This is the largest of our Elaters or “spring beetles,” and is found with its larva in the decaying wood of old apple and other trees. The beetle, fig. 7, is about an inch and a half—sometimes more—in length, of a black color, sprinkled with numerous whitish dots.

Egg—Spherical, a little flattened at base ; color greenish-yellow. Duration of this stage four to five days.

Young Larva—Length .1 inch ; near the end of the stage .28 inch, and then cylindrical, greatly thickened from 3 to 6; after 6, tapering to 12, then thickening to end, the back and sides after 6 a little incurved; 2 has a thin square ridge and on each curve of same a thick fleshy process, longer than others on body, thickly beset with straight hairs; there are two rows of similar processes, sub-dorsal, smallest on the narrow segments, colored as the segment they stand on, those on 12 and 13 considerably larger than any others except on 2 ; besides the subdorsal rows, are two dorsal, running the whole length of body, and one row on side, another along base ; all these are small, simple tuberculations with hair on end; color of body brown-yellow marked with white ; a white band, not very clearly defined, especially on its lower edge, passes along the side of segments 3 to 8, turning up on 8 to edge of dorsum, the two extremities there not quite meeting; 12 and 13 are white; under side greenish-brown ; feet and legs same ; head obovoid, a little depressed at top, smooth, shining, color yellow-brown, a shade darker than body. To 1st moult about 4 days.

If there is one thing more than another that fills the brain of an amateur Entomologist with despair, when he first makes the acquaintance of the long lists of largely incongruous and incomprehensible names that he is expected to master, it is the utter absence of anything in the system of nomenclature tending to show the relations of various forms to each other, or of varieties to the parent or more abundant form.

The species of this genus have hairy eyes, unarmed tibiæ and a tufted thorax. The dorsum of the abdomen is more or less tufted, but in some species the tuftings are not noticeable. Several species which seem to me to belong to Graphiphora (Taeniocanpa) have been referred to this genus ; among these I may mention orobia of Harvey, modesta, incincta and thecata of Morrison, and the species described by me as rufula and puerilis.

Agrotis nanalis, n. s.

♀. The smallest species known to me. All the tibiæ spinose ; eyes naked; body untufted. A slender species which may be compared with opaca. The fore wings are blackish with the lines lost. The stigmata are concolorous, difficult to make out. The orbicular is elongate, the reniform vague, upright, broad; the spots are picked out by a brown shading which fills the cell and marks the subcostal and median veins.

Eurytoma vagabunda, n. sp.—♀. Length .10 inch. Deep black. Head and thorax coarsely punctate ; antennæ 8-jointed, black and pubescent; eyes black; thorax black, very coarsely punctate, collare transverse quadrate, parapsidal grooves indistinct, scutellum hardly separated from the praescutellum, convex, narrowing but rounded posteriorly ; metathorax coarsely punctate ; abdonmen black, smooth, and highly polished, peduncle short, a series of very fine punctures along the basal margin of 2nd, 3rd and 4th segments, only perceptible with a high power, tip pubescent ; wings hyaline, iridescent ; veins slightly yellowish, no stigmal spot ; legs reddish yellow, tibiæ slightly paler, feet pale.