis, I refer the student to my paper on the genus in the Cana- DIAN EnTomotoocist, Vol, XV., p. 51, e¢ seg. The type of the genus, as_ pointed out by me, is assumed by Prof. Smith to be the European segetum. 46 TH CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. I referred, in my Check List, Pachnobia to Agrotis (1875), but in defer- ence to European writers have lately left it near Zaeniocampa. — The synonymy of the species adopted by the author is largely that previously adopted by myself. It must be held in mind that, in those years, material had not largely accumulated, and that my descriptions were often drawn up from single examples. I am not surprised that cer- tain forms should be now found connected which I was warranted in separating at the time. Indeed I have myself expressed the opinion. In, some cases, as A. janua/is, where it is not done, I think the varietal term should have been kept by Prof. Smith; colour is also a character, and my var. atropurpurea of tessed/ata is called a ‘‘ pure synonym,” although © based upon a difference in shading which is acknowledged to exist. It is probable that here and there some references have been made which will need correction. Among these is Agrotis clodiana, which I think will prove different from vancouverensis Grt., while my figure in the Illustrated Essay does not merit, I feel sure, Prof. Smith’s criticism upon it. But I may pass over this, as well as other points, to notice a few which should not be passed over. That Mr. Morrison sent me specimens not in accord with his types, I have already stated. To this fact differences in my determinations may in part be due. Mr. Morrison sent me specimens of Pachnobia carnea from Mt. Washington labelled scropu/ana “type.” I did not know Wockei, except from Moeschler’s figure (which Prof. Smith says is really scropulana), nor did Mr. Morrison. But I had specimens from Mr. Moeschler labelled Pachnobia carnea from Labrador which were evidently the same as Mr. Morrison’s “ types,” or so-called types, of scropulana. I exhibited the specimens before the American Association as well as the examples of ofipara Morr. and is/andica Moesch., which latter were also the same species. Iam the first to suggest that zs/andica Moeschl. is not the same as 7s/andica Stdgr., and, in consequence, to pro- pose to call the American (Labrador and Mt. Washington) species opipara Morr. This view is taken now by Prof. Smith, who has adopted many of my views, but I am brought in by him for an incorrect identification of islandica which I never committed. It is I who corrected both Moeschler and Packard for improper identifications of és/andica as an American species. The identification of these Labrador and Mount Washington species is interesting, as illustrating further the theory advocated in my paper on “The White Mountain Butterfly” of geographical distribution in the North American Lepidoptera. With regard to the erroneous determina- © THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 47 tion of the European Daf/ii, I may say that Mr. Morrison himself sent me phyllophora determined as Dah/ii var. of Gueneé, and that I corrected this determination. I may say, to conclude with Mr. Morrison, that some- time after the circumstances which led to our difference transpired, Mr. Morrison wrote me a letter in whichhe acknowledged that he had misled me on several occasions, for the reason that he imagined [ had acted in bad faith to him in sending him (at his request) species to describe, which he thought I knew not to be new. These species were, however, really new, and I described them, upon Mr. Morrison’s refusal, myself, where-_ upon Mr. Morrison candidly acknowledged his suspicions, of which he relieved me, and this matter brought our correspondence to a close. With reference to the remarks on page 38, with regard to Mr. Henry Edwards’s types of Agrotis, I would say that I returned the types of 4. niveivenosa, A. pallidicollis and A. milleri to Mr. Edwards, and that I did so at his special request. No other ‘“‘ types” were ‘“ borrowed” by me, and all other specimens of Agrotis received by me from this source were given to me by Mr. Edwards, as a due return for my general determinations of his material in the family. I relinquished to Mr. Edwards really valuable and veritable “‘ types-” of Aegeriade@ in the exercise of a like courtesy, as Mr. Edwards was studying that group. Mr. Edwards’s specimens of Californian Agrotis were, however, not “types” until worked over by me, and had little value aside from my work upon them. I gave Prof. Smith also several types of /Voctutde and Mr. Neumoegen of Arctia. I may here remark that Prof. Smith is fond of citing speci- mens determined by me which are in various collections and do not belong to my species. In some few cases, as in the exsertistigma group, these determinations may well be the result of error on my part. But in by far the greater number of cases I believe that the determinations were not positively made by me, that in all, or nearly all, of them I never compared the specimens with my types or had the opportunity of doing so. Names given by me under a reservation would not unlikely be used by the owner of the specimen without that reservation. I think, when my types come to be examined that A. ordis will be shown to be distinct from cupidissima, and probably the species described by Prof. Smith under the latter title. But on the whole, and granting all that can ba said, and while I am certainly not directly responsible for all the mistakes in the different private collections cited by Prof. Smith, which I have never had the opportunity thoroughly to see, much less to study, it must 48 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. be clear to the unprejudiced reader. that I have made very few mistakes — in a.very difficult group, and that I have at least laid down the founda- tions for its proper study. With regardto Dr. Harvey’s “types,” the specimens belonged to me, and were described under my personal supervision, correction and direction, and Prof. Smith, in complimenting Dr. Harvey’s accuracy, is unwittingly betrayed into complimenting me. In conclusion I may make some remarks on species of mine “ not placed” by Prof. Smith. I am surprised that 4. Fishii Grt. is not placed, although in the list it is marked by a star. This is a very pretty and distinct Eastern species from the sharp contour of the wings and the peculiarities of the ornamentation of colour. A. juncta is a datk species, recalling in colour the commoner blackish-brown Agrotids, but with the stigmata fused, recalling the Ho//emani group. I do not doubt its validity, nor that of zanalis, the smallest form known to me and resembling ofaca in appearance. J/amestra insulsa Walk. is, I say, on p. 43 of my essay, an Agrotis, evidently allied to Repentis. What does Prof. Smith mean by saying (p. 209): ‘Mr. Grote, whose reference of the species to Agrotis has been followed, gives no suggestion as to the species it most resembles or where its allies are to be found”? Again, Prof. Smith calls my Herilis, “herelis”; dbadinodis, ‘ badinodes” ; insulsa, “insula” ; in all these cases I do not know why. Finally, with regard to two species rejected from Agrotis by Prof. Smith, I would say that I could not determine the structure of the feet in the type of xiveivenosa (coll. Hy. Edwards). In my New Check List I draw attention to its resemblance to Cladocera. I do not believe it is a Hadena, as Prof. Smith classes it. I can well believe that A/aske belongs to my genus Agrotiphila, which in my New Check List I place in the Heliothini. Iam pleased that my recently expressed opinion that A. hospitalis Grt. is a valid species, distinct from perconflua, is confirmed by Prof. Smith. : | On page 92 the author remarks: “Mr. Butler says augur is the type of Graphiphora Ochs., in which case the application of the name to the Zaniocampa series by Mr. Grote would be unwarranted.” I reply, that I have shown that the term Graphiphora is not originally Ochsenheimer’s but Hiibner’s, and that its true type is Gothica, Check List, 1876, p. 37. It is, therefore, strictly speaking, to be employed instead of Zeniocampa. As to the affinities of Agrotis with Teniocampa THE CANADIAN’ ENTOMOLOGIST. 49 I have elsewhere explained myself. There are several other points in Prof. Smith's paper to which I could reply, or as to which I could express an adverse opinion, but I am so much gratified that a needed revision of the species of Agrotis has been accomplished, that my own justification or the vindication of my priority in particular instances, becomes a matter of little moment. Any errors it may contain will no doubt be rectified in the future, and in the meantime we have in it.a valuable repository of our knowledge of the North American species of Agrotis. | . ON THE POSITION OF LIMENITIS PROSERPINA, EDW. _ BY -W. H. EDWARDS, COALBURGH, WEST VA. __ Mr. Scudder, in Butt. N. E., argues at length in favor of considering Proserpina as neither more or less than a hybrid between Z. Arthemis and Z. Ursula (called Astyanax*). 1 differ from him, holding Proserpina to be a dimorphic form of Arthemis, just as Papilio Glaucus is a dimor- phic form of P. Zurnus. * Astyanax is one Of the resurrected names which I, with many entomologists, hold to be objectionable and not to be adopted to the exclusion of names long in use and familiar, repeatedly treated of and figured in books. In the words of the late B. D. _ Walsh, one might as well ‘‘tell New Yorkers to call their city New Amsterdam, or the _ English to have their letters addressed to Londinium, because these were the original _ names.” Fabricius, in 1775, named the species Astyanax. In 1793 he renamed it Ursula, for the following reascn : it then stood in the genus Papilio, in which also stood another species by name of Astyanax. He therefore changed the first of these to Ursula, and by this name the species has been known to this day—almost 100 years. Itis so figured by Abbott and Smith, 1797, and by Boisduval and Leconte, 1833. That Fabricius was right in changing the name to avoid a duplicate in the same genus is undoubted, and although the second Astyanax has since been found to be the female cf something else, there is no reason for now disturbing Ursuda. It was a common practice with the early naturalists, and especially with Linnaeus, to change a name given for another, and the change was accept: d by their contemporaries. In some cases we can to-day see the reason ; in others we cannot, but that there was a sufficient reason at the time is not to be questioned. There was no ‘ priority rule” at that day. To deny that Linnaeus had the right to change one of his own names if he saw fit is a piece of impertinence. No rule of the kind spoken of was ever adopted till 1842, and that could properly have no retroactive effect. The resurrection of obsolete names has been the greatest possible nuisance during the last 20 years or since the publication of Kirby’s Catalogue. Two years after the appearance of this Catalogue in 1872 Ist July, as appears by the rans. Ent. Soc., London. the following circular, addressed to entomologists, was laid bef re the S ciety, with signatures of most of the leading British entomologists ap- pended :—*t EN1OMOLOGICAL NOM! NCLATURE.—The undersigned considering the confusion with which entomological nomenclature is threatened (and from which it is already to no small extent suffering) by the reinstatement of forgotten names to supersede 50 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Now what are the known facts about Proserpina ? 1. The species Arthemis, black, with a broad common band of white across the disks, occupies the whole northern part of the continent, from — ocean to ocean, and from the Arctic Circle to northern Massachusetts and ~ westward to Wisconsin. 2. Along the southern border of the range of Arthemis, in certain localities only, there flies, and constantly associates with it, a small black form agreeing exactly with it in size and in outline of wings. ‘This form may either be without a white stripe across the disks (vide Butt. N. A., 2, pl. 36, fig. 5), or it may present such a stripe corresponding in position those in universal employment, urge upon entomologists the desirability of os names so brought forward until such time as the method of dealing with them be settled by common agreement. ; ** (Signed) H, W. Bates. W. Arnold Lewis. Alfred R. Wallace. Frederick Bond, Wm. C. Hewitson. J. Jenner Weir. Francis P. Pascoe. E. Shepherd. T. Vernon Wollaston. Edw. W. Janson. John A. Power. Edw Newman. Samuel Stevens. E. T. Higgins. Edward Sheppard. BF. Logan, Ferdinand Grut. J. Greene J. W. Dunning. Thos. H. Briggs. Frederic Moore. W. C. Boyd. Howard Vaughan.” And following this: ‘‘ Professor Westwood stated that . . . he considered a law similar to that which limits adverse claims to real property in this country to a period of twenty years, might with equal advantage be applied in zoology.” etite Now, since 1872, there has been no ‘*common agreement” by entomologists as ‘*to the method of dealing” with these ‘‘f rgotten names,” and the question stands jst where it stood then. Mr. Scudder, apparently, in order to get some show of au- thority for resurrécting dead names, has followed he says, *‘ the rules laid down by the American Ornithologists Union”! (What have entomologists to do with the rules of American Ornithologists ?) And so he displaces a large proportion of the recognized names in American lepidoptervlogy for dead and forgotten and what is worse, often wholly un- authenticated ones. Thus we get Danais Plextppus for D. Archippus (in his earlier writings he called it D. Zrippus). Limenittis Archippus for L. Distppus, Papilio Pol- yxenes for Ll’, Asterias, Neonympha Eurydice for N Canthus (absolutely without any right whatever), WV Phocion for N. Areolatus, N. Cornelius for N. Gemma (both these unauthenticated), etc , etc , without end. One of the strangest changes of all is that of Papilio Turnus into P. Glaucus TZurnus has been descri: ed 119 years, and during the entire period has been known by that name alone. G/aucus was described 126 years ago from one sexonly It is not a species at all. it is the black dimorphic female of ‘Tusnus, and it has no corresponding male It is scarcely twenty years since this fact was made known. As a dimorphic form it needs a distinguishing name _ It is the Sopa to give such forms names. Mr. Scudder now calls the entire species G/aucus, ut to get a name for the black female he calls it Glaucus-Glaucus ! and there is no Turnus anymore Is not that a precious device! I advise every lepidopterist to ignore such changes, one and all, and to adhere to the accustomed names, nearly every one of which has a full century of undisputed title, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 51 to the outer edge of the white band of Arthemis (as in Butt. N. A., 1, pl. 41, figs. 1, 2). It is rarely or never solid white, of clear colour, as in Arthemis, but is slight and often nebulous. 3. South of the territory occupied by Arthemis is the black species, Ursula, flying to the Gulf of Mexico and at the southwest, in Arizona at east. Over a considerable belt, say perhaps of fifty to one hundred _ miles width, along the southern range of Arthemis and northern range of Ursula, many examples have been taken which are undisputed Ursuda, _ but have more or less distinct traces of a white stripe similar to that seen _ in Proserpina (Butt. N.A., 1. pl 41, figs. 3, 41, for such an example of Ursula), though never so heavy as in the most strongly marked _ ‘examples of Proserpina. South of this belt, so far as I am aware, such | a striped examples have not been taken. Ursu/a without modification or a variation occupies many degrees of latitude, but in the southwest comes ' to be considerably changed and is lost in its variety Arizonensis. . 4. I myself obtained eggs from a female Proserpina at Stony Clove, in. _ the town of Hunter, in the Catskills, elevation 2,000 feet, and from these eggs raised four pupze from which came three Arthemis and one _ Proserpina (this last is figured in Vol. II. before cited), so establishing the _ dimorphism. The relationship of the two forms had been suspected but q never proved. Mr. Mead relates, Can. Ent. VIL. 162, that he obtained _ about 500 eggs from fifteen females Arthemis, and 31 eggs from a single | female Proserpina at same time, showing the black female to be as fertile as the pied one. | 5. I am thoroughly familiar with this part of the Catskills—in fact _ was born and bred in the town of Hunter—and for many years collected _ butterflies there, and I can say positively that I have never seen an _ example of Ursula there. It does not fly at all in that elevated district. _ On reaching the Valley of the Hudson, ten miles west from Stony Clove, _ Ursula begins to appear. Nowhere is the surface in Hunter at less than 1,700 feet, and all the highest peaks of the range are within the town limits. Between the Clove and the river valley are Round Top, High _ Peak, etc., and the lowest ground is the summit of the Kaaterskill Clove, elevation nearly 3,000 feet. 6. In preparing the text for Z. Arthemis for Butt. N. A., I made areful enquiries about Proserpina all along the line from Maine to Wisconsin, and published the information gained. This form was rare in Maine, not common in south New Hampshire, unknown in Vermont, as also 52 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST: in the Adirondacks of New York; common in middle Michigan, and in certain localities in Wisconsin. Had not been seen at Toronto, Canada, but occasionally was noticed at Hamilton. That is, along a line of 1,000 to 1,500 miles on the southern border of the range of Arthemis, and the northern border of the range of Ursula, at a few spots only had Proser- pina been observed east of Michigan (to the west there is no definite information). The only region where Proserpina was known to be abundant is in the town of Hunter above spoken of. All this appeared from the evidence spread out in the Butt. N. A.; and Mr. Scudder has been able to add nothing to it but this, that in “ the Graylock Hopper’’ (an elevated valley in the mountains) at Williamstown, Mass., Proserpina was “tolerably common.” As to its abundance at Stony Clove we have the direct testimony of Mr. Mead, who also collected there year after year. Speaking of one year he says:—“ When I collected every Proserpina I could find I took 110, of Arthemis I actually did take about 200 and could have taken 1,000 without any difficulty. 7. Inall the preparatory stages Proserpina and Arthemis are precisely alike, and both are specifically removed from Ursuda. Witness the figures of the eggs, Arthemis, Butt. N. E., pl. 64, fig. 15; Ursula, fig. 12. I have Mrs. Peart’s drawings of the eggs of both Proserpina and Arthemis, and they are indistinguishable. In the first two larval stages all this group are alike, but at second moult each species takes on characters of its own. Fig. 26, pl. 74, given by Mr. Scudder as Arthemis mature larva is copied from Trouvelot’s drawing of Proserpina (made for me and loaned for use in the Butt. N. E.). This drawing is named on its card Proserpina, and of course, in giving it on his plate as Arthemis, Mr. Scudder was satisfied that it answered equally well for either form. I have another drawing of Arthemis at the same stage, made by Mrs, Peart, and all its peculiarities are shared by Proserpina. These are widely different from the ‘mature stage of Ursu/a,as is plain trom Mr. Scudder’s figures of the latter, pl. 17, figs. 17,21. Just so, the pupe of Arthemis and Proserpina are alike (I have . drawings of both), and differ specifically in form and colour from the pupa of Ursula, Butt. N. E., pl. 83, fig. 12, for Ursula; fig. 14 for Arthemis,. copied from Mrs. Peart’s drawing of Proserpina. So we have, on the one hand, the two co-forms, alike in each and all of the three earlier stages, and alike in size and shape of wings in the imago, (and Mr. Scudderallows this to be the fact, by using the drawings of larva and pupa of the co-forms in- terchangeably); on the other, Ursuda, differing distinctly in the three stages, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 53 and nearly always much larger in the imago, with differences in the shape of each wing. (As is well shown in Butt. N. E., pl. 2, Arthemis fig. 5, prsule fig. 8.) 8. All the species of Zimenitis, at the east, have one style of flight, and it is that which Mr. Scudder attributes particularly to Disippus (his Archippus): p. 277, ‘the flight is rather leisurely and sailing ; it moves irregularly from place to place.” Of Arthemis, he says, p. 300, it has _ a rather short and rapid flight.” Perhaps it has sometimes, but usually it has the same leistirely flight as Désippus. Of Ursula, p. 287: ‘ Its _ flight is similar to that of Désippus, but still more /ofty and grand, more _ leisurely and sweeping.” Ursu/a is a very common species here at Coal- burgh, and I can bear witness that there is nothing lofty or grand about its mode of flight. It darts about from place to place, from the ground _ to a leaf on tree, from tree to ground, haunts one locality, and once seen may be seen there regularly for days ; feeds on excrement on the ground, and lingers about the spots where that is to be found. A _ sustained flight would be contrary to its observed habits. I should as soon expect an Apatura butterfly to fly long distances as a Limenitis. The habits of the two are very much alike. In the argument to prove Proserpfina to be a hybrid between Ursula and Arthemis, instead of a dimorphic form only of Arthemis, Mr. : Scudder says :—‘ Proserpina occurs only in a very narrow belt across the eastern third of the continent, a belt which forms the southern boundary of the range of Arthemis and the northern of Ursuda. It is known at so many points in this belt, that it presumably occurs wherever Arthemis and Ursula are brought into contact.” ‘That this is an unwar- rantable assumption follows from what I have before stated. ‘ There are but two arguments used to prove the improbability of such a relationship as is here urged: 1. To assert that Proserpina has been found where it is probable that Ursula does not occur within at least an easy day’s flight ; a distance of a few miles is of no account whatever.” Is it not? Are we to suppose that Ursu/a, male, of the Hudson River Valley, is so seized with a longing for Arthemis female, of Stony Clove, as to transform him from a short and leisurely flyer into one “lofty and grand,” to whom “the distance of a few miles is of no account whatever,” and cause him to desert his own females and scale mountain ranges for other females whom he has never seen nor heard of, and of whom there cannot be a hereditary reminiscence? Or do the Arthemis females attract the 54 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. i. males Ursuda by an emanation after the fashion of the Bombycid females, perceivable ten miles away at the very Jeast? ‘There ought, on any — theory of attraction, to be a steady flight of Ursu/a males across the peaks, and once arrived at Stony Clove they should take up their abode there, and be seen in company with these so ardently sought females. But they are not there—never in a single instance have been'seen there ; and to attribute to them such powers of flight is contrary to what 6 Scudder is fond of calling the ‘‘ stupid fact.” On the other hand, the Proserpina males and females live with the Arthemis, mate in both sexes with the two sexes of Arthemis, and the eggs of one form hatch as readily as do those of the other. The black males mate with black females, and pied males with pied females. Black on both sides will account for the black progeny considered by Mr. Scudder as so close to Ursuda ; and the other mixtures will account for every phase of colour or marking exhibited. Mr. Scudder proceeds : “‘ Several instances of undoubted hybridism are known in the genus.” On which I remark that distinct species of other genera are also known to copulate, and it is not uncommon of Co/ias. And there are instances of species of unrelated genera, even sub-families, copulating. The late W. S. Foster, in 1889, on one of the peaks in Colorado, captured a male Melitea Palia in copulation with a female Chrysophanus Snow and they only separated in the cyanide bottle. I have the two mounted by Mr. Foster on one pin, with his label stating the facts attached. Also he notified me of the capture at the time it was made. Mr. Bruce has twice taken pairs of Lycen@ of which the sexes belonged to different sub- groups in copulation. Such instances go to show that a male, not finding its own female, may seize another, even one wholly unrelated. What fierce passion possesses the males of butterflies may be seen by referring to the history of Heliconia Charitonia, Butt. N. A., Vol. II. But when females of a species are abundant, it does not seem very probable that a male will seek the female of another species, much less scale the Catskills to find her ! ; ‘“ Proserpina partakes of the characters of the two species mentioned ; it possesses, in fact, just the characters we should expect of a hybrid between these two species. It varies most towards Ursuda where this prevails, and most towards Arthemis where that prevails.” I have answered this in the preceding paragraph. No Ursuda need to be called in for the solving of this puzzle, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 55 _ * A careful comparison of a considerable series shows that there is no difference whatever in the genital armour of Proserpina and Ursula.” We should like to have heard whether there is any difference between the armour of Arthemis and Ursula. The form /Proserpina is undeniably related to Arthemis, only supposably to Ursu/a. If the genitalia, as evi- _ dence of specific value, are worth anything, then there should be no dif- _ ferences whatever between Arthemis and Proserpina. Therefore, if these organsin Proserpina are like Ursuda, as Mr. Scudder tells us, in Arthemis _ they must also be like UrsuZa. But it is implied in the foregoing statement _ that this is not the case, but that A4rthemis is unlike both Proserpina and Ursula. The preparatory stages tell a very different story, and I prefer to believe their testimony rather than that of the other.* 7 Why any where Arthemis has a co-form, or how such form has come to be, is not explainable, any more than why Papi/io Turnus has a black _ female as well as a yellow one. The fact is all we know. From the _ Northern States to the Arctic Circle, in just the territory occupied by *Are the genitalia valuable in determining species? I doubt it much. We do not need to examine them to prove that two species plainly distinct in the imago are really so as Papilios Turnus and Philenor. It is when the imagos are puzzling that help from any quarter would be welcomed ; as in case of the Graptas C album, Comma, | Satyrusand Faunus. Will they help us here? Looking at Mr. Scudder’s plates, I see that what I consider natural genera, as Colzas, Argynnis, Limenitts, etc., have each their own type of these organs. It is not to be supposed that they are cast in moulds like _ s@ many iron pots. and knowing that every other organ varies, we have the right to believe that the genitalia vary also. How much is the question. In the plates the figures are not drawn to an uniform scale, and the organs are differently exposed, probably drawn as they had dried. Some seem to have shrunk in the drying. others perhaps are _ done from green subjects, and are full and plump _‘ But taking them as they stand: on _ __ pl. 33 all these species of Zzmenzt7s seem to be essentially alike, and I apprehend that the variation between them is no greater than would be found between individuals of each. So the three Argynnids, Atlantis, Cybele and Aphrodite are essentially alike. _ Grapta Progne cannot be distinguished from G. Comma, though they belong to different __._Sub-groups, while G. Faunus differs conspicuously from Comma, though these two belong _ _ tothe same sub-group. and can be but one remove from a common ancestor. On pl. 34 Phyctodes Tharos and Batestz are alike ; and quite alot of Thec/as, together with Lncisalis Niphon and Jrus, seem all alike and nowhere specifically different. On pl. 35, the three Coltas, Interior, Philodice and Eurytheme, are as like as three marrowfats. My friends why are things thus ? If the test is not infallible it is not to be trusted. If it fails anywhere it may fail often. Now, on page 329, under the head of Grapta Interrogationts, we read these words: *‘ The two forms (of this species, to wit, Fabrictt and Umbrosa) differ so greatly and so constantly from each other, not only in the colouring but in the form of the wings, and even in the abdominal appendages (the genitalia), that they have been con- sidered distinct species”! Thatis, if they had not, by breeding from the egg, been proved to be one species by the evidence of the genitalia they would be considered as two! It seems to me this settles at once and for all the value of these organs as tests of species. The study of them may amuse an idle hour, the drawings of them are very pretty, but that they are of any value so far as concerns closely related species does not appear, 56 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, Arthemis, the yellow female Zurnus alone is found. Along the southern boundary the black one appears ; here and there a single individual, and — having once got a foothold the black form gradually gains the mastery, and inthe southalone rules. There are no yellow females of Zurnus there. It seems to me not improbable that Arthemis, of all its group, is nearest the parent species. Every character, from egg to imago, shows that all these species are very closely related, and apparently not more than one remove from a common form. Arthemis being so dominant, — occupying the north, whence most species are supposed to have come, it may even be identical with that form. Having once given rise to a black co-form, this last has gone-southward and become modified in shape of imago and color, and in the southwest is itself replaced by its own vanieny Arizonensis. Pe That two distinct species wherever they come in contact -can cross freely, and originate a permanent, intermediate and hybrid race, I do not believe. And, in the present case, the so-called hybrid race. is not inter- mediate, but entirely on the side of one of the supposed parents, to wit, Arthemis, and a long way from the other, to wit, Ursuda. Analogy shows us that it is a case of dimorphism, not hybridism. TEN NEW SPECIES OF ORTHOPTERA FROM NEBRASKA— NOTES ON HABITS, WING VARIATION, ETC. BY LAWRENCE BRUNER, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. ( Continued from page 4o.) Xiphidium modestum, n. sp.—Related to X. saltans Scudd. and X. strictum Scudd., from both of which species it differs in its smaller size, slenderer form and in colour. Z _ Vertex or cone of the head not quite so broad and shorter than in saltans, its closest ally ; pronotum with the sides less bulging, and not reaching as low as in that species, Tegmina very short, only about one- third as long as the abdomen, with the shrilling organ of the male narrower and a little further removed from the base of the wing than in its allies. Posterior femora quite slender, of moderate length. Tip of male abdomen but slightly enlarged, the cerci elongate, tapering, a little curved outward and furnished with a rather long sub-basal tooth, Ovi- THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 57 ‘positor about as long as the body, quite slender and tapering, with a gentle upward curve. Dull testaceous, sometimes with a very faint greenish tinge, the usual markings of the genus deep chocolate-brown and well defined. Length of body, f, 10.5 mm., 2, 11 mm.; of antenne, 4, 30 mm., 2,40 mm; of tegmina, f, 3.25 mm., 2, 2.75 mm; of hind femora, f, gmm., 9, ro mm; of ovipositor, 11.75 mm. This modestly coloured little grasshopper is very plentiful upon up- lands throughout eastern and middle Nebraska, where it is to be met with among the short grasses in company with sa/fans and strictum. While _ long-winged f rms of both of its near allies are quite common, no speci- men of modestum has been taken to my knowledge, save of the typical form. This insect also occurs in middle Kansas, Western Iowa and South Dakota. Xiphidium attenuatum Scudd.—Generally dull testaceous with the usual brown markings of the genus, in some specimens tinged with greenish Tegmina and wings either abbreviated or fully developed— _when the former, about reaching, and when the latter, considerably sur- passing the tip of the abdomen in both sexes. Antenne very long and slender. Ovipositor long, slender, straight or but very gently curved, the apex very acuminate. Apex between the eyes rather narrow, with the sides abrupt and sharp, the cone but little rounded, not expanding, obliquely docked Face nearly straight, oblique as in X. strictum to which it bears the closest general resemblance. Head and pronotum a little shorter than in that species. Abdomen tapering but slightly posteriorly, with the base of the Ovipositor only a trifle enlarged. Posterior femora heavy on their basal two-fifths, slender beyond; the tibiz also quite slender. Tip of male abdomen a little enlarged, the cerci long, broad and but gently tapering apically, the basal tooth minute, slender. Length of body, 7, 12 mm., 2, 15 mm; of antenne, ~,55 mm, ¢, 60 mm.; of pronotum, 7, 2.60 mm., 2, 3.3 mm.; of tegmina, short form, — fg, 3.5 mm., 2, 9 mm.; of long form, ¢ and 9, 19 mm.; of hind femora, t,12mm., 2,14 mm; of ovipositor, 22-29 mm. This beautiful species is quite common at West Point, Nebraska, along the lakes and old river beds of the Elkhorn river, where it.is found among . 58 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. a rank grass growing near the water’s edge and on very damp meadows. The females insert their slender ovipositors and lay their eggs between the blades and stem. It is very active’ in its movements, and when dis- turbed easily eludes pursuit by creeping down among the dense mass of grass. Xiphidium nigropleurum, n. sp.—In its general structure very stiles to the preceding, but with a much shorter ovipositor. Bright transparent green, with eyes, stripe on the occiput and the sides ot the abdomen shining black. This meadow grasshopper is a moderately robust species, with narrow vertex, short occiput, large globular eyes, broad pronotum and strongly veined tegmina which in the male are furnished with a large shrilling organ. ‘The tegmina are usually abbreviated, reaching only four-fifths the length of the abdomen ; but an occasional specimen is to be found in which the wings are fully developed and then reach to the extremity of the ovipositor in the females. Ovipositor straight, quite broad and heavy, about as long as the body. Male cerci of medium length, rather stout, tapering gently towards the apex, and with a strong sub-basal tooth. Antenne long and slender. General colour bright transparent-green, with the markings on the occi- put, pronotum and abdomen bordered with yellowish-white which con- trasts strongly with the other colours, which character taken together with the vitreous or glassy appearance of the entire surface, render this insect quite conspicuous among the members of the genus. | Length of body, f, 13.5 mm., 9 , 15 mm.; of antennz about, 7, 43 mm., 2,50 mm.; of pronotum $, 3 mm., 2, 36 mm; of tegmina f, 9 mm., 2, 8 mm, dion 19 mm., long; of hind femora, 2, 13 mm., 9, 15 mm. ; : This beautiful insect, which is our most active species of the genus, is quite plentiful among the rank vegetation on low, moist grounds, and is especially common in wet places where the ‘cut grass” ( Lees/a oryszoides) grows. The supposition is that this grass offers a better place than usual for the deposition of its eggs which, like those of the “ lance-tailed ” meadow ’hopper, are deposited between the leaves and stems of grasses. Grape vines and other creeping plants which form matted clusters that afford shelter from the noonday sun and the bright light of day are THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 59 favorite haunts for this and other species of our nocturnal grasshoppers and a few of the arboreal crickets. The “ black-sided grasshopper” is found throughout the eastern half of the State along all of the streams, the banks of which are lined with shrubs and trees. Whether or not it is to be found beyond the region of “forests,” I am not prepared to say at present. In a collecting trip taken during the summer and fall of 1888, for the purpose of ascertaining the approximate range of various species of our Nebraska orthoptera, this species was not seen west of Antelope County, on the upper Elkhorn river. | While speaking of the members of the genera Xiphidium and _ Orchelimum it might be well to record a few notes relative to their _ Variation in wing-length and habits. Undoubtedly everyone who has had occasion to examine any of our common species of these grasshoppers, has noticed that wing-length was a character not to be relied upon as _ specific or even varietal difference. A very little examination will at once suffice to show this. So far I have long and short winged specimens of the following species in my collection :—Xiphidium brevipenne, ensiferum, saltans, strictum, lanceolatum and nigropleurum. Of X fasciatum I have only long-winged, and of zemorade and ictum I have only those with short wings. X. gossypii is not definitely known to me, and there- fore it is not possible for me to venture any remarks upon its wing _ characters. Many of these insects are quite active fliers and are often attracted after night to bright lights. All of the long-winged forms mentioned above have been taken by me in such locations. That they often fly to great distances is evident, from the fact that both the lanceolatum and nigropleurum, described in this paper, have been captured at the electric lights in cities at points upwards of a mile from their natural haunts. The various species of Orche/imum also-vary somewhat in wing-length ; but in no case, so far as I am aware, is the variation so great as in the insects alluded to above. These too are attracted by lights; and it is often the case that the best things are captured here. Among our grasshoppers of the genus Orchelimum I find several forms that do not appear to have been. characterized. Of these two of the most interesting will be described. (To be continued.) 60 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. NOTES ON COLEOPTERA—NO. 7. BY JOHN HAMILTON, M. D., ALLEGHENY, PA. Philonthus quediinus Horn. A male specimen of this fine species was taken here. As the anterior marginal puncture of the thorax is placed so unusually far behind the margin, and on a line with the three discal ones, the discal punctures are apparently four. In this specimen the singular bunch of bristles on the penultimate ventral segment consists of about six, all differing in length, and rising from a sm.ll median pit resembling somewhat that seen in the male of some species of Dermestes. The female was not fuund, and to di tinguish it from those of pa//iatus, var. rufulus Fauv., fusiformis, fulvipes or occidentalis, the number of the thoracic punctures, vey sparsely and finely punctured elytra, and quedius like aspect, would chicfly have to be depended on. Previous recorded occurrence: Detroit, Mich.; Kansas. . Xantholinus sanguinipennis Lec. This species is very common and > abundant on Brigantine Beach and at Atlantic City under trash from the Bay. It is very easily confused with X cephz/us, which occurs with it more sparingly and is similarly coloured ; the elytra are however of a clearer red without any tendency to become infuscate as in the latter ; the dorsal and lateral series of punctures of the thorax are mere numer- ous, coarser and constant, being exceedingly fine and some of them often obsolete in the latter. ‘he separation of the upper and lower marginal lines of the thorax in the former species and their union anteriorly in the latter is not a character of easy observation in the hurry of collecting. Sanguinipennis will probably be found to be a littoral species. Cephalus occurs here, but always under bark, and I| can see no difference between these examples and such as are taken under rubbish on the coast. Canthon levis Drury. Since Mr. Blanchard’s very clear statement of the differences between this and chadcites Hald. (Tr. Am. Ent. Soc., XIL., 164), it might be supposed these species would seldom be confused ; the case is, however, different, probably owing to this exposition not being generally in the hands of collectors, and the great similarity of the more abundant colour forms of both species which renders tradition useless. In northern collections /evés is always correctly named. It is distributed from Maine to Mexico and California ; in Canada, the New England and Middle States its usual colour is coppery black or brown, but south and west it varies from this to black, blue and green through all shades. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 61 Chalcites seems to be much less common and abundant, being found in the Southern States north to Virginia, and westward to Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas. Its colour is usually coppery, like the bronze form of /evis, which seems to be confounded with it by some of the western collectors, and sent as that species to their correspondents, while the name /evis is applied to all individuals otherwise coloured. This at least is my experience. However close the species may approach in colour and sculpture they may be infallibly separated by the smooth or granulated pygidium ; that of /evis being always more or less granulated, and that of cha/cites entirely smooth and without polish. Aphodius explanatus Lec. The species was described by Dr. Leconte from a female unique taken in Colorado, which was redescribed by Dr. _ Horn in his monograph of the family. .I am indebted to Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell for a male example taken by him in Custer Co., Colo., and note the following differences. The head is trituberculate with small but well developed tubercles, and with the side margins indistinctly rufous ; the thorax has the side margins rufous till near base, which is not rufous, a with the medial impressed line exceedingly fine and nearly reaching the q apex; the first joint of the hind tarsus is equal to the two succeeding : the club of the antennz is not darker than the stem, otherwise the descriptions of the female apply. The mesosternal carina is quite fine, ___ and can be best seen when viewed transversely just in front of the coxe. Aphodius leopardus Horn. This species is taken at Sudbury, Ontario, by Mr, John D. Evans. Heretofore recorded as occurring in eastern Canada, Maine and New Hampshire. Pompophea Sayi Lec. was likewise taken at Sudbury. Microclytus gazellula Hald., Clytus gazelluta Hald., Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., X., 1847, p. 42 ; changed by Haldeman to C. gaze//uda, Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. IV., 372 (not P. Acad. Phil.) ; Clytus gibbulus Lec. Agassiz, Lake Superior, 1850, 234 ; Cyrtophorus niger Lec. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Series 2, II., 29, March, 1850; AMicroclytus (genus created by ____Dr. Leconte), Smith, Misc. Collec., 1873, XI., 320; Cyrtophorus gibbulus | Lec. (t niger Lec )=microclytus gazellula Hald. Canap. Ent., XVI., 1884, p. 148 (Leconte and Horn). Though not intended so by the describers, these names may be _ regarded as representing the colour variations that occur in this species : gazellula, pale-brown individuals; gibdu/us, such as have the anterior half of the elytra ferruginous—the posterior piceous ; and xiger, such as THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. os bo are entirely or nearly piceous, except the legs and antenn. Haldeman’s description is so bad that it took Drs. Leconte and Horn more than thirty years to find out that gidbu/us was synonymous. Gibdulus is fairly described ; ziger could not well be known had not the describer himself made the’synonymy. It would appear from the Jour. Acad.,’1. c., that he intended to cite gibbulus from Agassiz, Lake Sup., but by a slip of the memory wrote #iger, hence the ({ miger) cited above which seems a rather doubtful use of the error mark. But in writing the description he evidently had a different coloured example before him than that from which he described gibbu/us. This species, though distributed from the — Lake Superior Region and Canada southward to Virginia is not commonly taken, though it might be were its habits more genefally known. Its biological record, so far as I know, is as follows: Mr. Blanchard dug a specimen from the bark of a living white oak quite late in October, Can. Ent., VII., 97. Messrs. Reinecke and Zesch dug four specimens from bark on oak trees, May 6th, 1883, Bul. Brook. Ent. Soc., VI., 36, and remark their longevity. Mr. Harrington took at Ottawa, Canada, three examples on hickory and on sumac flowers in July, Can. EntT., XVL., 73. To this record I may add that I took here a male on plum vigsiomns about the first of April. Prof. Jerome Schmitt, of St. Vincent College, Westmotelans Ci; ra; took six females early in the season (a set of which, through his kindness, now grace my collection), a history of which I am permitted to publish, which I think best to do in his own words: ‘‘ They were crawl- ing when observed on a smooth place on a living oak, elsewhere covered ‘with rough, thick bark. Unlike most Cerambycids it is very slow and staid in its movements, and difficult to see because of its resembling the bark very much by its colours and its persistent hiding in the galleries of the bark made by some larve, or abandoned by a small myrmecid— Leptothorax longispinosus.” Prof. Schmitt also writes of having seen this species several years previously on a green oak trunk under similar circumstances, and thinks it very probably breeds in the rough bark. These examples and that taken by myself were of the wiger colour. Mr. Reinecke has sent me a female and male gibdu/us which so resembles the common form of Cyrtophorus verrucosus as to require a close look to distinguish. The above records appear to warrant these deductions :— jst. The species breeds in the rough bark of oak. i THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 63 2nd. Some individuals develop before winter, hibernating as beetles without leaving the bark, coming forth in early spring ; others hibernate as pup or larvee, changing to beetles later in the season. : 3rd. That the beetles may be obtained from October to June by judiciously chopping the bark. _ The characters separating Cyrtophorus and Microclytus were originally feeble, and have recently become more so by some one (the record has escaped me) discovering that the relative length of the antennal joints in the male of the latter are the same as in the former, thus leaving in the males only the presence or absence of a small spine at the end of the third joint of the antenne as diagnostic. This discovery was made subsequent to Mr. Leng’s synopsis of this genus in Entomol. Americana, PII, 23. : Anthophilax malachiticus Hald. This species occurs here rarely, and my specimens, male and female, I owe to the kindness of Professor Schmitt, of St Vincent, who takes it on chestnut blossoms. The male and female differ in form and perhaps in colour, though the scarcity of examples renders this uncertain. The male is the more elongate, with elytra suddenly narrowed behind the prominent humeri, then scarcely perceptibly so to near tip, which is rounded. In the example before me the head and thorax are bright coppery bronze, the elytra lustrous dark greenish, the underside greenish and bluish black, the legs are rufous with the knees, tibize and tarsi more or less infuscate. The female is broader, the elytra not so much narrowed behind the humeri and nearly parallel behind the constriction; the head, thorax and elytra are *‘splendent green”; the underside is darker and obscured by the vestiture, the legs are coloured as in the male; both sexes have the last ventral segment broadly rounded, and the head, thorax and underside clothed with fine, soft, whitish hairs, longer and sparser on the thorax. The male belonging to ma/achiticus has not, so far as I know, been described, and the above from only the single individual before me is not likely to apply to all others. ek gi Pee, Cs, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 77 Tragocephala infuscata, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 102. Tragocephala viridifasciata infuscata, Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., IIL, 1880, 106. Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVII, 1875, ASI. « | This dark variety of the green-striped grasshopper is. quite frequent in April and May, but rare after June 1, when viridifasciata seems to take its place. It is probably a mere seasonal form of that species, 7. ENCOPTOLOPHUS SORDIDUS, Burm. ‘The Clouded Grasshopper. @dipoda sordida, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 116. Tragocephala sordida, 1d., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, 107. Encoptolophus sordidus, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIL, 1875, 479. Locusta nebulosa, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 181. x Rather common in upland meadows and pastures as late as Nov. 22, but is never found about wet places. The males, although small in size, _ stridulate just as they arise trom the ground with a loud crackling noise similar to that made by burning stubble. It flies but a short distance before alighting. 4 8. ARPHIA SULPHUREUS, Fab. ‘The Yellow-winged Grasshopper. Locusta sulphurea, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 177, pl. I., fig. 6. Tomonotus sulphureus, Vhomas, Syn. Acrid., N. A., 1873, 105. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, 107. Although very common in some parts of Indiana, this is a scarce grasshopper in Vigo Co., where the next species seems to take its place. It frequents dry open woods and roadsides. g. ARPHIA XANTHOPTERA, Burm. Tomonotus xanthopterus, Thos., Syn. Acrid., 1873, to5. Tomonotus sulphureus xanthopterus, 1d., Ninth Rep. St. Ent. IIL, 1880, 108. A common species in dry, sandy fields, prairies and borders of meadows. When flushed it flies for a long distance in a zigzag way, the male making a loud rattling noise with every onward motion. Dr. Thomas in his later writings classed xanthoptera as a variety of sulphureus, but I have carefully compared a large number of specimens of each, and can find no intermediate forms, 78 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 9 (a). ARPHIA XANTHOPTERA CARINATA, Scudd. Tomonotus carinatus, Thos., Syn. Acrid., N. A., 1873, 106. Tomonotus sulphureus carinatus, 1d., Ninth Rep. St. Ent. IIL, 1880, 108. Six or eight specimens of a grasshopper, which, from the descriptions cited above, I take-to be the one described by Scudder as @dipoda carinata, were taken. It is, as Dr. Thomas says, very closely allied to xanthoptera, but is always darker, the colour approaching a black ; the inner wings are deep reddish yellow, and the median carina of the prono- tum higher than in that species. | Moreover, the stridulation of the male is different, as it can be heard for rods away, the loud chr-r-r-r-r being sounded just as it leaves the ground, and not while on the wing, as is that of xanthoptera. These differences, however, are so minor that I follow Thomas in placing it as a variety of that species. 10. SPHARAGEMON BALTEATUM, Scudd. Spharagemon balteatum, Scudder, Proceed. Bost Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIL., 1875, 469. A rare species found in dry, open, upland woods. Four specimens were taken Oct. 12, two in copulation. It is not included in either of Dr. Thomas’s J]linois lists, and although it ranges from Maine to Texas, has not before been recorded closer than New Jersey on the east and Kansas on the west. 11. DIssOSTEIRA CAROLINA, Linn. The Black-winged Grasshopper. Locusta carolina, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, £76, pl. IIL, fig. 3. (aipoda carolina, Thomas, Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 117. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, rrr. This common species is readily known by its broad, black, yellow- bordered hind wings, and by its habit of flying rather than hopping when disturbed ; many persons taking it for a butterfly when it is on the wing. It is more often found along roadsides and railways than in meadows and pastures, 12, Hippiscus RuGosus, Scudd. Thé Clumsy Grasshopper. (Edipoda rugosa, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 132. Hippiscus, corallipes rugosa, 1d., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill, 1880, 115. : beige This large, thick-bodied species is rather common in autumn, its favorite resorts being timothy stubble or open, upland pastures. When THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 79 disturbed it flies but a short distance, and without noise, except the flutter _of its wings. When on the ground it is: very clumsy, on account of its large size, and is easily caught with the hands. 12 (a). Hrpprscus RuGosus PARADOXA, Thos. _ GQdipoda paradoxa, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 132. Four very large specimens, having the base of wings a bright coral red instead of yellow, were taken. ‘The dark spots on the elytra also varied slightly from those of the typical rugosus, but other than this I could detect no differences, and I hence refer them to the above-named variety. 13. Hippiscus PH@NICOPTERA, German. The Coral Winged Grasshopper. “dipoda phenicoptera, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 135. Hippiscus phenicopterus, Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill, 1880, 117, figs. 14, 18. Locusta corallina, Harris, Ins. Inj, 1862, 176. An uncommon species, frequenting open woods and meadows from May to September, but rarely found in late autumn. It resembles 7. rugosus in form and size, but is more active and stridulates much louder _ than that species. The larve evidently hibernate as the imagoes are _ found so early in the season. ACRIDINI. 14. SCHISTOCERCA AMERICANA, Drury. The American Grasshopper. Acridum americanum, Thos., Trans, Ill. St. Agl. Soc., V., 1865, 446. « Id., Syn. Acrid: N. A., 1573, 172. a Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill, 1880, 129, a fig. 10. This large and handsome grasshopper was quite common, even as late as Nov. 22, along fence-rows, borders of thickets and in low, open oak woods, but was seldom seen in open meadows or pastures. More often than any other species it is found on fences, and when flushed it rises quickly and with a whirring noise, made by its wings in flight. It moves rapidly a long distance, and very frequently alights in a bush or low tree instead of on the ground. 15. ACRIDIUM ALUTACEUM, Harris. The Leather-colored Grasshopper. Acridium alutaceum, Harris, Ins. Inj, 1862, 173. Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 171. 80 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. A rare species, having been noted on but one occasion, along the sandy embankment of a railway, when, perhaps, a dozen specimens were ~ taken on Oct. 11. The males were very brightly coloured, having evidently just moulted for the last time. Like the preceding species, it flies more often than it hops, moving with the same rapid flight, but not so far as S. Americana. A single specimen of this species was taken in Monroe Co., Ind., in 1886, and at the time was referred to 4. emarginatum, Uhler, with the description of which, as given by Thomas, it closely agrees. It is not recorded from Illinois, nor from any locality nearer than Kansas, as far as I can ascertain. : 16. PEZOTETTIX ROTUNDIPENNIS, Scudd. The Round-winged Grasshopper. Peszotettix rotundipennis, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., | XIX., 1877, 86. This species was named for me by Dr. Scudder, as I did not have | the description cited above at the time it was taken. It has been known heretofore only from Florida. In Vigo County it is rather scarce, and frequents the borders of blue grass pastures and roadsides. The female appears much more common than the males, only two or three of the latter having been seen. It has been taken as late as Nov. 22, when two females were found on the lower plank of a fence enjoying the sunshine. A single pair were noted in copulation Oct. 11, 1890. 17. PEZOYTETTIX SCUDDERI, Uhler. Scudder’s Grasshopper. Pezotettix scudderi, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 152. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, raz. In October and November this species is very common in open woods and pastures, especially near the borders of them, where upon the lower part of the fences it delights to collect during the short autumn afternoons. 18. PFZUTETTIX VIRIDIPES (?) Walsh, Mss. | A single specimen taken from the roadside on Oct. 11, 1890, was referred to Dr. Scudder for identification. He returned it with the above name marked doubtfully, stating that it “ differed from the typical speci- men in the nearly complete obliteration of the median carina of the prozona.” I have seen no description of it. as THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 81 : 19. PEZOTETTIX GRACILIS, Bruner. Pesotettix minutipennis, Thos., Bull. Ill. Mus. Nat. Hist., L., 1876, 66. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent. IL, 1880, 11g. Pezotettix manca (?) (Smith), Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 149. This species was identified as P. minutipennis, Thos., and sent to Mr. Bruner for verification. He referred it to P. gracilis, Bruner, of which I have no description, but Scudder. Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XX., 1879, 77, says that minutipennis is a synonym of gracilis. It differs but slightly from the description of P. manca, Smith, as given by Thomas in his Synopsis, and in my opinion the latter is also a synonym. About a dozen specimens were taken from low open woods. The ‘sexes were found paired Oct. 11 and Nov. 1. 20. PEZOTETTIX VIOLA, Thos. FPezotettix viola, Thos., Bull. Ill. Mus. Nat. Hist., I, 1876; 68. -Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent. Ill., 1880, 120. Caloptenus nigrescens, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. ‘Soc. Nat. Hist, Amat 1877, 27. Among some grasshoppers sent to Mr. Bruner were two which I had identified as P. viola, Thos. He returned their name as P. occidentalis, Bruner. Specimens were afterwards sent to Mr, Scudder, who referred them to P. nigrescens, Scudd., and wrote that he had P. occidenta/is, and that it was certainly distinct from P. nigrescens, but that he had never yet determined /. vo/a. At the same time he forwarded his description of P. nigrescens, cited above, which after careful comparison I believe to be synonymous with P. viola, the latter having the precedence. Having never seen a description of P. occidentalis | cannot say as to whether P. viola is a synonym of it or not. Z The species is not a common one, only a half a dozen specimens hav- a ing been taken. It is found in company with P. scudderi in open woods. a P. viola, according to Thomas, occurs in central and southern Ill. P. nigrescens was described from Georgia. 21. MELANOPLUS MINOR, Scudd. ; Caloptenus minor, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIL., 1875, 478. This is a Western species not having been taken before east of Central Illinois. But two specimens were taken. They were found in company with the next species along the borders of a woodland pasture on October rr. , (To be continued; ) 82 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, PREPARATORY STAGES OF DATANA PERSPICUA, G & R., AND CERURA BOREALIS, BOISD. BY HARRISON G. DYAR, NEW YORK. DaTaNa PERSPICUA.—Zgg: In general shape subpyriform ; flattened at base and top, depressed centrally at vertex, the usual black spot small and indistinct, situated at the bottom of the punctiform depression ; the whole surface punctured. Colour white, the lid-like top of a somewhat brighter white. Width .g mm., height .8mm. The egg is of the type of D. major, but resembles the type of D. ministra in coloration by possess- — ing a discolorous lid-like top. ‘This is the part of the shell eaten by the young larva in hatching. Laid in masses of varying numbers on the under side of the leaves of the food plant, First stage: When first hatched the head is black, .5 mm. wide ; the body yellowish with a reddish dorsal and subdorsal line, not eudhiie the extremities ; cervical shield, feet and anal plate black. As the stage advances the body becomes reddish with four lateral yellow stripes on each side and three ventral, as in allies, which remain throughout the larval stages. ‘They are nearly as wide as the intervening lateral spaces, a little confluent posteriorly and are coloured yellow. Black hairs arise from small black tubercles and from the elevated anal feet. Length near completion of this stage about 5 mm. Second stage: Head higher than wide, slightly punctured, bias: width r.1 mm. Body parts coloured as before. The hair is short, bindkinh and arises from minute tubercles that are much smaller than in the previ- ous stage. Third stage: Head shiny black, punctured, the clypeus smooth ; width 1.6-1.8 mm. Cervical shield, anal plate and thoracic feet black. Body dark red, the stripes broader than the intervening spaces, bright yellow ; abdominal feet red, the anal pair black. A few short hairs ; spiracles small, black. Fourth stage : Head as before, or in other examples, bright wine-red, the lower part of the clypeus, eyes and mouth parts, black width 2.7 mm. Body as before, the stripes partly confluent posteriorly, hardly so anteriorly ; spiracles black, larger than before. Or the cervical shield and anal plate may be wine red, the stripes broad, lemon yellow, moderately confluent at both ends ; thoracic and anal feet and the abdominal feet outwardly very slightly black. Hair 5 mm. long, whitish, besides other more abundant fine short hair. Be ft iw cay te a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 83 Fifth stage: Head rounded, depressed at the sutures of the clypeus, ‘punctured, shining, usually black; width 4.1 mm.; cervical shield, anal pRate and legs black, except occasionally the shield, plate and nearly all of the head is wine-red, or rather blood-red. All kinds of intergrading examples occur. The body is usually black, rarely red, the stripes broad, bright lemon-yellow, somewhat confluent posteriorly. Hair whitish, rather abundant but not long, with other more numerous short, brownish hairs. Bases of abdominal feet a little reddish. In two examples the stripes were much narrower than usual, especially posteriorly, and were much broken, the upper ones consisting of series of little yellow dots. Both had black heads, and they were not alike, as one was much nearer the normal form than the other. Pupa: Formed in a subterraneous cell, cylindrical ; the abdominal segments gently rounded; sutures deep, capable of motion; cases moderately prominent, especially those covering the palpi; two cremas- ters, very short, each bearing two spines, the outer the shorter, all ina transverse line; cases finely creased ; body densely punctured ; colour mahogany-red ; cremasters blackish. Length 24 mm; width 7 mm. The species is single brooded, though occasionally a few individuals may emerge the same year in confinement, possibly indicating two broods in the southern part of its habitat. food plants : Sumach (Rhus glabra and R. typhina). Larve from Duchess and Ulster counties, N. Y. Abundant; the commonest species of Datana in the electric lamps at Poughkeepsie. This larva is well protected by its coloration, which resembles the usual colours (bright red and yellow) of dying Sumach leaves, and it is usually on the lower parts of the bush where such coloured leaves occur that the larvee amass themselves, especially when young, CERURA BOREALIS, Boisd.--Zgg: Less than hemispherical—obtusely conoidal, the base flat; minutely shagreened; colour black; a little lustrous, but not shiny. Laid singly on either surface of the leaf. * * * * * * * * Second stage: Head red-brown, not shiny, the upper half darker ; mouth parts blackish ; width 1.1 mm. A pair of subdorsal horns on the prothoracic segment, short and spinose ; stemapods 5 mm, long, only slightly spined ; a transverse row of minute spines on each segment. Body purplish brown over the dorsum nearly to the spiracles, this colour cov- 84 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ering the thoracic segments entirely and ventrally on the seventh to the tenth abdominal segments. The rest of the body is green. The back centrally — is a little paler than elsewhere, especially on the metathoracic and fifst abdominal segments, except in a dorsal line. Spiracles minute, black ringed. Stemapods dark red-brown, twice annulated with whitish and tipped with the same colour. Thoracic feet black ; abdominal feet green. Third stage: Head non-lustrous dark wine-red, paler on the lower part, minutely but thickly mottled with little paler spots ; ocelli black ; antennee pale; width 1.6 mm. Cervical horns tuberculated, each with a hair; tails spinose. Thoracic segments, dorsal half of body nearly to spiracles and the last three abdominal segments (joints 12 and 13) ventrally, brownish vinous, as are also the ‘‘ tails,” but for the two broad whitish annulations, The rest of the body is green; the thoracic feet pale testa- ceous. Piliferous tubercles as before. As the stage advances the brown colour on the dorsum fades out on the posterior thoracic and first abdominal segments (joints 3-5), leaving a triangular patch on the two anterior thoracic segments (joints 2 and 3), which is narrowly connected with the rest of the dorsal colour by a line on the metathoracie segment (joint 4), that rapidly widens on the first abdominal segment (joint 5). Fourth stage: Head brownish wine-red, the upper two-thirds thickly covered with little round reddish dots, but leaving a narrow line of the ground colour on each side of, and parallel to, the central suture ; paler or yellowish at the sides posteriorly ; ocelli blackish ; antennz white, - brownish toward the tips; width 2.5 mm. Cervical shield red-brown, speckled like the head with little dots but less thickly ; the horns on either side of it thick, round, tuberculated ; stemapods 9 mm. long, curled up a little at the ends, spinose and coloured red-brown, twice annulated with sordid white. The extensile threads are pinkish at base with a white ring, the terminal part black. Body a little elevated dorsally on the posterior part of the mésothoracic segment (joint 3) but without any process on the metathoracic segment. It is pale green with a broad ferruginous-brown dorsal band which is triangular on the first two thoracic segments, covering the horns, narrows to a line on the metathoracic segment and widening continuously again just reaches the spiracle on the fourth abdominal segment (joint 8), after which it narrows, reaching a minimum in the suture between the seventh and eighth abdominal segments (though still quite wide), widens a little and slightly contracts to cover the anal plate. The band contains some minute 4 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 85 piliferous tubercles and is faintly bordered with yellow. Spiracles pale ochre ; venter paler, whitish, with a purple medio-ventral line on the eighth to the tenth abdominal segments. Feet concolorous with the body. As the stage advances some small brown spots appear on the sides. fifth stage: Head Sounded: flat in front, the clypeus a little depressed, with two vertical ridges below ; colour purplish brown, the little yellowish spots arranged as before; clypeus and mouth reddish, jaws black outwardly ; antenne reddish, their bases yellow ; ocelli black ; the lateral posterior part of the head pale yellow ; width 3.6 mm. A few hairs. Body shaped as in the previous stage, the cervical horns present but small, smooth, punctured at the ends, projecting laterally in line with _ the cervical shield. ‘Tails tuberculated, each tubercle with a fine spine ; tt mm. long; extensile threads black with a white ring, yellowish at base. Body pale whitish-yellow, becoming pale lemon-yellow, the dorsal __ band ferruginous-brown, shaped as before. On the cervical shield it is marked like the head and bisected by a narrow pale dorsal line; it _ covers the upper part of the cervical horns, passes below the spiracle on _ the fourth abdominal segment, narrows to a minimum on the eighth _ abdominal segment (where it is thrice as wide as on the metathoracic _ segment) and ends elliptically, covering the anal plate. It is edged with blackish brown and contains a diffuse dorsal and three oblique lateral bands of the same colour, posterior to the latter of which are faint yellowish mottlings. In the lateral angle of the band is also a blackish- brown shade. Tails concolorous, twice annulated with pale yellow. On the lateral region are a few minute hairs and some faint brown spots. Spiracles _ ochre in a very narrow brown border, and obscurely surrounded by brown 4 clouds. A series of subventral blackish-brown spots and a medio-ventral q line posteriorly. Thoracic feet brownish testaceous ; abdominal feet pale _ yellow. The erect spines at the anus are black. Length of larva, exclusive of the stemapods, 22 mm. As the stage advances the dorsal band becomes paler, the cervical shield pinkish, and the markings are more distinct. Cocoon: Like those of the other species of Cerura, but rather flatter for its size. Length 38 mm.; width 11 mm.; height above the ‘surface of the wood 6 mm. fPupa: Cylindrical, flattened a little on the ventral side, the ends rounded, not tapering ; cases prominent, those covering the antenne 86 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ‘ — large ; a slight depression behind thorax dorsally ; no cremaster ; colour red-brown ; cases finely wrinkled; dull; body smooth, slightly shiny. Length 17 mm.; width 5 mm. Duration of this stage, through the winter. Food plant: Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina). : Larve from Dutchess Co, N. Y. Widths of head for the several stages, calculated from the width at the last stage, ratio .68, are:—.77 mm., 1.13 mm., 1.66 mm., 2.45 mmi., 3.6 mm. Observed :—1.1 mm., 1.6 mm., 2.5 mm., 3.6 mm. | The species of Cerura may be separated as follows :— Primaries crossed at basal third by a dark gray band. Primaries white. Six black spots in an ellipse on disk. ..........borealis, Bd. Indistinct dental lines on disk. of mS Transverse band broad......... . aquilonaris, Lintn. Transverse band narrow, sometimes eas: .albicoma, Strk. Primaries pale cinereous. Three dentate lines on disk...............0ccidentalis, Lintn. A row of dots on disk................Var. cinereoides, Dyar. Primaries dark cinereous ....... Covecs css re Primaries crossed by many dentate black lines: Secondaries white. Lines continuous............+++-++.++- +. SCHISCFIpla, Walk. Lines interrupted 1.2.9.4 de eee a Hees var. candida, Lintn. Secondaries black... .. 22... -+essss- +++. +. MUL nr Of these the larvae of four are known and can be separated by the following table :— | No dorsal process on metathoracic segment. Edges of dorsal band even. 2 Dorsal elevation on mesothoracic segment simple... .dere- ~ [adis, Bd Dorsal elevation double .............. occidentalis, Lintn Edges of dorsal band irregular. a8 Band spotted with yellow.................¢imerea, Walk Band spotted with crimson and yellow.. .. var. cimereoides, ~— [Dyar. A distinct dorsal process on the metathoracic segment...... mudti- [seripta, Riley. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 87 Walker* records “ C. difda, var. ?” from Hudson’s Bay, and Butlert doubtfully refers a specimen from Mendocino Co., Cal., to Cerura bicuspis, Borkh., but it seems probable that these specimens belong to some of the American species, and at any rate these references are not positive enough ~ warrant the inclusion of the names in the list. _. Cerura scolopendrina is known to me only by Boisduval’s description, _ which is vague, and I have not included it in the table. : : Cinereoides is a form of cinerea, as I have pointed out, and I consider - candida_as a variety of scitiscripta chiefly on the authority of Mr. Graef and of Dr. Strecker. Mr. Graef has shown me that there is no difference in pattern between the two, while ae Strecker assures me that they were _“ raised from the same lot of eggs.” THE MOOSE FLY—A NEW HA‘MATOBIA. BY WM. A. SNOW, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, LAWRENCE. Entomologists will be interested to learn of the occurrence of a near relative of the Horn Fly, Hematobia serrata, in the middle of the great cranberry swamps of Northern Minnesota. These vast low areas extend for hundreds of square miles in the vicinity of the Lake of Woods. They are the favored home of the American moose, and the hope of obtaining some specimens of this animal for the museum of the University of Kansas led Professor L. L. Dyche of that institution to traverse these dangerous marshes. Professor Dyche has recently returned after remain- ing for over three months in the very centre of the swamps, camping upon the occasional sand ridges which cross the region; and to him I am indebted for specimens of a new Hematodia. The flies were noticed first upon skinning the first moose, when a number of them were discovered in the animal’s rectum, into which they had crawled for two or three inches in order to deposit their eggs in the excreta. The dejecta upon the ground were also found to contain hundreds of the eggs. Altogether nineteen moose were killed and in almost every case these flies were observed about them, remaining upon *Cat. British Mus., Vol. IV., p. 985. +Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol. VIII., p. 317. 88 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. their carcasses as long as they lay unskinned, which was often twenty-four to thirty hours. For some time after the death of the animal, the Hematobie could be seen only with difficulty, concealed as they were by the mosquitoes which were incredibly numerous, lingering in clouds upon the dead moose as long as any of its juices could be extracted. The flies seemed to prefer the regions of the head, rump and legs where the hair is shortest. It is highly improbable that they find a resting place upon the horns of the moose. The male moose go thrashing about in the underbrush with tempestuous energy. They use their horns during a great part of the year to scrape away the bark from trees ; and they have a way of winding them in among the bushes when a rival is near, as a challenge. The females, as is well known, have no horns. The present species is very probably indigenous, infesting as it does an animal not in domestication ; and inhabiting such secluded inland portions of this continent. The moose obtained by this expedition were all killed far — within the swamp, fifteen to twenty miles from firm land ; and it is only in ~ such places that this now rapidly disappearing animal can be found. This region is rarely visited by white men, and the few Indians that venture there wait until the surface of the fens is frozen over. It is not altogether unlikely that this fly infests the caribou also.” It was hardly possible to observe its actions on the living moose; but we know that it lays its eggs in the excrement, and in all probability it resembles . serrata in other habits as well. Professor Dyche heard no complaints from owners of stock on the borders of the swamp of the ordinary Horn Fly, or of any similar fly. The cattle are, however, tormented with mosquitoes, and smudges are kept constantly burning to which they may run for relief. Hematobia alcis, n. sp. Male.—Length 4-6 mm. Front narrow, with concave sides ; central portion black with yellowish pollinose orbital stripes ; sides of front further marked by a row of long, sparse, black hairs. Antennz blackish-brown ; second joint sub-globular ; third joint slightly longer than broad, with square corners, and slightly coneave on the inner side. Arista black, base enlarged. Pectinations long ; some- times one or two hairs on inferior side. Face and cheeks black, sparsely clothed with black hairs. Palpi long, porrect, gently spatulate, light yellow, with black hairs. Proboscis brownish-black. Dorsum of thorax greyish pollinose with yellowish tinge. Two very distinct black median stripes and an interrupted lateral stripe on either side. Thorax and THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. - 89 ‘scutellum with long black bristles. Scutellum concolorous. Abdomen -yellowish-grey pollinose, with black hair ; a brownish-black median stripe, interrupted at the incisures ; a pair of dusky spots on second and third ‘segments, and sometimes also on the fourth, Legs simple, blackish- _ brown, except the yellow basal and immediate distal ends of femora and basal ends of tibia. Wings hyaline, somewhat dusky ; base orange yellow. — Female.—Front wide and with straight sides. Hind femora light brown, except a subapical dusky band about one-third the length of the femur in width. - Nine males and ten females. The specimens are alcoholic, but in excellent preservation. They are now in the museum of the University of Kansas. The following differences between H alcis and H. serrata may be noted :—The former is larger. It has thin black pile on the cheeks, while in the latter the pile is golden and quite thick. The palpi of H adcis are light-yellow in both sexes with no trace of black, except in the scattered black hairs. The stripes on the dorsum of the thorax are much more distinct, The legs differ considerably, being darker in colour ; in the male they are blackish-brown, except the yellow basal and immediate distal ends of the femora, and basal ends of the tibiz; the female has light brown hind femora varied by dusky bands near the distalends. A -more important difference, however, is the lack of the serrations which characterize the hind tarsi of the male % serrata. Base of wings in the present species more broadly and brightly yellow. Rondani defined the subgenus Lyferosia, to which H. serrata is referred, from two characters, namely: hairs of arista all superior, and a anterior cross-vein opposite the termination of the first longitudinal vein. An examination of my specimens of H. a/cis has discovered two with one or two hairs on the underside of the arista; and I may say, on the ___ authority of Dr. S. W. Williston, that the relation of the small cross-vein 4 _ to the end ofthe first vein in this and allied groups is very inconstant. I have compared the present species with the descriptions of European species of Hematobia (except that of HZ. irritans which I did not have), and find that A /erox approached it in some respects, but, brief as is the description, several important differences were noted. 90 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. CORRESPONDENCE, © REVISION OF THE GENUS AGROTIS. Dear Sir,—A few words are called for by Mr. Grote’s “ remarks” in the March number of the Can. Ent. The parts critical, of course, require no reply, and are really unexpectedly cordial ; nor do the parts explana- tory. Mr. Grote asks why I write Aerelis, badinodes and insula, instead of herilis, badinodis and insudsa. In each instance it is occasioned by an original misreading and mistranscription of the name, which had become — so fixed that, often as I had seen and written the names, still persisted and prevented my seeing the error. Iam obliged to Mr. Grote for point- ing out these cases. Mr. Grote says: ‘‘ With regard to the classification of the group it is conducted upon the basis first suggested by myself, 2. ¢., the forms with unarmed fore-tibize are separated, and other divisions are based upon genitalia and sexual characters.” He refers to the Can. Enr., XV., p. 51, March, 1883. In 1857 Lederer had already used ad/ the characters suggested by Mr. Grote, and the latter has made absolutely zo original suggestions for dividing the genus. Nor has Mr. Grote, anywhere in the Noctuide, used or suggested mew characters. He has written as though I had found the basis for such work as I have done, in his writings. I wish distinctly to state that this is mot the case. Herrich-Schaeffer, von Heinemann, Lederer, and others, all used the same characters that Mr. Grote has used. I claimed no originality for these bases of sub- division, and no credit is due to Mr. Grote therefor. In the systematic study of the sexual characters in this genus and in the American Noctuide I do claim originality. Lederer did not get the clasper in any case, and used only the external form of the harpes. Mr. Grote does not give any evidence, anywhere in his writings, that he went even as far as Lederer in this direction. Mr. Grote knows the writings to which I have referred, as his earlier papers sufficiently prove. In reference to my citations of deter- minations made by him in collections, these are always to specimens bearing a label in Mr. Grote’s own handwriting, and where a type is referred to, it means a specimen so labelled by Mr. Grote himself. I refer now to Mr. Grote’s paper in the Proc. Am. Phil. Soc., June, 1883, p. 176, for the following :—‘‘I conclude this paper by briefly referring to the fact that I have determined my species in many collections. I enumerate those of Mr. Thaxter, Mr. Neumoegen, Mr. Hy. Edwards, Mr. Tepper, and in the Albany collections. A large number of my types are in Mr. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 91 _ Neumeegen’s grand collection, and I have figured a good number of the ' species. There can thus be but few cases of doubt as to what I have described.” All of these collections I have studied, and my references _are to identifications made in them. I do not blame Mr. Grote for making errors, and had he not assumed so infallible a standard for himself in his criticism of others, would not have so often pointed them out. I am said also to have followed Mr Grote’s synonymy or “adopted” it. Alto- _ gether 59 species have synonyms. Of these 23 are originally stated by myself, Mr. Strecker gives one, Mr. Butler is responsible in whole or in _ part for six, two of them are mere citations of preoccupied names, and of the older species the synonymy is “adopted” by Mr. Grote from Walker in several instances. This is not scientific literature by any means, and I regret being responsible for it, but I cannot allow Mr. Grote’s statement “that I have at least laid down the founda- tion for its proper study” to go unchallenged. Mr. Grote’s work in the North American Noctuide has been a necessary one, and has been largely drudgery. No one can better appreciate than I the labor involved in identifying material, naming and describing it. That he made synonyms was simply natural and unavoidable, and is in no wise to his discredit. I expect to make them myself, and have done so already. Our noctuids are far from completely known, and in the Agrotes alone will reach nearly 500 species. I know of more than 20 already that are different from any described in the monograph. Mr. Grote’s earlier _ papers were, as a rule, careful and easy to work with, and so up to the _ period of Dr. Harvey’s work. That Mr. Grote really described Dr. Harvey's species has been often told me; but it is interesting to have the statement from headquarters. Mr. Grote’s work in the later period failed’ to equal the earlier papers, so far as value to the student is concerned, from the fact that he assumed in general that his readers knew the Noc- tuidee just as wellas he did himself. A brief indication, perfectly char- acteristic in Mr. Grote’s view, was absolutely incomprehensible to one _ hot so well grounded. Mr. Grote’ s work is essentially descriptive, rarely ___ Systematic, never monographic. His generalizations are often well put, _ interesting and valuable; but withal I have not found anywhere any “foundations” for monographic work that did not already exist in literature. Mr. Grote’s correction of my reference to éusudsa is just. I somehow overlooked the comparison to repentis. A specimen in Dr, Bethune’s collection named by Walker, and agreeing with his description, is-a species of Hadena, allied to devastatrix in maculation, but much darker and richer brown in colour, and is Mr. Grote’s H. ducta. Walker’s determinations are not reliable, and I do not say Mr. Grote is wrong. Joun B. Smirn. 92 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. NOTES. WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF COLIAS PHILODICE. In August, 1886, while visiting in Louisiana, Mo., I made frequent excursions to damp places along a neighboring brook in search of butter-— flies. It was the droughty season, and there were but a few stagnant pools, damp gravel beds, and moist clay slopes at which insects could slake their thirst. At one of the last named places I noticed a great bunch of Coliads (mostly Col/ias philodice with an occasional Lurytheme), and a few specimens of Pier’s rap@, which my advance started and put to flight. As a few individuals did not take to wing, but seemed unable to rise though they fluttered violently, my curiosity was aroused and a closer investigation showed the bank and gravel bed below to be strewn with mutilated specimens of PAzlodice, scores of individuals, detached wings in some cases, in others the head and thorax remained intact. Upon taking the struggling butterflies by the wings I found they were held firmly to the ground, their abdomens being drawn into the burrows of Tiger-beetle — larve. They were being actually eaten alive by these voracious grubs, I found that the robbers after eating the softer parts of the butterflies cast the wings and harder parts away from their holes. Upon my retiring a few yards the thirsty butterflies returned and settled down to sip the moisture again. Those that alighted over the burrows were quickly seized by their cunning enemies, and the poor creatures could only flutter, unnoticed in their death struggles by their unsuspecting compan- ions. I found the clay slope to contain great numbers of these holes or burrows, and the top of each hole displayed. a dark head with a pair of ugly jaws, murderous assassins in hiding, thirsting for innocent blood ! R: R: ROwLRY, Curryville, MS. Errata.—C. E., Vol. XXJIL, p. 34, line 8 from bottom, and p. ae line 4, for ‘ Lec.” read “ Sec. m p- 34, last line, for Prioma read Prionia; p. 35, line 6, for “Lilia ” read “ Tilia n. Pp. 35, last line, for ‘‘ Basidomycetons” read ‘‘ Basidomycetous” ; p. 36, line 15, for “ Lilia” read “ Tilia.” R. THAXTER. * , * The Editor craves the indulgence of his correspondents, as he has met with a severe domestic affliction in the loss of his daughter, AGNES EmiLy Bernune, who died on the znd of March in the twenty-sgrond ipa of her age. Mailed April 7th, im ‘ @ anadtiay Hentomologist ‘VOL. XXIII LONDON, MAY, 180. No. 5. SILVER-TOP IN GRASS AND THE INSECTS WHICH MAY PRODUCE IT.* BY HERBERT OSBORN, AMES, IOWA. The common affection of various grasses, commonly known as _* Silver-top,” has received the attention of such well-known investigators as Professors Comstock, Lintner, Forbes, Fletcher and others, and it is not with the expectation of completely solving the problem which has perplexed these careful students that I venture to present my experience, but in the hope that by comparisons of experience and observation we may arrive at a better knowledge of a subject at once important and complex. The appearance of affected grass has been often stated and can be _ described briefly as a whitening of the upper portion of the stalk of grass, especially the head, which withers without maturing seed, while the basal portion is shrivelled. ‘The causes assigned for this whitening have been various, but, I believe, generally referred to the injury produced by some kind of insect operating at the base of the terminal node of the stalk. The various observations upon the insects suspected of causing the injury, or found associated with it, are admirably summed up by Mr. James Fletcher. Entomologist to the Dominion of Canada, in his report for 1888, pp, 59-62. Briefly, the species credited with the most certainty so far have been species of Aleromyza, Chlorops and Thrips, _while Mr. Fletcher mentions suspecting species of Hemiptera, and records an attempt to produce Silver-top by caging such Hemiptera (species not _ designated) upon grass plants. The species which can perhaps be considered as having been most _ positively connected with the disease is a Thrips called Limothrips poaphagus by Prof. Comstock, and while, as will be shown later, I feel certain that but little if any of the trouble which has come under my *Read before the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science, Indianapolis, August, 1890, 94 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. own observation can be due to this insect, I wish to state beforehand that I have no thought of discrediting Prof. Comstock’s observations, or — questioning the ability of the ZArips he describes to cause all the injury credited to it. It is evident, upon slight examination of the subject, that the same appearance of the grass may be produced by very different — agents, provided they attack the same point in the stem. Any injury to the juicy base of the terminal node that cuts off the flow of the sap to the head during a certain stage of its growth must produce the withering and whitening so conspicuous in affected fields. Starting with this premise it is reasonable to conclude that the trouble may result from a number of different agents, and such, I believe, to be actually the case as a result from the sum of my observations here presented. eae During the past two seasons I have examined with care a pom number of affected stems, usually with the aid of a hand lens. For the season just past my observations in the field were interrupted, shortly after the appearance of Silver-top, by a trip to Washington. But while absent I had a graduate student collect as many of the whitened stalks as he could and place them in alcohol, and these have been examined also so as to make the observations extend through as much of the season as possible. In a very few cases I have seen evidence of fungi present in the shrivelled base of the withered node, but so very few and in such cases so evidently a consequent of the injury that I do not think it can be credited with any of the damage. : In a very small proportion of cases I have found Thriphiie orteshih in the injured part, and in so few when the greatest care was taken to get stems that were but just beginning to show injury, that I feel forced to abandon the view that these are the principal agents in the injury here. Dipterous larve have been still less frequent and I feel positive that only an exceedingly small part of the damage for the region studied can be referred to them. Moreover, I think that in fully ninety per cent. of the stems examined (so many examinations have been made at odd times during my walks, and in spare moments, that no exact percentage can be given,) no insect of any kind was found to be within the sheath of the injured stem. : Punctures of insects have been noticed in great abundance on the parts of the plant around these injured parts, and in many cases evidence of the puncture of the succulent portion itself was: apparent. The character of these punctures agreeing closely with those known to be ies THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 95 made by various species of Homoptera affecting the same plants, and the conclusion that these insects are responsible for a part at least of this injury seems to me to be very strongly suggested, though not demon- strated. There is no question whatever that these Homoptera puncture grass, both blades and stems, to procure their food. This is shown by the numerous punctures and deadened spots on the leaves and stems, and can be verified by watching the insect itself That the puncture of the stem just above the joint so as to enter the succulent base of the terminal node, and the extraction of the sap from that part, would cause their shrivelling and the consequent whithering of the node above, seems _ sufficiently evident. Knowing the habits of these insects, and considering the fact of their - actual occurrence on the injured plants and the presence of injured spots, such as these insects make in getting their food, there seems to me no _ reasonable doubt of the fosszbzdity of these insects causing all the damage observed. ‘The difficulty, in case we accept this view, is to explain why _ Silver-top is not more abundant than it is, or that such experiments as that by Mr. Fletcher in caging Hemiptera on grass did not produce it, _ for these insects swarm on almost every blade of grass. ‘These insects, however, work on leaves and stems all the way from the surface of the ground to the tip, and their punctures are distributed promiscuously over all their surfaces. In stiff leaves and sheaths as well as in the stems above the succulent basal portion the shrivelling is confined to the few cells immediately surrounding the puncture, but in case the beak is thrust into the succulent part the effect is to kill the cells of an area through which all the sap for the nourishment of the upper node must pass, and, hence, the more conspicuous effect. Some of my observations, moreover, show that this injury is not con- fined entirely to the upper joint, though always most conspicuous in the whitened head, but I have found the stem affected in lower nodes, and in some cases almost to the ground, in which cases also some of the upper leaves show the whitening effect of the injury. : The species of Homoptera most likely to be concerned in this work, are the common species of De/tocephalus, especially inimicus debilis, etc., which are serious grass pests, in any case, from their attacks upon the stems and leaves, and which I have recorded in some detail in a recent report to the Division of Entomology. 96 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. If correct in the opinion that the greater part of this injury where I have observed it is due to these insects, the matter of applications for their destruction becomes much easier, as we then have to deal with insects exposed to destructive liquids, or to destruction with “ hopper dozers” and similar contrivances. My argument in brief is this: “Silver-top” may be produced by a number of different insects—a point already made by Mr. Fletcher. It may result from the action of insects within the sheath, or from punctur- ing and sucking of sap by insects that operate from the outside. In my own observations but a very small percentage of affected stems have contained insects of any kind within the sheath, and many show clearly evidence of puncture from without. The species most abundant in the affected fields, andl known to punc- ture grasses, are mainly Jasside. ‘These insects are sufficiently abundant, and their habits entirely in accord with the injuries noted. No other insects of sufficient abundance, and with habits to make it probable that they could cause the injury, have been found in the silver-topped grass. I conclude, then, from all the observations made so far, that for the locality studied, Homoptera (mainly /ass¢de) are the principal causes of the disease. The insects are open to general attack, and Silver-top should be prevented by their destruction. [The attention of Canadian observers is invited to this important subject. The appearance known as “Silver-top” has increased enor- mously in some districts during the last few years. In many cases examined the cause could not be ascertained.—Ep. C. E.] SOME RARE LEPIDOPTERA TAKEN NEAR MONTREAL. BY A. F. WINN, MONTREAL. Thecla laeta, Edw. 1 was fortunate enough to take a female of this rare and beautiful butterfly on the top of Beloeil Mt., 22 miles east of Montreal, on May 24th, 1888. I again visited the place on the same date in 1889 and 1890, but on both occasions the weather was too cloudy for anything to be on the wing. Thecla acadica, Edw. I took two specimens at St. Rose, July 7th, 18809, flying over a field of oats, among which there was a quantity of wild mustard in flower, and the butterflies visited the latter occasionally, but only for a moment, and then dashed off. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 97 * Thecla strigosa, Harr. Very rare some seasons, and rather common others. Flies in the beginning of July, and 5 Bes doors the flowers of Asclepias and Apocynum. Pamphila leonardus, Harr. One specimen (2) taken on the flowers _of Golden-rod, September 7th, 1890. The first I have taken. Dilophonota ello, Linn. I have been given a specimen of this “ visitor _ from the south,” that was found in the grass on McGill College grounds about the end of September, 1886. This is an interesting capture, as the date agrees exactly with captures in Ontario at London, Hamilton, and Dundas, already recorded in the CanaDIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. _ Crocota Treatii, Grote. One specimen taken at rest on the trunk of an oak, July 6th, 1889. DPryocampa rubicunda, Fabr. This is recorded as being very rare in this province (Can. Ent. VI., 220; VII., 109); but since the introduc- tion of electric lights in our streets a number have been taken every season. Thyatira pudens, Guen. One specimen found at rest on a lamp post, May 13th, 1889. | Charadra deridens, Guen. I bred a specimen of this moth Feb. 21st, 1889. The larva was found on oak, and agreed exactly with the ** unidentified larva ” described in Vol. XVIII., p. 124 of the Can. Env. Last September I found two larve on white birch, but not having enough boxes with me to keep all the species of larve separate, I put a /Vofo- _donta \arva in the same box, and when I reached home I found that both my deridens had been bitten to death. Syneda Alleni, Grote. ‘Two specimens, 1886, one taken at Cote St. Antoine, flying at noon, June 30th; the other in the city, about the middle of July, by light. Marmopteryx strigularia, Minot. I took this species in large num- bers in a maple grove near St. Therese, on August 31st, 1890. They . seemed to be confined to this place, as in the fields surrounding the wood none were seen, but as soon as the woods were entered they flew up from the trees by dozens to settle again a few yards off on other maple trunks. When at rest the wings were invariably closed over the back like those of a butterfly, showing the beautiful marbling of the under surface. 98 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. SOME INDIANA ACRIDID/. BY W. S. BLATCHLEY, TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA. (Continued from page 81, Volume xxiii. ) 22. MELANOPLUS FEMUR-RUBRUM, De Geer. The Red-legged Grass- hopper. | . Acrydium femur-rubrum, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 174, fig. 80. Caloptenus femur-rubrum, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 163. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, 124, figs. 22, 23. Riley, Rep. U: S Ent. Comm., L., 1877, oe, Di; II. . Melanoplus femur-rubrum, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat Hist., XIX., 1878, 284. Our most abundant and injurious species found every whee during the: autumn months, but prefers open blue grass pastures and roadsides. Males and females of this species, as well as of the next, were taken in copulation as late as November 22. When disturbed it. either hops vigorously to one side or flies swiftly and noiselessly straight ahead for about twenty feet and then suddenly drops to the ground. 23. MELANOPLUS ATLANIS, Riley. The Lesser Grasshopper. Caloptenus atianis, Riley, Rep. U.S. Ent. Comm., I., 1877, 49, pl. II. Id., U. S. Agr. Rep., 1883, 172, pl. II. Thomas, Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill, 1880, 124. Melanoplus atlanis, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIX,, 1878, 285. This species is fully half as common as femur-rubrum, and is found — in company with it, the habits of the two being essentially the same. The — notched apex of the last abdominal segment of the male of a/¢/anis readily distinguishes that sex from the corresponding one of femur- rubrum, but the females are very similar and more difficult to separate. However, a little practice will enable one to distinguish them, even in the field, by colour characters alone, the abdominal sternites of a¢/anis being yellow, while those of femur-rubrum are dark reddish brown. Moreover, the upper outer surface of the posterior femora of the former are banded with three oblique yellowish bands, those of /emur-rubrum being plain. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 99 24. MELANOPLUS COLLINUS, Scudder. Melanoplus collinus, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIX., 1878, 284. Ao Six males of the above species, which Mr. Scudder states has not _ been heretofore recorded as being found west of New England, were _ taken on Oct. 25, from shady places along the bed of the old Wabash a and Erie Canal. I was not able to distinguish the females from those of femur-rubrum and atlanis, with which the ones taken were in company. 4 _ The males are readily distinguished from those of femur-rubrum, which Indiana species they most closely resemble, by the following characters : _ The average size is less; wings shorter, not reaching tip of abdomen ; a elytra with fewer and smaller spots, and by having the anad cerci forked at the tip. 2 5. MELANOPLUS DIFFERENTIALIS, Thomas. The Lubberly Grasshopper. Acridium differentialis, Thos., Trans. Ill, St. Agl. Soc., V., 1865, 450. Caloptenus differentialis, Id., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 166. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., HL, 1880, 127, fig. 24. A very common species along fence rows and borders of cultivated fields, especially in the Wabash river bottoms, where they feed upon the greater ragweed, Ambrosia trifida. On Oct. 2 hundreds were seen along the edge of a field of lowland corn, the leaves of the marginal rows of which they had almost wholly destroyed. When a stalk was approached, _ they did not desert it, but dodged quickly around to the opposite side, _ much as a squirrel does around the trunk of a tree when pursued. If, however, one took alarm and jumped, ali the others in the immediate _ vicinity did likewise. The females of this species become exceedingly _ dark, sometimes almost black, with age, whereas the males are but little ' changed. : 26, MELANOPLUS BIVITTATUS, Say. The Yellow-striped Grasshopper. Acridium flavo-vittatum, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 173. Acridium bivittatum, Thos., Trans, Ill. St. Agl. Soc., V., 1865, 449. Caloptenus bivittatus, 1d., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873. Id., Ninth Rep. St. Ent., Ill., 1880, 126. » Melanoplus femoratus, Scudd., Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIX., 1878, 284. 100 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. This usually abundant species is rather scarce in Vigo County. It frequents meadows, especially those of clover, and open pastures, and — : like C. differentia/is, uses its wings but little in moving from place to place, relying upon its enormous leaps to carry it out of danger. TETTIGINE. 27. TETTIX ORNATA, Say. Red-spotted Grouse Grasshopper. Tettix ornata, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 183. Tetrix dorsalis, Harr., Ins. Inj., 1862, 186. Tetrix bilineata, Harr., loc. cit., 186. Numerous specimens of this genus were taken which varied excesd- ingly in size and coloration, but which, under the present confused state of the literature at command, are all referred to the above species. They frequent the edges of dry, open woods, where they were quite common during the warm afternoons of October and November. : 28. BATRACHIDEA CRISTATA, Harr. The Crested Grouse Grasshopper. Batrichidea cristata, Thos., Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 190. Rare. Four or five specimens were feund in company with the last named species. It is not mentioned in either of Thomas’s Illinois lists, and I can find no record of it west of New England. 29. TETTIGIDEA LATERALIS, Say. Black-sided Grouse Grasshopper. Tetrix lateralis, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 187. Tettigidea lateralis, Thomas, Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 187. Very common and variable in colour ; frequenting the same localities as the last two species. 30. TETTIGIDEA POLYMORPHA, Burm. Small-winged Grouse Grasshopper. Tettigidea polymorpha, Thomas, Syn. Acrid. N. A., 1873, 188. Tetrix parvipennis, Harris, Ins. Inj., 1862, 187, fig. 82. As common as the preceding, and found with it. The Grouse Grasshoppers are the only Acridide which, with us, hibernate in the perfect state. They have often been taken by the writer in midwinter from beneath logs and the bark of stumps, and on warm days in early spring they are very frequent on hillsides which have a southern slope. Dr. Harris well describes their movements when he says :—‘ They are extremely agile, and consequently very difficult to capture, for they leap to an astonishing distance, considering their small size, being moreover aided in this motion by their ample wings.” i. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 101 - & NOTE ON GRAPHIPHORA, HUBN. BY A. R. GROTE, A. M., BREMEN, GERMANY. On page g2 of the Bulletin U.S. N. Museum, No. 28, Prof. Smith says: “ Mr. Butler says augur is the type of Graphiphora, Ochs., in which case the application of the name to the Zaeniocampa series by Mr. _ Grote would be unwarranted.” I never fixed the type of Ochsenheimer’s genus Graphiphora. What I did was to fix the type of Hiibner’s genus _ Graphiphora (see Check List, Part II., 1876, p. 37). _Hiibner proposes _ the name in the Tentamen for gothica, which, as it is the only species given, is therefore the type. Afterwards, in 1816, Ochsenheimer, 4, 68, _ includes ravida and 16 species not separable from Agrotis. Hubner’s .. type, gothica, Ochsenheimer includes under Zfisema. By what process _ Mr. Butler assumes augur as the “type” of Ochsenheimer’s genus is _ unknown tome. In any event Hubner’s genus Graphiphora has pre- _ cedence for Zaentocampa of Gueneé. a I may here also correct a misapprehension of Prof. Smith’s with regard 4 to the use of vetusta by Mr. Walker. On page 212, 1. c., Prof. Smith _ says: “Mr. Grote has suggested that this (2 ¢, Agrotis vetusta, Walk.) may be the same as murenula, G. & R., but this can scarcely be so if the _ description is at all to be relied upon.” In reply I would say that I never _ suggested that Agrotis vetusta, Walk., was=murenula, but that Mames- _ tra vetusta, Walk., might be that species (see Essay, p. 43.) It appears _ that Walker has two vetuste, consequently Prof. Smith’s apprehension _ that murenula may come to be discarded for either of them, proves groundless. From an examination of Walker’s type of Mamestra insulsa I came _ tothe conclusion that it was probably an Agrotis. Prof. Smith says, _ Bulletin, p. 209: “ Mr. Grote, whose reference of the species to Agrotis has been followed, gives no suggestion as to the species it most resembles, _ or where its allies are to be found.” On page 43 of the Essay, where I _ make the reference, I say: “The specimen (from Canada) is evidently an : 4 -_Agrotis, allied to Repentis, and unknown to me.” 102 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ON THE OCCURRENCE OF TWO SPECIES OF COLEOPTERA. : NEW TO MONTREAL. BY J. F. HAUSEN, McoGILL COLLEGE, MONTREAL. Platynus crenistriatus, Lec. I took a specimen of this. interesting little beetle (fig. 1) here late in October, at the foot of a stump. It isnot Pic, °F. unlike in appearance certain small Pterostichi, but may be at once distinguished by having the elytral margin behind sinuate and simple, with- out the interruption and route fold usually seen in Pterostichus. It seems to me to be, in fact, one of those less specialized forms still exhibit- ing characters in common with some species of that genus. The form is convex, black and shining, with the elytral furrows deep and ~ strongly punctured, feet and three basal joints of the antenne bright yellow, the external margins of the ) elytra and edge of the prothorax beneath piceo testaceous. Whether it is com- mon elsewhere I know not, but it is the first specimen I have yet met with here. It seems of rather wide distribution, as the specimens from which Leconte originally drew up his description (New Species of Coleoptera, p. 9, 1863,) were obtained from Illinois. I took with this an example of another singular P/atynus not usually found here, and which Dr. Leconte has replaced under the old name under which it was described, namely, Anchus pusillus, Lec. Specimens are al8o in my collection from St. Jérome, P. Q., and Northern Vermont. Some time since I was handed, for iden- tification, by one of the members, a little Fic, 2, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 103 ngicorn I did not at first know, but which on closer examination proves to e a specimen of Gracilia minuta, Fab. (Fig. 2.) My friend, Mr. Caulfield, who has very kindly placed all his specimens in my hands, states it was taken emerging from a barrel of some kind of dye, and it is probably introduced from Southern Europe. Superficially it resembles somewhat one of the ¢/ytinz nd, in fact; Schiddte placed it immediately after c/ytus. (Class, Cramb. Dan. Faun., Natur. Hist. Tidsskrift, 1864, S. 3. V. 2, p. 483.) But the slightly depressed elytra, corneous ligula, not finely granulate eyes, etc., would point to its being perhaps more properly placedin Gime of ceram- dicini. For the benefit of those who may not know it, and especially as ‘it does not appear, so faras 1 am aware, to have been before recorded from oo it aril be well briefly to describe it. The figure (2) it is hoped will convey some idea of its general form. It is of a uniform reddish brown, the legs being somewhat lighter, g With rather sparse cinereous pubescence giving ita hoary appearance. The antenne are ciliate and the head, thorax and elytra furnished with - flying hairs. Rather variable in size, .1.8—.27 in. Leconte states (Jour. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila., 1850, pt. r, p. 24) he could find no difference between his specimen and those from Europe. As somebody may have it under a different name, I will give the i de cae ae G. minuta, Fab. = pygmea, Fab. = fusca, Hald, | Fig. 3 represents the labium (A) the ligula and paraglossz being in this case confused and indistinct ; B latral palpi; Y basal membrane of labium. Fig. 4 shows the mesonotum which is large, glabrous, margined at sides and covered with stridulat- ing’ surface consisting of extremely fine transverse lines. : 104 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. LIMENITIS ARTHEMIS, ETC. BY JOHN B, SMITH, NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. The paper by Mr. W. H. Edwards in the March number of the CANADIAN ENntomoLocist brought back to me vividly my collecting days in the Catskills, and as I have also taken arthemis, proserpina and ursula, perhaps my experiences may not be entirely uninteresting. It was sixteen years ago that I set out for a two weeks’ tramp in the moun- tains, and as it was my first experience with them, the memory of that trip is yet more distinct than of many subsequent excursions. I arrived at Catskill village soon after sunrise, and before noon was close to the foot of the mountain. I saw more butterflies there than I had ever seen at any one time before, and gathered in a large harvest, of Argynnids more especially. Limenitis ursula was abundant, but as this was already an old acquaintance, I captured only such as offered themselves too temptingly. My objective point for that day was the Mountain House on the summit, and soon after I started the climb I noticed that uwrsula became smaller, and had an odd look somehow. I took a few, and above the Rip Van Winkle House began to take arthemis, and saw no more ursula. I stopped at the Rip Van Winkle, deeming it a good col- lecting centre, and stayed there a week. On the second day a colony of ants invaded my room, and before I discovered them, destroyed a large part of my first day’s collecting. I threw away all the ursu/a, but saved some of the odd-looking specimens which had suffered little, and these proved proserpina. 1 took arthemis on the top of the mountain, but no more proserpina. Had I known the insect, I could no doubt have cap- tured many, lower down the road, but I never tramped that way. In five — different, not consecutive years thereafter, I visited the Catskills, but made Lexington, only a few miles—six, I believe—west of Hunter, my stop- | ping place. This is about 2,000 feet above sea level, though lower than Hunter. To reach it from the U. & D. R. R. meant a 13 mile drive from Shandaken through the “ notch,” which is nearly a duplicate of Stony Clove. In this “notch,” which I often visited, I took many a good insect, and it was a reliable locality for arthemis. They were very abundant always, though rather shy ; but I never found proserpina during the five years I collected there. But on the other hand I took uwrsuda on both sides of the pass, both at Shandaken and at Westkill, and along the banks of the Schoharie at Lexington. ‘There is no doubt, therefore, that THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 105 _ ursula gets within a very few miles of Hunter, and that to reach Stony Clove it would not be necessary for it to come from the Hudson Valley. There are no natural obstacles to prevent a direct flight over the Schoharie to Hunter. Through Stony Clove I have been only once, and that by rail on my last visit to the mountains, when I did no collecting. As to the standing of proserpina I have no opinion to offer. _ Mr. Edwards, on p. 55 in the note, makes some remarks on the _ value of genitalia in determining species. On this point I have very decided opinions. By his suggestion that ‘‘ some seem to have _ shrunk in the drying, others perhaps are done from the green subjects, and are full and plump,” Mr. Edwards shows that he has never looked into the matter himself at all, else he would know that the structures are chitinous and cannot shrink any more than the antennz, palpi or legs. __ The preparation from the recent specimen, and that from one fifty years ____ old, would be alike in the same species. Do the parts vary? Decidedly no, or toso slight an extent as to be scarcely appreciable. I have ex- amined dozens of specimens of some of our common noctuids, and found no variation, however much the maculation differed. In my study of the Lachnosterna many hundreds were examined, some specimens a dozen years old, others just killed, and the correspondence was absolute. Do they help us distinguish species? Also, decidedly yes. But this needs qualification. Identity of sexual structure does not necessarily mean identity of species ; but on the other hand, difference in sexual structure always means difference of species. I have found these structures of the utmost value in the zoctuzde, and in some genera that I have studied would not hesitate to determine species from the genitalia alone. In Lachnosterna I would agree to name any species of either sex from the genital structures where it is one of the species I have figured. But Mr. Edwards is right in one respect. Sometimes the character fails, and in an entire genus all the species will be practically alike. My revision of Agrofis illustrates that most strikingly. In this, however, the character shares with many another the burden of want of universal application, and we must use it as far as it goes. In the noctuids it is most valuable in separating closely allied species, and it often determines for me the rank of a form when the other characters leave me in doubt. I believe that all who have carefully studied these characters are con- vinced of their importance and high value in specific separation. 106 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF ‘ECPANTHERIA * SCRIBONIA, STOLL. BY HARRISON G. DYAR. me. The preparatory stages of this species do not seem to have been described. Mr. Hy. Edwards in his catalogue gives eleven references, but in none is the egg mentioned, or any but a single larval stage, and in only one the pupa. It will, therefore, not be amiss to briefly describe the several stages here. I would like first to call attention to the remarkable fertility of the insect in question, at least in Southern Florida where I met with it. In Psyche, Vol. III., p. 364, Mr. Krancher cites an example of an European moth Lasiocampa quercifolia, that laid 580 eggs, and seems to consider this an unusual number, as it doubtless is ; but my example of Zcpantheria scribonia laid nearly four times as many. : large as caught specimens. TWO NEW SPECIES OF CANADIAN PIMPLINZE. BY W. HAGUE HARRINGTON, OTTAWA. Xorides cary@, N. sp. Female.—Length 11 to 16 mm. Black with yellowish-white markings. Head swollen, interior orbits, interrupted opposite antenna, and palpi white; face’ below antenne punctured, between antenne and ocelli polished ; antennz slender, black. Thorax with the pectus and pleure finely punctate, polished; disc of mesothorax transversely rugulose ; metathorax rounded, faintly sulcate medially and rugosely punctured and aciculated ; sides of prothorax, two lines on mesothorax, two spots, some- times confluent, on scutellum, the post-scutellum, the tegule and a broad stripe on pleura, continued on middle coxa, yellowish-white ; legs, includ- ing coxse, pale rufous or honey-yellow, anterior ones paler, the anterior cox, stripe on middle cox outwardly, second joint of trochanters and the knees yellow ; tibize and tarsi piceous or blackish, the former with a : $ a : ° 3 ¥ a is a B s a ua a ia THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ~ 133. pale line within ; wings hyaline, nervures and stigma black. Abdomen with first segment rugosely sculptured, the segments becoming smoother toward apex of abdomen ; incisures of joints whitish, venter banded with white ; ovipositor 8 mm. in length, or hardly as long as abdomen. _ Male.—Differs from female as follows: Face below antennz and the scape beneath yellow ; anterior coxe and most of prothorax below yellow ; abdomen long, slender and polished, with the tip of segments narrowly white. Length 16 mm. Described from 42 and 2¢ taken in June and July on felled bitter- hickory (Carya amara). The females were ovipositing, and probably are parasites of Saperda discoidea or Dorchaschema nigrum. _ The American species, all of which occur in Canada, may be tabulated as follows :— : ameeomen entirely black...............% ..X. occidentalis, Cress. Abdomen with white markings ; | RREOOMON HON i ke X. vittifrons, Cress. Ovipositor short, Re OC eh bo eh ba ee hee X. borealis, Cress. picuta with white band... ivi. .e X. cary@, N. sp. Xorides canadensis, Prov. (Nat. Can., VIL, 248), =Xylonomus albopictus, Cress. | Xorides vittifrons, Cress., has been found in about the same numbers, as X. carye, but upon old maples infested with Dicerca divaricata, _ Xiphydria albicornis, Tremex columba, etc. _ Xorides borealis, Cress., was described from Hudson Bay region ; a ? which I refer to this species differs from the original description in having the posterior femora rufous instead of black. Xorides occidentalis, Cress., is found in Vancouver Island. Xylonomus canadensis, n. sp. Female.—Black ; length 22 to 26 mm; expanse of wings 30 to 33 _ mm. Head large, face and vertex rugulose, cheeks aciculated, clypeus small with sutures obscurely rufous ; antenne with annulus on joints to— 14. Thorax subopaque above and strongly punctured, pleura and pectus _ coarsely punctured but shining ; mesothorax flattened or slightly depressed medially, aciculated and with slight median carina ; scutellum punctured, _ shining ; metathorax with two discal carinz enclosing a narrow oval area, lateral carine indistinct except at base near spiracles ; rugosely punctate and with small posterior tubercles ; legs black, knees white, four anterior EE PO oe ae ear ic eter i ties f 134 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, tarsi white with terminal joint black, posterior tarsi with terminal joint black, base of first white, remainder piceous; wings faintly clouded, stigma, except white spot at base, and nervures black. Abdomen opaque, with first segment suddenly widened and sides subparallel beyond spiracles, basal segments rugulose, with margins polished, becoming smoother toward apex ; ovipositor as long as body, rufous, sheaths black. Male.—Length 17 to 20 mm.; expanse of wings 24 mm. Differs from . female in having antenne entirely black and more slender, and the anterior tibiz have a white-line externally. Described from 49 and 2 captured at intervals since ace on. fences, bridges, etc. This species looks very much like X. stigmapterus, Say (and: a specimen was so determined for me by Provancher), but is abundantly distinct by its stouter abdomen and differently coloured tarsi, and its more robust ' _ and opaque appearance. The American species may be tabulated as follows :— Prothorax above with lateral tubercles ; Wings with a fuscous band.................. australis, Cress. Wings. hyaline, legs black: <2. (vis sce X. Rileyi, Ashm. Wings hyaline, legs partly red;. .445. 1 a4 X. humeralis, Say. Prothorax above without tubercles ; | Spot Abdomen with lateral white spots..........X. albopictus, Cress. Abdomen with tips of segments white........X. znsudaris, Cress. Abdomen entirely black, a Legs entirely black... .....¢s000..,-X. Cincticorniy found on mice by Dr. John A. Ryder, proves, on being traced up, to be — somewhat erroneous, and it is found, curiously enough, to have been spe mole—and dead—on which it occurred, perhaps much in the way a — Cercyon unipunctatum, a Silpha, Choleva, etc., might have been there. That Zeptinus is not a parasite seems to have been the opinion of some distinguished European authors, among them, Mr. A. Fauvel, who _ published a paper on the subject in 1863, in Annales. Ent. Soc., France, of that year, in which he states that this insect is found under dead leaves, in leaves in hollow logs, under logs, stones and roots, and thinks, with — Fairmaire (cited), that the opinion that they are parasitic on or with rodents is erroneous ; advancing the conjecture that they feed on small fungi, like most Choleva, Agathidium, Oxypoda, Tachyporus, etc., the decaying leaves and mosses of the nests of rodents often furnishing supplies of this small vegetation accounting for their presence there. Tf — Mr. Fauvel is correct in this surmise, it would be only in line for them to resort occasionally to a carcass for food, if in its vicinity, as is the well- known habit of many insects which live on decaying matter and low forms of life, thus accounting for their presence on a dead mole, as found by Dr. Ryder. Whatever may be the nature of its food, from the fore- going it is evident it can and does live independent of animals, and that the proper term to apply to it in its relation to rodents would, perhaps, — be frequently inquilinous. In Europe the distribution of Zeptinus is, Germany, France, Sweden, Caucasus ; in America, that mentioned above. y y - - te "r dig - c z mo PID, a " ‘ : : i : ¢ ee n # a on Ee RD mie KGa Soe - Pek an ae 2 1 + "Se Mea xo, ge ie Pt alk: Mie Sih tebe PUN a! eR St elie ato, SO ee” Oe Spay Sa ee ee ee rd eae : a * * ie o YR opp © ea. ae ap a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 185 But, were the country collected over by the mode employed by Professor Schmitt, without doubt it would be found to be a common and widely. _ distributed species. a peers ( Colymbetes ) pies: Harris, New England Farmer, 1828, 164. a - Gy pees pterus, Kirby, Faun. Bor. Am., 1837, p. 70, No. 1oz. A. (C.) phaopterus, Kirby (Mann. ), Bul. Nat; Ges. Mosc., 1853, 159. - A, discolor, \| Lec., An. Lyc. Nat. Hist., New York, V., 204, 1852. a A. obliteratus, Lec., Smith, Cont. XI, 5, 1860. A. (Gaurodytes) Lecontei, Horn, pro. A. discolor, \| Lec., Tr. Am. oh Ent. Soc., IV., 417. Zz | These forms bave been heretofore united and disunited in a variety of a ways, and what appears to be the true synonymy seems at present a little clouded. Discolor, Warris, lias in the Munich catalogue for a synonym phaopterus, Kirby, but the reading of the descriptions shows this to be an error. :: A. pheopterus, Kirby, was described from examples taken in lat. o 54°. A form determined by Mannerheim to be this species was taken in Alaska. 4. discolor, \| Lec., was described from California, and obliteratus, Lec., from Kansas, In Dr. Leconte’s List of North American Coleoptera, 1863, p. 17, these forms are tabulated thus :—A obdb/iteratus, Lec. (? pheopterus, Kirby, discolor, || Lec.), which means that the last two are considered identical, and in case of the identity of od/iteratus and phaopterus the latter would have the precedence. That discolor, \| Lec., and ob/iteratus are . quite distinct has been satisfactorily shown by Mr. Crotch, |. c.; and it now remains to show the identity of phaopterus, Mavn., and discolor, || Lec. In 1854, Dr. _ Leconte sent a large number of Pacific Coast species to Motschulsky for comparison with the types of the Russian authors, and in the autographic letter of Motschulsky, now in my possession, containing the results of his comparisons, dated Jan. 26th, 1855, is written of this species : ‘‘ Agabus discolor est a@’apres, Mannerheim, Ag. pheopterus, Kirby.” This, there- _ fore, would seem to settle the identity of discolor and pheopterus, Mann., which Mannerheim in some way came to regard as Kirby’s species. _ Dr. Leconte, in his List, 1. c., appears to have acceded to this. But when in Europe, in 1870, after an examination of Kirby’s types, and giving a short description of the male and female, merely says of this and A. dicolor, 186 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Kirby: Both species are allied to A. discolor, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phil, 1873, 326. The foregoing discussion seems to warrant the — following synonymy :— : Agabus discolor, Harris, Massachusetts, (seemingly unknown). A. pheopterus, Kirby, British America ; lat., 54°. 3 A. Lecontei, Crotch; discolor, || Lec.; haiti || Mann. California, a San Francisco, Vallecitas; ? Alamosa, on the Rio Grande, at 7,600 feet, (differs in bate less oval and more parallel, Leeosita )s Alaska, Peninsula of Kenai, Island of Afnognak. : A. obliteratus, Lec.; Kansas, Ft. Laramie, Lawrences daluraas, Leavenworth Valley at 1o-1,t00o feet; Southern Colorado ; Northern New Mexico ; Wyoming, Lake ‘Coles : os A. bicolor, Kirby.—A stale specimen was taken by the Richardson expedition at lat. 54°. It likewise occurred in Alaska on the peninsula of Kenai.—JZannerheim. While in Europe Dr. Leconte eXamined ¢ and @ types, giving brief descriptions of each (Proc. Acad, 1.c.). This “appears to be a good species and, with ph@opterus, should have a ree 3 a in our catalogues. Be Phaopterus, Leconte, and bicolor seem very close, and their Spee tion by the various descriptions without the presence of oe could — not prove very satisfactory. CERURA SCOLOPENDRINA, Boisp. I think I have satisfactorily identified this species. I captured a speci- men at Yosemite, California, on June 5th, 1891, that bears out Boisduval’s ie description. The specimen, however, is Cerura aguilonaris, Lintn., and these names will have to be considered as referring to the same species. I have also received a specimen from Mr. C. A. Wiley, of Miles City, Montana, so the species probably occurs from the Atlantic to the lates Nae The synonymy will stand as follows :— Y CERURA SCOLOPENDRINA, Boisd. 1869—Boisduval, Lep. de la Cal., p. 86. Aqguilonaris, Lintn. 1877—Lintner, 30th Rept. N. Y. State Mus., p. 197. 1891—Thaxter, Can. Ent., Vol. XXIIIL., p. 34. It is unfortunate that the rule of priority will not allow us to retain Prof. Lintner’s name for this species, since his characterization of it is so careful and exact as to render its recognition easy, which is not the case with Boisduval’s description. Harrison G. Dyar. ey ey THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 187 DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME BUTTERFLY LARVA: FROM YOSEMITE.—II. BY HARRISON .G. DYAR, YOSEMITE, CAL. Junonia cenia, Hubn. Lgg.—Spherical,a little flattened at the base, with about twelve vertical ribs running to the micropyle; colour,shining pale green ; diameter, .5 mm. First Stage.-—Head rounded, black and shiny ; width, .25 mm. Body _ sordid greenish, with long black hairs curving forward, arising from a pistons tubercles. Feet concolorous with the body. Second Stage.—Head bilobed, black and shiny,with a number of hairs . _ width, .5 mm.; body sordid purplish, almost black, with short black tubercles artanged as in the last stage, and bearing numerous short fine hairs. Cervical shield ochreous; anal plate black, The tubercles on the - cervical shield are black. Third Stage.—Head bilobed, a conical tubercle at the apex of each lobe, shining black with yellow piliferous tubercles ; width.g5 mm. The body and the series of spined processes, which represent the tubercles of the preceding stage, are black, the former more reddish subventrally. The lateral tubercle on joint 2 is orange, as is also a smaller subventral - one on joints 2, 3 and 4 each. As the stage advances a double dorsal and subventral row of white dots appears, and, later, the bases of the substigmatal spines (row 4), and the anal feet become orange tinted. Fourth Stage.— Head bilobed, bulging laterally, a spined process at the apex of each lobe, pointing forward; colour black, very shiny, with many white conical setiferous granulations ; labrum and bases of antenne, _ whitish ; width 1.8 mm. Body velvety black, the long-spined processes shiny blue-black, a short one above the spiracle on joint 2 and a longer one below it, beside a short stigmatal one on joints 3 and 4, orange. A - 188 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. io WS geminate dorsal and stigmatal row of white dots, three or four on each 4 segment. Feet all black, the abdominal ones tipped with reddish. The — fold of skin behind the head is orange tinted. Fifth Stage-—Head bilobed, a short spined process from the vertex of each lobe ; many conical granulations each bearing a hair. Colour, shin- ing black in front, but largely bright fulvous posteriorly, and at the vertex; a fulvous patch covering the clypeus ; granulations fulvous or yellow, pro- cesses black ; the labrum and bases of the antennz white ; width 2.5 mm. Body velvety black, the long (1.5 mm.) and slender spined processes shiny blue-black, except rows 5, 6 and 7, which are orange, row 7 being pale. The rows are arranged as follows, and correspond to the arrangement of warts in the Arctiide (except Ha/esidota), except that the - rows on each side of the dorsal line in Arctia ag 1) are here cane to 3 form a single dorsal series :— ? No processes on joint 2; a subdorsal and lateral series on joints 3 and 4; a dorsal (1), subdorsal (2), superstigmatal (3) and substigmatal (4) row on joints 5-12; two subdorsal ones on joint 13 ; two tubercles (5) and (6) above the bases of the legs, and four short ventral spines (7), on the legless segments. A geminate diffuse dorsal series of numerous minute yellow dots, like dust, in which appears later a double dorsal series of segmental dashes; a geminate stigmatal row of large yellow spots, the substigmatal ones almost forming a continuous line, with many minute dots like the dorsal series. ‘The skin behind the head, spots at the bases of spines 3 and 4, and the abdominal legs, reddish-orange ; thoracic feet black. Spiracles black, with a pale yellowish border. — Chrysalis. —Of usual shape in the sub-family and without any marked prominences. Eyes large ; the depression between the thorax and abdo- men slight. Thorax very slightly ridged dorsally, without points ; a dorsal — abdominal series of very slight points. Cremaster broad, flattened, its hooks fastened in a button of silk. Colour black, not shiny, dotted with white on the back, especially in a series of eight subdorsal white patches, the first of which (over the eyes), and the last two (on the middle and end of the abdomen respectively) are confluent over the dorsum, Length, 17 mm. ; width, 6 mm. AD ANE ape! RE ee ao Rade © MOR Mee ere Ste eee "a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 189 ‘ON SOME DESTRUCTIVE LOCUSTS OF NORTH AMERICA, TOGETHER WITH NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCES IN 1891. BY LAWRENCE BRUNER, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. .- (Delivered. before the Association of Economic Entomologists, at the Third Annual Meeting, August 17th, .1891.) , In introducing this subject it is my intention to speak shortly upon the various species of Locusts which have appeared in injurious numbers within the territorial limits to be designated with each species. Some of these species have covered a vast area of territory, and have caused _ extensive injury from time to time, while others have appeared over limited areas only, and have caused but slight injuries ; but yet these have been sufficient to necessitate their mention amongst the destructive species of the country. Taking them altogether, we have exactly twelve destructive locusts within the territory designated. Dissosteira longipennis.—Selecting the species as they occur to me, I = will mention first the Long-winged Locust. During the early part of July 4 _ reports came from the eastern and south-eastern portions of Colorado of _ locust depredations. The first of these was that trains had been stopped by grasshoppers getting on the rails of the Santa Fe Railroad, roo miles _ or thereabouts east of Denver. Shortly after this, reports appeared in the - newspapers of serious damage being done around the point where they were first mentioned as stopping trains. About this time other reports of depredations came in from North Dakota and Minnesota and other portions of the west and north-west. On the strength of these reports Prof. Riley instructed me to visit the localities, for the purpose of ascer- taining the extent of country overrun, the actual and possible future injury which might result, and the exact identity of the species concerned. Being a Nebraska man, and looking out for first interests, I naturally went to Colorado, the nearest locality to my home from which reports had been received. I first visited Akron, Colorado, the nearest point on the Bur- _lington and Missouri line to the region infested. There securing a team and driving to the south only about six miles, the advance guard of the enemy was encountered. Imagine my surprise at finding here an entirely new insect, as far as destructive locusts are concerned. There in Colorado, and in immense numbers, was the Dssosteira longipennis, an insect usually considered rare in collections, and one heretofore only known to occur 190 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. over the higher portions of the plains lying to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, in the States of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. This insect, as ascertained from inquiry, covered an area of about 400 square miles of territory in sufficient numbers to materially injure the grasses growing on the ranges of the entire region—and amongst these grasses, the species of Aoute/oua, or Gramma grasses, and the Buffalo grass, Buchloe dactyloides, seemed to be the most attacked, grains and other cultivated plants not appearing to be especially attractive to it. In fact. very little or no injury was done by it to the cultivated crops growing within the region infested. About the same time that I was investigating this insect upon its northern line of injury, Profs. Snow and Popenoe were studying the same insect upon the southern border of its range, and they found practically the same food-habits there that I had noted in the north, and, by enquiry, found that the insects had come into that coun- try from the south last fall, and had laid their eggs over a large area. This year when the eggs hatched, the young began to move from their breeding centres in all directions, seeking open places and the edges of ploughed fields, and following roadways. ‘This trait of seeking open spots this season is probably due to the habit of the insect of naturally living on open ground where grasses are short and scattered. The present © year was very wet in this particular region and caused an undergrowth of grasses, hence the desire to find the natural conditions under which the insect lives. The young began moving and finding these open places, there congregated. Having thus gathered together in large numbers, they must feed, and they naturally swept the grasses clean around these spots; so noticeable was this in certain spots where they had gathered about the hills of a species of ant which raises mounds of small gravel and cuts away the vegetation for some distance around them, they had enlarged _ these areas, in some places for fully half an acre. This year Messrs, Snow and Popenoe observed them flying southward with such ease, by reason of their long wings, that they resembled birds. Dissosteira obliterata, Thomas. Closely related to the ia and very similar in appearance to it, is a second species of these large, long- winged locusts, which was found in injurious numbers along with Camnuda pellucida in Idaho last year, It was quite common in the Wood River county lying north of Shoshone, and in the vicinity of Boise City, Idaho. One form of this species was described by Saussure as Déssosteira spur- cata in his “‘ Prodromus Cidipodorum”, This is not the Gdipoda obiit- ata of Stoll. “ Na ee IE sag a iF ie Se ey pout: et ‘ ? . eR a eS Siete net =a Ng oe ae 5 ee Re eee Pee , oa SRST THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 191 Camnula pellucida.—This is the insect which has occasionally been _ very destructive in parts of California and Nevada. It has since spread eastward into Idaho, where it is very destructive the present season, cover- ing an area of at least 1,300 square miles of territory. It also appears in great numbers, with several other species, in the Red River Valley of Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba. I also observed it abundantly in the Prickly Pear and Gallatin Valleys of Montana, near the mouth of the Yellowstone, in North Dakota, in portions of Wyoming, Colorado and the extreme western parts of Nebraska. It also occurs in the New England States and British America. This is a species which readily adapts itself to any new locality, being the most easily acclimated of any of our injurious locusts. When once established it is there to stay, and will require earnest attention from time to time in the future. In fact, I - consider this locust, though not migratory, fully as destructive as the Rocky Mountain or true migratory locust, from the fact that it so soon becomes acclimated. | Acridium americanum.—This large, handsome locust is the species which occasionally devastates Yucatan, Central America and Mexico, ~ and even reaches the United States in injurious numbers along our south- ern coasts. It has also been known in dangerous numbers as far north- ward as the Ohio River, and occurs sparingly as far north as the Northern States, but I imagine never reaches British America. Dendrotettix longipennis.— Post Oak Locust” of Texas. During the spring of 1887, while visiting Washington County, Texas, to investi- gate a local outbreak of an injurious locust, I heard of a species that was attacking the oaks of that particular region, and in some places entirely defoliating them. On my way from the region where I had been working, to the city of Brenham, we passed through the infested locality, and I obtained some of the insects in question, which were then in the larval stage. A careful examination proved the insect to be new and congeneric with a species heretofore collected only in the vicinity of St. Louis, Missouri, which also occurred only on oak. About a year later this species was described by Professor Riley under the above name. The insect occurs in two forms, long-winged and short-winged. The former flies with great ease and often leaves the trees in midday and alights in fields and other clearings—with the least disturbance it rises again and flies to the tops of the adjoining trees. The larve and pupe are also ex- : ceedingly active, and run over the branches and trunks of trees with great , + \ 192 THE CANADIAN ‘ENTOMOLOGIST. rapidity. The eggs are ¢ laid i in the BBS around the bases of the trees. An area of at least fifty square miles of forest was completely cetera? 4 by these insects during that and the previous year. Melanoplus spretus.—The Rocky Mountain or Migratory Locust. This is the insect which is generally referred to as the destructive locust of North America, and has caused more injury during the past twenty years than any dozen of the other species combined. It is this species which we most fear, on account of its migratory habits—so marked is this trait that swarms hatching on the Saskatchewan have been traced to the Gulf of Mexico in one season. Its habits have been so frequently described that further mention is unnecessary. Suffice it to say that at the — present time it is again decidedly on the increase along our northern boundary. During the present year reports of its injury were received from Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba, by the Department of | Agriculture, and upon investigation I found these reports to be only too true. In Minnesota and Dakota the authorities, ably assisted by the efforts of settlers, have been carrying on a vigorous warfare with marked results, which will doubtless save their crops from devastation next season Melanoplus atianis, Riley. The Lesser Migratory Locust. This locust, which frequently becomes very injurious on account of its excessive increase, is somewhat smaller than the Rocky Mountain species. It is also migratory in its habits, but to a much less degree than is spretus. In its distribution this insect is much more widely spread than the preceding—being a common one in almost all parts of our country from the Mexican boundary to the 53rd degee of north latitude, and even beyond in some parts of the country. It is the species which most fre- quently does the locust injury in the New England States, much of that in our Northern States, and some of that in the extreme north-west. It has also been known to become injurious even in the Middle and Southern States. In its distribution at/anis appears to be more partial to hilly or mountainous country, and especially is this noticeable in reference to its appearance in destructive numbers. It also seems to prefer wooded or mixed country to the open prairie or plains. As would naturally be expected from its wide distribution, this parti- cular locust presents some variation in its size, colour, and to some extent also, its structure. At any rate, there appear to be three well-marked forms of the species to be met with within the confines of North America. Sone bart 2 RP THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 193 Melanoplus devastator, Scudd. _ A third species of the genus Ae/anoplus is the one that occasionally appears in destructive numbers in portions of California and the adjoining States. It is about the same size as the a//anis just mentioned, and often _ does considerable injury to the crops of the regions where it occurs. _ Although this locust is know to inhabit almost the entire region lying to __the west of the main divide of the Rocky Mountains, and to reach even = beyond in Montana and Colorado, it has never, to my knowledge, been ' injurious except in Nevada, California, Arizona and Oregon.’ This species also occurs in two forms, viz., small and large, being the spring and fall broods as nearly as I have been able to decide from specimens in col- lections. 3 Melanoplus bivittatus, Say. The Two-striped Locust, _. This is our common species of ‘native grasshopper” all over the as country, and the one that so frequently becomes injurious to our gardens _ and about the edges of fields. It occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, - and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Saskatchewan. Its increase in _ destructive numbers appears, however, to be confined chiefly to the regions lying between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic. This _ locust also appears to vary considerably in its sizeand colour. There are, __ however, two well-defined forms of it, the one receiving the name diy/t- tatus and the other going by that of /emoratus—the latter occuring only northward. | _ . Melanoplus differentialis, Thos. The Differential Locust. * Next to the species just mentioned we frequently find a second species of our large native locusts appearing in destructive numbers. This latter species occurs in the Western and Middle States only, and is here very often known to become unduly numerous and destructive to both field and garden crops. It has been reported at different times to have been present in such numbers in portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, _ Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. A melanistic or black form of it is quite _ _ frequent in portions of Nebraska and Kansas ; but otherwise it is quite permanent in its characters. Melanoplus ponderosus, Scudd. The Ponderous Locust. An insect very closely related to the preceding is that known to the - entomologist by the above name. It is a native of several of our Southern States, and has on several occasions been the depredator of crops in por- tions of central Texas. As the name would imply, it is of robust form, and it has a somewhat similar appearance to differentiadis. 194 _ THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Melanoplus femur-rubrum, DeG. The Red-thighed Locust. Last on the list of destructive locusts is herewith presented the one that perhaps enjoys the greatest geographical range of all of our species. It is the common one in all parts of the country from the Atlantic to the 4 Pacific and from the Arctic circle to Central America. Its devastations, while perhaps not as vast as some of the preceding, have been more frequent and have occurred at more localities than those of any other one. a Like the dzvittatus, differentialis and several of our non- ‘destructive — 7 species, femur-rubrum is a frequenter of rather low places and rank vegetation. After giving these brief notes on the various species of locusts that have been known in the past to have been connected with the injuries from this class of insects within the country, it will not come amiss for me to say a few words about the subject for the present season, andto — give my opinion as to the probable outlook for the coming year. Briefly, — then, let me say that there have been received reports of locust injury from the following States :—Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, } Arizona, California, Idaho, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, 3 Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and New York. In fact, there have been more separate reports received the present year than — ever heretofore from this cause. Now a word or two as to the different species of these destructive locusts that are responsible for the injuries of the present year. In California the devastator is present; the Camnula pellucida is known to — be unduly common in Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota and parts of the Rocky Mountain region; the Rocky Mountain or Migratory locust is the one that is responsible for most of the injury that has been reported from the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota as well as in — Manitoba to the north of the international boundary ; A/e/anoplus differ- entialis is the one that must receive much of the blame for Kansas and _ Nebraska injury ; while in the States of Indiana and Ohio femup-rubrum and divittatus are the guilty parties. Ae/anoplus atlanisis present in injurious numbers in the Red River Valley along with divittatus, spretus ; and the Camnula pellucida. In Colorado and New Mexico for the first — ; time Dissosteira longipennis has appeared as one of the i injurious species of the country. While all of these locusts, along with nearly every other species ofthe { THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 195 group which are native to North America, are to be counted as injurious, the particular one that has been the dread of the whole country, and especially of the region lying between -the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, is the Migratory species, Ale/anoplus spretus. This insect is now on the increase in a limited area on our northern _ boundary and across the line in the province of Manitoba. By continuing the prompt and energetic efforts that are being carried out by the populace and State authorities of the States of Minnesota and North Dakota we can be assured of success only provided the Canadian Govern- ment will also see the advantage of co-operation at this time. This, let - me state, is all the more necessary at this particular time, as all reports seem to indicate that at present this locust is not present in abnormal _ numbers in any other part of the country. A stamping out of the pest in _ this region might, therefore, give immunity from their further injury for many years to come. oe Finally, let me urge on the inhabitants of all infested regions that a ‘stitch in time saves nine.” In other words, we do not know what the climatic conditions may be a year hence, whether they will be such as to favour the hoppers or not, so we had best do the wise thing and stamp out the pest. This has been done time and again in the past, and the recent work in the north shows how very profitable is the warfare when carried on persistently. By the plowing under of the eggs laid last fall, and the use of the kerosene pa ns or hopper-dozers in the destruction of the young - locusts that did hatch, the twelve counties in the two States of Minne- sota and North Dakota saved by actual computation on wheat alone the neat little sum of $400,000. ‘This, mind you, in a year not considered a locust year, and not to take into consideration what was saved to the region for other crops and the injury that might have resulted next year had the hoppers not been destroyed. With every favouring circumstance, the comparatively few locusts of this one species that have thus far been ‘ destroyed, the present year in this region would have been sufficient to overrun at least calculation the entire area of the State of Minnesota, the two Dakotas and Nebraska, along with portions of Iowa and Kansas, _ True, these favouring circumstances might never occur, but it is always best to be on the safe side. This we should know from our past experi- ence with this same insect. ‘‘ Native” locusts, while perhaps not to be dreaded equally as much as the species just spoken of, certainly can commit an equal amount of injury when size and numbers of the insects are taken into consideration. had 196 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. They cannot, it is true, get up and fly away to regions new, but they are equally rapid breeders with favouring conditions. ‘They can be destroyed equally as well, if not better than can the Rocky Mountain species, on — account of their local restriction even in the regions where found, MEETINGS OF THE MONTREAL BRANCH OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. The 162nd meeting of the branch was held on April 14th, at 74 - McTavish Street, Mr. H. H. Lyman, President, in the chair. Owing to some of the members being busy with college examinations the attendance was not so good as usual. : Mr. Lyman read a paper entitled, ‘ Can Insects Survive Freezing hs quoting from several well-known authorities on Entomology in favor of an affirmative answer to this question. A number of very interesting — specimens were exhibited by the members. After spending some time in examination of these, and discussion, the meeting adjourned. The 163rd regular and 18th annual meeting of the branch was held on May tr2th, at 74 McTavish Street, Mr. H. H. Lyman, President, in ~ Zi the chair. The attendance of members was good, including the Rev. Mr. Fyles of Quebec. : The annual report of the Council for the past year, and the Treasurer's report were read, and will be published, as usual, in ions next report of the Society. ms Mr. Hausen read a paper entitled, ‘Some Little Known Canadian Coleoptera,” containing descriptions of two new species, viz., Zi/ora canadense and Philonthus stictus. This paper has been published i in the Record of Science, Vol. IV., p. 319, with plate. Rev. Mr. Fyles read a note on Vematus pailidiveniris A European species of saw-fly lately introduced into this country, with description 535 larva, pupa and imago. (See Can, Ent., XXIIL, p. 135.) After spending some time in ainassiat these papers and examining specimens, the meeting adjourned. ! The 164th meeting of the branch, held on June 18th, was principally devoted to ‘‘ sugaring”” for moths on Mt. Royal, but Noctuidz seemed to be scarce and very few were attracted. The meeting was held later at 74 McTavish Street, Mr. H. H. Lyman, President, in the chair. Mr. Hausen read a note on ‘“The Occurrence of Platynus rugiceps, Mann., at Montreal,” and after some discussion the meeting adjourned. | ~ A. F. Winn, Secretary. ri THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 197 : A NEW SPECIES OF CERURA. _ BY GEORGE H HUDSON, STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, PLATTSBURGH, N. Y. Cerura modesta, n. sp. Mave.—Front and vertex nearly white. Collar a little darker, tinged with a faint creamy yellowish-brown. ‘Thorax dark steel-blue, almost black, with metallic purplish reflections, the orange scales forming so marked a feature in other species either entirely absent or with but a faint trace of their presence. Patagia concolorous with thorax, edged out- _wardly with white. Abdomen black above, or nearly so, the segments bordered behind with pale cinereous, thickly clothed with long fine white — hairs, whitish beneath. , Primaries on outer third nearly concolorous with collar, not white as in borealis and aguilonaris, whiter towards base; spots and bands an even blackish dull purple, nearly concolorous with thorax. A spot at — the base of subcostal and median veins ; and just beyond this, a row of four similar spots crossing the wing at nearly right angles to the costa and forming a straight, or almost a straight, line. A wide mediam band, from 3.7 to 5 mm. on costa, inner edge nearly straight, parallel with the row. of four spots, outer edge slightly excavated just above and below median vein, narrowing to from 2.5 to 3.8 mm. and widening again at inner margin to about the same width as on costa, often appearing wider on inner margin from its union with other outer lines. Subterminal band from 3 to 4 mm. wide on costa, outer edge nearly parallel with margin to near the anal angle, narrowing rapidly on the inner edge from vein 5 to vein 3, where it becomes obsolete, appearing again at near anal angle. Between the median and subterminal bands, there are three very fine almost obsolete lines, one within or including the elongated promi- nent discal spot, the others, beyond this, scalloped, slightly pointed and a little darker on the veins ; these lines become more distinct at inner mar- - gin, where they often unite with the submedian band. The pattern is much like that of occidentalis, and the fine lines are similarly marked by spots on the costa. The two bands are very uniform in colour, are not bordered by darker lines, and show almost an utter absence of the edging of orange scales found in other species. ‘The terminal intervenular spots are very small, as small as in a/dicoma. The vestiture is thin, the scales narrowing more rapidly than in dorea/is and aguilonaris, as you pass from base to external margin, giving the outer part of the wing a i 198 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. thin, semi-transparent appearance, the ends of the scales are more serrate - and more closely appressed to the membrane. Secondaries nearly concolorous with primaries, paler, with a diffuse subterminal band widest opposite the discal spot and expanding again at anal angle. In one specimen there is another narrow band just before the subterminal and subparallel with it, more distinct beneath. Interven- ular spots connected by a fine dark terminal line of the same colour. Beneath, paler, dis¢al spots elongated and distinct. On primaries the median and subterminal bands often unite throughout their entire length, covering the entire wing, save only the basal portion, a narrow whitish costal streak, and a narrow and quite uniform whitish band on the outer margin of the wing. Expanse, 40 to 44 mm. Described from seven males. : I have taken the species from the electric lights in Plattsburgh, N. Y., in 1887, 1890 and r89r, as follows: May 9-3, 10-4, 12, 13, 1§—5, 19, 20, 21-2, 23, 26, 27, June 1, 11, 20. The figure after the date shows the number taken, where the date alone occurs but one specimen was taken. Occidentalis has not been taken before May 11th, and cinerea and borealis not before the 28th. i DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF ARGYNNIS FROM ALBERTA TERRITORY. BY W. H. EDWARDS, COALBURGH, WEST VA. Argynnis Victoria. Ma/le.—¥Expands two inches. Upper side pale fulvous, primaries a little obscured next base, secondaries largely, the dark area covering nearly the basal half; the black markings rather heavy ; a common black marginal border, narrow on primaries, one-third wider on secondaries ; a common series of small submarginal spots, sub-oval on primaries, crescent on secondaries, and on neither wing touching the marginal border ; the rounded spots largest on primaries ; the discal angular band on same wing heavy, on secondaries light; a bar on arc of cell of primaries, another crossing the cell a little within, a rounded elongated spot depend- ing from subcostal, near middle of cell, and a crescent close to the base ; in the submedian interspace an angular cross bar; on secondaries a V shaped spot at end of cells, | RR OM ey ce caste Sea cea tas Mtn ape RS ae ee eee = THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 199 Under side of primaries faded fulvous, brownish over basal part of cell ; small patches of orange-ferruginous in the sub-costal interspaces ; the markings repeated, reduced, pale ; secondaries orange-ferruginous> deepest next base ; a marginal black line, and within and parallel a heavier one ; next this on each interspace is a small yellowish patch which crosses the inner line nearly or quite to margin, and on basal side are a few black scales, which, in the two or three posterior interspaces, take cr@scent shape ; the round spots repeated ; close above these is a narrow trans- verse band of connected yellow-white crescents, not well defined, each with scattered black scales at top ; across the disk a broad angular band of yellow-white, edged on both sides rather heavily by black ; this may be considered as a chain of spots, as the separating nervules are black, and the one in the cell is prolonged nearly to the yellow band, and cut almost _in two by the black edging of the arc of cell; the deep orange space beyond this discovers no spot except a small whitish triangle in cell, which is without black edging ; at the base whitish patches at the origin of the interspaces and cell, sprinkled with black, the posterior ones edged black — without. The mesial band has something of a margaritaceous sheen, but it is very slight and dull. Body red-brown above, beneath the abdomen is grey-yellow ; legs red; palpi have long red frontal hairs, among which are a few black; antenne fuscous above, red below ; club black, tip ferruginous. apaene female I have not seen, but Mr. Bean tells me that is essentially like the male. Described from a single male taken with others of both sexes by Mr. Thos. E. Bean, at Laggan, Alberta. He says: ‘It is strictly alpine, and | the rarest butterfly regularly found here. It flies ina part of the district which AZberta frequents, but at the highest parts of that district almost altogether, and it differs entirely in its habits from A/berta. The sexes are alike, but the female is moderately larger than the male. - It is the most difficult butterfly I have found to capture. The last week in July seems to be the time of flight.” There is no other American species with which to compare Victoria. It is as large as the Laggan Aurynome, but has the peculiar mesial band (under hind wing) of the Caric/ea group, though with a difference, both edges being more regular, and the colour white. That two new species of Argynnis should have been discovered by the indefatigable naturalist at Laggan is noteworthy. Doubtless many more remain to reward the labours of other zealous workers in the vast unex- plored regions of British America. 200 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. SMERINTHUS OPHTHALMICUS, BD. In the July number of Can. Enr., page 143, Prof. French described © the larval stages of this species but did not observe the egg and first stage. These I can supply, as follows :— Egg.—Elliptical, flattened above and below, smooth, slightly shiny ; colour probably green. Under the microscope it is seen to be covered with crowded minute shallow depressions.. Dimensions, 2.0 x 1.8 x 1.3 mm. Laid singly on under surface of leaf. ; First Larval Stage.-—Head rounded, slightly bilobed, not pointed as in the next stage, green, slightly shiny, and dotted with yellow, but not granulated, with a curved yellow line from before the eyes on each side, meeting each other below the vertex. Antennze and labrum white ; jaws and ocelli black. Width, t mm. Body annulated, minutely pilose and dotted with yellow, with a distinct pale yellow subdorsal line and oblique lateral lines on joints 5~12, occurring above and below the subdorsal line, but dislocated, except on joint 12 where a single distinct line runs to the base of the horn. Horn minutely pilose, dark red, pale at base, 2 mm long. The second stage is as described by Prof. French ; width of head, 1.5 mm. Food FPlant.—Poplar (Populus). Larve from asia County, California. Harrison. G. Dyar. — CORRESPONDENCE MELITE#A PHAETON,. Sir,—While spending a few days in Ottawa, during July of last year, I was fortunate enough to find a batch of the larve of Me/litea phaeton, which composed a large colony in their tent-like web upon the. tip of a robust stem of Chelone glabra, which is their favorite food plant in that district. I was anxious to breed the species, so boxed the whole colony and brought it back with me to Port Hope. Here, however, I could not find any plants of Chelone glabra. Upon turning up Scudder’s “ New England Butterflies,” I found that honeysuckle, Zonicera, was given as a food plant. I first offered the larva leaves of trumpet honeysuckle, ob- tained from a neighbour ; but, as this was not convenient, I resolved to try them on Tartarian honeysuckle, of which an abundance grew in the : at t = Be cia Se Sa ee, ae are ee a ‘ « ee Raa om ee eT we = Se Re EN ERR ay ana Ome Ne RRS RET at Nes ie THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. _ 201 garden. They took to it with comparative readiness, and much to my de- light I succeeded in bringing a goodly number through the winter. I hibernated them in an area window below the surface of the ground, but _ without any special care. Towards the end of April, as soon as the young leaves began to unfold, I took them out of winter quarters and fed them again on the Tartarian honeysuckle. The first specimens began to pupate _ about the end of June, and in July I had the pleasure of seeing the perfect butterflies. A. M. BrerHune. - Port Hope, August 28, 1891. HALISIDOTA TRIGONA. Sir,—When describing this species in Kansas Transactions I gave the differences which I observed between Herrich-Scheeffer’s figure of the Brazilian species, specu/aris, and my material. Mr. Dyar’s note was therefore not warranted and, had he seen the Kansas Transactions, he probably would not have published it. In reply to Mr. Smith’s note, I _ would state, that I have not seen the British Museum material. I do not know whether this is correctly determined, but I should rely on Mr. Butler’s comparisons, as he most certainly knows Herrich-Scheeffer’s _ work. The type of sfecudaris came, I presume, from Boisduval, and will in this case be accessible to study. The matter will probably be settled by the bringing together of fresh material from the south-west and by breeding the North American species. In the meantime ¢régona must stand as the first description of a North American species belonging to the specularis group, which seems to belong, more particularly, to South America. A. R. Grore. LIMENITIS LORQUINI. Sir,—Please correct my statement, p. 174, that ‘‘the second brood of larve fof Z. lorguini) probably hibernate in the second stage,” -_ ete., to the following :—‘‘ Part of the first brood, and the entire second brood, pass the winter in the second larval stage in hibernacula formed of the basal part of a leaf spun together at the top.” H. G. Dyar, Yosemite, Cal. 202 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. AGROTIS SUBGOTHICA., — Sir,—In reply to Mr. Tutt’s note in the July number of the Can. ENnT., p. 159, I would state that I have no knowledge of Haworth’s work in which subgothica is described. I have everywhere taken Stephens’s identifications of Haworth’s species. | Now Stephens figures jaculifera of Guenée, as figured in the Species Géneral, typical jaculifera, as sub- gothica, of Haworth (?). If, then, Stephens is wrong, and Haworth’s subgothica is a variety of ¢ritici and not our American species, this latter must be known as jaculifera, and Prof. Lintner’s name of ¢ricosa must then clearly be retained for that species, as insisted upon by myself. Stephens’s figure is unmistakably based on our American species ; how nearly the European ¢ritici resembles this I cannot, at the moment, say. The following will be the synonymy of Agretis jaculifera. According to — . Mr. Tutt’s statement that sadgothica of Haworth is a variety of ¢rétici of Linné, our American species must be listed as follows :— jacultfera, Guen., fig. subgothica, Steph , fig. in err. tricosa, Lintner. jaculifera, Guen. var. A. jaculifera, Smith, in err.. herilis, Grote. jaculifera, Guen. var. B. heredis, Smith. A. R. GRore. | , SOME CORRECTIONS. Sir,—In my paper, Can. Ent., page 152, I say I have placed Agrotis costata and its near ally A. tdahoensis “ together wrongly,” line 10. It is clear from the context that I meant in a wrong position in my lists. The two species are closely allied, differing in colour, costata being reddish, ¢dahoensis purplish, and, in costata, the pallid costal region is whiter and broader. The two belong together. I have always asso- ciated them, and, indeed, described the one comparatively with the other. The types are in British Museum On page 148, line 6 from bottom, for grouping, read association. On page 151, for “ The Practical Entomologist,” read the practical entomologists. I was writing, not of a publication, but of a class of working entomologists, whose figures (mostly duplications of the same cut) confounded the three forms: subgothica, Stephens ( =sacudifera, Guen.), tricosa, Lintner ( =faculifera, Smith), and Aerilis, Grote ( = here/is, Smith). A. R. GRore, Mailed September 21st, 1891. f eB pike nal he ee ME A Pare ae Pe fee = the ana Fentomologist. _ VOL. XXL LONDON, OCTOBER, ges es oct TO. a DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME BUTTERFLY LARVA FROM . YOSEMITE.—III. BY HARRISON G. DYAR, YOSEMITE, CAL. Phyciodes mylitta, Edw. Egg.—Not observed ; but laid about 50 together. First Stage.—Head shining black ; width .25 mm. Body cylindrical ; cervical shield and anal plate black ; fine black hairs, slightly curving __ forward, arise from minute black elevated spots. & Second Stage.—Head black and shiny ; width, .40 mm. The body is 4 - covered with rows of conical elongated tubercles, each with many bristly _ hairs, arranged as in the mature larva. Sordid greenish, shaded with black dorsally, the cervical shield, anal plate and tubercles black. _. ~Lhird Stage.—Head slightly bilobed with a few hairs ; shining black, oe labrum pale ; width ‘60 mm. Cervical shield and anal plate black, the processes on the body densely spined, not long, the three upper rows on each side black, the rest short and pale. Body blackish on the dorsal half, with a black dorsal line ; subventral and ventral regions pale whitish. Thoracic feet black, abdominal feet blackish. Fourth Stage.—Head slightly bilobed, rounded, ocelli large, mouth : projecting ; a number of hairs, colour shining black, labrum whitish, hair ' black; width 1.1 mm. Body covered with conical processes, .50 mm, jong, densely spined and arranged as in Junonia. The body dorsally, - including the cervical shield and anal plate and the three upper rows of a processes, deep black ; grayish laterally and subventrally, the fourth row _ of spines and a stigmatal band running along their bases subtranslucent white. Thoracic feet and last pair of abdominal feet black, the others much paler ; claspers white. Fifth Stage.—Head black and shiny, slightly hairy, a whitish streak on the side of the vertex of each lobe; width 1.8 mm. Body black Boats reba ye 204 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. © above, yellowish subventrally, with a faint geminate yellowish dorsal line. The conical spined tubercles of rows (1)-(3) are black, rows (4)-(6) — straw-yellow, spiracles black; thoracic feet black, abdominal pale. As the stage advances subdorsal, stigmatal and substigmatal lines appear, not very distinct, and formed of yellowish mottlings on the black ground colour. Chrysalis.—Of usual shape, thorax not carinated but with three blunt points, the anterior part rounded ; cases moderately prominent ; a depression between thorax and abdomen. Abdomen straight along the ventral side, curved dorsally, with five rows of short, blunt points, cre- master flattened, rather long, colour nearly uniform, dull wood-brown from black mottlings on a reddish-brown ground colour, the dorsal tubercles reddish. A row of minute white dots on antenne cases and around borders of wing, Length, 12 mm.; width, 4 mm. food Plant.—Thistle (Carduus). Chrysophanus arota, Boisd. Larva.—Elongate elliptical, flat below, the feet all short; sides slo. ping ; dorsum forming a narrow flattened ridge, slightly wider on joints 3 and 4; body highest at joint 5 and tapering to the extremities. Head retracted under joint 2, pale testaceous, the mouth parts surrounded with brown ; width in the last stage, 1 mm. Body minutely pilose, with very small white granulations, or subdorsal white line along the ridge inter- rupted at the segmental sutures (which are deep), beginning on joint 3, most distinct on joints 3 and 4, somewhat fainter centrally, and somewhat more continuous posteriorly. A similar fainter line on the subventral ridge, becoming obsolete at the extremities. Both lines look as if not ‘quite on the surface. Spiracles small, circular, yellowish. Cervical shield in the middle of joint 2, very small, triangular, depressed. Laney 17 mm.; width, 5 mm. Chrysalis.—Robust, short, rounded ; depression between the thorax and abdomen small ; abdominal segments appressed, motionless, General colour sordid green, most distinct on the abdomen dorsally ; thorax with a few black specks and a smoky black dorsal line which is continued in a row of dots on the abdomen. Each side of this, on the central part of the thorax, is a white streak, supplemented on the posterior part by a short white curved line. On the abdomen, a subdorsal row of blackish ‘ a, | ao = r ee OE ae ee Ske Pinta a a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. — | 205 SUN ath spots and a number of smaller black dots, besides an obscure white line on the posterior part, each side of the dorsal row of dots ; abdomen pinkish laterally. Length, r2 mm.; width, 5.5 mm. Food Plant.—Wild gooseberry (Rives). The larve occur several on the same branch, but they feed singly. THE LARVA OF ZOTHECA TRANQUILLA, GROTE. : BY HARRISON G. DYAR, YOSEMITE, CAL. : #ggs.—Laid in a mass, probably under the bark of the food-plant, for which purpose the long ovipositor of the ? moth seems fitted ; the winter is probably-passed in this state. Spherical, but somewhat misshapen from being closely pressed together ; smooth, slightly shiny, under the micro- scope appearing irregularly indented ; colour, yellow, becoming later reddish; diameter, .5 mm. _ There appear to be six larval stages, the last two of which are all that came under observation, and to them the following description applies : The larvee live singly, each in a leaf of its food-plant, curled over and lined with silk. Larva.—Head entirely black, except the bases of the antennae, which are whitish; smooth, shiny, but under a lens seen to be slightly shagreened ; a few hairs. Width in the fifth stage, 1.8 mm.; in the sixth, 2.8 mm. Body plump and smooth, tapering at the extremities, curled spirally when at rest. The small black piliferous dots are normal in arrangement ; row (4) stigmatal, posterior to the spiracles ; rows (5) and (6) anteriorly and posteriorly in the subventral space, and row (7) the dots on the venter . of the apodal segments are very small. Dorsum dark olive-gray, contain- ing a broad yellow dorsal band, which is broken into two round spots on each segment, the anterior one of which is twice indented, or nearly bisected on the dorsal line. This marking is narrower towards the ex- tremities and becomes somewhat confused. Below the olive-gray is a narrow interrupted whitish subdorsal band bordered with black, a lateral blue-gray band and a broad yellow stigmatal band separated from the lateral band by a wavy black line. Venter bluish gray, streaked with black subventrally, feet yellowish, spiracles black. In another example the dorsal and lateral regions are concolorous, bluish gray, sprinkled with black streaks, the dorsal and subdorsal bands edged with black, The anal plate is unornamented. 206 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, — GRO! 1 Cocoon.—Formed of silk, quite thick and not at the ground. _ : Pupa.—Cylindrical, the abdominal segments tapering, cases and =~ thorax moderately enlarged, cremaster tapering, flat, armed with short hooks. Smooth, pitchy dark brown, almost black, paler in the three movable abdominal incisures. Length 17.5 mm., width 5.5 mm. Food plant.—Elder (Sambucus ). There is but one brood a year, the moths appearing during the 1 oe | = of. june, The appropriate and plese name of this bre Spevies was s kindly oo” sent me by Prof. Smith. 2 A TACHINID BRED FROM A CHRYSALIS. BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO, Meigenia webstert, n. sp. FemMaLe.—Zead a little wider than thorax and abdomen, Zyes rane very sparsely hairy; front and face not quite one-half the width of head; front a little prominent; frontal vitta about one-fourth the width of front, brown, lighter behind where it splits on each side of the ocelli; frontal bristles in a single row, descending a little below base of third antennal joint, some fine hairs on sides of front outside them ; two orbital bristles ee sides of front with a slightly brassy tinge ; sides of face moderately wide, a little less than one-half the width of the facial depression, silvery, bare i face slightly receding, facial depression silvery, facial ridges ciliate toa _ little below base of third antennal joint ; cheeks moderately wide, cinere- — ous, hairy, with bristles on lower border ; vibrissz inserted at a little distance above the oral margin ; antennz not as long as the face, blackish, third joint slightly reddish at base ; second joint not elongate, bristly ; third joint not widened, more than three times as long as the second; arista black, microscopically pubescent, thickened more than half its length, three-jointed, the second joint hardly elongate; proboscis, brown, __ fleshy, not so long as height of head, labella well developed ; palpi well developed, flavous, club-shaped, thickened and curved at the tip, black bristly ; occiput cinereous, gray hairy below, with fringe of black hairs } on orbital margins, | THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 207 Thorax clothed with stout bristles and very fine short hairs, cinereous, with four narrow blackish vittz ; scutellum, broadly light-reddish ochreous at tip, with two stout lateral macrochetz, the posterior one reaching the base of third abdominal segment, also a discal pair, and a short, decussate _apical pair. Abdomen rather broadly ovate, first segment black, some- what abbreviated ; other segments cinereous, with a narrow blackish hind margin; first segment without macrochete; second with a lateral marginal one and a median marginal pair ; third segment with about ten marginal macrochetz above, and others below ; anal segment armed with marginal and sub-discal macrochete. Legs black, bristly, femora some- _ what silvery ; tibiz with stout bristles, especially hind pair which are also ' ciliate on outer edge, a longer bristle in middle and another at tip ; claws and pulvilli slightly elongate. Wangs longer than abdomen, with- out costal spine, grayish-hyaline, third vein spined at base ; apical cell ending a little before tip of wing, narrowly open; fourth vein rounded at bend, without stump or wrinkle ; apical cross-vein nearly straight ; hind __Cross-vein sinuate, nearer to bend of fourth vein ; tegule whitish, halteres fuscous. _. Mate.—Differs as follows :—Smaller ;. front hardly more than one-third _ width of head ; face not so broad; no orbital bristles ; antennze nearly as ~ long as face ; third joint about five times as long as the short second ; claws and pulvilli not elongate. Length 6 to 7 mm.; of wing 5 to 6 mm. _ Described from two specimens, g ¢, from Professor F. M. Webster, and bred by him from a chrysalis. Lafayette, Indiana. NOTES ON THE DYSDERIDA OF THE UNITED STATES. BY NATHAN BANKS, ITHACA, N. Y. The Dysderide is a small family of spiders occupying in a certain res- © pect an intermediate position between the Zetrapneumones and the Dip- neumones; the openings to the trachez are just behind the lung-slits, so that they may appear to have four lungs. ‘The eyes are six in all of our forms, ‘The mandibles are not small, in Dysdera quite large. ‘The -_ 208 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. male palpi are quite simple in structure. Our genera may be separated - by the following table : _|M. E. *in front of A. S. Be... see ee ee ee eee none Usofila M. E. not as far front as A.,’S. Bec. oo. fcc a eae eee es 2 M. E. in front of P. S. E. a NAL L SS pele ee eee Segestria "1 MEE. as far back a8 PS, Bele Pee te ee Three claws to Aarsus:. (ico cee t5 ond cae ee ed . .. Ariadne Two claws to tarsus ¢o256 6.9" elscas 93 Roper ran Dysdera USOFILA GRACILIS, Keys. Marx in Proc. Ent. Soc., Wash., 1890, Vol., iL, p. 36, 4 L, fig. 6. Alabaster Cave, Cala. This is quite unlike other Dysderide in general appearance, but is referred by Keyserling to this family. DyYSDERA INTERRITA, Hentz. D. crocata, Koch. Marx Cat. Aranze of temp. of N. Am., 18go. D. interrita, Hentz. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 224, 1842. 66 sg “* Spid. U.S., ed. Burgess, p. 20, pl. IL., fig. L., 1875. “ ‘ «« Emerton, New Engl., Drass., Agal. and shes p. 36, pl. VIIL., fig. 2, 1890. New Engl., N.. Y., D. C., Md., Va. ARIADNE BICOLOR, Hentz. Pylarus bicolor, Hentz. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. IV, p. 225, 1842. é< é + Spid. U. S., ed. Burgess, p. 21, pl, IL, fig. 3, 1875. “ — pumilis, Hentz. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist, Vol. IV., p. 226, 1842. ‘ ‘ “« | Spid. U..S,, ed., Burgess; p, aay ph dha fig. 5, 1875. *M.E.—median eyes; A.S, E.—anterior side eyes; P,S, E.—posterior side eyes, rene te Atk Ms fan cP ge 8 re oy ie = Pe eR ES Co te ety ce See. RA Mc age Sp ker TOD re atid Pattie etn ee Re r Se ee ay yt 7 jagh yele SH TIO a ae, ee OR FR SO pe THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 209 Ariadne bicolor, Hentz. Emerton, New Eng., Drass., Agal. and Dysd., p. 37, pl. VIIL., fig. 3, 1890. : ae Marx Cat. Aranz of temp. N. Am., 1890. “ec pumilis, “cc cc cc“ ce ce c é “é 1890. New Engi., N. Y., D. C., La., Ala., Fla., Ohio., Va., Md., te. ee U A. pumiiltis is only the young of A. bicolor. SEGESTRIA PACIFICA, NOV. sp. Length, 5.3 min. ; length of ceph., 2.3 mm. ; length of abd., 3. mm. Breadth of ceph., 1.3 mm. ; breadth of abd., 1.5 mm. : Length of femur I., 2. mm.; Length of tibia I., 1.8 mm. Color—Cephalothorax brown, darkest near front margin, yellowish towards posterior end; mandibles, reddish brown; maxille, yellowish ; lip and stérnum, brownish ; palpi whitish, with dark ring at base of tibiz ; legs whitish, with brown rings at tip of femora, on patelle, and near base and tip of tibie and metatarsi, first pair darkest ; abdomen nearly white, with scattered reddish-brown spots, which form a large patch on the middle of the dorsum and a few smaller patches behind it; on the venter a broad median stripe reaches from the lung-slits to ae around the spinnerets, which are yellowish. Cephalothorax wide in front, but little wider in middle, rounded behind, head low, eyes six, S. E. touching, the A. S. E. not quite their diameter from the front margin, M. E. larger than S. E., touching, about their diameter from the front margin. Mandibles large, slanting, much thicker than anterior femora ; maxillze long ; lip long and truncate at lip ; sternum narrow in front, widest behind the middle ; legs 1-4-3, 2nd pair lost ; first pair of legs largest ; abdomen nearly cclindrical, spinnerets short. : i a a ae: cc aa 4 a A = B 45 @ BS. eo x a og 4 s % 4 , One specimen from Washington State [T. Kincaid]. 210 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE ENTO- MOLOGICAL CLUB OF THE A. A. A. S., 1891. (HELD IN THE COLUMBIAN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D. C., AUGUST 19-22, 1891.) The Washington meeting of the Club was one of the most successful ever held in point of attendance and interest. Seven sessions were held, with average attendance of twenty-two, and minimum of eighteen. Forty- two persons registered and received Club badges, in the following order :— Herbert Osborn, Iowa; John B. Smith, New Jersey ; Howard Evarts Weed, Mississippi; D. S. ‘Kellicott, F. M. Webster, Ohio; C. V. Riley, L. O. Howard, Washington, D.C. ; James Fleteher, Ottawa, Cant: W. B. Alwood, Virginia; B. Pickman Mans, E. A. Schwarz, Washington, D. C.; Lawrence Bruner, Nebraska; A. J. Cook, Michigan; Paul Wallace, California ; E. B. Southwick, New York ; G. H. Perkins, Vermont; Geo, H. Hudson, New York ; Wm. H. Ashmead, Florida ; J. A. Lintner, New York ; Howard H. Hopkins, Maryland; Martha E. Stuart, Nebraska ; Lucien M. Underwood, Indiana; O. F. Cook, New York; Mary E. Murtfeldt, Augusta Murtfeldt, Missouri; E. W. Claypole, Katherine B. Claypole, Agnes M. Claypole, Edith J. Claypole, Ohio ; E. W. Doran, Maryland ; Geo F. Atkinson, Alabama ; J. M. Stedman, North Carolina ; Otto Heidemann, William H. Fox, Geo. Marx, Washington, D. C.; Charles Robertson, Illinois; L. H. Pammel, Iowa; E. A. Popenoe, Kansas; A. B. Cordley, George C. Schaeffer, C. L. Marlatt, F. H. Chittenden, Washington, D. C. | 3 There was no lack of papers, and the daily programmes of the Club were published in the programmes of A. A. A. S. MINUTES. The Entomological Club of the A. A, A. S. met at 9 a.m. on August roth, at Room 15 Columbian University, President Osborn in he chair ; eighteen members present. - : THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. P11 In the absence of the Secretary, the President called Mr. J. B. Smith to act as such during the reading of the address, and Vice-President Miss Mary Murtfeldt occupied the chair during the delivery of the ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. é BY HERBERT OSBORN, AMES, IOWA. The Entomological Club has reason to congratulate itself upon the _ favourable conditions under which it meets. We are here in our national capital, a city in which every American feels a pride, and the beauty of which can but favour our enjoyment. We are in the centre of entomolo- gical activity for the United States—and I am tempted to say for the world, for I believe we should have to make diligent search to find any — ¢ community where so many skillful entomologists are devoting their entire time to entomological problems. We have here one of the finest insect collections in the country, a col- lection unique and invaluable in the richness of its biological material, and one which has already become of great use anda Mecca to entomolo- gists all over the country. With all these favouring circumstances we can | most certainly expect a profitable meeting, and I feel perfectly safe in saying that every entomologist here will return to the regular duties of his _ profession with renewed zeal, and with a better knowledge of the possi- bilities of entomological work, and a feeling.that he has been many times repaid for the time and trouble he has expended in attending the meeting. But with the knowledge of these favouring conditions and the thought of what should be expected in a presidential address on such an occasion, I confess that it is with great trepidation that I undertake the discussion a of any of the many problems that are presented as living topics in the a entomological field, Our Club includes in its membership a majority of the working ento- mologists of America, each one alive to the advancement of his favourite science. eagerly watching for progress in every avenue of research and keenly anxious to favour every means of promoting its interest. Each one then, we feel, has a special: interest in the enlargement of the entomological fraternity, and in the means and methods for the train- ing of the coming generation of workers, 912 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. I feel, therefore, that while there are many important topics that could be selected as the basis of this address, I cannot possibly go astray in occupying your attention for a short time with some thoughts concerning | the educational value of entomology, the training to be desired in it, and the present and possible means for the growth of this work. It is but a short time since entomology was entirely excluded from college courses, or, if included at all, formed but a fractional part of zoology ; and the training given had little reference to the actual work devolving upon an entomological student in the collection and study of his particular favourites. Even at the present time, there are, so far as I know, not more than a dozen colleges in the country where entomology is given a place in the regular college curriculum, and in only about half of these does it form a — required part of any regular college course. In some of these the required work consists of but a short course, devoted largely to economic subjects, and the student gets but a bare insight into the problems of systematic entomology, or the wonderful biological wealth belonging to this branch of science. To the members of this Club it is of course unnecessary to urge the value of entomology as an educator, but I would like to call attention to it here for the purpose of emphasizing the matter and urging a greater utilization of it in educational work. While we ourselves may realize its value and give it all the rank proper, I fear we do not always insist as we © might on the standing it deserves in this regard. We do not need to depreciate the value of other scientific studies in order to uphold entomological work as one of the most suitable of all branches of science to form a part of a course in scientific training. That it requires close application, careful attention to details, and thus exercises in fullest degree every faculty of observation, is a necessary con- sequence of the minuteness and complex organization of insects, It presents, therefore, every advantage offered by botany or any branch of zoology as a means of training the faculties to close observation, . It is stated of Cuvier, that being applied to by a young man who de- sired to become a naturalist, for advice as to the course he should — he answered, “ Go and study entomology.” a Ee aca Se aid ee 4 ha - sate See ee ee WL ee ee ee a a a es a. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 213 We believe fully in the necessity of a thorough foundation for entomological as well as any other scientific work, and would by all. means advise students intending to enter this field to learn so much of chemistry, physics and general biology as to equip themselves for handling the intricate problems of life which must of necessity be met in any thorough study of insects. But, we would like to urge also the advantage to be gained by devotees of other branches of science if they would use the subject of entomology as a part of their mental equipment. Not only is the training to be gained one that is of the highest value in the cultivation of the faculties we have mentioned, but the facts acquired are - of a nature to be used in every calling in life in which the student may engage. We are all often amused by the questions uienadudes to us about © insects, questions often from highly educated people, which display the direst ignorance concerning some of the. most elementary principles of entomology. ‘This condition is one of the greatest hindrances to the adoption of remedies based on any biological foundation. Confusion of species, lack of any idea of the metamorphosis of insects (except possibly some of the most common), and total ignorance of the structure of insects or of the physiological features which enter so largely into the use of remedies, all combine to render the intelligent adoption of the necessary | measures in insect warfare difficult. Education in these matters must be in considerable part by personal means. Teachers in higher institutions must train the teachers who carry knowledge to the academies and high schools, and these in turn must _ furnish the training in the lower grade and country schools. Will the time ever come when the country teacher will be qualified to answer common questions about insects that may be propounded by his pupils, to give them accurate instruction concerning the most essential principles of the science, or to direct them in the proper methods by which they can get facts by their own observation. There is no question as to the fascination of the subject, each one here by his presence attests this fact, as attractiveness of the study is the main motive for its pursuit, and the wonder is that so few carry an interest in the subject beyond the enthusiastic collecting of youthful years, It is true that entomological study soon becomes serious work, when undertaken with any purpose or effort to further knowledge along any of 214 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. its lines ; but such work is very pleasurable, and unless in the complexity ; of the subject or the disheartening number of forms or amount of literature necessary, would seem to present no insuperable difficulties not to be met’ with in other sciences. It is perhaps almost unfortunate that there has been a fashion for a__ few years past to discredit the value of systematic work, and to laud the researches in histology and embryology as the only work deserving the name of science. The tone of contempt that has sometimes greeted the faithful worker in systematic entomology must have had the effect of discouraging some who might otherwise have made valuable contributions to the science. We should not be narrow, but let our sympathies and appreciation be as extensive as the group in which we are interested ; our perceptions of the earnest effort and the good in others as sensitive as the organizations which we place under our microscopes ; and our encouragement as quick = as the movements of our tiny friends. The work in histology and embryology is essential, and its importance cannot be ignored. Often giving us the only rational method of discover- ing affinities, it must be resorted to by the systematic student, and none need underrate it. The further study of entire life-histories of insects, one of the most fascinating of all branches of study, presents a field of such great importance to the economic entomologist, so rich in discovery asto modes of life, and so often important in revealing the affinities of related groups, that he who would neglect or deride this part of cotomgigy must have little conception of its range. But systematic work too has its place and importance, and I trust the : time is now coming when there will be a return of workers to this field. The need of collections and libraries for this work is appreciated by all, and has been well discussed in the address of last year. I wouid like to suggest, however, in this connection the importance of © the preservation of collections that have been the basis of systematic work by a specialist. Often such collections go to ruin, and the question comes again and again, would it not have been better if such collection had been ~ placed in some established museum, where its preservation would be assured. I believe fully in the formation of working collections, particul- ary in limited groups, but when it is possible to deposit such a collection THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 215 in a place of permanent preservation, I feel that it should be done for the _ benefit of future students and the advancement of science. At present the student of systematic entomology must perforce select ‘some limited group, the literature of which he can obtain, and faithfully divorce himself from the pursuit of knowledge in other groups. This is well and proper for the worker who has gone far enough to become enamored with his specialty and to recognize the limitations ‘necessary, but there are many young students enthusiastic and active whose ardour would carry them through bravely, if but they could pass through the doubtful stage which comes with the conviction that there are many insects which cannot be determined. - Failure to name his collection, or a disheartening search through all the --books at his command without getting any clue to the affinities of his specimens, dampens his ardour and quenches his zeal. The necessary training for the more serious entomological work and _ that which must in large part be given by means of carefully arranged courses of study, should, I believe, embrace methods in systematic ento- mology—of studying the complex life-histories of insects, and of working out the problems of minute anatomy and embryology that so constantly confront us. A thorough knowledge of insect anatomy is essential and should be acquired before the student attempts originai work on morpho- logy or revisional work in classification. Above all, the student should become impressed with the importance of accuracy, both in study and in statement, and it should be the crowning glory of this as well as all scien- tific work to develop in the student the keenest perception of the fact that scientific work means truthful work. The equipment to carry on such instruction is not essentially expensive, and the cost of equipment should not deter any well-endowed institution from providing thoroughly for good work. The item of books will figure largely, but these may be selected as needed and no immense outlay is required at once. One of the most difficult problems met by the teacher is to supply satisfactory guides to his students in classificatory work, and I believe every working entomologist will concede the desirability of a condensed -manual for the determination of the families and genera of the insects constantly met in his work. The question is, how can such a manual 216 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ever be prepared? The work is evidently too great for any one individual, for keys in any group to be serviceable must be prepared by someone familiar with the group; and, furthermore, the entomological workers of America are all too much engaged in active professional studies to devote much time to such work, “ That some combined plan is requisite seems apparent, and I ‘know no better place to inaugurate such an effort than in this Club. There are already many valuable analytical tables, but these are scattered through so many publications (many of which are inaccessible to general students) that to be of service in the particular manner I have in mind, they should be brought together in some compact single volume, with such directions as to their use, as to make them serviceable without e a specialist at hand. : I would suggest that a special committee be appointed at this meeting to consider the possibility of preparing such a work, either as a special effort of the club or by simple co-operation among members of the club, who are willing to assist by allowing the use of tables already prepared, or the preparation of new ones in the group with which ren fh are familiar. : Such a manual would necessarily have certain imitations and, doubt- less, at first, some imperfections, but the scope of the work may probably better be discussed in a special committee, should it please you to form one, and the matter of imperfection is incident to every new undertaking. The cordial reception which this suggestion has met with from some entomologists to whom I have presented it, and their generous offer to allow the use of tables they have published, and to revise and extend them, have encouraged me in the belief that such a plan can be worked out. The matter seems to me of such vital importance, especially in college work and for students who desire to make entomology a serious work, that I believe we should not be discouraged by the sien iene which certainly exist in such an undertaking. Another matter to which I desire to call your attention is that of a general gathering of entomologists during the Columbian Exposition. We are all aware of the pleasure of meeting our national co-labourers in this field, and if arrangements are made so that a general congress of the ento- mologists of the world can be had, I believe the interest and profit of the occasion will be great, jes fo shit THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 217 In the establishment of the World’s Congress Auxiliary of the Colum- _ bian Exposition, I understand that such a gathering is contemplated, and that such a general meeting will be provided for, if but the cn- _tomological societies and individual entomologists will co-operate in the movement. The time indicated in their circulars seems hardly propitious, as it would seem far easier to secure such a_ gathering at the time of the meeting of our Association of Economic Entomologists, but, doubtless, the preference of that Association and this Club will be considered, as without their support such a congress could not succeed. It would seem to me very proper that the club pass a resolution endorsing the effort to arrange for an Entomological Congress, offering its support and designating the officers for the coming year, as the medium _ of communication concerning any matters requiring action before our - next annual gathering, and, if deemed wise, some special instruction as to an effort to arrange dates which will accommodate the entomologists of the country best. As entomologists we should uphold the standing of our profession. We are sometimes met by evidences of a sentiment hardly complimentary to our calling, an apparent feeling that the entomologist may be a harm- less sort of fellow, who catches bugs in a net and then puts them in a ‘bottle ; but that for any important work ‘in this life he does not amount tomuch. This feeling, I am glad to say, seems to be changing rapidly, and in this connection I feel impelled to remark that in my opinion entomologists owe a debt of lasting gratitude to the distinguished head of the division of entomology for the status given to entomological work in the U. S. and throughout the world. To him, I believe, more than to. any other one man is due the credit of placing entomological science alongside of other branches of science in the respect and confidence of the people, and thus bringing our profession from the position of a harm- less pastime to one of recognized standing alongside of other branches of applied sciences. Let us, as entomologists, in all our work endeavor to keep this standard high, to avoid anything like the quackery which drags itself alongside of scientific medication. * * x x * cas * * Mr. Mann moved a vote of thanks to the President for his excellent address, which duly carried. 7 218 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Tn oe a ee ee On motion of Mr. Mann it was resolved that a committee of three be appointed to consider the recommendations of the address, and report as early as convenient. : Messrs. Mann, Fletcher and Smith were appointed as such committee by the President. The President suggested a committee on Programme, and on motion of Mr. Mann, amended by Mr. Fletcher, that the Secretary be one of the members, it was so resolved. Messrs. Webster and Kellicott were appointed the additional members of the committee. On motion, Mr. Smith was aipcndl acting Secretary for the presente meeting. Mr. Webster moved that one meeting of the Club be set aside dar short notes and random observations, and Dr. Kellicott amended by sug- gesting that the next meeting be so set aside. Both motion and amend- ment carried. On motion of Mr. Mann, after some general discussion as to hours of meeting, the Club adjourned to 1 p. m. AFTERNOON MEETING. The Club met pursuant to adjournment at 1 p.m., Wickiese > Osborn in the chair, twenty-one members present. The President stated that under the resolution adopted, short notes: were in order, and he called on the members for such. Mr. Kellicott mentioned a Tortricid feeding on Sz/phium perfoliatum, whose habits he studied last year, but of which he got only a single imago © in bad condition and not yet named. The eggs are laid in the flower buds, and the larve eat into and destroy them. At this time the larve are livid in colour, and there become about half an inch im length; then they either crawl down outside, or bore through the stem to the root in which they feed until winter. They make a silken tube in which they hibernate and sometimes also pupate; usually in spring they crawl out into the loose soil and there pupate. Mr. Webster spoke of a Cecidomyid larva preying on the cherry aphis, and exhibited specimens. The imago which was bred seems a Diplosis. Hyperchiria io he has usually found rather rarely ; but this year he has received it from corn, where it was feeding in considerable numbers, ep SE RIM ig oP ree ee ve ite 7 y x aft Se Pe oh ae ey ee THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. = 219 - Scolytus rugudosus is common in the experiment orchard and very injuri- ous, but does not attack healthy trees. Only such as have been injured in some way seem to be infested. Lumbricus, sp. Quite young worms have been sent from the celerv gardens of Northern Indiana, with the complaint that they injured the young plants, first in the hot beds, and, later, in the field after trans-— planting. ‘The injury has been of quite a serious nature. The Buffalo tree-hopper, Ceresa bubalus, was sent from Richmond, Indiana, June 12, with the statement that they were destroying young tomato plants in gardens. The three specimens received were yet in the larval stage, and were at once placed on young plants in breeding cage. They attacked the plants just above the surface of the ground, puncturing the stems, ~ causing a contraction and weakening of the stem, which soon fell over, | though the upper portion did not wither or at once die. The affected part formed a distinct contraction, which was probably an eighth or an inch in length, and discoloured. Precisely similar attacks were made on a species of Tasmanian Oxa/is, which stood upon the same table with the tomato plants, when the tree-hoppers were allowed to gather upon the stems. The last of the depredators finished the pupal stage on July 8. The following species have been observed attacking the blackberry:— Coleophora,sp. The larve were observed eating into the tender expand- ing buds in April, and in May they were observed mining the leaves. No adults were reared, though attempts were made to do so; Blennocampa paupera was observed ovipositing in the young buds in April; Anomadla binotata, adults were surprised in the act of depredating on the foliage early in May, and an allied beetle, Zrichius piger, was observed feeding upon the blossoms in June. The larva of Eccopsis permundaria was found eating into the fruit in May, the pupal stage lasting twelve days, and the adult emerging May 2r. The clover hay worm, Asopia costa/is, was found in abundance in northern Ohio, April 27. Pupation was observed among these May 25 ; adults emerged June 12. These last oviposited June 13-17, and ap- parently these larvee were found in heads of living clover in breeding cage July 1st. Adults made their appearance on August 8, at which time pupe and also half-grown larve were to be found in the cages. Sandalus petrophya, male and female, were observed at La Fayette, Indiana, on red or swamp maple, Acer rubrum. Mr. Kellicott said zo frequently does not separate until nearly full- 220 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. grown. He found a lot on chestnut, two of which pupated and emerged the same fall, the others remaining in pupa until the following spring. Mr. Osborn stated that his experience with zo at Ames was similar to’ that described by Mr. Kellicott, and he asked whether Asopia farinalis ever occurs in clover hay. He at one time found the imagowery abun- dant where clover was badly infested, but he could not say the larva was ~ that of farinalis. No one present was able to answer. In reply to a question, Mr. Webster said he had seen the © Cecidomyia larvee feeding on the Aphids. _ Mr. Ashmead said the habit is not uncommon. He has bred fred. ‘ceous species himself, and Mr. Fletcher has recorded a similar occur- rence. ) Mr. Howard thought the habit could scarcely. be called a common one ; he recollected only two European records of that character. Mr. Lintner spoke on the occurrence of. an Onion pest at Canastota and vicinity, in Central New York, during the month of June. The pest was reported as a dark coloured caterpillar of a maximum length of an inch and one-fourth, feeding on the plants above ground, overrunning large fields of onions in the muck lands north of Canastota, and consuming not only all of the onion tops but other vegetation also. From the account given, the caterpillar was believed at first to be the species of cut-worm that in the spring of 1885 proved so exceedingly destructive in the onion fields in Goshen and vicinity, in Orange County, N. Y., as recorded in © Prof. Riley’s Report to the Department of Agriculture, for the year 1885, viz.: Agrotis messoria. Comparison of the caterpillar secured later, showed it to be a different species, which, on being carried through its final stage, confirmed the identification of it which had been made from Prof. Forbes’s admirable figure in his 15th Report, as Agrotis ypstlon. *The moths emerged from the pupz in the early part of July. : It was not possible at the time to visit the infested locality to note particularly the habits of the cut-worm and the amount of injury inflicted” by it, nor could any definite or satisfactory information be obtained by correspondence, for the attack ceasing with the pupation of the larvae, all further interest in it on the part of the onion growers seemed to be lost. Mr. Lintner also read a letter from Mr. Geo. F. Shepley, asking for information concerning an insect which had bored galleries in the pine boards and in the linen contained in a closet, and had done much injury to the fabric. He asked whether any members recognized the attack. THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Zak ' Mr. Riley said the description was so indefinite that little could be made of it. A number of Ptinide made galleries somewhat as described ; _ but without seeing the injury he would not venture an opinion. Mr. Campbell stated a somewhat similar experience. From some spruce boards, employed in building, a small species of M/onohammus issued. He suggests that the linen was bored simply to get out, and not because the insects had any liking for the material. a Mr. Mann observed that in his laboratory fittings white pine was used _ for shelving and drawer cases, and that from this issued a longicorn which he thinks was Xyotrechus colonus. He thinks they would have pentrated linen or any other substance to make their way out. _. Mr. Smith noted the capture of Cicindela lepida at Jamesburg, N. J., _ July 4th, 20 miles from the nearest sea shore at which this insect had been previously found. . The Elm leaf beetle had been again closely watched during the past season, and again the insect had been found to be single brooded. The injury done first by the hibernating beetles, then by the larva, and again by the new brood of beetles, has given the impression of as many broods. 4 Zeuzera is undoubtedly spreading. It has been found beyond Newark, » and the injury by the larva was begining to be apparent on the elms of _ that city. The suggestion by Mr. Southwick at the meeting of the . Association of Economic Entomologists, that elm had been referred to as the only food plant, was true only of America. In Europe it had been known as injurious to quite a number of widely different species. Cryptorhynchus lapathi was spreading and was doing serious injury to willow. Nearly all the clumps of willows near Newark and Arlington had been destroyed, and some fancy and garden trees had been killed. Mr. Howard said Walker had years ago given North America as a locality for Zeuzera pyri, and Morris had made the same statement. He asked whether this did not conflict with the idea that it was a recently imported species, and further, whether Walker might not have had the ‘species described by Herrich-Schaeffer. Mr. Smith replied that Morris had followed Walker simply, and that Walker’s specimen must be examined and its history ascertained before its identity could be assumed. The species described by Herrich- Schaeffer was so entirely different that even Walker could not well mistake it. He had so little faith in Walker’s determinations that he would not be surprised to find the American specimens to be Ecpantheria, Doe THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Mr. Howard further suggested that the elm-leaf beetle would be a good subject upon which to try the importation of parasites. Three 2 species were known to infest it in Europe. — Mr. Riley expressed some surprise at Mr. Smith’s experience with the elm-leaf beetle in New Jersey. At Washington he felt quite certain. there were two broods, and New Jersey did not usually differ much in such matters from Washington, The date of hibernation—early August— was so very early as to be remarkable, and proved certainly that ek ture had nothing to do with it. Mr. Smith agreed that usually Washington and New Jersey did not differ in number of broods ; but he had carefully watched these insects | two years in succession, from day to day, and felt absolutely certain as to: his facts. The beetles first ate round holes in the leaves, eating the entire — tissue. The larve then ate on the under or upper side, usually the — former ; but did not eat through the leaf. This often killed off the foliage, © se leaving it dry and brown. A new growth would then usually start, and this in ‘turn was injured by the midsummer beetles eating round holes in it. These beetles were never observed copulating; but after eating a week or two they retired. In the belfry of the college building hundreds had been found early last September, entirely torpid. Mr. Riley said Mr. Smith’s observations agreed perfectly with what he had noted ; but he was not ready to admit that it was all caused, in Washington, by one brood. He felt quite certain that he had observed a second brood, which to some extent overlaps the first. . Mr. Lintner said, a strange feature was the habit of feeding quite ex- tensively in fall, and then again in spring. He thought fall feeding should bring full maturity, as during hibernation they were almost torpid, scarcely even breathing. He had been watching the spread of the insect along the Hudson, and it has now reached to within twenty miles of Albany. He expects to hear of it there almost daily. Miss Murtfeldt gave a brief account of a case where the screw-worm, the larva of Zucillia macellaria or something very like it, had attacked a. lady near St. Louis. Over 200 of the larva were taken from the head and throat by means of forceps, and the patient must have suffered tortures. The larve differ a little from the figures she had seen, and she asked to have her determination verified. 3 Mr. Weed examined the specimens and thought there was no doubt of their being the screw-worm. Dr. Marx made the announcement that he was now studying | the ticks, but found considerable difficulty in getting material. He asked all mem- bers of the Club who had specimens, or could obtain them, to send to. ~ him for study. He would be glad to name and return material. ; On motion of Mr. Mann the meeting adjourned. Mailed October 7th, 1891. : | The Canatiay Ventomologist VOL. XXIII. LONDON, NOVEMBER, 1891. No. 11. OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE ENTOMO- LOGICAL CLUB OF THE A. A. A. S., 1891. (Continued from page 222.) AUGUST 20, 189QI. The Club met pursuant to adjournment at 9 a. m., President Osborn in the chair. Eighteen members present. The minutes of the first day’s meetings were read, amended and approved. 3 Mr. Lintner spoke on THE PEAR MIDGE, (Dip/osis pyrivora) IN NEw YORK. It had been brought to his attention as an injurious species during the present year. It has been abundant at Catskill, and in small numbers has extended to within 20 miles of Albany. After careful search he has found a single infested pear at the latter city. He gave a history of the investigations made in this country on the species, and detailed all that was known concerning its life history. The character of the injury done was carefully described and specimens were exhibited. He also gave a history of the experiments made to control the species, and spoke approvingly of a suggestion that some application to completely blight and destroy the blossoms of infested orchards, more particularly the Lawrence trees, be made to exterminate the pest. It is so numerous, 15 to 35 larve in a single pear, and go ¥ of the entire fruit infested, that he ranks it among the most injurious, and with the pear psy//a the most serious obstacle to pear growing in New York. The larve mature about the first of June. They then emerge from the pears, usually during or after a rain, drop to the ground and bury themselves a short distance. In 1o days they make a cocoon covered with grains of sand; but how long they remain before pupating he could not say. He asked whether Mr. Smith’s statements concerning methods of oviposition made before the Association of Economic Entomologists 224 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, was based on personal observation. It was at variance with the des- criptions of this operation and somewhat surprising. Mr. Smith replied that he had never watched oviposition, nor had it been watched in this country so far as he was aware. His statements were inferences based on examinations of infested fruit, The passage from the ovaries to the outside of the pear was large and open, so no necessity existed for a puncturing of fruit by either insect or larva. He further found that in a lot of infested pears placed on moist earth, most of the larvee left the pear by this same aperture, | | Mr. Lintner expressed surprise at this, and described his experience, which was that the fruit usually cracks transversely near its base, and that the larvee make their way to the surface through these cracks. Mr. Southwick asked as to the best way to breed Cecidomyide. He had been very unsuccessful with some species he had attempted to rear. Mr. Smith thought no general rule could be laid down, as the habits | of the insects differ so much. Our effort must be to keep them in natural conditions as much as possible. Mr. Lintner agreed to this and added, that there was ‘much difference in the ease with which species could be bred. With some, success Was very difficult. Mr. Fletcher found fren easy to rear as a rule, if they were given the constant care and attention necessary. He thought the blighting of the blossoms might be done without injury to the tree, as the blossoms of many varieties expanded before the leaves appeared, and even if some leaves were destroyed at this season the injury would soon be repaired. Mr. Lintner asked what material could best be employed? ‘ Mr. Fletcher suggested the arsenites, and preferably London purple on account of its causticity. Mr. Howard asked whether Mr. Fletcher had considers what effect this would have on the bees. Mr. Fletcher said he had not. It was an off-hand suggestion ; but sulphate of copper might be substituted, and would not, he thought, hurt bees. He was, however, rather sceptical as to the injuries to bees from spraying flowers, and intended next spring to experiment on this question, Mr. Osborn asked whether the midge was confined to pear or was known to attack other fruits? He explained that he had found a Cecid- THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. . 225 ° omyid larva on choke-cherry, with habits very like those described, and thought it might possibly be the same. : Mr. Fletcher thought it unlikely that a pear insect would be found on Prunus. It might possibly be found in some allied forms like Cratzegus. as is Anthonomus 4-gibbus at Ottawa. Mr. Howard gave some notes on THE ENCYRTIN® WITH BRANCHED ANTENN&. He gave a history of the gradual discovery of these aberrant forms, a box of which he exhibited, and explained by means of blackboard figures the nature of the curious antennal modifications. Excellent drawings of the species were also exhibited. In response to a question from Mr. Osborn, he stated that one of the species was bred from Bucculatrix ; but that the hosts of the others were not known. On motion of Mr. Kellicott, the President appointed Messrs. Kelli- cott, Smith and Howard, a committee to nominate the officers of the club for next year. The Club then adjourned until 1 p. m. AFTERNOON MEETING. The Club reassembled at 1 p. m., with President Osborn in the chair and twenty-seven persons present. A paper by Mr. Hubbard being called for, Mr. Schwarz stated that the communication to be presently read by the Secretary was not an elaborate paper, but a private letter hastily written by the author while still in the field. The insects mentioned therein had, of course, not yet been studied, and could only be determined by Mr. Hubbard after his return. _ But on account of the highly interest- ing information it contained, the letter was eminently fitted to be laid before the Club. No previous observations on the insect life in the Hot Springs of the Yellowstone Park seem to have been made, although this interesting locality had frequently been visited by scientific parties. In fact, beyond Dr. Packard’s short article in the American Naturalist on a Stratiomys larva from a hot spring in Colorado,-he was not aware that anything had been published in North America on the insect fauna of Hot Springs. Further, there was very little recorded of the general insect fauna of the Yellowstone Park, and he even remembered having seen 226 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. i-th sanedgirtondeboosien 4 i “ nn ee ac ela a somewhere a statement in print to the effect that the Park is remarkably poor in insect life. It would appear from Mr. Hubbard’s letter that this — notion had to be considerably modified, at least so far as the Coleoptera are concerned. The Secretary then read the following paper :— INSECT LIFE IN THE HOT SPRINGS OF THE YELLOW- STONE NATIONAL PARK. | BY H. G HUBBARD, ; Pleasant Valley Hotel, August 7, 1891. ‘‘The arrangements we had to make with the proprietors of the stage line gave us a trip of five days from Beaver Canon to the mammoth Hot Springs for $35 apiece, there being three of us. But if we stopped over anywhere it was $10 extra; it was also $10 extra to make the trip to Yellowstone Lake. But I am very glad we did not omit this, as it is by far the most delightful part of the Park. As the distances in the Park are tremendous, you can imagine I had not much time for collecting, and most of the insects I did get were taken when I could get out and walk while the carriage was going up some long hill. However, we had an entire day at the middle and upper geyser basins, as we had to travel only eight miles. There were hundreds of pools and geysers to visit which would have more than occupied the entire day if I had not skipped most of them. I, however, saw three of the large geysers play, and that was quite sufficient. These geysers and hot springs always build up eithera . hill, or if there are many of them together, they form, perhaps, immense terraces, covered with pools full of boiling water, and generally running over in thin streams. Millions of insects fall into these transparent pools, or get suffocated by the steam, and their dead bodies are floated to the edge of the basin, and there, in a few hours, they are coated with lime. Around all the pools and geysers and everywhere in the Park, where hot sulphurous water is running over the ground and forming tepid or hot pools, there is to be found Cicindela hemorrhagica. At the mam- moth hot springs on the terraces, where the hot water forms shallow basins, I saw this Cicinde/a running along the edge of the flutings, where the water, quite warm, was pouring over the rim. They did not hesitate to run in the water where it was one-eighth of an inch deep. I thought they must be there for some predatory purpose, so I examined these basins carefully, and, sure enough, there were thousands of minute gnats THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 227 emerging from the pup, which floated up against the edges of the basins and pools. The larva was also abundant in the geyserite precipitate that forms a flocculent mud in all these tepid basins. I soon found that this mud is alive with insects, chiefly Diptera, but there is a very large and white Ochthebius and its larva, and also a common Philhydrus. The latter lives only in the tepid pools, while the Ochthebius inhabits water that is very much warmer. I regret that I had not a thermometer with me to test the temperature. There is, of course, a little Sa/da run- ning about the edges, and this seems to stand any amount of heat, as I find it about the edges of springs which are actually boiling. But the most curious thing of all is the presence of two species of Webria—one of large size, with yellow legs ; the other smaller, and entirely black, living _ under pieces of geyserite about the hot springs, and even on the sides of the cones of the largest spouting geysers, where they are liable to be washed away in a flood of boiling water. The larve of these Webdrias live also in the sulphurous geyserite sand near the hot springs and geysers, but not so near to the geyser vents as the imagos. There is, however, a large Bembidium, with variegated elytra, which is always found under bits of geyserite and in the geyserite sand about every hot spring and geyser ; its larva lives with it in the same places. In the Firehole River, just below the Excelsior geyser, which contin- uously pours rivers of boiling water into the stream and raises its tem- perature to probably 70° or 75° F., there lives an E/mis of medium size ; but I found it rare and had not time to collect it in any numbers. In a small stream of tepid water, running through a grassy plain, I found that same slender, undescribed /mis which we took below the old powder mill in Ogden Canon. It swarmed in this stream in countless millions, every stone and stick was alive with it and its larva. There was also a Corixa, apparently the same species I took in Utah Lake. Here it swarms in incredible numbers, forming black masses all along the sides of the stream. Of course the stream was sulphurous and heavily charged with mineral matter, so that sticks, moss and everything that fell into the water was soon silicified or coated. All the stones and sticks in the bottom were streaming with peculiar alge of various colours. In the Firehole River, above the upper geysers, where it is an ordinary mountain stream and quite cool, I found in debris in the water a marvellous A/mds with red spots ; but four times larger than the largest I ever saw. In the same debris were peculiar aquatic larvae, apparently Coleopterous, and 228 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. Se belonging to different families, but I did not get the imagos. as I found here, at the upper geyser basin, a few things on the spruce trees, but nothing new. There are one or two Zelephorus, Corymbites, several Dascyllide, etc. Malachiide of the genera Dasytes and Listrus are also common here as elsewhere on spruce and pine. Nowhere else in Yellowstone Park have I been able to find anything on pines except these Malachiids. Beating trees and bushes seems to produce nothing at all. At the upper geyser basin there was a large meadow, which had over part of it a deposit of alkaline mud, dry and cracked in the sun. Here I find a gigantic Aphodius with variegated elytra (A. hamatus ?) under cow- dung. Only one specimen was alive, the others had been killed by the hot sun, and their dead bodies were very abundant on the mud or under dry dung. An E/aphrus, apparently £. ruscarius, was running about on the mud in the hot sun. In patches of cyperaceous grass in this alkaline plain I got a large Patrobus-like Carabid, or else a peculiar Prerostiahiep There was also a Stenus under the dead grass. On July 27th, at evening, we arrived at Yellowstone Lake. The shore | of the lake, which I was not long in visiting, consists either of glacial boulders, or beaches of rather coarse, black gravel. No insects are thrown up by the waves at present, except, perhaps, an occasional Hemipter or Coccinella. However, there is a beach fauna, consisting of the usual black Cryptohypnus of large size (C. funebris), a large black Anthicus, which is very common, and a much rarer species quite minute in size. ‘To my great surprise I found here a single specimen of that same peculiar Coleopterous larva (Saprinus ?) with maggot-like body and almost obsolete legs, that I found among the Ephydras on the shore of great Salt Lake. There were also a few species of dark bronze or lage Bembidium and an Amara. On July 29th we were on the road from the Grand Canon to she Mane moth Hot Springs, which we reached late in the afternoon. I visited the nearest group of hot springs and found the usual fauna. The neighbour- hood is cavernous, and a river of hot water runs beneath the hotel. Under stones there are crickets, which evidently belong to a subterranean species. We spent the next day at the mammoth hot spring, and I had a good chance to collect. I found the Ochthebius and other things in the hot water on the terraces, and under stones a good many Amara, Pterostichus, Patro- | bus, etc. A cedar appears here for the first time, and is growing on the terraces formed by the hot springs. On this I found, by beating, a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 229 beautiful mottled Axthicus ; not at all rare, and a few other things, Mala- chiidee and Curculionide, etc.; among them a beautiful Otiorhynchid, with cream-coloured elytra, showing metallic copper-red colours beneath. On cedars below the hotel there was a Helops, some Cistelide, Elateride, and one specimen of a very large Longicorn of a genus allied to Anthophylax. Under loose stones on the dry hillsides I found good Carabide, Harpalus, Amara, Pterostichus, and a Cymindis, quite com- mon. Continuing down the mountain side about 1,000 feet I finally reached the Gardiner River, which is a cool, rapid, mountain stream, bordered with tall willows, larch, birch, aspen, wild rose, cherry, etc. Here IJ find covered beaches with an abundance of (Vedrias of several species. A large one, with yellow legs, may be the species found about the geysers. The black species are either very variable, or there are ~ several species among them. I think the smallest, which has a tendency in some localities to become brown in colour, is not a Vebria, but belongs, perhaps, to Pelophi/a. There is also a very elongate black form which resembles a Patrobus, but is of very large size. Here I found a very neat Z/mis, quite different from those known to me. It is moderately large, uniform dark-bronze in colour, and of very short, thick, form, It lives very differently from any Z/mis I ever saw. It is under small stones close to the shore, and can only be found by disturbing the gravel with the hand, whereupon the beetles are upset and float about in the water, and seize upon the rootlets of willows that grow among the stones. This same Elmid I have found since in a little frickling stream which came down the steep bank of the Yellowstone River near this place. This little stream was as cold as ice, and densely shaded with nettles and a very tall umbelliferous plant. The Gardiner River was the first stream I had found that is a natural mountain torrent, All the streams in the western pait of the Park are vexed with devils of one sort or another in the shape of hot water, sulphur and steam, and are full of queer, slimy alge, deposits of lime, etc. The Yellowstone River which flows near me here is also partly sulphur water, but still it is full of trout, and its shores pro- duce all the species of Webria, Pelophila and Patrobus that I have men- tioned. I find also in shady places, where moss grows under willows by the borders of the streams and in debris, a few Bledius and Micredus, with one or two other Oma/ini. Deep in a pile of debris on the shore of the Yellowstone River near here I found also Dianous. On July 31st we took a carriage from Mammoth Hot Springs and 230 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. came to this place. ‘Ihe distance is 18 miles, and the road ascends a — high mountain chain and then descends into this valley, which is close to — the junction of the East Fork with the Yellowstone, and is 15 or 20 miles below the Grand Canon. We are here in a most beautiful country of — q great diversity, and almost never visited by tourists. There are dense forests of spruce and fir, some of the latter reaching a good size ; there are also parks and meadows, lots of streams, from the great Yellowstone River to the smallest brooklet. Rocks, grass-covered hills, wild flowers, desert plants, abound in infinite variety, and there are also warm springs - near at hand. We are all of us very much pleased, and I have good col- lecting, while the freshest and most bracing mountain air invigorates all of us.” In commenting on this paper, Mr. Schwarz remarked that the glisten- — ing surface of large bodies of water was known to attract many insects, but that in the case of the hot springs of the Yellowstone Park, which — are of small extent, we must in all probability seek for another cause to account for the multitude of insects that fall into the hot water. It ap- peared quite probable that the gaseous exhalations of these springs and geysers would prove to be the attractive cause, and he recalled the fact that at the solfataras of European volcanoes large numbers of suffocated — insects had been observed, the presence of which could hardly be due to — accident. Similar observations had also been made at the solfataras near Santa Barbara, Cala. Among the Coleoptera, found by Mr. Hubbard in or near the hot springs, the Webrias are of especial interest, becausewe had hitherto been accustomed to associate the occurrence of these Carabids with cold streams and snowfields in alpine regions. Mr. Lintner expressed his appreciation of the character of the paper, — aud complimented Messrs. Hubbard and Schwarz on the excellent service done by them in working up the fauna of special regions. Ton Mr. Lintner spoke on THE PEAR PSYLLA (P. fyricola) IN THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY. He gave a review of the history of the species, described the methods of injury and discussed the possible remedies. He finds unexpected success in using the kerosene emulsion even against the mature insects, He briefly discussed the life history, finding that there were two broods at least. The eggs and method of oviposition were described, particular — attention being called to a filament or pedicel-like prolongation of the tip. — THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 231 Very severe injury had been done during the present year by the insect in the pear orchards of the Hudson River Valley. Mr. Schwarz said that four species had b&en confused as Psy//a pyri by various European authors ; that Dr. Franz Loew had, in the Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, written exhaustively on the subject, and that Schmidberg- ers pyri is identical with pyrisuga, Foerster, which does not occur in North America. He had observed pyrico/a in Michigan, where it is not common and where, late in the fall, it assumed that intense coloration which indicates hibernation in the imago state. Mr. Lintner spoke further ON THE EYE-SPOTTED BUD-MOTH (Zmetocera ocellana) IN WESTERN NEW YORK. This insect had been very destructive in the orchards of the western part of the State—many of the orchardists representing it as having caused them more harm in their apple orchards than all other insect pests combined. The caterpillar fed upon the unopened buds, on the blossoms, on the young leaves as they first put forth, webbing them together, on the advanced foliage, and it was also reported as boring into the young twigs. Its habit of concealment, after its operations disclosed its presence, made it almost impossible to reach by the usual application of the arsenites. From the severe injury that it was occasioning, it was very desirable that some method of destroying it should be discovered and recommended to our fruit growers. He had believed that eggs were deposited in the month of April by the parent moths, from some imperfect and denuded specimens that had been captured fluttering about the fruit trees at this time, and which seemed to be that species ; but Prof. Fernald and others had stated that the insect hibernated as a half-grown larva under a silken tent spun upon the fallen leaves. Some of the larve which Mr. Lintner had hatched from the eggs in June, had attained such size in early July when they died, that they should certainly have attained full maturity during the early autumn. He also exhibited specimens of the very remarkable, extremely flattened and disc-like egg, which he thought could not be the same with that which Prof. Fernald had described in Bulletin No. 12 of the Hatch Experiment Station for April, 1891. If the egg is deposited in the early spring, it could be killed by a kerosene emulsion ; if the larve hibernate in the fallen leaves, they could be kept from ascending the tree, or destroyed by collecting and burning the leaves, 232 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. — Mr. Fletcher had found larve on apple twigs in winter in Nova Scotia, hibernating beneath a silken covering, which he thought were undoubt- edly this species. He hadaalso secured eggs during the past summer at — Ottawa, where it had been one of the notable pests of the season. Mr. Lintner also made remarks ON SOME OF OUR ORGYIAS. Some time since Mr. Smith named some specimens of Orgyia in his collection as O. definita, stating that there were no J/eucostigma in the Albany collections to his knowledge. More recently Mr. Dyar had seen — the specimens, and had pronounced them all J/eucostigma. He also pointed out that the egg mass of /ewcostigma is covered by the female with a frothy mass, That of definita is almost bare, having only a slight covering of hairs, and there is no frothy substance whatever. He had reared from eggs received from Mr. Dyar a specimen of definita, which certainly seemed distinct from what he had in his collection He had also bred O. nova, which deposited its eggs in a single layer upon the surface of the cocoon, without any covering whatever. He had been especially interested in this latter species because of its supposed resemblance to the European antigua, and would endeavour to get the early stages of both for comparison. Mr. Smith said that the late Mr. Hy. Edwards had made cuek com- parisons, and had frequently stated positively that they were identical. — Concerning his determination of definita, he had just been working over the Meske material in the museum collection, which contained only what he took to be definita. Mr. Lintner’s specimens were seen soon after, and were so well marked and clean that he deemed them the same, and said so. Since then he had seen the egg masses on trees at Albany, and finds | them /eucostigma. He had long known of the difference between the egg masses. Mr. Lintner had very few specimens ; and he can only believe that the finest and most sharply marked specimens were retained, and these looked quite different from the normal, obscure and_ shabby specimens taken. Mr. Lintner assented, that only the finer specimens had been retained. Mr. Riley said that he had carefully compared nova and antiqua in all stages and found them identical. Adjourned until the 21st inst. at 9 a. m, ELS RT ee ee ee SO a a, ee ee bo eX) Go THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. AUGUST 21, 1r89gI. The Club met at 9 a. m., President Osborn in the chair, 27 persons present. The minutes of the second day’s meetings were read and approved. Mr. Mann stated that some enquiry had been made concerning the old minutes of the Club, of which all trace seemed to have been lost. He heard the remark, and remembered that they were in his possession. He gave a history of the Club since its organization in 1874, of its formation as a subsection of the A. A. A. S., which was not a success, and of the reorganization at the Minneapolis meeting, since which time it has flourished. He now turned over to the Secretary the book and its contents. Mr. Kellicott moved that the Secretary be empowered to complete the minutes from published records, so far as they were obtainable and had not been already incorporated in the book. Carried. The Nominating Committee reported, recommending for election :— President, E. A. Schwarz, of Washington, D. C. Vice-President, E. A. Popenoe, of Manhatten, Kansas. Secretary, C. L. Marlatt, of Washington, D. C. On motion the report of the Committee was unanimously approved, and the above gentlemen were elected accordingly. Mr. Mann, from the committee to consider the recommendations of the President’s address, presented the following report :— To the Entomological Club of the A. A. A. S:: Your committee, appointed to consider the recommendations contained in the annual address of the President, has attended to its duty, and begs leave to report. In regard to an international meeting of entomologists, to be held in 1893, your committee deems the suggestion an excellent one, It is of the opinion that such a meeting should be held in connection with the meeting of the A. A. A. S. in that year, and that all entomologists should be invited thereto. It is expected that the Association of Economic Entomologists will invite and secure the attendance of home and foreign economic entomologists at its meetings, and it is recommended that the same excellent arrangement for co-operation be made in the future as was made for the meetings of this year, by which all members of the Associ 234 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ation or the Club who have papers to read on economic ento-- mology should be invited to read them at the meetings of the Association, — and all who have papers on technical entomology or life habits be invited : to read them to thé Club. It is recommended that a committee be appointed to confer with the officers of the Association of Economic Entomologists to make the above suggested arrangements, if practicable, : and to prepare and send out invitations, preferably in the form of a joint address from the two bodies. ‘ In regard to the preparation of a Manual of Entomology, your com- | mittee deems it a matter of high importance that such a manual be prepared, and sees no insuperable obstacle thereto. It is of the opinion that this should be a technical work, for entomologists, rather than one — calculated to interest and allure the non-entomologist. Such a work as that of Westwood’s Classification, adapted more especially to the present — status of entomology in this country, would be of inestimable value. In _ the opinion of the committee it should carry the classification'to the point of the determination of genera by systematic tables, not —e further to describe or define the genera. The committee recommends that the preparation of such a noi be committed to several hands, and that the primary distribution of its subject matter be as follows, as nearly as practicable :— : Introduction and System—Dr. A. S. Packard. Metamorphoses and Life-habits—Dr. C. V. Riley. Hymenoptera—Messrs. E. T. Cresson and L. O. Howard. Lepidoptera—Dr. J. B. Smith. Diptera—Dr. S. W. Williston. Coleoptera—Dr. G. H, Horn. Hemiptera—Prof. H. Osborn. Orthoptera—Prof. L. Bruner. | Neuroptera—Mr, Ph. Calvert. ie Myriapoda—Mr. N. Banks. Archnida (sens. lat.)—Dr. Geo. Marx. 7 It is expected that in the larger or more difficult groups the editors named would be at liberty to subdivide their work, and to call in such assistance as they might desire. _ Respectfully submitted. : B. PicKMAN MANN. J. B. Smrru. JAMES FLETCHER, ee, ee, ee ee Oo . NE Ee ee ees, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 235 On motion the report was received, and Mr. Mann moved its adoption. Mr. Riley objected on business considerations, and detailed at some length the obstacles in the way of preparing and publishing a manual like that suggested. No definite plan had been presented, and the adoption of the report and an attempt made to carry it out might involve the Club in great difficulties. Mr. Smith from the committee explained that all these difficulties had been realized by them, and hence, while their report was favourable, they had intentionally omitted any definite suggestions of a business character, realizing that this required much more time than they had, for considera- tion. Mr. Osborn explained his views on the subject, and urged the neces- sity of a manual. Mr. Mann thought such a manual must be prepared eventually, and that, with the backing of the Club, and with an array of names such as that proposed, no difficulty should be found in getting a publisher. Mr. Riley suggested that the report be divided, and moved that the first recommendation of the committee, concerning an international meeting, be adopted. Carried. Mr. Howard moved that the balance of the report be recommitted to the same committee, with instructions to report a well digested scheme one year hence. _ Mr. Mann moved that a committee of three be appointed by the President under the first recommendation on an international meeting. This was carried, and the President reserved the selection of the committee. The President afterwards named Messrs. Kellicott, Howard and Fletcher. : At the request of Mr. Fletcher the official minutes of the Club were ordered to be printed in the CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. The following was then presented by the author :— PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE INSECT FAUNA OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE, UTAH. BY E. A. SCHWARZ, WASHINGTON, D. C. The Great Salt Lake of Utah has been easily accessible for many years, and its shores have been visited by various entomologists ; so that 236 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. it seems strange that no one has hitherto published a comprehensive : even partial list of the insects occurring in that interesting locality During the present summer, while on a short excursion to Utah with Mr. H. G. Hubbard, we had the opportunity of spending some time in the investigation of the insect fauna of the Lake. The larger portion of the insects collected by us, however, are not yet mounted, and still less. deter- mined, and the following remarks on our observations, which I venture to offer, are necessarily quite fragmentary and of a preliminary charactet The insect that, on account of the enormous number of individuals, cannot fail to attract the first attention of every visitor to the Lake, is a Dipteron of the genus Zphydra, Various species of this genus are known to occur in great number in salt water, and others occasionally become a nuisance in the vats and conduit pipes of salt-works. The particular species from the Great Salt Lake was first collected by Capt. Stansbury’s expedition, and briefly noticed in 1852 by T. R. Peale letter appended to Prof. Haldeman’s paper on the few insects collected by that expedition. Subsequently Dr. Packard (Am. Journ. Sc. and Arts, | 1871, p. 105,) described the puparium and named the species Ephydra ‘ gracilis. The larva and imago still remain undescribed. Along the sandy beaches of the ocean we usually find one or ‘several windrows of seaweed cast up by the waves and marking the line of high - tides. Similar windrows may be seen all around Great Salt Lake, they consist exclusively* of the puparia of this Zphydra. The lake it is full of floating puparia, which are gradually washed ashore, and if breeze freshen and the waves get higher, the mass of puparia is pushed higher up the beach and forms a well-defined windrow, which can be plainly distinguished even on small photographs of any part of the lake shore. On June 13th, the most recent windrow (¢. e. that nearest the water), averaged nearly three inches in height and from four to fi inches in width wherever the beach is sloping ; at the rocky portion of the beach it was much higher, while on the flats the puparia are more spread | out and form a kind of matting over the wet salt mud. Later in the season the accumulation of puparia became much greater. Investiga- tion of the puparia on the day mentioned showed that most of them were alive, that only a small t PYCReaee had hatched, and that there was not a ssaine andar celia ous tye *The dead bodias ty various insects of other edie’ Nekich habs fallen into the Lake are intermingled with the mass of the Ephydras. Most of them are rar — and the number of individuals and species teh found is very small, THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 237 single larva among them. On the sloping or rocky part of the beach the ‘puparia rest upon dry ground and become themselves almost entirely dry. Here they remain for several days exposed to the warm sun, and it is certainly remarkable that under these circumstances they retain their vitality. ** From a tin box full of the puparia which I picked up on a dry spot on June 14th, the flies began to hatch by the thousands on June 19th. In the middle of June, the weather being rather cool, the imagos were not very abundant at the lake. They rest on the wet sand or on the rocks, and here, in the little pools between the rocks, we observed that the flies deliberately go under the water to a depth of two or three inches. Whether they do this for the purpose of ovipositing or of feeding on the algee has not been ascertained. On June 25th the number of flies had already considerably increased, but on July 4th, when the little bathing establishment at Syracuse, on the eastern shore of the lake was visited, the _ number of flies was really alarming. On this point there are numerous shallow pools close to the lake beach, between the railroad dam and the dykes of the salt works, and the flies completely covered the edges and — the, surface of the pools, forming an unbroken coal-black mass. No observations on other insects would have been possible under these cir- cumstances ; but, fortunately, the flies could be driven away to some extent, and the roar of the rising flies is such as to drown the noise of the railroad trains passing close by. » The question where the larve of this Zphydra breed has not been fully settled by us. Numerous larvz were found in the pools between the large stones near the famous Black Rock. They were still more abundant in the little sulphurous streams on the salt flats, thickly cling- ing to the slimy, thread-like alge, upon which they probably feed. But all larvee from these two sources account only for a small fraction of the prodigious number of puparia along the lake. It is evident that the ‘majority of the larve must live in the open lake, where numerous reefs in shallow water appear to be favourable breeding places. Whether the numerous crustacea (genus Artemia) that live in the lake feed on the Zphydra larve, or whether the sea-gulls and other birds so abundant on the salt flats feed on the puparia has not been ascertained ; nor did we see any trace of the Chalcid parasite reported to infest the the water, 238 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. larva of Ephydra riparia in Europe. Saprinus estriatus is very abundant under and among the accumulated living puparia, and feeds upon them, while the larvee of one or two species of Dermestes, which are — also common at the same place, presumably feed only on the empty pupa shells. Very few other insects, and these only of small size (small Cara- bide, Staphylinide and Anthicide), are to be found among the puparia ; but whether or not these feed upon the latter remains uncertain. A peculiar enemy of the imago fly was observed at Syracuse. Here, in the midst of the pools covered with the Ephydras, a commotion was occa- casionally observed as if a fish of considerable size had risen to the sur-— face of the water. Mr. Hubbard succeeded in capturing one of these mysterious creatures, which proved to be the larva of a toad. It appeared that this tadpole comes to the surface of the water right among the Ephydras, with a dexterous motion of its tail sweeps a goodly number of the flies into its wide mouth, and retires again to the bottom of its ill- smelling abode. The toad itself, which was found by Mr. Hubbard deeply imbedded in the mud at the edge of the pools, is terrestrial and evidently nocturnal in its habits, but no doubt feeds also on the Ephydras. © Ephydra gracilis is the only insect that inhabits the open lake ; but on the salt flats, where in many places the water of the shallow pools is more or less mixed with fresh or sulphurous water, various aquatic insects and insect larvee can be found. There are here the larve of one or several is species of Zabanus; a beautiful green Syrphid fly was seen to emerge : from the wet mud. ‘There are, further, the larvee of several dragon flies at least half-a-dozen Dytiscide and Hydrophilide with their larve ; and where there is a considerable admixture of fresh water the peer breed numerous mosquitoes and sand flies (Ceratopogon). From what we saw on the beach of the lake and on the salt. flats, a specialist in Diptera will find quite a number of interesting halophilous species. But we found it impossible to devote any time to this order, and all I secured was a specimen of a very peculiar slender Asilid, which — was swiftly running over the mud, and seems to dislike to make use of its. wing. 3 Next to the Zphydra in number of specimens comes the Heterop- terous genus Sa/da, which is also well known to inhabit preferably the shores of the ocean and other bodies of saline water. What appears to be Sa/da interstitials occurs in incredible numbers all over the salt flats THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 239 and renders the observation and collecting of other insects very difficult because, unlike the Ephydras, these Saldas cannot be driven away. The imagoes manage in course of time to get out of the way, but the ground remains covered with a multitude of jumping larve and pupe. One or two other species of Sa/da occur among S. interstitialis but are much rarer, while the large S. coriacea occurred only among the sparse grass growing along the sulphur creeks. A very peculiar species of Sa/da (possibly forming a new genus) was never seen above ground, but lives nearly subaquatic on the underside of stones in sulphur springs or between the wet roots of the grasses growing close to the water. A genus of Heteroptera which we expected to see in great numbers at the lake is Corixa, but we were surprised to find only a few specimens of a _ single species (apparently C. decolor, originally described from Clear Lake, Cala.,) in the salt pools near Syracuse. It is possible, however, that they become more abundant later in the season. Various other Heteroptera found at the lake do not appear to be saline species, nor were there any saline Homoptera observed. No Microlepidopterous larvee were observed on the saline flora, but there are various species of Microlepidoptera feeding on these plants. None of them were reared ; but it is possible that there are among them species peculiar to the Salt Lake reigion. As to the Orthoptera we were surprised at not finding anything that may indicate a saline species.* Some species of Odonata live in the sulphur creeks and some of the imagos were captured; but the same species were also seen at Utah Lake, which is fresh water. The Coleoptera are best represented among the maritime and saline insects, and since most of our attention was devoted to this order, we found about too species in the immediate vicinity of the Lake, not _ counting those which were found drowned in the water, nor those which plainly belong to the desert fauna, of which quite a number of species *On June 25th we found at the southern shore of the lake a considerable number of Anabrus simplex washed up by the waves and all badly decayed. Since we were unable to find a single living specimen of these gigantic crickets under stones, etc., any- where near the lake we concluded that they must have bred on Antilope Island, situated about nine miles from the shore where the dead specimens were seen. But since my return from Utah I have read Dr. Aug. Forel’s vivid account of the life-habits of the North African desert cricket, Brachytrypus megacephalus, which is a nocturnal species — and lives on sandy soil in deep holes, which are closed up during day time by a hillet of sand. Awnabrus simplex has possibly similar habits, and we may, after all, have over- looked its abodes in dry, sandy places close to the lake, 240 THE CANADIAN’ ENTOMOLOGIST, frequent the lake beach, But just as at the ocean, not every species found on the beach is maritime, so at the Great Lake not all species found on saline soil are halophilous. In fact, saline soil seems to possess great attractions to many species, which usually live on the banks of fresh water lakes and streams. This holds especially true of most species of Bembidium which abound at the lake. Thus the number of true halophi- lous Coleoptera inhabiting the shores of Great Salt Lake probably does not exceed twenty-five distributed in the following families :—Cicindelide, Carabide (Dyschirius, Pogonus, Bembidium, Tachys), Staphylinide (Aleochara, Homalota, Bledius, Thinobius ), Histeridee (Saprinus), Chry- — somelide ( Galeruca, Phyllotreta), and Anthicidee ( Votoxus, Mecynotarsus, Anthicus, Tanarthrus). How many of these are peculiar to the Salt Lake* it is difficult to tell at present, where still so little is known of the geographical distribution and mode of occurrence of the smaller and less" conspicuous Coleoptera. The species found by us will be fully enumer- ated in a list of the maritime and saline Coleoptera of North America which I am preparing. Of particular interest is the occurrence of a species of Pogonus, since this genus was hitherto known in America only from the ocean shore. Comparing the Salt Lake fauna with our maritime fauna, the most striking difference is the absence in the former fauna of Tenebrionide and Rhynchophora** which play such prominent role in our maritime fauna. Cicindela hirticollis and Mecynotarsus candidus appear to be the only species common to the Great Salt Lake and the Atlantic maritime fauna; but both are not strictly maritime or saline — species. A few other species ( Pogonus planatus, Bembidium ephippigerum, and the genus Zanarthrus) are known to occur also in Southern California, either at the sea shore or at saline lakes, and this distribution seems to confirm the ancient extent of the Great Salt Lake to the extreme southwest of North America. : A number of aquatic beetles live in the sulphur springs and salt ponds | contaminated with fresh water; but, with the possible exception of a Celambus, rine fe are all ater ie common in fresh water. Phytophagous *Most of ie. species x fend at the Great Salt Lake will no aout occur also at. Lake Sevier, in Southern Utah, which has never to my knowledge been visited by any a entomologist. **Tenebrionids of the genera Eleodes, Coniontis and Bilapstinus are occasionally found at the Lake, but clearly belong to the desert fauna, while certain species of Sphenophorus, which abound at the roots of rushes, and a few other heneeen 7 ikewise not saline species. a THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 241 Coleoptera are not numerous on the saline flora, but most of them occur also elsewhere. The large Gaderuca erosa, which, when alive, is of a bright sulphur yellow colour, feeds with its larva on a species of Sueda, and is clearly a saline species, though not confined to the Salt Lake region. Concluding this hasty sketch of the Salt Lake fauna, I would say that one of the reasons why so little of this fauna has hitherto been - recorded, is that most presons coming from Salt Lake City visit the lake only at Garfield Beach, which is at present the most readily accessible point of the south shore. But just at this spot the saline fauna is but poorly represented, and, moreover, the desert flora and fauna come here close to the lake. The immense salt flats which commence about one mile from Garfield Beach are rarely visited; but here is the home of the genuine salt fauna. Collecting in the semi-fluid and ill-smelling salt mud of these flats is, however, somewhat troublesome, and it would be no easy matter to bring together a complete set of the various ‘species. Fortunately, however, the entomologist finds here assistance in an unex- pected way. There are several large salt works on these flats, where numerous large, shallow ponds have been excavated for the purpose of gaining salt by the evaporation process. Ifthere is no water in these ponds, the bottom consists of a tenacious, loam-like mud, saturated with concentrated brine, and here concealed in this mud some of the most characteristic species of the Great Salt Lake fauna (Pogonus planatus, _ Dyschirius salivagans, Bledius, (3 species,) Tanarthrus salicola,) can be found in great numbers of specimens. Mr. Smith gave some NOTES ON THE FOOD HABITS OF XYLEBORUS DISPAR. In the latter part of June while collecting along a road, he noticed that many of the young willows and birches on one side of the road were dead. Investigation showed that in the main stem, usually about three feet from the ground, a colony of Scolytids were boriag. At this time there were a few larve, more pup, but a yet larger number of newly matured beetles. The galleries were longitudinal, and up or down from a main transverse and somewhat irregular central channel, which had an opening through the bark. This gallery so weakened the stems, which were from one-half to one inch in diameter, that they would readily break. In some cases where all the insects were in the imago state all the longi- tudinal galleries were full of beetles, all headed toward the blind end of 242 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, - ‘ the gallery, the head of one close to the tail of that preceding. ‘The’ remarkable feature was in the disproportion between the sexes in appear- ance and numbers. The male was very small as compared with the me. female, and much more rounded, almost globose. The males, too, were : much less numerous than the females ; usually there was only one in a gallery, and he was usually at the extreme end. Mr. Schwarz has deter- : mined the species as Xyleborus dispar. The species has been injurious: ¢ to pear, but Mr. Smith was not aware that in America it had been te- : corded from either birch or willow. Mr. Schwarz was not surprised at this record, because in Faroe x. : dispar eats almost anything, being found in most widely divergent plants. In America it has been reported on pear, apple and liriodendron. ; Mr. Fletcher said the species was very injurious to pear and apple in Nova Scotia, but he finds both sexes almost equally abundant, and some- times entire galleries filled with males only. Mr. Schwarz said that in this particular. group of Xyleborus (genus 7 Anisandrus, Ferrari), the males are usually much rarer than the females. They are wingless and never leave the burrows, copulation taking place within them. Seven North American species are known to him, but only three in both sexes, and none of the males of our species have ever been described by American authors. He added that X. obesus, Lec., would in _ all probability prove to be identical with dispar, the latter being variable in size, according to the nature of its food-plant. y Mr. Smith then gave a note on the HABITS OF VOLUCELLA FASCIATA. A lot of prickly pear was received from Ocean County some time in May or June, infested by a Lepidopterous larva which proved to be Megaphycis bollit or Melitera prodenialis, already referred to by Mr. Riley. The larve were counted and the leaves cut so as to make sure of their contents ; but at that time nothing was noticed of any other insect. Later the caterpillars pupated, and eventually a moth appeared for every known larva.