Podisma (Latr.) is a particularly interesting genus of Melanopli, since it is the only one of that immense group that occurs in the Old World, where, indeed, it is represented by considerably more described species than it is in North America. It is also of interest from its distinctly boreal and alpine distribution, being almost peculiar to high latitudes or altitudes. It is a circumpolar genus, inhabiting the mountains and boreal parts of Europe, Asia and North America, a larger number of species having been described from Europe than elsewhere.

This species has hitherto been considered identical with Aleyrodes vaporariorum, the common greenhouse Aleyrodes of the tomato, cucumber, etc. A critical study of all stages of both the greenhouse Aleyrodes and the strawberry Aleyrodes, made at the Entomological Laboratory of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, has resulted in finding structural differences between the two species in all the stages, except the egg and adult.

A year ago, May 1902, I had a peculiar entomological experience. I had returned from Florida to my home in New York about the middle of April, had spent two or three weeks arranging and classifying my captures of the winter, sending off duplicates and doubtful species to specialists, and preparing my collection for the summer months of my absence. A full fortnight must pass before I should leave town for my New Hampshire summer home, and I already pined for a little collecting. Suddenly I recalled the existence of some old boxes of insects which had been crowded out of my regular collection-room some years before. They were in a closet opening from a hall on the second floor. This closet had been built especially for the preservation of woollen clothin and its protection from ravages of the devouring moth, its walls, shelves and drawers being made of red cedar.

This tribe, to the initiated, is readily distinguished by the eyes, which are usually quite differently shaped, rarely smooth and shining, and always distinctly facetted, although a few females have small ellipsoidal or somewhat rounded eyes, as in the tribes Photopsidini and Sphaerphthalmini, and therefore, if the greatest care is not given to other characters, could be confused with certain genera in those tribes.

9. Quenselii, var. turbans.—Probably one of the most interesting surprises we have had since studying these insects, is the fact that the form just mentioned has been taken, and not uncommonly, for some seasons, at several points in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The first specimens we examined were collected “at light” at Calgary, by Mr. T. N. Willing. Afterwards Mr. F. H. Wolley-Dod, ofMillarville, Alta., forwarded us a beautiful series of nine specimens for study, and Mr. Norman Criddle, of Aweme, Man., also was good enough to send us four examples. Besides these 13, Mr. Willing forwarded seven specimens. While in Washington, in December, 1902, Dr. Fletcher submitted a series of the months to Dr. Dyar, who compared them with the original description of turbans, afterwards expressing himself as certain that our Northwestern form was this variety of quenselii.

The following list has been prepared from collections made in the Nortwest Territories of Canada during the seasons of 1879, 1880 and 1881, by Prof. John Macoun, Botanist of the Geological Survey Department of Canada.

During the summer of 1879 collecting was done, starting from Fort Ellice, thence to the head of Long Lake; thence to the elbow of the South Saskatchewan; then after crossing the river, in an almost straight line to Battleford; then south to the Hand Hills, and still south to Blackfoot crossing; thence west to Calgary, and up the Bow River to the gap in the Rocky Mountains.

This paper is not by any means intended to be a full treatment of the species of the genus Apantesis, occurring in Canada. There is so much yet to be learned about many of the forms that the preparation of such an article is still quite impossible. The intention, therefore, is merely to present the rather incomplete notes we have made at Ottawa, with the hope that they may be of some use to students who are, or who may become, interested in these insects, and also that it may be seen at a glance what work has been done on some of the species, as well as what is still lacking with regard to others. There is considerable doubt as to the validity of some of the species of this genus, and these doubts as to the validity of some of the species of this genus, and these doubts can only be dispelled by careful and extensive breeding from the egg, taking accurate notes of the larvæ (in their different stages), the pupæ, etc. Large series of many of the so-called species will have to be bred before definite knowledge can be acquired.

1894. Myrmosini, Tribe II. (partim), Fox; Proc. Acad, Sci., Phila., p. 273.

1896. Myrmosini, Tribe II. (partim), Ashmead; Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., XXII., p. 179,180.

1899. Methocinæ, Tribu 3e (partim) André; Spec. Hym. d'Eurr Tom. 8,p. 58 and 71.

1903. Methocinæ, subfamille (partim). André; Wytsman's Gen. Ins. Fam. Mutillidæ, p.6.

Mr. Ernest André's conception of this subfamily is erroneousl he has placed in it a number of genera that do not belong to the family Thynnidæat all, but are genuine Myrmosids, and represent my tribe Chyphotini. Moreover André has incorrectly classifed all of these genera in the family Mutillidæ an error Fox and myself also fell into years ago, before we had studied the Thynnidæ.

February 12th (Lincoln's Birthday), of this year, was unusually warm and spring-like. The temperature rose as high as 52°, and the clear sky and little wind made it a joy to be out in the open, in the sunshine.

I went to Staten Island that day, with the intention of working up some Orthoptera with Mr. W. T. Davis, but the feel of spring in the air was irresistible, and as I was anxious to secure aquatic Hemiptera as early in the season as possible, we went by trolley to some woodland ponds near Richmond. The fields were very wet on the way, but hopping among the dry leaves were yound grasshoppers, emerged from their winter's sleep. Some Diptera also were hiding among them, and they were quite active when disturbed.

Paranomia Venablesii, sp. nov.— ♀. Length 10.5 mm. Black; abdominal segments 1–4 at apex with bands of a golden-yellowish pubescence; the head in front, the cheeks, the occiput, the thorax in front at the sides, the postsctellum the legs, and the abdomen beneath, all clothed with a pale or whitish pubescence. Wings hyaline, fuliginous at apex, the costæ and parastigma black, the stigmal and internal veins testaceous. Legs mostly black, the stigmal and internal veins testaceous. Legs mostly black, with tarsal joints 2–5 mostly yellowish. The head is rather finely, sparsely punctate, the thorax more closely and densely punctate, but with the punctures finer on the scutellum, while the metathorax in shagreened, opaque. The abdomen has the first segment minutely punctulate, the following segments being more or less alutaceous.

Bombus leucomelas, n. sp.— ♀. Black, with deep black pubescence, except that on anterior half of mesothorax, which is grayish, tipped with black, and on abdominal segments 3–6, which is pure white; clypeus arched, weakly and very sparsely punctured; labrum basally with two widely separated tubercles; joint 1 of flagellum equal to 2 and 3 together; wings deeply infuscated, iridescent; basal joint of hind tarsi not pointed at apex; pubescence of legs black. Length 21–22 mm.

On the 24th of May I went collecting, with a friend, in High Park. We each took a specimen of the Tailed Blue (L. comyntas), but found, as we had expected, that it was too early for Scudder's Blue. On turning over an old boot that was lying on the grass, I saw a chrysalis of L. Scudderii attached to the under side; an ant was also on the sole of the boot, and ran round and round and over the chrysalis several times before going away; being, apparently, quite agiatated by the disturbance. Is it possible that this ant was keeping some sort of guard over the chrysalis, as ants are supposed to do over the larvæ of L. Scudderii? Its presence on the boot may have been merely accidental, but still, its movements gave one the impression that it was loth to leave the chrysalis, and would have liked to carry it away, if that had been possible.

Too late for correction, I find that in my recent paper on western Orthoptera* I have redescribed Scudder's Aulocara rufum as a new species under the name guanieri, placing it in the not very nearly related genus Heliastus. This unfortunate mistake was brought about by the uncertain position of the genus Aulocara, which possesses both tryxaline and Œdepodine characters. The generral aspect of the species of the genus is certainly very strongly œdipodinean and the characters of the declivate vertex, subperpendicular front, filiform antennæ, small round eyes, obsolete lateral carinæ, twice or thrice severed median carina, wrinkled pronotum, and of the generally present intercalary vein, all indicate close affinity to the Œdipodinæ.

Homoporus Vassiliefi, sp. nov.— ♀ — Length, 2 mm. Head and thorax bluish, finely, closely punctured, the face and the pleura with a greenish metallic lustre, the metapleura decidedly brassy; antennæ brown, the scap yellow; legs concolorous with the thorax, the hind coxæ with a metallic greenish fringe, the apices of all femora, all tibiæ and tarsi, except the last joint, yellow, the last joint dark fuscous; wings hyaline, the nervures brown, the stigmal vein two-thirds the length of the marginal, the postmarginal vein very nearly as long as the marginal; abdoment aeneous black, tinged with metalic green basally at the sides, ovate, somewhat pointed at apex, very little longer than the thorax.