The official publication of Bulletin 4, “The Hessian Fly,” by Dr. A. S. Packard, for the N. A. Entom. Commission, has induced me to study again the question of the importation of this insect by Hessian troops at an early period of the war. The excellent memoir by Dr. A. Fitch was believed to have settled this question in a final manner; therefore his opinion was accepted by all subsequent American writers.

Entomology seems to be gradually throwing off the veil of contempt under which it has been so long hidden. The Botanist has always to a certain extent been deemed a philosopher from the important part plants play in Pharmacy ; the Geologist and Mineralogist, too, from the possibility of their discovering precious metals have been treated by the outside unscientific world as sages worthy of some respect. Entomologists, however, have not thus been honored by the masses.

Since the publication of my synopsis of Lampyridæ in 1851 (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila, 1851, 331), but few species of the family have been described in this country, and no very important improvement has been made in their classification ; about the same time I published in the Journal of the same Society (New Ser., i., 73) a synopsis of Lycidæ, one of the sub-families of Lampyridæ.

Pamphila Byssus.

Male.—Expands 1.6 inch.

Upper side dark glossy brown ; the basal half of costa of primaries ferruginous, as well as a little of cell below adjoining; at the end of cell an irregular yellow-fulvous bar within ; across disk a bent yellow-fulvous band, starting on costal margin about three-fifths the distance from base to apex, bending round cell and continued to middle of submedian nervure, narrow at top, but below cell widening rapidly; the basal half of inner margin washed fulvous.

From 1868 till 1876 I spent from six to eight weeks of the summer on Cape Elizabeth, near Portland, Me., the visits extending from July 14th or 16th to Sept. 5th or 8th, and the following list of Diurnal Lepidoptera is compiled from my diaries :

1. Papilio asterias F. Formerly somewhat common, latterly very scarce ; July and August.

Among the Coleopterous hosts there is a family called Long-horns, or Capricorns, in vulgar parlance ; or Cerambycidæ, when we are talking learnedly. They derive these names from the fact that they possess very long antennæ (sometimes longer than their bodies), which are generally re-curved like the horns of a wild goat (the Latin Caper).

In the proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, Feb. 17th, 1880, is an interesting contribution to the Tineidæ chiefly of this country, by Lord Walsingham, entitled “On Some New and Little Known Species of Tineidæ.” The author states, from a comparison of specimens and figures of Adela schlœeri Zell. (which I had previously recognized as Adela (Dicte) coruscifasciella Cham.), that it is identical with A. Ridingsella Clem., preserved in the collection of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia; a fact which I should not have suspected from Dr. Clemens' description of A. Ridingsella.

I have recently been favored by Mr. Tepper and Mr. Graef with the sight of some of Mr. Morrison's types of Noctuidæ. A few of the specimens are in poor condition, too poor, I think, to have allowed them to serve as types. Others are in good order, and those I have here noted are quite easily recognizable. It will be thought extraordinary, from the determinations, that Mr. Morrison should have allowed himself to criticize any one for overlooking structural features in this group, or for re-describing species.

The Golden-rods in the vicinity of Buffalo—especially observed on Squaw Island—harbor the larvæ of two plume moths, one boring the branches, stem and root, the other using the foliage. I have sent the moths to Mr. Charles Fish, of Old Town, Maine, for determination ; he concludes that they are both unnamed, and he will describe and name them in a general paper in preparation on the American species. As a somewhat more detailed account of their habits than a technical paper will allow seems to be desirable, I have prepared these notes, relating mostly to the borer.

Botis oppilalis, n. sp.

♂ ♀. Allied to the feudalis, s-linealis group. Pale ochrey, opaque, powdered with deeper ochre and fuscous scales. Discal dots small, indistinct, orbicular a solid point, reniform an open ring. Lines acutely dentate. Outer line exserted opposite the cell, forming an inward tooth at vein 2, and again another at vein I, on primaries.

The following extract is from the American Entomologist, vol. iii., p. 138 (June, 1880):

“ … in which article, by the way, may be found the first “suggestion that we are aware of in this country, of the practical utilization of fungus diseases, so that Walsh really anticipated LeConte in this suggestion.”

Genus Edwardsia, Neumoegen.

Head small, nearly concealed by the thorax. Clypeus oblong, toothed in front, the middle tooth much the largest. Palpi moderately long, and pilose beneath. Antennæ regular and closely pectinated. Thorax and abdomen stout, the former with the hair of patagiæ long.

In the following descriptions I have made use of certain terms which will need explaining. The subdorsal line is midway between the dorsal line and the spiracles ; the stigmatal line includes the spiracles ; the subdorsal space lies between the dorsal and subdorsal lines; the stigmatal space is between the subdorsal line and the spiracles.

Schinia gracilenta, 8, fig. 5-6.

“Georgia.” I have identified this species among Belfrage's Texan collections.

Drasteria graphica, 8, fig. 11-12.

“Georgia.” The hind wings are rusty-yellow, “rostgelb”; whether it is the species which passes under the name in our collections might admit of some doubt from the color of secondaries, but the s. t. line is followed by pale dots on the veins as in graphica ; the band on hind wings is broken in the figure.

Eupelmus reduvii n. sp.—Female.—Average length of body 2.4 mm. Average wing expanse 4.6 mm. Head slightly wider than thorax, which is of equal width with abdomen. Antennæ sub-clavate, as long as thorax. Collar rather long, much narrowed in front and concave above. Anterior half of mesothotacic scutum convex ; a broad, longitudinal depression posteriorly, the anterior corners of which are extended on in the parapsidal furrows. Scutellum small, much narrowed in front.

The following list is furnished in compliance with the request of the Editor of the Canadian Entomologist, published some time ago, some unsettled questions regarding species and distribution having delayed its preparation from time to time.

The list is intended to be as complete as possible, and to include all described species known to have been taken within the State limits, or so nearly adjacent thereto as to certainly belong to the Illinois Fauna. In order to roughly designate the distribution within the State I have attached an to all species from the northern portion, of whose capture I have personal knowledge, and have further affixed a to such species as are not known to occur in the southern portion of the State.

Coccus rusci Linn., Sys. Nat.; Fab., Syst. Ent. (1775); Id., Spec. Ins. (1781); Id., Sys. Ryng. (1803); Id., Mantis. Ins. (1787); Id., Ent. Sys. (1794); Modeer., Act. Goth. (1778); Gmelin., Syst. Nat. (1791); Oliv., Encyc. Meth. (1791.) C. caricæ Fab., Ent. Syst. (1794); Id., Syst. Ryng. (1804); Bernard Mem. Hist. Nat. et. Mem. Acad. (1775); Fronscol Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. (1834); Boisduval Ent. Hort. (1868).

EGG—Conoidal, truncated, not so broad at base as Idalia, the sides less rounded ; depressed at summit; marked vertically by about eighteen prominent, slightly wavy ribs, half of which extend from base to summit and form around the latter a serrated rim; the remainder end irregularly at two thirds to three quarters distance from base, sometimes squarely at one of the striæ, but usually curve towards and unite with the long ribs; between each pair of ribs are equi-distant transverse striæ.

Last summer Dr. Geo. Engelmann saw some parts of the biological collection here, and was so kind to promise me his help to obtain some species, which I was very eager to possess, viz., Pronuba yuccasella in its different stages, and Phylloxera. By his request, I received through the kindness of Mr. Thos. Meehan, in September, two bundles of the stems of Yucca filamentosa and angustifolia.