The erratic migrations of certain insects, often in countless swarms, have been noticed and put on record by many observers. In a country where, perhaps, they are scarce, or, it may be, almost wanting ordinarily, they may suddenly put in an appearance in such numbers as to defy all attempts at computation; or immense swarms of them may sometimes be seen far out at sea, flying steadily in a direction which may take them out so far as to effectually prevent any return.

Entomologists in general, and Americans in particular, are much interested in all the pertains to one who has justly become known as the father of American entomology.

As is generally known, the tomb containing the remains of this famous naturalist is on the grounds of the o ld Maclure home, in the city of New Harmony, Indiana.* This has recently changed owners, and the old house in which Say died has been remodelled, the older portion having been torn down. This was mede necessary by the crumbling of the walls, but the new owner, Mr. John Corbin, has only allowed this to be done where it became absolutely necessary. Fortunately, Mr. Corbin fully appreciates and reveres the historic old structure, and, as he stated recently to me. “has desecreated it just as little as possible.”

It has always been claimed that there is but one brood of Hessian Fly in Minnesota. On June 25th of current year larvæ of Hessian Flyin second stage were found working on wheat in an adjoining county, brought to the Experiment Station and the wheat plant placed in moist sand in breeding jar in laboratory. These specimens quickly formed puparia, and one fly, a female, emerged July 19th. She lived about two days, before dying depositing between 80 and 90 eggs on green blade of wheat and on dried wheat stem in breeding cage. The eggs were laid indiscriminately on leaf and stem, some singly, some in clusters of two or three and some in strings attached by ends.

Page 99. Apatela. As might have been expected from the inconspicous markings and uniform gray colour of the moths, the identifications of species of Acronycta, described by Walker and Guenée, have proved difficult and often contradictory. I am now inclined to waive all objections and accept Dr. Dyar's list as it stands. The only point I make is, the difficulty I have in believing that, having identified xyliniformis, Guen., already and orginally for Riley, I should have described specimens at a later period as pallidicoma; it seems to me yet possible that two forms are here “mixed up,” although I know xyliniformis to be inconstant.

Of the two Coccidæ now described, the first is the type of a very peculiar new genus; the other is a very beautiful and interesting lac-insect.

Stictococcus, n. g. —An aberrant genus of Lecaniinæ, with the anal orifice in the middle of the back, not connected with the hind margin by a slit or groove. Anal ring with six hairs in larva; none in adult. Anal plates so modified in adult as to be unrecognizable. Legs small, but well developed. Antennæ with 5 or 6 joints. Margin with long bristles, and flattened bifid or palmate plates or spines. Dorsum with numerous large pits.

By most systematists this family is still classifed with the Scoliidæ, although separated as a distinct family by the Swedish entomologist, C.G. Thomson, as early as 1874. I agree with Thomson, and belive these wasps form a distinct family, easily recognized by the characters made use of in my table of families.

The genus Engycistus, Fox based upon Myzine rufiventris, Cresson, was classifed by Cresson, Cameron and Fox with the Scoliidæ. Mr. Fox has kindly sent me specimens for examination, male and female, and I find them true Tiphiids; they have nothing to do with the Myzinidæ or Scoliiæ as now restricted.

The genus Pterombus, Smith, still unknown to me in nature, also evidently belongs here.

Successful collections of Lepidoptera were made in British Columbia this season at Kaslo by myself, with the assistance of Mr. Caudell and Mr. Currie, and under the advice of Mr. J. W. Cockle. Over 20,300 specimens rewarded our efforts. Of these a large part are Noctuidæ, collected at sugar, showing some very fine series. Nearly 200 larvæ were observed. The material will be worked up at the U.S. National Museum. The National collection has been further enriched by the donation of 548 specimens from Messrs. Taylor, Bryant, Hanham, Bush and Harvey, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the close of the collecting season.

In my “Descent of the Pierids,” Jan., 1900, I have used Trifurcula, Stand., Iris., VII., 56, for a genus of Andean Pierids, but this name is preoccupied in the Lepidoptera by Zeller, 1848, Staud. & Rebel, Cat. II., p. 221.

Staudinger states (l. c.) thate he had at first named the genus Piercolias, so this name though open to criticism, should be used for the Pierid genus with the type of huanaco, Staud. The morphological value of the neurational character of the primaries of Piercolias, which led Staudinger to choose the name Trifurcula, does not seem to have been apperciated by him. The gradual progress of R2 towards the apices, and of M1 towards the Radius, brings these branchlets in juxtaposition.

The Sawfly here described is a common pest on the leaves of various speices of Populus in Montana, and a Bulletin dealing with its life-histroy and economic significance is about to be published from the Montana Experiment Station. We give here an outline of its life-history, followed by descriptions of the two sexes.

The adults appear on the foliage in May and continue there for about eight weeks. The female deposits her eggs singly on the very young, tender leaves, and at the same time stings, them in such a way as to cause the edge to fold under on the lower surface.

Protandrenopsis, new genus. — Labial palpi four-jointed, 1 about twice as long as 2–4 together, 2–4 slightly decreasing in length; maxillary palpi 6-jointed, 1 and 2 subequal, longer than any of the following joints; 3, 5 and 6 subequal, 4 slightly longer; tongue long, lanceolate; mandibles simple; labrum transverse, process of labrum large, almost covering labrum; foveæ present, small; stigma large, well developed, nearly two thirds the length of the obliquely truncate, subappendiculate marginal cell, which is about as long as the two submarginals together; second submarginal fully one-third longer than the first, receiving the first recurrent nervure about one-third from base and the second near apex; median cell along the median nervure, a little longer than the submedian, the transverse median nervure joining the median just before the origin of the basal nervure; scopa on posterior tibiæ first joint of tarsi and on venter.

The occurrence in Arizona of a representative of a very anomalous wingless genus of Phoridæ, of which but a single specimen was heretofore known, and that found beneath a stone in such a widely-separated locality as Denmark, is a problem in geographical distribution very difficult of solution. During the entomological excursion of Messrs. E. A. Schwarz and H.S. Barber to portions of New Mexico and Arizona in the summer of 1901, while collecting at the base of a hill of Flagstaff, Arizona, Mr. Barber obtained in his sweeping net a single speciment of the cockrach-like genus Aenigmatias. This specimen agrees closely with Dr. Meinert's original description and figures of his Aenigmatias blattoides*, except that it has only six instead of seven body-segments, not counting the genitalia.

This paper is intended to give the results of the study of the local species.

Unless otherwise indicated, vein a = basal nervure; vein V2= transverse medial nervure; vein rm= first cubital nervure; cell III1+2= marginal cell; cell III5 = second cubtial cell; “joint” refers to antennæ; “segment” refers to abdomen.

There has been enough confusion in this group to suit the most stupid of lumpers. It takes a mystagogue to identify a species from a description of its oranaments. Such descriptions are regular pitfalls—regular synonym-traps.

This family, althougn quite distinct, is closely allied to the two which follow— the Myrmosidœ and the Mutillidœ— and it will probably be difficult for the student to separate at once the wingless females from some in the families mentioned. Some authorities, having been unable to find good characters to separate these wasps, have classifed all together as a single large family under the name Mutillidœ; but I think incorrectly so.

The table which I here present of the genus Platylabus must be considered merely as a preliminary or working table of the species in the collection of the American Entomological Society,or in my own cabinet. The other species, known to me only by description, I have included for the sake of convenience, and have placed a star before their names. I cannot vouch for the correctness of these.

In reply to the query suggested by Prof. Grote, in the April number of the Entomologist (page 110), with reference to the spinning methods of Telea, I have discussed the subject with Dr. Fletcher, whose opinion is that only some of the cocoons are so suspended, but recent search has decided me that in locality this is the case with the majority.

On April 2nd I found two cocoons on a small willow bush, one suspended, with the leaves firmly attached to the stem; the other had been spun between the overhanging sides of a large leaf that had fallen across the limb, thus forming a complete conopy, but the cocoon was firmly fastened to the twig with a lot of silk. Diligent search amongst the leaves on the ground failed to reveal any fallen cocoons.

The Byrrhidæ of this continent have received a comparatively small share of attention at the hands of systematists for many years, so that it is not at all surprising to find novelties among recently-collected material. Two new forms of the genus Pedilophorus have recently been detected among the accumulations in my cabinet, both of them from the west; no doubt still others remain to reward explorers of the mountain ranges and of the northern districts. The European fauna contains ten species, while but four were previously known from North America.

In an article on the genns Lecanium, Published in the Canadian Entomologist, Vol. 34, p. 177 (1902), I stated that I inferred that Costa proposed generic names for the Coccidæ in his Prospetto di una nuova descrizione metodica del genera Coccus L., work I had not seen at that time, as no copy could be found in the libraries of this country or in London. Mr. Fernald has, however, recently secured a copy of this exceedingly rare work, published in 1828, from Naples, Italy.

Œcanthus Forbesi, n. sp. — ♂. General colour pale yellow. Length to tip of wings 17 mm.; greatest widht across closed wing-covers, 3.5 mm. Very slender, elongate in general shape, somewhat resembling Zabea bipunctata (DeG.), but the outline of the closed wing-covers is more elongate.

All of the species described in the following pages belong to genera which are of small extent or have been recently monographed, and it is hoped that no confusion will result from their publication. The types are in my own collection, and unless otherwise credited, were captured by myself.

Bombus Cooleyi, n. sp.— ♀. Length, 16–17 mm. Integument black; clothing black, yellowish white, pale ochreous yellow and rusty yellow. Head, seen from in front, about as wide as long. Malar space abont one-sixth the length of eye. Third segment of antenna one-half longer than fourth, and scarcely longer than fifth. Face thickly clothed with pale yellowish-white hair, on the sides mixed with black. Vertex clothed with yellowish-white hair, which is fringed in front with black. Cheeks clothed with brownish-black, sometimes slightly mixed with whitish, hair. Clypeus shining, sparsely punctured, labrum fringed on free edge with rusty yellorv hair. Clothing of thorax above and on sides yellowish white, mixed with black in front of insertion of wings. A broad patch of black berween the wings surrounds the smooth, polished mesothoracic disc and extends back in a point over the middle of metathorax. On each side of metathorax is a tuft of yellowish white bair.