Xylophagus decorus, n. sp.

♀. Length 13 mm. Black, legs yellow. Front convex, but little shining, thinly brownish dusted. Antennæ black, the tip of first joint and the second more reddish brown; elongate, the first joint rather longer than the distance from the insertion to the ocelli. Proboscis black Dorsum of thorax shining on the sides, in the middle with two broad brownish pollinose stripes, separated by a shining linear space. Pleuræ shining black. Abdomen blackish brown, shining. Legs, including the coxæ, reddish yellow, the tips of all the tarsi black. Wings nearly hyaline, a broad brownish band, near the middle, narrowed and evanescent posteriorly, the outer cross-veins clouded and the outer part of the wing cinereous.

One specimen, Washington Territory (H. K. Morrison). The abdomen probably varies in depth of color.

As I have stated (p. 90, May, 1885), I had made inquiry of Dr. Anton Dohrn about the existence of the Hessian Fly around Naples, Italy. His kind answer, together with interesting notes by Dr. Paul Mayer, gives the following information.

From the two old books quoted by Sir J. Banks (p. 88), Corti is not represented in the library at Naples. Ginnani (Dr. Giuseppe Fatta writes Giannini), Part ii., cap. lx., p. 127-209, gives: “Osservazioni ed esperienze particolari intorno all'infestamente degli insetti.” He speaks in this chapter on several flies which attack the grain, among them one which attacks the roots, but his statements do not allow us to decide with certainty whether some of the flies belong to Cecidomyia. Dr. P. Mayer draws my attention to another work which was entirely unknown to me; the copies published are all lithographed: “A. Costa.—Lezioni di Entomologia agraria precedute da un quadro generale della classi del regno animale raccolte ed autografate degli alumni M. Pilato e M. Montanari. Portici R. Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura 1880, 4to., pg. 528, pl. 9.”

As I have stated in my notice on Melsheimer, nothing is known of his friend, Rev. D. Ziegler, except the publication of a paper on Coleoptera. Again I am indebted for a large part of the notice now given to the untiring kindness of Rev. J. G. Morris, of Baltimore, for many years a friend and correspondent of Rev. D. Ziegler. Nevertheless, desiring to find out something more of this father of American Entomology, I decided to go to York, Pa., and had the pleasure of seeing his wife, Mrs. Ziegler, his son, Dr. H. A. Ziegler, and the brother of Rev. D. Ziegler.

Daniel Ziegler was born June 11th, 1804, in Reading, Berks Co., Pa. His father, and probably his grandfather, were born in America. There is nothing known by the family as to when their ancestors came to America. After he became of age he studied at the University of Pennsylvania for some time. Later he studied Theology at York, Pa., at the German Reformed Seminary, under the presidency of Dr. Mayer.

C. aurella, ♀, new var.

Primaries and thorax light gray, strongly shaded with yellow; h. p. and t. p. line with t. a. line very distinct; teeth below U somewhat rounded; reniform indistinct; subreniform distinct; a broad, pale, tancolored line (outside of white shading of t. p. line) running parallel with t. p. line.

Secondaries bright yellow; median band black, narrow, even, not reaching inner margin, marginal band broad, black with a slight yellow tinge; fringes dirty white; abdomen ochre-yellow.

The common white ant, Termes flavipes, destroys dead wood, stumps of trees and timber, just as does its nearest relative, T. lucifugus, in Europe. Of the latter species some cases are reported where living pines and oaks have been destroyed in the South of France. For T. flavipes, only one case is known, in which living grape vines in a hot house in Salem were injured. (S. H. Scudder. Proc. Boston, N. H. S., vol. 7, p. 287). Now the earth in the hot houses here in Cambridge is largely infested by white ants, but as far as I know, no destruction of plants has been observed. I was very much interested by the information from Mr. F. W. Putnam that in a garden in Irwing street living maples were largely infested by white ants. The evidence of the truth of this information was apparent by the first glance at the trees.

[This paper, an excellent addition to an excellent American paper by Mr. W. Trelease (Psyche, vol. iv., p. 195), is published in the Jrmischia, vol. v., No. 1, p. 4, 1885. As it will be difficult for American students to have access to this periodicar, I have translated the substance. Dr. Thomas has seen only the record of Mr. Trelease's paper in Botan. Centralblatt, xx., p. 356, by Dr. Ludwig.—H. A. Hagen.]

Larvæ of Cecidomyia living in the spore-layers of Uredineæ are also found in Thuringia, Germany. In fact the discovery of the community in the same layer of two otherwise very different parasites is at first somewhat wonderful and startling.

Hydrophilus, as heretofore recognized in our fauna, contains two sets of species, the one series large, the other relatively small. They also differ in the form of the maxillary palpi and should properly be considered distinct genera defined as follows:—

Hydrophilus.—Terminal joint of maxillary palpi much shorter than the penultimate, the second joint long, arcuate. Claws toothed.

Tropisternus.—Terminal joint as long or even longer than the penultimate, the second joint moderately long and straight. Claws not toothed.

The large species belong to the first series, and but two have appeared in our lists.