Southern California has its dry season in the summer, and comparatively few flowers are to be seen. Among those that remain, and are attractive to insects, the bushy species of Eriogonum are especially noteworthy, and I was fortunate in obtaining from them several bees.

Eriogonum fasciulatum was determined for me by Mrs. K. Brandegee. The Mt. Lowe species, which look very distinct from fasciculatum, is kindly identified by Miss Susan G. Stokes as E. fasciculatum polifolium, “one of the intermediate forms.” This is the E. polifolium of Bentham.

Chrysopheon, new genus.

General shrape and appearance of an Epeolus; labrum very long, rounded transversely, labial palpi 4-jointed, first joint longest, third and fourth subequal; maxillary palpi 2-jointed, second joint longest and tapering, maxillæ long, sickle-shaped and convoluted; scutellum with two short slightly-incurved spines, postscutellum produced medially into a short, sharp, upturned tooth; marginal cell rourded, not attaining the costa, second sub-marginal cell longer than first, narrowed above; receiving both recurrent nervures, claws bifid, inner tooth shortest, no pulvilli; abdomen convex, densely pubescent and banded, last segment of female bare, narrowed slightly and emarginate a very little at tip.

Truth may be likened to a bull's-eye—it is much more difficult to hit than to miss. The “splitters” frequently throw their shots too high and the “lumpers” too low, and there are many other sources of aberration which cause the careless worker to miss the bull's-eye. It has sometimes been my misfortune to aim a little too high in monographic work, where the familiarity engendered by long and close investigation may have led to the assignment of too great weight to certain differential characters, but, in the case of the genera allied to Homœusa (Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc., VIII., p. 53), I feel myself obliged to dissent from the views advanced by Mr. Wasmann in the September number of this journal.

Since writing my first paper on the Coccidœ of British North America, a very large amount of new and interesting scale insects have been sent to me for study by Dr. Fletcher and Mr. John Dearness. In nearly every instance the twigs sent showed beyond question that the insects occurred upon the food-plants infested in injurious numbers; especially so of those found on blackberry, hazel-nut, spiræa, viburnum and oak. The following are new to the Canadian list:

Pulvinaria tiliœ, King and Ckll., 1898. (Native.) Mr. John Dearness sent these from Thedford, ont, on Cephalanthus occidentalis. IT was first recorded fronl Mass., found on Tilia Americana, Quercus and Ulmus, and described as a sub-sp. of P. innumerabilis, but further study proves it to be quite different from that species, and it should stand as P. tiliœ.

Eulecanium Fitchi, Sign. This seems to be a very serious pest. The specimens sent by Dr. Fletcher came from Mr. J. D. Evans, of Trenton, Ont., and the scales were infesting a plot of six acres of blackberry bushes, just as they were about ready for the market. Fortunately, however, of the first lot received, over one half of the scales were destroyed by a fungus, and of the second lot, about one third at least. Trenton is a new locality for this scale. In addition, the scale insects were infested to a remarkable extent by two species of Hyperaspis and two species oi Chalcid parasites.

The maxillary palpi of Osmia (sens. lat.) are given by most authors as four-jointed. I have examined the maxillary palpi of sixteen species in this group, and find in every instance that these palpi are five-jointed. The first joint is usually small, sometimes globular in shape, and visible with a hand-lens only under very favorable conditions. The following species were examined: From the coll. of the State Agr'l College of Colorado—O. armaticeps; Cr.; Coloradensis, Cr.; dubia, Cr.; fulgida, Cr.; integra, Cr.; lignaria, Say, and mandibularis, Cr., all from Colorado.

Recently the writer made the statement (Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., XXVII., p.87) that the generic name Theoclytes was a synonym of Vates, the latter being the older by one year. A further examination has shown that the matter should have been examined closer.

Zodion palpalis, n. sp.

♀.—Black, gray pollinose; face yellow, cheeks yellow, one-half the eye height; front reddish yellow, a narrow black line on each side above; antennæ reddish, second joint shorter than third; palpi black, quite long, clavate; mesonotum without stripes; scutellum with about twelve slender bristles; legs black, knees testaceous; wings subhyaline; first four segments of abdomen with large, subtriangular opaque black spots, last segment black, shining. Length, 5 mm.

Two papers in the last (April) number of the Canadian Entomologist are of great interest to me, and both on the same general topic applied to very different species. Mr. Lyman makes an earnest effort to save Mr. Walker's name Spilosoma congrua, and gives all the facts relating to the name, its publication and subsequent history; upon which facts Mr. Lyman and Sir George Hampson reach opposite conclusions. I have no liking for Mr. Walker's species, but I think I would side with Mr. Lyman in this case, because, with all the examples before them, Messrs. Grote and Robinson separated out a good species with which a specimen of another, previously knolwn, was erroneously associated. By removing one example, a good species remained, to which the name given by the author could be correctly applied.

The Linnæan genus Gryllus, as first recognized in the tenth edition of Systema Naturæ, was composed of a number of sections which, while some have been recognized, are generally discarded. These names are used in the sense of subgenera, and as such are entitled to recognition. The case in hand being a deeply involved one, we must find some guide to be used as a standard in properly handling these names, and as to-day the Code of the American Ornithologists' Union is generally recognized as the vade mecum, we shall follow that. Canon XIX. of this Code is to the effect that a name “once established is never to be cancelled in any subsequent subdivision of the group, but retained in a restricted sense for one of the constituent portions.” With this before us we must proceed to find on what a name should be retained. As was the case with the earlier writers (and is frequently the case with modern writers), Linnæus specified no types, and we must refer to the Code for help. Canon XXIV. informs us that “when no type is specified, the only available method of fixing the original name to some part of the genus to which it was originally applied is by the process of elimination, subject to the single modification provided for by Canon XXIII.” The last mentioned Canon is as follows: “If, however, the genus contains both exotic and non-exotic species—from the standpoint of the original author —and the generic term is one originally applied by the ancient Greeks or Romans, the process of elimination is to be restricted to the non-exotic species.” Of the six Linnæan subgenera—Mantis, Bulla, Acheta, Acrida, Tettigonia and Locusta—four are classic: Mantis, Acheta, Tettigonia and Locusta.

The prevailing belief in regard to scorpion stings seems to be correct: dangerons, but seldom fatal.

However, there are scorpions and scorpions. Moreover, much depends upon the season and the part stung. Generally speaking, a sting in the dry season is much worse than one in the rainy season, because the venom becomes concentrated during the period of lesser activity. And for obvious reasons a sting in the head, neck or trunk of body is worse than one in the extremities.

During a visit to Professor Fernald, in Amherst, Mass., last spring, he showed me a Nepticula, bred from Apple, which he had described in manuscript as a new species, but which he afterwards had suspected to be Micropteryx pomivorella, Packard.

From reading the description and life-history of packard's species, I felt sure that it was a Nepticula and presumably the same as Professor Fernald's species, and a week after, while studying the collection in the Agassiz Museum, Cambridge, I obtained definite proof that we were right.

In the February number of the Canadian Entomologist I gave the results of an experiment in the exportation of a few of our native lady beetles to South Africa. I now have the pleasure of giving the resurt of an experiment in the importation of some South African lady beetles.

March 27th, Mr. C. W. Mally, Assistant Government Entomologist, sent me several specimens of Exochomus nigrmaculatus, and, quite a large number of two smaller, unnamed species. All of these attack more especially the Mealy bug, Dactylopius, in their native home. The consignment was made by simply fastening twigs of Oleander very badly affected with Mealy bug, to the bottom of the box, and putting the lady beetles among them. The package reached me April 23rd, and, strangely enough, there were but very few of the specimens that were not alive and active. The importation was thus an entire success.

During his extensive investigation of the mosquitoes of this country, Dr, L. O. Howard eucountered three apparently new forms, and in order that these may be referred to intelligently in his correspondence and otherwise, he has instructed the writer to name and chalacterize them in one of our entomological journals. The descriptions are therefore offered herewith:

Psorophora Howardii, new species.

The species of Adranes are to be looked for in nests of ants belonging to the genrs Lasius. They are helpless creatures, lacking eyes and with much reduced mouth-parts, dependent probably upon the ants for their supply of food. They are carefully attended by their hosts, to whom they give requital in the form of a secretion, much appreciated by the ants, which collects on certain patches of hair situated on the tips of the elytra and on the base of the abdominal dorsum. The antennæ are much modified, consisting of only two joints, the second of which is very large and heavy, varying in form in different species.

♂, expanse 2⅜ in.; ♀, 2½ in. Fore wings long, pointed, apices depressed, of a uniform pale, rather dirty yellowish colour. There is a row of short intravenular dashes which form a narrow blackish line from apex to inner margin close to thorax. In the females this is almost straight, in the males it has somewhat of a downward curve. Another row of somewhat sagittal-shaped spots forms a second dark band from apex to inner margin a little within inner angle. Hind wings yellowish, semitranslucent, inner third dusky. Discal dot small, black. These markings, while distinct, are not heavy or pronounced. Thorax a little darker than wings. Abdomen dusky above, anal tuft yellowish. Beneath as above, only fainter. Thorax, legs and abdomen same, except inner side of fore femora, which are somewhat orange. Palpi dusky at extreme tip. Antennæ dusky, narrowly bipectinate in ♂, broadly so in ♀. The ♂ has the dusky shades darker than in the ♀, the abdomen being quite dark blackish brown above, contrasting with the light anal tuft. Types 2 pair in my collection from Huachuca Mt., Arizona. I take pleasure in naming this species after Mr. Otho C. Poling, of Quincy, Ill., as a slight token of my appreciation of the many favours he has done me.

“This I suspect is the ♂ of integra; area similarly strigose, and abdomen also corresponds; tubercle matches also!”

Robertson thought this might be A. platyparia: but, he said, the description applied even better to Salicis, and nearly as well to mandibularis. It cannot well be salicis, as that has the abdomen impunctate; if it is the ♂ of integra, it cannot well be mandibularis; it may perhaps be platyparia.

Andrena frigida, Smith, 1853.

“♂ abdomen rugulose and punctured, clothed with long adpressed hairs; tubercle slightly emarginate (?); area dull granulose; ♀ ditto. (Very near fuscipes, perhaps identical with it.)” This agrees with what I had already identified from Smith's description. It seems to argree with the description of A. simillima, Sm., even better than with that of fuscipes, but I doubt its actual identity with either.