"! s ‘ ie § ety Bip! _ ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY a {fa =<* PROOREDINGS = oy 2 ‘ OF WASHINGTON. Volume VI, No. 1. JANUARY, 1904. (Meetings of May 14, 1903, to December 3, 1903.) Puiiahed ; Ovartects by the : Society. WASHINGTON, D. C. 1904. - gt PRICE OF PROCEEDINGS AND SEPARATES. Vol. 1; complete (Nos. 1-4 Fig hocks actos cee PONTE ENES § Se RCN TOUR $3 00 WG AL, COM PIGLET IN GS 3 4) cosa cerers aes shoe Canta sqannevaigoiypepanesstveyy ian 3 00 Vol. III, complete (Nos. 1-5) ..e.-eeeeeeeseeees EE ogee ee 3 00 Vol. IV, complete (Nos. I-4)......, taba bapeend Gotensreeae sasisheeresevasdgeencees 3 00 ORV 5 COMIBICLO INOS, I-A) ia. ces cskces ab assnapes ogc cbuasaseva ough atecedea teal 3 00 SV O18: LV, Complete ..s. jccsescissseene Pa abacRaseni¥yolavs vaspavnds ate aeaacewe tee Res 15 00 SPM OV dy INOw, Biice vise asen recone Ree AG clon LGN Fic sans noha voneaey Fas Neve re rey 50 DIPTERA—Notes on the Wecaitoes of British Columbia. By RULE ION Sy CTV RP SODA. 2 OG BIN os saness serie tsdedd beats see tauvassss 10 ‘* The Genera of the Dipterous patina, § Eee: 4 aden By D. W. Coquillett. 1904. 2 pp.. 05 LEPIDOPTERA—Note on the distribution of the red forms of Diacrisia. 1904. 2 pp.; A Lepidopteron parasitic upon Fulgoridz in Japan (Epipyrops nawai, n. Sp.). 1904. I p.j; Halesidota maculata Harris and its varieties. 1904. 2 pp.-— three short articles by Harrison G. Dyar..........csececsevee soeees Q5 A new variety of the Noctuid Exyra semicrocea Guenée (Exyra semicrocea, variety hubbardiana, n. var.). By Harrison G. Bette EORAG. TERM ED fc sh lc) s ha cas oun suck ceens Pas ve cal ive dave she sdcavs 05 A new genus and species of Tortricidex. BY Harrison G. Dyar. ee 1 ID spied Soa bess Spgee en ncsceards gsi oges stag anaveacia tedvbaain ilachesae 05 The above will be mailed on receipt of price. Address FRANK BENTON, Corresponding Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. / £463 Prat Ay: PROCEEDINGS tS" 6/9 OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIRTY “2 OF WASHINGTON. Volume VI, 1904. (Meetings of May 14, 1903, to June 2, 1904.) WASHINGTON, D. C. Published by the Society. 1904. DATES oF ISSUE OF THE PARTS OF VOLUME VI. No. 1 (pp. 1-60), February 13, 1904. No. 2 (pp. 61-126), May 21, 1904. No. 3 (pp. 127-192), July 30. 1904. No. 4 (pp. 193-254), November 12, 1904. Publication Committee for Volume V1. Roita P. Currie, HARRISON G. Dyar, E. A. SCHWARZ, L. O. Howarp, Won. H. ASHMEAD, D. W. CoquiLLetTt, Orro HEIDEMANN, PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. FOG. Vis JANUARY, 1904. : INQ. May 14, 1903. The 178th regular meeting was held in the Sengerbund Hall, 314 C street, N.W., Dr. Howard in the chair, and Messrs. Ash- mead, Benton, Busck, Currie, Doolittle, Dyar, Gill, Heidemann, Kotinsky, Morris, Schwarz, Simpson, Ulke and Warner, mem- car and Mr. H. Bolce, visitor, also present. r. H, Bolce, of the Treasury Department, was etdoted an active member of the Society. —Dr. Howard presented a note on a letter from Dr. Fletcher, wherein the latter reported black flies (Szmaulium colum- batczense Scheenbauer) entering the anus and vulva of domestic animals. —Mr. Ashmead exhibited drawings to illustrate his mono- graph of the North American Braconidz, soon to be published by the National Museum, and accompanied the exhibition by remarks illustrating the characters of the various genera repre- sented by these drawings. Among other things he said that in many instances he was led to detect generic and tribal characters by a knowledge of the habits of the insect. His notes were dis- _cussed by Messrs. Howard, Gill, Schwarz and Benton. Dr. Howard stated that in November, 1891, he read a paper before the Association of Economic Entomologists at Champaign, 2 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Illinois,* in which, in discussing the host relations of parasitic Hymenoptera, he advanced the idea that the classification of the group would undoubtedly be affected by a more accurate know- ledge of host relations, and entered a plea for careful records. He was therefore greatly pleased to see from Mr. Ashmead’s statements that the exact knowledge of habits, largely due to the work of Washington entomologists, had led Mr. Ashmead to discoveries affecting classification, thus justifying the 12-year-old prophecy. He referredespeciallyto the new genus separated from Bracon to which Mr. Ashmead’s attention had been called by the fact that all of the members were parasitic upon Cecido- myiidz instead of upon beetles, as is the general rule with the genus Lracon. ‘Mr. Ashmead stated that he had discovered that the tribes of Cynipide which he had erected correspond exactly with the groups of plants on which they make their galls, such as Quercus, Rosacesx, Acacia, etc.; and, on the other hand, from the nature of the host, he had been enabled to explain the differences in structure. _, —Mr. Busck then read extracts from his paper on the generic name of the codling moth.t The paper was discussed by’ Messrs. Schwarz, Simpson, Howard, Dyar and Gill. —Dr. Dyar mentioned a peculiar fe cidontordes een which had been seen by several members of the Society at Plummer’s Island, Maryland. It occurs only in spring. Mr. Barber brought in some last May (May, 1902), and the first moth had just emerged (April, 1903). The plant is Ahacelia dubsa, ac- cording to Mr. Morris; the larve live exposed on the plant and are brightly colored. The moth that emerged is not well developed and the color seems grayer than normal, but other- wise it agrees exactly with specimens of A¢hmda zellericlla Chambers, from Texas. The following description of the larva was handed to the Secretary for publication : * See Insect Life. IIT, No. 6. p. 277, March, 1891. + Published in Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc , xt, No. 2, pp. 106-111, June, 1903 OF WASHINGTON. 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE LARVA OF ETHMIA ZELLERIELLA CHAMBERS. By Harrison G, Dyar. Head rounded, apex retracted, clypeus high; black; a green- ish white mark in the upper half of the clypeus and a rounded spot on each side, separated only by the black suture; epistoma and basalantennal joint pale; width, 1.2mm. Body cylindrical, normal, the ends very slightly tapering; segmental incisures dis- tinct, weakly 2-annulate. Whitish opaque, a. diffuse vellow dorsal band, the lateral region likewise yellowish shaded; no shields ; joints 2 and 3 subdorsally blotched in smoky black, the marks joining dorsally on joint 3; joints 4-5 anteriorly banded i in smoky, velvety black, solidly except for dorsal and lateral an- terior notch on joint 4; smoky ventrally. A rounded dorsal black spot on the segments and a smaller one in the incisure; a broad dark gray subdorsal shade, diffuse above, sharp below, sending a thick arm across to each spiracie obliquely, posteriorly ; slight subventral gray spottings, heavier on joints 2 and 3; anal shield sooty. Tubercles in large, round, velvety black spots, i dorsad-anterior to il, iv and v united, vii of three sete on the anterior leg base on a pale ground; on thorax ia-+t ib, iia +iib, iv-+v. Thoracic feet black; sete long, black; abdominal feet slender, pale. — Dr. Dyar presented also a description of the larva of Lzfo- donta hydromelt. Mr. Schwarz had found the larva again, this time in Key West, Florida, and he brought home two examples, which have been nicely inflated for the collection. by Mr. Cau- dell. They were feeding on Bumelza angustifolia. DESCRIPTION OF THE LARVA OF LITODONTA HYDRO- MELI HARVEY. By Harrison G. Dyar. Egg. Two-thirds spherical, the base flat; dull whitish green, uniform, obscurely but finely, neatly reticulate, the reticulations very slightly raised, hexagonal, with pores at the angles, looking like whitish dots, obscure; surface a little frosted. Diameter, 1 mm.; height, .65 mm. - Larva, stage V. The larve are ‘sluggish, not moving when touched. They hold the tail elevated continually. Head higher than wide, slightly bilobed, flattened before, clypeus strongly constricted, reaching about one- third to the vertex; erect, apex higher than joint 2; median suture de- pressed near vertex; dark purplish, reticulate mottled with blackish, pinkish behind and in a spot reaching a distance down the angle of each 4 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY lobe; width, 2.8mm. Body somewhat flattened, the venter flat, sub- stigmatal ridge distinct and the body above slightly triangularly shaped in section, or at least appearing so. A pair of low, polished, conical, rudimentary horns on joint 2 anteriorly; anal feet very minute, not used, the rim of subventral ridge running smoothly around. Soft green; a distinct white line on substigmatal ridge, faintly yellow on joints 2 to 4, distinctly so on joints 11 to 13 andround the anal rim, horn stubs purple brown, the area between them mottied in white and purple, a white edge behind; a yellow dorsal line from the horns over joints 2 to 5 expands on joints 6 to 10 into a patch of creamy white mottled with pinkish and purple, which may be narrow or broad, light or dark, and is expanded in the center of the segments. In the narrow form it stops at the end of joint 10 and is continued by the shadow of a pale dorsal line; in the broad form a diminishing dark purple stripe runs to the anal plate. On the thorax subdorsal and lateral fine faint yellow lines, which become broken into obliques on the abdomen, running from subdorsal anterior on one segment backwards to stigmatal posterior on the next; the last, on joints 11-12, is rather the heaviest and is followed by a weak subdorsal - line on joints 12-13, not oblique. The surface is finely peppered in purple and white. the oblique lines being without thesedots. Spiracles ocherous, feet reddish ; abdominal feet of joints 7 to 10 heavily mottled in purple and white over their bases and, in the dark specimen, up to the substig- matal line covering joints 6 to II. ° Cocoon slight, like thin parchment, spun among leaves at the surface of the ground, —Dr. Dyar mentioned another result of Mr. Schwarz’s brief stop at Key West, namely, the determination of the food plant of Mieza igninix Walker. These larve were found on the Bumelia angustifolia with the Lztodonta larva, and a moth has just emerged. According to Dr. Dyar this is undoubtedly the same plant ou which Mrs. Slosson originally found the species, but it was unidentified then and has remained so till now.* It might be well, he said, to note that the figure of Abbot identified by Packard} as Lustixta pupula Hibn., really represents this A/zeza. —The following paper, by Mr. Caudell, was then read by the Secretary : *Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc., 1v. p. 86, 1896. t+ Amer. Nat, lv, p. 229, 1870. OF WASHINGTON. / 5 BRANCHED HAIRS OF HYMENOPTERA. By A. N. CaAupDELt. Several years ago, in an attempt to determine which of our ‘Hymenoptera possess branched hairs, I examined almost two hundred species, including representatives of all the families, Of these species twenty-three only possessed branched hairs, the others having only simple ones, which, in some cases, were spirally twisted. Without exception the twenty-three species bearing branched hairs proved to belong to the group Antho- phila, or pollen-gatherers, and no representative of this group was found without such hairs. Thus the possession of branched hairs seems a good character for the separation of the Antho- phila from the remainder of the Hymenoptera. This character has indeed been used by some writers. Of the Anthophila somewhat critical studies of the hairs from various portions of the body were made for the purpose of learn- ing the distribution of the various forms, and at which portion of the body they were the most often found. Characters among the hairs for the subdivision of the group were also sought for. It has generally been stated that branched hairs are found especially on those portions of the insect’s body that are used in gathering pollen. In my investigations I examined hairs from the head, dorsal surface of the thorax, dorsal and ventral sur- faces of the abdomen, posterior tibia and basal segment of the posterior tarsus. I found that of these six regions the dorsal surface of the thorax alone possesses branched hairs as a constant character. The thorax must, therefore, be considered the typical branched-hair bearing region, as it is the only place where such hairs are found to be always present. If exceptions should be found to occur here also upon further investigation, is not known. The invariable presence of branched hairs on the top of the thorax seems a wise providence of nature for facilitating the cross fertilization of plants. In regard to finding hair characters for the subdivision of the Anthophila I met with no success. While the forms of hairs vary from one- to many-barbed and from short serrations to long branches, the various kinds are distributed among the genera in such a manner as to be, apparently, of no systematic importance. The hairs of closely related genera, as Bomdbus and Pszthyrus, present no characters for their separation or for the separation of such genera from ones remotely related. Nor do the hairs of the Andrenidz seem to differ from those of the Apide any more than they do as between different genera. This subject seems to have received less study than its interest 6 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY appears to warrant. The main, and almost the only article of any length, based upon original research, so far as I can find, is by Edward Saunders ii the Transactions Entomological Society of London for 1878. This author examined the hairs of one or more species of almost all the genera of British Aculeate Hyme- noptera, but none of the Terebrantia. He found that, without exception, members of the Anthophila alone possessed branched or plumose hairs, and he later used that character in classifica- tion. re , As to the use of these branched hairs there seems to be con- siderable doubt. Mr. Saunders suggests that they are of use in gathering pollen. As they are characteristic of pollen-gathering groups they are, doubtless, of use in that connection, but that their only use is for gathering pollen is not proved. If such were the case we would scarcely expect to find branched hairs present on parasitic species, such as those of the genus Vomada, or absent from the special pollen-collecting portions of the body. of some pollenizing species, such as the posterior tarsus of the honey bee. But Coburn states that the explanation of these hairs being pollen-collecting hairs is so plausible as to exclude all other hypotheses. The same author mentions the members of the genera Ceratina and Prosopis as being without hairs. This is disputed by Saunders, who claims that .they do possess a few hairs which retain the character of being branched. Besides Saunders and Coburn the presence of branched or plumose hairs in the Hymenoptera has been mentioned by Reau- mur, Smith, Dimmock and others, but the article by Saunders seems to be the only one of considerable length or importance. Dimmock has given an interesting discussion of the scales of Coleoptera in Psyche for 1883. He found, as previously pointed out by Fisher, that branched scales or hairs occur only in the Scarabeide. Mr. Benton said that the branched and twisted hairs on the thorax of bees are necessary for collecting pollen, as the bees twist and turn; whereas the hairs on the legs are used only for combing and brushing that pollen off. —Dr. Dyar called attention to the different dates of hatching of hibernated mosquito eggs according to the species. Eggs of Culex canadensis and Culex atropalpus had hatched in March, while those of Culex tr7serzatus were just hatching then (mid- dle of May). These eggs had been deposited at various dates during the summer of 1902. OF WASHINGTON. “i 7 —Dr. Howard related an interesting case in which mosquitoes had been made the subject of a law-suit. There was an outbreak of malaria in Greensboro, N. C., which was attributed to Anoph- eles breeding in a mill pound owned by Cone Bros., of that place. An injunction was sought against these gentlemen, by the State board of health, to restrain them from maintaining the dam and pond. To abolish this would have entailed the ruin of the community. Cone Bros., therefore, engaged expert entomolo- gists, among whom were the narrator and Mr. F. C. Pratt, who demonstrated that while Anopheles was breeding in every pool in and about the village, not a single larva was to be found in the mill pond. Upon a question from Mr. Benton, Dr. Howard explained that this was partly because the water surface of the mill pond was so large as to be constantly disturbed by rain and wind, rendering it unsuitable for the breeding of mosquitoes. Cone Bros. further offered prizes of $50 to the physicians of the village, some 13 in number, for every Anopheles larva they could find in the pond. Only one-of them succeeded in finding a dilapidated Anopheles larva, for which he duly received his prize. Six of these physicians then served as witnesses for the defendant, and the case ultimately grew so strong against the State that it was dis- missed. : —Mr. Schwarz stated that on his return from Cuba he stopped for a short time at Key West, Fla., to collect certain Scolytid beetles which he discovered there in 1887. To his sorrow he found that ali the fig-trees, mastic-trees and various other tropical trees had been cut down and Scolytids had disappeared from the island. Some other interesting insects were found, however. For some years a flowering tree of large size ( Cordza sebestana) had been introduced into the gardens of Key West, and the leaves of this tree were being devoured by a large Cassidid beetle (Zury- pepla jamaicensts Linneus), which has hitherto not been noticed from the United States. Both the plant and the beetle are now thoroughly acclimatized in Key West. All over the island of Cuba blossoms of the cultivated egg-plant were infested by'a _ little weevil (Axzthonomus varifes Duval). The original wild food-plant of the species was found to be an arborescent solana- ceous plant (So/anum torvum). This same weed had of late 8 ENTOMOLOGIGAL SOCIETY years invaded the tropical parts of Florida, and the same Antho- nomus was found in abundance on Key West. The same beetle had been collected previously by Mrs. A. T. Slosson at Miami, but the species was not properly recognized at that time. | —Mr. Schwarz exhibited, also, leaves of the Indian Laurel. (Ficus indica), which is planted extensively both in Cuba and on Key West as a shade tree. On all the trees examined the leaves of the terminal twigs were found to be tightly rolled up; so that it appeared as if those twigs were dead and destitute of leaves. The author of this mischief proved to be a species of Phleothrip~s (named by Mr. T. Pergande), and observations showed that a number of females congregate on the upper side of the-leaves to deposit their eggs, whereupon the latter begin to curl up. Mr. Schwarz stated that he was not aware that any species of Thripide with such social habits was referred to in the literature. —Mr. Currie then read a note, by Mr. Caudell, on ‘‘ The Blattid Fauna of the World.” The author stated that he had just completed a catalogue of the cockroaches of the entire world, with the intention of having it published, together with cata- logues of the other non-saltatorial families of Orthoptera. He found, however, that the same work was being done by. W. F. Kirby, of the British Museum. Better facilities for such work, in the way of more complete collections and literature, were found in England, and so he had given over the thought of publishing. As worked out in a manuscript catalogue, the Blattid Fauna of the World results as follows: Of genera there are 222 de- scribed, 33 of which are synonyms, leaving 189 valid. Of described species there are 1,886, 202 being synonyms, leaving 1,684 good species. —Mr. Heidemann read a note and exhibited drawings of the genitalia of Podisus cynicus Say, and 7. dracteatus Fitch, and called attention to the important differences between these two species. He has presented for publication the following paper on the subject : : "Oo OF WASHINGTON. REMARKS ON THE GENITALIA OF PODISUS CYNICUS SAY AND PODISUS BRACTEATUS FITCH. By Ortro HEIDEMANN. Mr. A. N. Caudell read a paper *—‘* Some Insects from the Summit of Pike’s Peak, Found on Snow”—before the Entomo- logical Society, of Washington, February 13, 1902. The insects were collected by him and the specimens of the order Hemiptera were turned over to me for determination. In his paper I have given the following account in referring to numerous sar ac of the species Podisus cynicus Say: ‘¢ Twelve adults, males and females. Six of these specimens evidently belong to another species, probably Podésus bracteatus Fitch. ‘This species is considered by some American authors as synonymous with Podisus cynicus Say. But the writer has lately had occasion to examine Fitch’s type-specimen, a female (U. S. Nat. Mus.), and to compare the same with specimens of P. cyntcus Say, and there seems to him no doubt that P. drac- teatus Fitch will have to stand as a separate species. The female genitalia are decidedly distinct in these two forms ;. there are also differences in the shape of the body, which in P. drac- teatus is comparatively broader and shorter. However, more material from other localities will have to be examined, and especially the male characters, before a definite conclusion can be reached.” Since then I have had the opportunity of examining many more specimens from different localities, and have found that the male genitalia also are very distinct in these two species. This character is evidently of most importance in separating the species. of the genus Podzsus, because all the other characters formerly used, such as the shape of pronotum, the punctures and colors, are not constant in the specimens. The accompanying drawing (Fig. 1) will show more decidedly the differences between these two species. In Podisus cynicus, female (A, 2), the inner margins of the side pieces of the first genital segment are cut straight, giving the middle plate a square appearance; while in P. dracteatus, on the contrary (B, 2), these margins are obliquely formed, making the middle plate distinctly triangular. The male genitalia differ still more, as may be readily observed in the drawing. The ventral terminal segment of the abdomen forms quite a deep: ‘cavity, from which a kind of clasper protrudes on both sides of the cavity, termed by Dr. D. Sharp ‘‘ the superior lateral pro- * Proc. Ent. Soc., Washington, v, No. 1, p. 80, 1902. Hh ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY cess,” in his well-known paper, ‘* On the Structure of the Ter- minal Segment in Some Male Hemiptera.”’* In P. cynicus, "Mats om» Yemate Genitalia Podisus anes Say - poet VIEW First Sa Segment superior lateral ae 70 Wenn lateral appendage | seen somewhat from behind FiG. 21. male (A, 1), this process is short, comparatively broad and rather flat; but in the other species (B, 1), it is peculiarly twisted from the base, narrow and more acutely pointed. Directly underneath these parts, also, a pair of so-called lateral appendages extend straight forward, which in P. cyzicus are short and club-like in shape. LP. édracteatus, on the contrary, has these appendages very long, reaching the outer edge of the cavity, and cylindrical in form. In the middle of the cavity there is another piece, the rectal cauda, covering the inner organs of the genitalia. To bring out these inner parts would need careful dissection. Any- how, the shape of the extérior parts, the superior lateral processes and the lateral appendages furnish sufficient characters for dis- tinguishing Podzsus cynicus Say at once from Podisus brac- teatus Fitch, * Trans. Ent. Soc. London, pp. 399-425, 1890. OF WASHINGTON. 11 Mr. Simpson exhibited a collection made by Mr. Caudell of miscellaneous insects caught on the sticky secretions of the moun- tain laurel (Aa/mia latifolia). He also showed specimens of dead branches of apple trees that were once infested by codling moth pup, and which were made a point of attack by wood- peckers. JUNE 18, 1903. The 179th regular meeting was held at the residence of Dr. C. W. Stiles, 1718 Q street N.W. Vice-President Banks in the chair, and Messrs. Dodge, Gill, Heidemann, Kotinsky,; Mar- latt, Patten and Stiles, members, and Mr. Grayton Ransom, visitor, also present. Mr. Grayton Ransom, of the Bureau of Animal Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture, was elected an active member of the Society. Dr. Stiles moved that the congratulations of the Society be telegraphed to Mr. Ashmead at Pittsburg, in view of the fact that the doctorate was to be conferred upon him on that date by the Western University of Pennsylvania. The motion was unani- mously carried, and Dr. Stiles was asked to word and send the telegram. —Mr. Schwarz exhibited a specimen of the Curculionid beetle flormops abducens LeConte, which he collected at Plummer’s Island, Maryland, in May, and which is a new accession to the fauna of the District. Only one specimen of this species was previously recorded, found by Hubbard and Schwarz at Capron, Plage, ! —Dr. Gill asked Mr. Schwarz whether the larve of Calandrid beetles were used as food on the island of Cuba. Mr. Schwarz replied that to his knowledge they were not so used in Cuba. —Mr. Heidemann exhibited a male specimen of Aradus guad- rilineatus Say, which he found in a decaying trunk. In his col- lection he had specimens from Canada and from Cleveland, Ohio, and also one specimen coming from Georgia. He exhibited also a specimen of Aradus robustus Uhler, which he had usually ob- tained by beating trees, but last week he found an old trunk of 12 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Gleditschia triacanthus, in the crevices of the bark of which he found a number of specimens of this species. He further stated that in the collection of insects made by Mr. Franklin Sherman, Jr., in North Carolina, be found a Reduviid belonging to the sub-family Stenopodine, near the genus Gzathodbleda, which Champion described and figured as Schumannia mext- cana, in The Biologia Centrali-Americana. The description was based on one specimen which came from Vera Cruz, Mexico, and it was remarkable, he said, that this same species should have been found in North Carolina. The genus is distinguished by the narrow thorax and the strong, long spines on the trochanter. —Mr. Schwarz stated that he had a list of the injurious in- sects of Cuba as observed by him this spring. The chanipion of all injurious insects there is A¢ta cephalotes, the leaf-cutting ant. The next place, however, should be given to a species of myriapod, which plays there the réle of our cutworms. It eats and injures anything that is cultivated, such as strawberry, cab- bage, egg-plant, young orange trees, etc. Where he had been called to find the cause of injury to cultivated vegetation, he had always found this pest to be the author of it. Mr. O. F. Cook identified it as Orthomorpha coarctata Saussure, a species which, Mr, Cook stated, probably came originally from the East Indies. The only remedy that Mr. Schwarz could sug- gest against these pests was to put ashes or tobacco dust sweepings upon the ground. He found these creatures especially abundant after a rain. —Mr. Dodge then presented his paper entitled ‘* Gloveriana.”’ He stated that 15 years ago he had published Townend Glover’s biography.* The information for this he had gathered from a scrap-book, which was made up of MS. notes and plates made by _ Glover. He gave the stages of evolution in the making of Glover’s plates, which were at first of pocket size and of in- sects only, so that they might be conveniently carried in a pocket notebook. Later he determined to have drawings of the plants infested to accompany those of the insects, and later still he had thought of undertaking to publish and illustrate the insect fauna of the entire United States. Mr. Dodge exhibited these scrap- * Bull. Div. Ent. U. S. Dept. Agr., No. 18, 1888, OF WASHINGTON, ? 13 books, containing drawings that were made as long ago as 1850, and a letter that T. W. Harris at one time wrote to Glover pro- posing that they work together. Upon a question from Mr. Schwarz, Dr. Gill stated that Glover’s works should be regarded as publications, because they were put in permanent condition and copyrighted. Mr. Dodge stated that fifteen complete sets were issued and distributed to institutions and individuals. Prof. Glover commenced with the Orthoptera and then followed with the Diptera and the Hete- roptera. Mr. Schwarz stated that Glover’s works were not recognized as publications, and Dr. Dyar had correctly omitted them from his catalogue. Mr. Dodge replied that Dr. Hagen recognized them as publications. Mr. Schwarz stated that Glover named but one insect during his lifetime, and this species, Psylla nigripennis, he named only by accident. Dr. Gill re- called that at one time Glover had asked him to take up the study of spiders. Upon a question from Mr. Schwarz as to what be- came of the specimens from which Glover made his drawings, Mr. Dodge replied that Glover had no use for specimens after he had drawn them. Glover refused absolutely to use any ade- quately prepared material for his work; besides, many speci- mens came from collectors, and were returned to them. Mr. Schwarz said that he could still recognize some of Glover’s specimens in the old collection of the United States National Museum. | ., —Mr. Schwarz then read the following : THE COTTON-BOLL WEEVIL IN CUBA. (Anthonomus grandis Boheman, ) By E. A.. SCHWARZ. Many years ago Dr. Juan Gundlach found Axthonomus grandis in Cuba, in the central portion, near Cardenas, and in the western, portion, near San Cristobal, but no information on its mode of life or food-plant was furnished by him. In the year 1892 Mr. Eduardo Ferrer, one of the most prominent agri- culturists of Cuba, planted at Cayamas, in the southern portion of the province of Sta. Clara, two small fields of Egyptian cotton, the two fields being about: two miles distant from each other. One of these was attacked by the Anthonomus as soon 14 ENTUOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY as the plants commenced to produce squares, and not a single pound of cotton has been harvested from this field. During this time the second field remained intact and produced a large amount of cotton, until about five months later (December, 1892), when the weevil infested this field, too, and before the middle of February the plants had ceased to produce bolls or even flowers, the weevils infesting and destroying every square that made its appearance. _ Toward the end of February the writer was commissioned by Dr. L. O. Howard to proceed to Cayamas, Cuba, in order to find out, if possible, the original food-plant of the Anthonomus, a point in the natural history of the insect which had hitherto re- mained unknown. Up to the time of my visit to Cuba I had shared in the opinion held by many entomologists connected with the Boll-weevil investigation, that the original food-plant of the weevil would prove to be some Malvaceous plant generically dif- ferent from Gossypium; accordingly, some time was at first spent by me at Cayamas in investigating every Malvaceous plant,* although with no success. Previous to my arrival, and as soon as the weevils infested his cultivated cotton, Mr. Ferrer had examined the wild cotton plants growing in the vicinity of his cultivated fields, but without find- ing any trace of the insect. As a matter of course, the very first thing I did upon my arrival on the spot was to closely re-examine these plants, but they proved to be free from weevils. However, soon afterwards the insect was found breeding on wild cotton in many places around Cayamas. There are two distinct species of wild cotton in Cuba, both of them arborescent and perennial plants, which, if undisturbed, attain a great age. Even when growing among the dense, tall grasses and weeds they reach a height of from eight to ten feet, and, when growing under more favorable conditions, are often fifteen or more feet in height. The species never intergrade with each other, although they are difficult to distinguish without ex- amination of the ripe bolls. The first of these species is called by the Cubans the ‘* Loose” or ‘*Wild” cotton, ‘‘ algodcn sylvestre.’’ It is probably the Gossyp- tum brasiliense of the botanists. In general appearance, and in the arrangement and nature of the seeds, it greatly resembles our sea-island cotton, but is very much taller and has a shorter *The young and more succulent fruits ofa species of Malvastrum showed holes exactly corresponding in size with the punctures of the Antho- nomus, but they proved to be made by the larva of a Microlepidopteron (the particular species has not been bred), which feeds on the undeveloped seeds. OF WASHINGTON. 15 fiber. A number of varieties of this species occur, some of which, if properly cultivated, would no doubt be of considerable commercial value. The second species, the ‘‘ kidney” cotton, or ‘‘ algodon de vinon,” of the Cubans, is extremely distinct from the fact that the seeds are consolidated into kidney-shaped masses. The species is not variable, and manifestly represents an ancient type unchanged by the hand of man. It is, at present time, without commercial value since the fiber cannot be ginned by any ma- chinery now in use. Neither species is exactly what we would call a wild plant, for, since prehistoric times, the natives have taken care of the plants, and have used the fiber for all sorts of domestic purposes. At present the Cubans living either in the suburbs of the cities or in the open country usually have one or two, rarely more, cotton trees planted in their yards or gardens ; but many plants, usually in groups of several specimens each, may be found in the less in- habited parts of the island remote from any human habitation. The present natives know the exact location of every cotton plant in their vicinity, although apparently growing perfectly wild. Mr. Ferrer informs me, however, that in such instances there was probably a hut or a settlement on the place in former times. In the province of Sta. Clara both species of wild cotton occur in about equal numbers, while in the vicinity of Havana the loose cotton prevails, and the kidney cotton is met with i in exceptional instances only. The following is a short summary of the examination made by Mr. Ferrer and myself of every wild cotton plant, growing within easy reach around Cayamas. We had also the kind assist- ance of several planters who took an interest in this subject. Finally, a man was hired and trained, who visited, within a fort- night, about 90 more remote localities, bringing samples of in- fested squares or bolls of every wild cotton plant he met with. Anthonomus grandis is never common, usually rare, on the wild cotton plants, and is never appreciably injurious to them. To find ten, or even less, infested squares or bolls on a large- sized tree requires considerable time, even for an experienced field entomologist. Solitary plants are wswad/y free from weevils while small groups of plants are occastonally free. Ina single instance, a patch of about 50 plants of kidney cotton was found remote from any house, and here the weevils were more numer- ous than elsewhere. I calculated that about one square* out of fifteen was infested, which percentage, however, did not prevent the plants from being covered with healthy flowers and bolls. *On the wild cotton of Cuba, the Anthonomus prefers: the. squares to the bolls for the purpose of oviposition. 16 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY The kidney cotton is much preferred by the Anthonomus to the loose cotton. In fact, trees of the latter species, if growing by themselves, are, as a rule, not infested,* whereas if they grow in close proximity to the kidney cotton they are liable to infestation, although always in a lesser degree than the kidney cotton. From these observations I firmly believe that, as far as Cuba is concerned, the kidney cotton is the original food-plant of the weevil. Furthermore, I do not hesitate to assert, after my experience in Cuba, that Azthonomus grandis, wherever it occurs, has no other food-plants than the various species or vari- eties of the genus Gossypium. The few scattered notes that Dr. Howard has been able to obtain regarding the boll-weevil in the more tropical parts of Central America appear to corroborate the conclusions obtained in Cuba. Whether Axthonomus grandis and its food-plant are natives of Cuba, or whether both have, in ancient times, been imported from the Central American continent, is a question the answer to which seems to be lost in antiquity. In the cotton belts of Texas and Northern Mexico by far the largest number of the weevils perish, from various causes, during the cold season. Only a few successfully hibernate, and form, in the ensuing spring, the nucleus of a new set of generations, the weevils increasing in numbers until late in the fall. The mild winter temperature of Cuba, however, does not prevent the cotton plants from producing new squares, flowers, or bolls, nor the Anthonomus from breeding. As to the plants of the culti- vated cotton in Cuba, some retardation in growth is noticeable during the colder months, and the number of weevils upon them is then lessened from the inability of the plants to produce suffi- cient food supply. But the wild cotton plants of Cuba are in no way affected by the colder weather; nevertheless, the weevils have never been known, either in winter or summer time, to be- come numerous enough to prevent these plants from copiously flowering or ripening their bolls; whereas, as stated above, the effect of the attack of the weevil on cultivated cotton resulted, within a few weeks, in the complete disappearance of flowers and bolls. ‘The same phenomenon has been observed in many other species of insects which are not, or but little, injurious to their original food-plants, but which, when transferred to the same or anallied plant under cultivation, become very destructive. To the question of parasites of the boll-weevil much attention was paid by me while in Cuba, but upon opening many hundreds * It is probably for this reason that I failed to find the weevil in the vicinity of Havana. OF WASHINGTON. 17 of infested squares or bolls I never saw the slightest trace of a parasite. From the cultivated fields about 400 infested squares were collected and a correspondingly large number of weevils were bred from them, but not a single specimen of a parasite was obtained. 3 The above notes are abstracted from my letters written to Dr. Howard. In the discussion Mr. Banks suggested that the loose cotton might have been the original food plant, because it is less injured, which is usually the case with abandoned food plants; to which Mr. Schwarz replied that this may be correct, if proven. He further stated that the Gossypzum brasiliense is probably also found in South America, yet Koebele never found a specimen of the weevil when he explored the cotton regions near Bahia and Pernambuco. The distribution of the insect shows it to be of Central American origin. Mr. Marlatt stated that it would be of great interest to know whether these cottons are immune to weevil. At present they are scattered, there being but few plants grown on a large area, and therefore they are not more seriously infested ; but he wondered if the habits of the insect would not change were these plants grown on a large scale. He thought that the chances were rather in favor of it since, where plants are more abundant, the insect is found in proportionately larger numbers. This was further discussed by Messrs. Gill and Dodge. Mr. Schwarz stated that his host, Mr. Ferrer, of Cayamas, had published a series of important articles in the ‘‘ Diario de la Marina,” of Havana, Cuba (issues of March 21 to March 27, 1903), on the history of cotton and on cotton cultivation in Cuba, which included a chapter on the boll-weevil. OcTOBER 8, 1903. The 180th regular meeting was held at the residence of Dr. H. G. Dyar, 1512 Twenty-first street, N.W. Vice-President Banks occupied the chair, and Messrs. Ashmead, Barber, Busck, Currie, Doolittle, Dyar, Gill, Heidemann, Howard, Kotinsky, Marlatt, Morris, Schwarz and Waite, members, and Mr. E. S. G. Titus, visitor, also present. : 18 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY ' Mr. E. S. G. Titus, of the Division of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture, was elected an active member of the Society. , —Dr. Dyar exhibited moths and larve of three species of Diacrista (formerly Axztarctia), and presented for publication the following : | NOTE ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RED FORMS OF : DIACRISIA. By Harrison G. Dyar. We have recognized, heretotore two species of Déacris¢a from the West, razsra Neumeegen and vagans Boisduval.. There ex- ists a third in the mountains about Kootenay Lake, which I would distinguish as J. kasloa in the following synoptic form: 3 smaller than @, the wings thinly scaled and somewhat transparent. oS blackish or red, 9 brownish red, hind wings dark ......... rubra. das large as 9, the wings thickly scaled. o light mouse gray or blackish; 9 red brown .............00045 VALANS. di and Q alike, bright red.............. Sava sea oh a8 trot bigaed deecne kasloa. Diacrisia kasloa, n. sp. 3 with the thorax and fore wings dark red brown to bright crimson, marked by a few dusky scales, indicating discal dot and outer line; hind wings black, veins and fringe more or less broadly reddish. Q deep crimson, the fore wings scarcely marked; hind wings black on basal five-sixths or the black reduced to discal dot, broken submarginal band and shading along inner margin. Size and shape of vagans. D. vagans occurs in California and extends much to the East. I have typical examples from Rossland, B. C., not very far from Kootenay Lake. At Kaslo, on the lake, however, all the specimens are of the bright red form. DD. rubra occupies the northern Pacific Coast region and extends as far as Mount Hood, Oregon. It may prove that the three forms are but ‘geographical races of one species, though they certainly appear distinct, and must be kept separate for the present at least. The larve of kasloa were obtained by me at Kaslo, B. C. ; those of xwdra were bred from eggs kindly sent by Rev. G. W. Taylor from Wellington, B. C. They are alike. .Stretch’s description of the co vagamns. larva differs in being darker, the dorsal warts and hairs blackish instead of brown; his 2 larva appears to correspond with the larve before us. I failed to observe this curious sexual difference in color in the larve of rabra. Possibly my larve are all iemales. I had forgotten Stretch’s observation, so that I did not direct my OF WASHINGTON. 19 attention to the point until now, when I have only the inflated larve. But a portion of the larvee of kasloa are blackish instead of brown, and these are doubtless the males. A. considerable number of synonymic and varietal names of rubra and vagans exist, but, after carefully re-reading the de- scriptions, I do not think that any of them refer to £asloa. But- ler’s walstnghamzt comes the nearest. It was described from the Rogue River, Oregon, from one female specimen. A second specimen from the same place is referred by Sir G. F. Hampson apparently as normal rzéra, so that it seems certain that wa/- singhamz is only an unusually red & of that species. —Dr. Dyar presented also the following notes: A LEPIDOPTERON PARASITIC UPON FULGORIDZ IN: JAPAN. (Epipyrops nawat, un. sp.) By Harrison G. Dyar.: Since commenting before the Society upon the species of E/z- pyrops found in Japan by Mr. Y. Nawa* I have received two specimens of the moth from: that gentleman. The specimens, females, agree with the figures published in ‘* The Insect World.” The venation is correctly shown, except that the bar between veins 7 and § of hind wings should be continuous. The species may appropriately be named Lpzpyrops nawaz, after its dis- coverer. ‘The entire insect is black, the fore wings with many irregular lines of raised bluish metallic scales. Expanse, 22 mm. Type.—No. 6984, U. S. National Museum. Specimens were exhibited. HALESIDOTA MACULATA HARRIS, AND ITS VARIETIES. By Harrison G. Dyar. The past season’s collecting has brought to light some new facts concerning this species. It has been shown that the larva of the form a/zz, described from the Sierra Nevada of California, has red dorsal tufts on a yellow ground when young, replaced by a uniformly brownish yellow coat when mature, disregarding the black ends, which are the same in all the forms. This form occurs in the Kootenay District of British Columbia. I had supposed that the form would be found throughout the North- west, and, indeed, Sir G. F. Hampson has adopted this con- clusion by making angulifera Walk., described from Vancouver * Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., v, p. 180, 1903, and Insect World, vu, pl. 1, 1903. 20 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Island, synonymous with a/zz. However, this is not the case. Larve from Victoria, Shawnigan Lake and Wellington, B. C., have black dorsal tufts on a yellow field when young, and these tufts persist in the mature larva, but in a brownish yellow field, thus showing a form of larva distinct from any previously known in North America. Walker’s name angulifera may be used for it. The form occurs also on the mainland, at Vancouver, B. C., according to information furnished by Mr. R. V. Harvey. Mr. H. S. Barber has collected quite a series of 7. maculata at Eureka, California. Without the larva I am unable to say whether they should be referred to a/nz or angulifera. But aside from this matter there is represented among them a very curious variety, which I describe as follows: Halesidota maculata, variety eureka, n. var. Entirely suffused with brown, all the marks obliterate. Thorax brown, showing a faint lighter shade on vertex of head, patagia and disk. Fore - wing brown along costa, inner magin, discal dot and a broad shade be- yond it, the rest of the wing lighter yellow brown; hind wing whitish yellow. Except for the brown tone, it strongly suggests H. bicolor Walker ( Jura Neumoegen). Three o'o', Eureka, Cal. (H. S. Barber). _Type.—No. 6983, U. S. National Museum. Specimens of moths and larve were exhibited. —Dr. Dyar showed, also, microscopic slides of the larval and pupal skins of the mosquitoes Megarhinus rutilus Coquillett and JZ. portoricensis Roeder, and commented upon the structure and systematic position of the larvae. The slides were prepared by Mr. F. C. Pratt, who had bred the species at Woodstock, Virginia, the past summer. All.the males reared belonged to rutilus while the females were portoricens?s. Dr. Dyar said that he had examined Mr. Pratt’s slides with some care and could not detect the slightest difference between the skins of JZ. portoricensis and M. rutzlus. He presented the following de- scription of the larve : THE LARV OF THE MOSQUITOES MEGARHINUS RUTI- LUS COQUILLETT AND M. PORTORICENSIS RCEDER. By Harrison G. Dyar. The head is rounded, .Cudex-shaped; the mouth-brush con- sists of a pencil of stout curved spines, each with a little claw at OF WASHINGTON. vA the tip, the bunch folding outward in retraction. The mandibles bear five large teeth, of which the first, second and fourth are larger than the third and fifth; there are a set of fine brushes just within the labrum and on the maxilla. The antenne are slender, straight, not very long, uniformly colored brown like the head. The body hairs all arise from large, chitinous plates. Those of the thorax are short, thick and finely branched; of the abdomen longer, with more delicate branches. The chitinized part of the air-tube is short, conic, not much longer than wide, but there is a basal unchitinized portion that does not show on the slides. The tube is without pecten, but bears two small tufts. On the sides of the eighth segment are a pair of large, ragged- edged plates, replacing the comb. ‘The anal segment is ringed, short, the ventral brush confined to the barred area, the wide bars containing eyelet holes from which the tufts arise. The dorsal tuft is small and arises from the upper edge of a rounded, nearly black plate. The posterior rim of the segment is fringed with long spines. The larva falls in the synoptic table with Psorophora, differing from that in the presence of a plate on the side of the eighth segment instead of a comb of spines. —Mr. Schwarz exhibited a specimen of the Dendrobium longicorn beetle (Dzaxenes dendrobii Gahan). ‘This genus of Cerambycide is known to infest, in the larval state, the stems of various orchid plants which are native to the Philippine Islands and to British Burmah. Plants infested with these beetles, have of late years been:frequently imported into the orchid houses of Paris and London, and quite a literature has arisen, in the French and English entomological and horticultural journals, on the ravages committed by this beetle upon these costly plants. Mr. Schwarz said that the specimen exhibited was the first one ever recorded from the United States. The plant in question is an East Indian species and was imported by Mr. George Field, a florist of Washington, D. C., by way of London, England. Since there has been only one specimen of the beetle found, there seems to be no danger at present that the species is getting acclimatized in the orchid houses of this country. —In connection with some remarks made by Mr. Doolittle on the food habits of longicorn beetles, Mr. Schwarz stated that the imagoes of a conspicuous species common in Texas, Arizona 22 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY and Mexico (Dexdrobias guadrimaculatus Dupont), is espe- cially fond of printers’ ink and sometimes obliterates the large letters on the posters of theatrical performances, etc., which are pasted on walls and fences. —Mr. Schwarz then exhibited male and female specimens of a remarkable Meloid beetle (Leontna neomexicana Cockerell), which were found at Denver, Colorado, by Mr. S. Arthur Johnson in the cells of bees of the genus Azthophora. These specimens, having been kept in alcohol, are the only well-pre- served examples knownto him; the type specimen in the Dr. Horn collection in Philadelphia is dried and pinned, and does not show any trace of the natural beauty of these insects. At the same time Mr. Schwarz showed specimens of the other parasitic Meloid beetle, Hornta minutipennis Riley, found by Mr. Johnson at the same place and under the same conditions as Le- onina. According to Mr. Schwarz’s experience, Horna minu- tipennts is very widely distributed in the United States. Besides the type specimen from St. Louis, Missouri, there are specimens in the National Museum collection from Washington, D. C., Helena, Montana, and Alameda, California. —Mr. Heidemann exhibited specimens of Aw/acostethus marmoratus Say, a species belonging to the hemipterous family Scutelleride. They were collected recently at Plummer’s Is- land, Maryland, by Mr. August Busck. This is the first record of this species from the vicinity of Washiigton, most of the specimens in collections coming from the pine regions of New Jersey. A few weeks after Mr. Busck secured his specimens, Mr. Heidemann visited Plummer’s Island himself and captured further examples of the species from juniper by beating. He showed, also, for comparison, specimens of Az/lacostethus stmulans Uhler, the only other known species of the genus, taken by Mr. E. A. Schwarz at Key West, Florida. Neither of the species is common in insect cabinets. —A discussion ensued in regard to the fauna of Plummer’s Island, Maryland. This small island lies in the Potomac river, some ten miles above Washington, D. C., and on it the Washing- ton Biologists’ Field Club has erecteda small house. Mr. Schwarz stated that the entomological members of the club had, during the OF WASHINGTON. 23 past two years, made an attempt to systematically investigate the faunaof theisland. Lack of time had prevented a thorough investi- gation of the fauna during day time, but a rather thorough collec- tion had been made of insects attracted to light, and some 2,000 or 3,000 species of insects of all orders would be listed from that particular spot at some future date. The fauna of the island shows a great difference from that found within the limits of the _ District of Columbia proper. Such species as the beetles Ca/o- soma and Hydrophilus, the water bug Benacus, the large may- flies which swarm around the electric lights, and numerous other insects which are common in Washington, do not seem to occur at Plummer’s Island. Mr. Schwarz referred, also, to the re- markable difference in fauna between the southern, dry slope of the island and the northern, more shady and more humid side. The fauna of the Virginia shore opposite the island is similar to that of the northern portion of the island. Mr. Morris and Mr. Waite said that Mr. Schwarz’s views as to the difference in fauna in that region are borne out by a study of the-flora. Mr. Schwarz remarked, also, on the difference in time of appearance of a number of species at Plummer’s Island from that on the lower Potomac in the vicinity of Washington. This was especi- ally exemplified in the case of the may-heetles (Lachnosterna), concerning which careful records had been published by Dr. John B. Smith in his well known papers on the Lachnosterna fauna of Washington, D. C. The insects at Plummer’s Island seem to come out one or two weeks later in the season than at Washington. —Mr. Banks reported that he had taken the Chrysopid JZe/e- oma stgnorett2 Fitch at Plummer’s Island the past season. | This was the first record for the species so far south. It was origi- nally described from the Green Mountains of Vermont and had, since then, been recorded from Mt. Washington and Franconia, New Hampshire, and Sea Cliff, New York. 24 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY -—Mr. Currie presented the following paper: AN INSECT-COLLECTING TRIP TO BRITISH COLUMBIA. By Rorxa P. Currie. During the past summer I was enabled, through the kindness of Dr. H. G. Dyar, leave of absence having been granted me by the U. S. National Museum, to spend about ten weeks, in com- pany with Dr. Dyar and Mr, A. N. Caudell, in an investigation of the insect fauna of the Kootenay District of British Columbia. Our headquarters during this time was the town of Kaslo, situ- ated towards the northern end and on the western shore of Kootenay Lake. Dr. Dyar was the first to arrive on the ground, reaching Kaslo on the 28th of May, while the writer arrived on the 8th of June, and Mr. Caudell on the 15th. Although occupied principally with collecting and rearing Lepidoptera and mosquitoes, Dr. Dyar nevertheless found time to secure many other insects of various orders. Mr. Caudell did a good share of the collecting although the work of inflating lepidopterous larva, which fell to his lot, frequently monopolized his time. The writer, therefore, was the only member of the party who was able to devote himself exclusively to general col- lecting. We are much indebted to Mr. J. Wm. Cockle, part proprietor of the Kaslo Hotel and a pioneer in British Columbia, for what success we achieved on the trip. Mr. Cockle is an enthusiastic student and collector of Lepidoptera, and possesses a large and handsome collection of the species occurring in eastern British Columbia. He often accompanied us on our trips and planned several special excursions to interesting localities for our benefit. His thorough knowledge of the region was of great help to us and his interest in our expedition, as manifested not only by do- nations of specimens but in many other ways, added much to the pleasure of our stay. _ I desire to express our thanks to Mr. W. R. Allen, Secretary of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway, for many kindnesses. Mr. Allen at one time made.a collection of British Columbia Lepi- doptera and presented it to the University of Oxford. Although not actively engaged in collecting at the time of our visit, he nevertheless secured a number of specimens for us, and we cap- tured many good moths in front of the photographic laboratory in his garden, at the electric light which he obligingly left burn- ing for us. He accompanied us on one of our trips and has had printed for us a fine set of his photographs of local scenery. He OF WASHINGTON. yes also arranged a hand-car trip from Payne Mine to Kaslo for our benefit. Among the many other persons who helped us by bringing in specimens which came to their notice I would mention in partic- ular Master Stephenson, younger son of the Kaslo druggist, who developed into an enthusiastic collector and devoted considerable time to getting insects for us. As a result of the summer’s work between 35,000 and 39,000 insects, spiders and myriapods were brought back. It seems de- sirable, therefore, as a preface to Dr. Dyar’s paper on British Columbia mosquitoes and to other papers which, it is hoped, will appear from time to time upon different groups of insects contained in the collection, to give this brief account of the trip, together with short descriptions of the localities visited. Prof. C. V..Piper, former Entomologist of the Washington Agricul- tural College Experiment Station, has kindly furnished me with the scientific names of the trees, shrubs, and other plants men- tioned in this article. Kootenay Lake is located in the Selkirk Mountains in eastern British Columbia and is some eighty miles long by from one tu five miles wide. Its water is very cold and up to a short dis- tance from the shore is said to have a uniform depth of 400 feet. The water this year (1903) reached a height of twenty-four feet above low-water mark in the early summer and was still some- what higher than normal when I left. The mountains rise di- rectly from the shores of the lake to an altitude of 10,000 feet or less. Their summits are usually bare and rocky and, in many cases, have snow on their slopes throughout the summer. The climate is less severe in winter than in the Rocky Mountains, although colder than on the Pacific Coast. Aithough there is much snow during the late fall, winter and early spring months, the Jarge lakes do not freeze over, but are open for navigation the entire year. Usually the rainfall is light in summer and there are many forest fires; but last summer it rained so frequently as to interfere considerably with our collecting. The forests in this region are notable on account of the large size and luxuriant growth of the trees—smaller than those of the Pacific Coast, but considerably larger than those in the Rocky Mountains. Giant cedar ( 7kuya plicata) and hemlock ( 7suga heterophylla) seem to predominate in the lower altitudes, al- though interspersed with Western larch (Larzx occidentalis), yellow pine (Pizus ponderosa) and Douglas and Engelmann spruces (Pseudotsuga mucronata and Picea englemannt). Higher up subalpine fir (Adzes dastocarpa) and spruce are the prevailing trees. In the clearings and along the creeks are balm 26 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY of Gilead * and aspen poplars (Populus trichocarpa and P. tremulotdes), willow, birch (Betula papyrifera), alder (Ad/- nus tenutfolia), ceanothus ( Ceanothus velutinus), etc. Thim- bleberry (Audus nutkanus), raspberry (Hubus strigosus), gooseberry (Atzbes trriguum), service-berry (Amelanchier flortda) and huckleberry ( Vaccintum membranaceum) are com- mon shrubs, while among the most abundant flowering plants are E¢pilobtum spicatum, Spirea corymbosa, a species of fTieraceum and Anaphalis margaritacea. Between the upper portion of the thickly timbered area and the rocky peaks of the mountain summits there is usually a considerable area with scant and stunted trees, or no trees at all, the ground covered with sedge, heather (Phyllodoce empetriform?s and Casstope mer- tenstana) and a variety of boreal or subarctic flowering plants. Following is a list of the localities where collections were made. Whenever possible the exact or approximate altitude is given. : | Kaslo (altitude 1,670 feet), May 29 to August 20.—As stated above, this town, located on Kootenay Lake, was our headquarters, and the great majority of our specimens were ob- tained within easy walking or rowing distance of there. The town is built upon the south side of a small bay and is bounded on the south by Kaslo Creek—at the time of our arrival a large and powerful mountain torrent though diminishing greatly in volume later in the season. At no place did collecting give bet- ter results than here. The creek harbored a variety of neurop- teroid and other aquatic larve, while the deciduous trees which lined its banks were the resting places of many stoneflies, cad- disflies and the like, From the many young trees springing up in the clearings back of the town and in those places which had, a few years back, been visited by forest fires, a variety of wood- inhabiting Coleoptera were beaten, together with parasitic Hy- menoptera, Chrysopide, Hemerobiide and Raphidiide, small Diptera, Homoptera and Heteroptera, and innumerable spiders. The thimbleberry and other bushes made excellent sweeping for small Hymenoptera; the clover patches, on sunny days, were alive with various kinds of bees; and the grass and weeds of pastures and vacant lots’ yielded an embarrassing number of vari- ous small Diptera. Butterflies and moths of many kinds were abundant, especially in the clearings and more open forest and along the roadsides, while many of the night-flying moths could be detected and put to flight by thrashing the underbrush, shrubs and young trees with a stout stick or pole. Caddisworms, mosquito larve, aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera, etc., were * The balm of Gilead poplar is called ‘‘ cottonwood” in the Northwest. * OF WASHINGTON. © 27 found in abundance in the spring-fed pools and marshy forest ponds, and adults of these insects could, of course, be found in the neighborhood. Although sugaring for moths was tried at other localities, Kaslo was the only place where our efforts met with marked success. We began sugaring about the middle of June and in that month sugared three times, according to my record. Dur- ing the first half of July we went out about three times a week and during the remainder of July and in August sugared almost every evening when not prevented by rain. During the early part of summer, moths were not particularly abundant at sugar, and 100 or 200 specimens an evening was considered a fair catch. But later in the season the number of moths steadily in- creased and during August, up to the time we left, 1,000 or 2,000 specimens could easily be taken almost eyery evening. On one occasion we even exceeded that number and secured 2,330. Species as well as numbers of individuals were well represented, 75 species a night being the usual average in the latter part of the collecting. Although there were naturally long series of some species, yet of not many did we secure a larger number of specimens than we had use for. Our method of procedure, though probably not essentially different from that of others who sugar for moths, was as follows: About 7 o’clock or 7.30 in the evening we went over the route and put on the ‘‘ sugar,” which, according to Mr. Cockle’s for- mula, was made by heating a mixture of three pounds of sugar and one pound of molasses until thoroughly dissolved, then thinning with beer until of a syrupy consistence and adding a small glass of rum. This was spread, by means of a good-sized whitewash brush, upon stumps, fence boards and palings, tele- graph poles, etc., along certain roads and paths back of Kaslo, usually along a circuitous route which brought us back to the starting point without going twice over the same ground. About 9.30 we started out again, equipped with a lantern, several large and small cyanide jars of good strength, a few vials of alcohol and two large muslin sacks one of which contained 150 or 200 empty paper pill boxes. ‘T’he moths were caught on the sugar by clapping the cyanide jar over them and, when partially over- come by the fumes, they were removed to pill boxes, each moth being put, when possible, in a separate box.* Each pill box, as it was filled, was then transferred to the empty muslin sack. Next morning the boxes were opened, male moths removed to cyanide bottles and the females confined in glass jars in order, if possible, to secure eggs from them for life history studies. _ *The Microlepidoptera were not kept alive, but were collected directly into chloroform killing vials and left there till our return to the hotel, 28 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY After the first of August we discarded the pill boxes, as it was deemed now too late in the season to start new life-history cul- tures, and Dr. Dyar was sufficiently occupied with caring for those already obtained. It was noticed that many moths fell from the sugar into the grass and onto the ground and were lost while we were engaged in collecting the others. Mr. Caudell, however, soon contrived a way to prevent this. A semicircle of springy wire was sewed to the top of a cloth funnel about one foot in diameter the bottom of which, furnished with a strong elastic, fitted tightly around the mouth of a large cyanide jar of extra strength. On approaching a sugared tree, pole or stump the un- _ wired side of the funnel was made to fit closely around it just be- low the lower moths. A little jarring and blowing, or a light brushing with the fingers would precipitate them all into the fun- nel and down into the cyanide jar below. The jar was then corked, and as soon as the moths became quiet they were trans- ferred to a storage cyanide jar-and packed lightly between layers of cotton. A canvas apron with a number of pockets, devised by Mr. Caudell, served admirably the purpose of carrying a con- venient number of cyanide jars so as to be immediately available. On the warmer evenings when there was considerable moisture in the air there seemed to be a greater flight of moths than when it was cold and dry; and in moist weather we noticed that it was unnecessary to put on fresh sugar every evening, for just as many, or even more, moths were captured when the sugar was day, or even two days, old. Moths were by no means the only insects attracted to the sugar. Aspeciesof Ceutophilus was frequently taken, and daddy-long-legs (Phalangidea) were attracted in some numbers. One species of Chrysopa was often taken at the sugar, as also a few small caddisflies and some specimens of a longicorn beetle, Pachyta spurca LeConte. Some of our sugared stumps became so thickly infested with ants that other insects would not alight on them. We noticed, also, in several places where a stump was sugared but a few inches above the ground, that a large toad or a tree frog was nearly always stationed at its base to capture the moths which alighted within its reach. One especial stump seemed to be a favorite, for as many as four toads were sometimes noticed beside it. As the nights were nearly always cool there was never any such flight of moths to light as we are accustomed to in more southern localities—around Washington, D. C., for instance; but a small number could be secured by going the rounds of the electric lights in Kaslo and visiting the electric-light plant at the creek. The Bombycoid moths, which are not attracted to sugar, were mostly taken at light. Toward the close of the season we rigged OF WASHINGTON. . 29 up a large white sheet in what appeared to be a favorable local- ity and placed a good lantern and reflector behind it; but this ap- paratus was so little of a success in attracting moths that we abandoned it after a few trials. Besides the localities immediately around Kaslo, specimens ob- tained from several near-by places on or near Kootenay Lake bear Kaslo labels. One of these we allude to in our notes as ‘¢ Lilypad Lake,” and some of our captures have this additional label. It is a small marshy pond, filled with water lillies and other aquatic plants, about a mile and a half south of Kaslo on the road leading to Mirror Lake. This was a favorite locality for collecting mosquitoes and caddisflies, in their different stages, and seemed to be the nearest place to Kaslo where dragonflies bred in any numbers. The shores of the ‘‘ lake” were covered with a dense growth of trees and shrubs, and about the only way to secure dragonflies was by walking out over the water on some prostrate log and waiting for therh to come within reach, taking care to avoid losing one’s balance when making a pass at them. Mirror Lake, three miles south of Kaslo, is considerably larger than Lilypad Lake and less overgrown with aquatic plants. It is joined to Kootenay Lake by a covered ditch and is but a few steps distant. In winter enough ice is harvested from it to sup- ply the country near by. This proved an excellent collecting ground for dragonflies, mayflies and caddisflies, and on the moist shores Saldid bugs were abundant. Many of the caddisflies were discovered by jarring the branches of the trees near the lake, thus putting them to flight and making their capture possible. Some of the specimens bear Mirror Lake labels in addition to Kaslo labels. Fletcher’s Ranch, about five miles south of Kaslo and at some elevation above the lake, was visited by Dr. Dyar, Mr. Cockle and myself on June 11. The place was reached by tak- ing a rowboat to a point some distance south of Mirror Lake, and then following a road up the mountain for a short way. Here a mountain meadow and pasture, covered in some places by a few inches of water, made a good collecting ground for dragon- flies and a variety of other insects. The mouth of Cooper Creek, about three miles north of Kaslo on the opposite side of the lake, was several times visited. Beating was good here, and on one occasion, during June when the water in the creek was high, I collected a number of Carabid beetles, centipedes, spiders, etc., in the drift brought down by the creek. Powder Creek, oppo- site and a little south of Kaslo on the east side of the lake, has, near its mouth, a beautiful waterfall some forty feet. in height. The creek proved a good collecting ground for caddisflies and stoneflies, and was the only locality near Kaslo where I found ant-lions, several pits being discovered in the sand. 30 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Kaslo Creek, June 18 and 30.—On these dates Mr. Caudell and I made trips by the Kaslo & Slocan Railway to points re- spectively sixteen and ten miles west of Kaslo. Specimens col- lected at these points bear the label ‘‘ Kaslo Creek” for want of a more definite locality. The railroad follows up the creek which, in many places, is lined with pools of standing water af: fording an abundance of Culicid and caddisfly larve and other aquatic insects. On these trips we secured specimens of the enormous predaceous Culicid larva Hucorethra underwoodi Un- derwood. Atthe time we thought they were something new, but on returning to Kaslo found that Dr. Dyar had taken smaller specimens of the same larva near Kaslo some time before and had them in a breeding jar in the hotel. The rank growth of grass and weeds made good sweeping, and we obtained a num- ber of the delicate little mayflies which were hovering in undu- lating swarms above the railroad track. On June 30, at the ten- mile locality, I secured a specimen of the rare and interesting aquatic beetle Amphizoa among drift wood in the creek. On returning from one of these trips we discovered that holding a net out of the window of the moving train was an easy and pro- fitable method of sweeping. Lardo (altitude 1,670 feet), July 7.—This town is situated at the north end of Kootenay Lake about twenty miles from Kaslo. Dr. Dyar visited the place on the afternoon of July 7 and secured a few insects. Antoine Mine, Mc Guigan (altttude about 10,000 feet) .-— This mine‘is located in what is known as the McGuigan Basin, in the mountains south of McGuigan—a station on the Kaslo & Slocan Railway about twenty-five miles west of Kaslo. Mr. Cockle had planned an excursion to this locality for August, but rainy weather necessitated giving it up. Nevertheless, Mr. An- derson of the Antoine Mine, who had kindly invited us to come there, collected a few specimens for us. frye Creek (altitude 1,670 feet), July 237.—The mouth of this creek, about nine miles north of Kaslo on the east side of the lake, is a favorite camping and picnic ground, and we took advantage of a Sunday-school excursion to visit the place. There is quite a stretch of sandy beach here and huckleberries are plen- tiful—hence its popularity. The scenery in Frye Creek canyon is very wild and beautiful. An excellent trail has been con- structed through it'for several miles giving a good opportunity of viewing its beauties and collecting insects. The collecting at _ this place pleased Mr. Caudell so well that he wandered far up the canyon, and when the excursion steamboat was ready to re- turn to Kaslo he was nowhere to be found. After a half hour’s waiting we were rewarded by seeing him saunter up serene and OF WASHINGTON, 31 smiling, in entire ignorance of the anxiety of his friends and the impatience to get home of those who knew not the fascinations of ‘¢buge hunting.” Ainsworth, July 10 and rz.—This is a small mining town on the western shore of Kootenay Lake about twelve miles south-of Kaslo. In the mountains back of the town—which rise abruptly from the lake—about three miles distant by wagon road and at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, is an interesting limestone cave, known as Cody’s Cave. As this cave is located in a good col- lecting region Mr. Cockle planned a trip there, and on the morn- ing of July ro Dr. Dyar, Mr. Caudell, Messrs. Kane and Lucas of | Kaslo, and myself. accompanied him by steamer to Ainsworth. Here the Presbyterian minister, Mr. G. H. Findley, who was much interested in the cave and thoroughly familiar with it, vol- unteered to act as our guide. We found collecting good all along the road on the way up and secured quite a number of specimens at altitudes between 2,500 and 5,000 feet. About eleven o’clock we stopped by the side of a sniall creek for lunch. While here we made a short search for aquatic insects and on turning over small stones in the water found a number of may- fly and stonefly nymphs and caddisfly larve and a few specimens of the peculiar dipterous larvee of the family Blepharoceride, After lunch we left the road, and a steep climb of a half mile over rocks and fallen timber brought us to the mouth of the cave. The cave is of considerable size and some time was spent in exploring it. | A small, shallow stream of icy cold wuter flows through it, in some places almost covering the floor. The sta- lagmites and stalactites were, in most places, small and few in number, indicating, it would seem, that the cave is of compara- tively recent origin. In some places the walls of the cave were of considerable height, but in others we were obliged to crawl prostrate in order to get through. Mr. Kane took several flash- light photographs which give an excellent idea of its appearance. The cave seemed to contain no animal life of any kind. This was a disappointment to us, for had it been inhabited by bats or other animals the presence of insects might have been confidently looked for. It was so cold and wet, however, as to be manifesly unfitted for animal life. I examined the limestone mud, delved into out-of-the-way corners and overturned stones in the stream, but found no trace of insects. After leaving the cave the party, with the exception of Mr. Caudell and myself, returned to Ainsworth and Kaslo, while we went back to the road and followed it a mile and a half further to the No. t Mine. Here we were most hospitably entertained by the mine superintendent and his two assistants. The next morning we started down the road towards Ainsworth, collect- 32 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY ing as we went. We lunched at the same place as the day be- fore and spent some time sweeping the banks of the creek for neuropteroid insects, hymenopterous parasites, etc., and exam- ined the bed of the stream for aquatic larve. Here Mr. Caudell secured a specimen of the water beetle Amfhizoa and some more Blepharocerid larve similar to those I found the day before. About a mile above Ainsworth and near the road is a long pond of several acres area called Loox Lake. Here were captured a number of dragonflies, representing several species. We reached Ainsworth late in the afternoon and returned to Kaslo in the evening. Bear Lake (altitude 3,800 feet), July 20 and 29.—A sta- tion on the Kaslo & Slocan Railway twenty miles west of Kaslo. Here are two small mountain lakes from the smallest of which, Fish Lake, Kaslo Creek takes its origin. The other lake, known as Bear Lake, is just west of Fish Lake. Mr. Caudell and I visited this locality on July 20 in company with Mr. Cockle, and spent the afternoon collecting near the two lakes and along the railroad track. Butterflies and bees were found around the flowering plants, and the grass, weeds, small trees and bushes yielded a large number and variety of insects from sweeping. Neuropteroid insects were particularly abundant, especially. cad- disflies, mayflies and Chrysopide, and this was the only locality where we caught Sza/’s. We spent the night here and next morning climbed the mountain north of Bear Lake by switch- back trail to London Hill Mine at the summit. Ona subsequent trip (July 29), Mr. Caudell and I sugared for moths along the railroad between Fish and Bear Lakes and secured about 100 specimens. Two-thirds of these belonged to a single species (Noctua sterre Harvey), not uncommon at Kaslo. Hardly any of these moths were peculiar to the locality, but were the same species we had collected at Kaslo earlier in the season. London Hill Mine, Bear Lake (altitude 7,000 feet), July 21, 28 and 29.—As stated in the last paragraph, Mr. Cockle, Mr. Caudell and I climbed the mountain north of Bear Lake on the morning of July 21 and, as the day was warm and sunny, spent a few hours collecting at the summit near the abandoned London Hill Mine. The forests on the mountains about Bear Lake have been completely destroyed by fires and only the charred and dead tree trunks remain standing, There was little collecting, therefore, on the way up. Around the summit the trees are stunted, grow in isolated and straggling patches, and have not been reached by the fire. These afforded very fair beat- ing and sweeping, and the many blossoms covering the treeless areas attracted a variety of bees, flies and alpine Lepidoptera. On the extreme summit a swarm of Bombyliid, Tachinid and OF WASHINGTON. 33 Syrphid flies was hovering, and .a number of them were secured. ° On the patches of still unmelted snow were a large number of miscellaneous insects, most of them crawling actively’ about though many others were dead or benumbed with cold. Among these snow insects Coleoptera and parasitic Hymenoptera seemed most abundant, although the orders Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Diptera were also represented. In the afternoon we returned to Bear Lake and took the train for Kaslo. On July 28, Mr. Caudell and I revisited London Hill Mine in company with Dr. Dyar, this time climbing the mountain on horseback so as to have more energy for collecting when we reached the summit. Threatening showers made collecting rather poor and few Lepidoptera were flying, though we secured a Parnasstus and a few moths. From the snow patches, which had shrunken considerably since our former visit, we collected a number of insects the majority of which, however, were evidently the same species we secured there before. At the Silver Glance Mine, a short distance below the summit, we spent the night and experienced the customary hearty western hospitality. We tried sugaring that evening, along the trail leading up from the camp, but with no success whatever. The only creatures found at the sugar were a crane fly, a slug and a mouse. Two moths, how- ever, flew to the lantern just as I was entering the cabin, a Geo- metrid and a specimen of the common Noctuid Feltia vancou- verensts Grote. In the ‘morning we went again to the summit, but as the sky was overcast butterfly collecting was poor, and about noon Dr. Dyar went down to Bear Lake and returned to Kaslo. I spent the forenoon in beating the firs and pines and took quite a number of small Diptera and parasitic Hymenoptera, some small stoneflies, a Coniopterygid, two Scolytid beetles, a few longi- corns, etc. We again examined the snow patches and found a good variety of insects, among them a caddisfly and a small Hemerobiid. Early in the afternoon the sun came out and we were rewarded by securing a number of Lepidoptera and many flies and bees from the flower-covered slopes. We walked down to Bear Lake in the afternoon, sugared there in the evening and returned to Kaslo next day. | South Fork, August 9.—About five miles from Kaslo, on the Kaslo & Slocan Railway, at the point where the two branches of Kaslo Creek come together, is a station known as South Fork. The branch which has its source in Fish Lake and which is fol- lowed by the railroad is called Kaslo Creek, while the other, coming from the south, is known as South Fork. On our way to the Kitchener Glacier, August 9, we left the railroad at South Fork station and took saddle horses and pack outfit for the re- 34 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY mainder of the journey. While waiting here for the horses to be saddled and packs adjusted a few miscellaneous insects were picked up. South Fork Creek, August 9 and rz.—Along this creek there is a good wagon road with trails branching off here and there to a number of mines. Dr. Dyar, Mr. Cockle, Mr. Cau- dell, Mr. Allen, our guide Joe and myself left South Fork sta- tion during the forenoon of August 9 on our way to the Kitch- ener Glacier. Specimens picked up along this road, going to and returning from the glacier, bear the label ‘*‘South Fork Creek.” The-road leads through a forest of large cedars and hemlocks, replaced, as higher altitudes are reached, by spruces and firs. A water-covered meadow near the creek, visited on the return trip (August 11), proved to be an excellent place for collecting mosquitoes and a large number. of mayfly nymphs were dredged from the water. Kokanee Mountain (altitude, at foot of Kitchener Glacier, 7,500 to 8,000 feet), August 10 and r1.—After following the South Fork Creek wagon road for a distance of about seventeen miles from South Fork we turned off to the left and climbed Ko- kanee Mountain by a switchback trail. Below the peaks of the mountain is a good sized glacier, known as Kitchener Glacier, from which several creeks take their rise, South Fork Creek among them. Below the glacier and at the head of South Fork Creek are two small lakes, one just above the other. At each lake is a mining camp, neither of which were occupied by human beings at the time of our visit, although a porcupine had posses- sion of the camp by the lower lake. We went on to Mansfield Camp, on the upper lake, and made this our stopping place. The cabin stands close beside the lake, and straight across, over- hanging the opposite bank, was a wall of glacial ice. Next morning, August 10, the day was mostly clear and pleas- ant and we arose early. After donning smoked glasses and waterproof footwear we went on up the mountain and out upon the glacier. On the snow, which largely covered the glacier, were quite a number and variety of insects, many of them dead but a good number alive and uninjured. Mr. Allen took several photographs and Mr. Caudell and I, after exploring the lower end of that part of the glacier which gives rise to Coffee Creek, climbed to the summit of the highest peak of the mountain—said to be the tallest peak in this entire region. It took us about an hour and a half to make the ascent over the snow-covered ice, and we had to use care to avoid the crevasses. The extreme peak projects above the snow and ice and is a mere mass of large loose rocks, having only a few yards area on top. The view was magnificent. Upon the opposite side to OF WASHINGTON. 35 that by which we made the ascent is an almost precipitous fall of several hundred feet, and far below could be seen small lakes and winding creeks while on all sides the eye overlooked the tops of a wilderness of mountain peaks. The only insects seen here were a few Diptera. We remained awhile to rest and, if possible, to fix in our mind’s eye the awe-inspiring picture before us, then re- turned to camp, collecting on the way. Mr. Caudell secured one specimen of the grasshopper Podisma polita, Scudder, a species recorded only from Oregon in Scudder’s Catalogue of Orthop- tera. The others were back from another part of the mountain and reported that collecting was somewhat disappointing and butterflies not as abundant as was expected. After supper we sugared along the trail from our camp to the camp on the lower lake. About dusk we noticed a few moths flying but on going the rounds later we had almost as little suc- cess as on Bear Lake Mountain, the only insects found on the sugar being a few craneflies and one or two caddisflies—no moths whatever. From these two experiences in sugaring at high alti- tudes we reached the conclusion that in such localities, where the nights are naturally cold, moths cannot be captured by this method of collecting. ‘On our way back to camp Mr. Caudell shot aporcupine. Next morning as it was cloudy and threatened rain we concluded not to remain another day, so packed up our outfit and returned to Kaslo. On the way down the mountain Mr. Allen secured a photograph of the beautiful cascades by which South Fork Creek descends to the valley. Sandon (altitude 3,800 feet), August 13.—This mining town, about thirty miles from Kaslo, is the western terminus of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway. I left Kaslo on the morning of August 13 on my way home, taking the train to Sandon where I spent the afternoon and night, leaving the next morning for Nakusp. During the afternoon I collected some bees and other Hymenoptera and visited the Slocan Star Mine, said to be one of the best dividend-paying silver mines in this region. Mr. Oscar White, brother of the mine superintendent, showed me through a good part of it, and explained everything to me most interestingly. In the evening I made the rounds of the electric lights and secured about go moths, representing a good variety. of species. Mr. Geo. C. Robbins, an employee of the Payne Mine, went around with me, provided me with extra cyanide jars and helped me in catching the specimens. Since my return to Washington he has sent us some additional specimens. Revelstoke (altitude 1,475 feet), August 14.—As stated above, I left Sandon on the morning of the 14th for Nakusp on the Upper Arrow Lake, where I took steamer northward to Ar- rowhead and train thence to Revelstoke. At Wigwam, half 36 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY way between Arrowhead and Revelstoke, I captured a few mos- quitoes which entered the car. A few moths and other insects were taken that evening at the electric lights on the balcony of the C. P. R. Hotel at Revelstoke. The following morning (August 15) I took the transcontinental eastbound Canadian Pacific train, and thus ended my own col- lecting so far as British Columbia was concerned. Sunday was spent at Banff, in Alberta, the main station of the beautiful Rocky Mountain Park of Canada, and here I picked up a few insects while out walking.. The scenery around Banff reminded me of parts of the Yellowstone Park. Here I met Mr. N. B. -Sanson, who is Curator of the Park Museum, and had a most pleasant visit with him. Dr. Dyar and Mr. Caudell left Kasloon August 20. They took the lake steamer to Nelson at the foot of the lake; Mr. Cau- dell going east from that point and leaving British Columbia by the Crow’s Nest Pass branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway and securing a few specimens at Nelson and Kootenay Landing. Dr. Dyar has given me the following account of the remainder of his trip. He went from Nelson to Revelstoke by the Arrow Lakes steamer, collecting a few specimens at Nelson, West Rob- son, Nakusp and Revelstoke. Thence he went west on the main line of the C. P. R., reaching Vancouver August 23. He left the next day and crossed the water to Victoria on Vancouver ‘Island. Five days were spent here doing a little collecting and visiting several resident entomologists. Mr. A. W. Hanham, Mr. E. M. Anderson and Mr. E. Baynes Reed were met and - several pleasant hours spent with them. From Victoria, on the way to Wellington, Dr. Dyar visited Shawnigan Lake, a station on the Esquimault & Nanaimo Railway. At Wellington, at the end of the railroad, he was entertained by Rev. G. W. Taylor, whose studies of North American Geometride are just taking definite shane. Mr. Theo. Bryant was also met here. Dr. Dyar returned to Victoria on September 5, and went back to the main- land the same night. At Vancouver he visited Mr. R. V. Har- vey and Mr. A. H. Bush, resident collectors. The same day he started for home by the main line of the C. P. R. On Septem- ber 7 a stop was made at Glacier in the Selkirk Range, and on September 8 another at Field. A number of moths were picked up at both places although the weather was stormy and cold. On September 10 and 11 a short stop was made at Banff, Alberta, but it was snowing heavily over all the mountain peaks and rain- ing in the town, so practically no insect life was seen. The material collected on the trip is now in the U. S. National Museum, together with about 500 specimens of Lepidoptera which were given Dr, Dyar for the National Museum by the en- OF WASHINGTON. 37 tomologists who were visited. Rev. G. W. Taylor, especially, gave valuable material, not sparing species that were uniques in his collection. The paper was illustrated by maps and photographs. —Dr. Dyar then read the following paper : NOTES ON THE MOSQUITOES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. By Harrison G. Dyar. In conjunction with some other work, I made observations on the mosquitoes of British Columbia, Canada, particularly in the Kootenay District, during the past season. This was done in connection with the mosquito work which is being promoted by Dr. Howard, with the help of the Carnegie Institution. British Columbia is a mountainous region in general, with a fairly abundant rainfall, Nevertheless, towards the middle of summer it becomes generally dry and most natural breeding places for mosquitoes disappear. The mosquitoes, therefore, come early and are soon gone, and are, in the main, composed of those species which develop rapidly and hibernate in the egg state. Culex pipiens was not seen anywhere in British Colum- bia, nor was any species of Azophe/es met with except in a single instance. The place of C. Azpzens in rain barrels and other stagnant water is taken by C. ¢zctédens. I will mention the species in the order of their comparative abundance. I desire to express my thanks to Mr. Caudell and Mr. Currie for the kind assistance which they rendered me. I am indebted to Mr. Coquillett for patiently examining my 1,238 specimens. Culex impiger Walker.* _ This was by far the commonest mosquito. Early pools in the mountains, filled by the drainage from the melting snow banks, contained the larve and pupe, apparently by the million. Near Kootenay Lake they had all gone in May; but higher in the hills larve could still be found till the middle of June, and at Kokanee Mountain, at the foot of the glacier, I found many larve on Au- gust 10. The adults soon became very common in the woods, though in a few weeks they were much worn and later disap- *This is the C. repfans of my previous papers. Mr. Coquillett will give the differentiation of zmpiger and reptaus in the new edition of Dr. Howard’s ‘‘ Mosquitoes.” 38 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY peared, except in the high damp valleys where they persisted longer. Eggs were obtained of the usual spindle shape but shorter and thicker than those of C. caztanxs. They were laid singly and hibernated. ‘The larva closely resembles that of C. canadensis, with which it sometimes occurred mixed. It may be distinguished by the larger and coarser ventral brush of the anal segment, composed of longer stemmed tufts and by most of the chitinized parts being black instead of brown. Culex cantans Meigen. These mosquitoes became common in the woods in July, gradually disappearing soon after. Eggs were obtained from captured females, laid singly and of the usual elongate fusiform shape, but they all hibernated, none having hatched at the time of writing. Mr. O. A. Johannsen has described the larva. It falls in the synoptic table in the long-tubed group with C. res- tuans, quite an unexpected association, since its other charac- ters are those of the short-tubed larve. Culex reptans Meigen. This species appeared rather late in the season, no examples being seen till the end of June, after which it became fairly abundant. The flies were persistent in their attacks, alighting and biting at once, without the preliminary deliberations seen in other species of Culex, This is the summer mosquito of the Kootenays and lasted longer than any other of the single-brooded species. Eggs were obtained of the usual spindle shape, rather thick and unusually small, laid singly. They have hibernated. The larva was not seen. Culex canadensis Theobald. This mosquito was not rare early in the season, but soon dis-- appeared. The larve bred in the early pools left by the melting snows, but apparently made no attempt to continue breeding later in the season, as I observed to be the case in New Hamp- shire. In fact there was no suitable water left for them, and the eggs must all hibernate, making the species single brooded. Culex incidens Thomson. This species was at no time abundant, though occasional speci- mens were met with all the season from May to September. The species breeds continuously, the larve hatching from floating boat-shaped masses of eggs as with C. pzpzens. They could be found at any time in every old water barrel,-pump tub, or dug- out spring hole. Also in holes formed by overturned tree-stumps in. swampy land, though nature seemed to furnish surprisingly few breeding places for the larvee. -If it were worth while, this OF WASHINGTON, 39. species could be easily greatly reduced in numbers by treating the artificial breeding places. The larve closely resemble the mature larva which I have figured as C. comsobrinus from specimens sent me by Messrs. Dupree and Morgan. ‘They are generally darker, the chitinized parts being usually black, though some occur of a lighter tint, and these I_am at present unable to dis- tinguish from C. comsobrinus by any character whatever.* I bred adults from larve found in a fresh-water pool near the sea at Victoria and in a rain-water barrel at Wellington, B. C. Also from pools impregnated with hydrogen sulphide at Banff, Al- berta. Culex punctor Kirby. This was one of the very early species. A single larva and several pupee were taken in a pool full of alge behind a stump in a boggy part of the woods on May 31. The adults were flying at the same time, with the early C. zzczdens, but they disap- peared soon. ‘The eggs are spindle shaped, unusually thick and short, diamond-shaped and rather large. They were laid singly and hibernated.. The larva falls in the table with C. sollic¢tans, but is differentiated by having the lateral comb of the 8th segment composed of four or five large thorn-shaped teeth instead of a small patch. It is very close to Culex serratus as recently de- scribed by Smith.+ Culex sylvestris Theobald. The adults occurred in July in small numbers, mixed with C. cantans. No new facts were learned about the life history. Culex varipalpus Coquillett. A few adults were taken at altitudes higher than Kootenay Lake. They were fairly common on the summit of a mountain near Bear Lake at an altitude of 7,000 feet, but only’a single specimen was taken anywhere else. I owe the discovery of the larva to Mr. J. W. ears who was on the lookout for new wrigglers for me, . Cockle found some larve in a pool, mainly C. aces as we learned afterward, and, having no bottle with him, entered an abandoned Chinaman’s shack for a vessel in which to bring the larvae home. There he saw many small wrigglers in-an old dirty tin pan which had been filled with water from rain coming through a hole in the roof. With com- mendable discrimination, he left the zzc¢dens larvee and brought ae * The young stages of C. consobrinus as sent me are quite unlike the corresponding stages of C. zwcédens. But I have not yet bred C. conuso- brinus myself and still feel some doubt about it. + Ent. News, xiv, p. 309, 1903. 4Q ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY home those from the shack. They proved to be a pure culture of C. vartipalpus. The larva most nearly resembles that of C. atropalpus, being furnished with long anal appendages and a short breathing tube, while they wriggle slowly at the bottom of their dish, not coming to the surface for a long time. They differ from C. atropalpus in that the ventral brush of the last segment is a sessile tuft of hairs like the dorsal one, without barred area. The general habitus of the larva suggests Wyeomyta smithi?. Culex territans Walker. The larve were found in permanent pools by the edge of a small lake, showing the normal if drone and habits. The adults made no attempt to bite. . Currie went down to the edge of the lake and secured aes ‘by sweeping, but otherwise > all those secured were bred. Culex dyari Coquillett. This is a very early species and by no means common. On May 29, immediately after my arrival at Kaslo, I found one larva in a slow, cold stream in the woods. It pupated at once; so that even at that date the species had practically ceased breed- ing. . No more larve were found and no adults seen. Culex tarsalis Coquillett. Two examples only occurred at Kaslo, one having entered my room at the hotel, the other being taken at night while out sugaring for moths. Larve were found in a pool of permanent fresh water near the sea at Victoria, B. C. They were mixed with C. inctdens. ‘The larva belongs to the long-tubed group, with the antennal tuft at the outer third of the joint, the antennze broadly white banded. It falls in the synoptic table with C. nigritulus,* but the air tube is not so long. The eggs were not observed and may prove to be something unusual. Culex perturbans Walker. _ A single example was taken by Mr. Currie near the little lake. The species was too rare for us to learn anything of its life history. : Culex curriei Coquillett. Likewise a single example, taken by Mrs. Beat near Kaslo Creek. This species also was too rare for us to obtain eggs or learn anything of the larva. *Not the European zzgritulus. Mr. Coquillett has proposed a new name for the American species, culex salinarius, Ent. News, XV, p. 73, 1904. OF WASHINGTON. 41 Culex spenceri Theobald. Two captured specimens at Kaslo; oneby Mr. Currie June 13, the other by myself June 24. Culex consobrinus Desvoidy. One captured specimen, July 3. Anopheles maculipennis Meigen. One male specimen taken in the hotel at Revelstoke, possibly brought there on one of the trains. No larve were seen. Aédes fuscus Osten Sacken. Very scarce. It was only met with in one instance, flying near some pools on a hillside above the lake. Three examples were taken which had come out from the shelter of the bushes to bite. Corethra velutina Ruthe. Larve occurred in a small pool cut off from the little lake, mixed with Culex territans, on which they not improbably fed. The larva has a breathing tube and air bubbles in its enlarged, quadrate thorax, as in the figures of this species from Europe. Sayomyia trivittata Say. Larve occurred in a neighboring pool to the preceding and even in the little lake itself. The queer, transparent, ghost-like things have been figured by me elsewhere.* Eucorethra underwoodi Underwood. The larve were found in various pools, principally with Culex empiger, but also with C. zzcidens. When the mosquito larve were abundant enough to feed them, they generally grew up rapidly and matured in July. In other cases, after they had eaten all the mosquito larve from a pool, they lingered till late in the season. Dyvar, Harrison G.: Description of the larva ef Ethmia zelleriella Chambers, 3; Description of the larva of Litodonta hydromeli Harvey, 3; Note on the distribution of the red forms of Diacrisia, 18; A .Lepidopteron parasitic upon Fulgoride in Japan (Epipyrops nawai, n. sp.), 19; Halesidota maculata Harris and its varieties, 19; The larve of the Ia Mogens Y rutilus Coquillett and M. portoricensis Reeder, 20; Notes on _ the Mosquitoes of British Columbia, 37; A new Can of the -Noctuid Exyra semicrocea Guenée (Exyra semicrocea, variety hubbardiana, n. var.), 60; A new genus and species of Tor- LEECH OE civ eves PEKMO eek aeWek 5400s ey Mau prgghb ede oheual sSiac vd bel Shpea'’s seeds soaebe Herpemann, Orro: Remarks on the genitalia of Podisus cynicus Say SHI POCISUS DTACCORLUS, FEELS + cash von seuss dv v gu sdaisenay cdbdes ced saree? caves Scuwarz, E. A.: The Cotton-boll Weevil in Cuba (Anthonomus SPA TIAIS SSGIO TIAN) 5 a5 ta «cus os oe Ave ius SaT ARE Realy gw ssw cae mama aN es sbMn gos eb oks 59 46 53 60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. Volume VI, No. 2. APRIL, 1904. (Meetings of January 14, 1904, to March 10, 1904.) Published Quarterly by the Society. WASHINGTON, D. C. 1904. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL, SOCIETY Published weedy by the Sein at 1238-1240 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D., C. Terms for subscription, $2.00 per annum, single numbers 60 cents. Address all subscriptions to the Corresponding Secretary, Mr. Frank aren care U. S. Department of Agriculture, peenieetan: D.C. PRICE OF PROCEEDINGS AND SEPARATES. ™ EST BS DS Sere Pl Boe ae saeat ear one rcp song renee eta c Maye a GAL Sea So pn «« $3 00 COLEOPTERA—A new Coccinellid enemy of the San Joe Scale. By Wr A OCh Ward FG04: 2 PP wassiecy ins vivowed fe ose sdantasansce verses 05 ~ DIPTERA—New Diptera from Central America. By D. W. Co- quillet.. 1904. ° 9 pp...... SOA vase eee vaduccens Meas rawness emer renenaaaseh us 5 HYMENOPTERA—Some new Osmiin& in the United States Na- tional Museum. By E. S. G. Titus. 1904. 5 Ppseceeescserenees 10 Remarks on Honey Bees. By William H. Ashmead. 1904. 3. pp. 05 New generic names in the Chalcidoidea. By William H. Ash- MER. | FOF oT Bhs Spans isco s eae nas d acapdnds tabs ons ncengseneas thadeeectes 05 LEPIDOPTERA—Additions to the List of North American Lepi- doptera, No. 1. By Harrison G. Dyar.. 1904. 4. pp.eseeseeacee 10 Note on the genus LeucophoBetron Dyar. By Harrison G. PVA. QOAs 2 PP ows ckissceenivweiasesnpsrsntennneeessteses