Dipeta during the past century have gradually risen in public estimation, especially among men of science. The superiority of their organization has been recognized by systematists, and observers of living specimens have noticed peculiarities in their behaviour which prove a higher development of their faculties than of those of other order.

The principal motive in publishing the present paper in the desire to fulfill a promise made to Rev. J.H. Keen, several years agom to write a description of an apparantly new and very interesting Staphylinid discovered by him in British Columbia. For one reason or another I was compelled to defer this work, but having now an opportunity to comply with the wished of my valued friedn and correspondent of many years, the present occasio is made available to draw up a little paper, containing in addition a number of novelties received from various collectors from time to time.

The Geometrid moth described below cannot be placed in any European or American genus known to me, and I therefore venture to institute a new genus for its reception.

The genus belongs to the Ennominœ, and the absence of a tongue and the possession of the dordal abdominal tufts serve to separate it readily from all the other Americal genera of the subfamily, as none of them, I believe, posses these two characters in combination.

Third joint of antennæ equal to 4+5, or very nearly. 1.

Third joint of antennæ longer than 4+5. 4.

1. Scopa ample, compact, the hairs long and curved up. 2.

Scopa with the hairs short and straight. 3.

Preparatory to a revision of the Nearctic Hemerobiidæ I present descriptions of a few new species of Hemerobius. A few of the names have been used already elsewhere, but without description. Outline figures of the male genitalia will be given in the forthcoming revision.

Hemerobius transversus, n. sp.—Face shining black, vertex and antennæ pale yellowish; thorax pale, a black stripe across front part of the mesothorax; abdomen brownish; legs pale yellowish. Wings with the margins faintly but broadly clouded with brown; the gradate series marked with dark brown, and a brown band between the first and second first.

Brief preliminary descriptions of the following species are given in order that the names may be used in another palce.

Lycosa permunda, sp. nov.— ♀. Cephalothorax dark brown; a pale narrow median line extending backward from first eye now, widening abruptly in front of dorsal groove, and then gradually narrowing to a point at posterior margin; a broad light-coloured marginal stripe on each side not extending forward farther than the third eye row, its upper margin coarsely dentate, the lower border broken by a few dark dots, but not limited below by a continuous dark line or stripe at margin.

Those who visit the pine-barrens of New Jersey know what a pleasure it is to ramble along the narrow wooded-ppaths among the pine trees ; old paths that after once being made continue for many years, and may seldom entertain a pedestrian. Along these paths and by the side of the sandy roads, any time during late summer arrd until frost, one may hear a faint, lisping little song from a grasshopper corning from the pines, often from their topmost branches. It is an easy matter to climb the pitch-pine, which is usually arranged admirably for the purpose, and the grasshopper is also friendly to investigation, and commonly continues to stridulate.

I have recently received a Guatemalan species of Centrinus, which cannot be distinguished from lineellus, described by LeConte from a unique said to have been taken in California. While drawing up a redescription of this species (Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., VI., p. 592), it was impossible to avoid a suspicion of some mistake in the locality, because of the tropical appearance of the species and its apparent lack of harmony with the Pacific coast Barid fauna in general. It now seems probable that, like Xystropus Californicus, of Horn, the Centrinus lineellus, of Le Conte, is an adventitious importation from Centrel America, which should be removed from the list of our native Coleopetra.

Laboratory of the Office of the Surgeon-General U.S. Army, Washington.

From one of the smaller of the Philippine Islands comes a new oMegarhinus, which is noticeable for its dark caudal tuft and banded tarsi, and with it a specimen of Stegomyia fasciata, Fabr., accurately marked in all points except the hind tarsi, which lack all the white bands except those on the metatarsi, while from Jolo is sent a new variety of Desvoidea.

43. Sphœophoria micrura, Osten Sacken.— Two females from Port Renfrew, one July 6, 1901, the other Aug. 16, 1902. The male was taken at Seattle, Wash. July 15, 1901.

44. Sphœrophoria sulphuripes (Thompson).— One male specimetn, taken at Glacier, July 20, 1901, belongs here questionably. It lacks the characteristic bunch of yellow pile on the hypopygium of cylindrica, but otherwise resembles that species quite closely.

This is the new name for our old friend, Lycana pseudargiolus, var. lucia. An interesting observation was made on the oviposition of this species by Mr. C. H. Young, of Ottawa. On June 4th, when at Meech Lake, Que., noticing a female lucia fluttering around a patch of the common Ox-eye Daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, L., he watched it carefully and saw that it was laying eggs upon the buds of this plant. In no case was a full-blown flower visited, the eggs being invariably laid on the small buds, which were from a quarter to three-eights of an inch in diameter. After watching the insect for some time, the three last buds visited werr gathered and the eggs secured.

Macrosiphum ambrosiœ (Thomas).— Siphonophora ambrosiœ, Thomas, Bull. Ill. State Lab. Nat. Hist., 1878, p.4.

Found at Pecos, New Mexico, on Lactuca. The following account is based on the Pecos specimens:

Very dark brown, very shiny; legs, antennæ and nectaries black, except that the basal part of legs, to near middle of femora, is brownishwhite; stigma pale green; cauda of winged ♀ yellowish-white.

This species was named by Clemens* from the larval habit and foodplant only. He did not publish a description of the moth, nor, so far as I am aware, has any one else bred it, until very recently Mr. Arthur Gibson rediscovered the larvæ on basswood.

Sirex taxodii, new species.— ♀. Length, 11.5 to 13 mm.; ovipositor very nearly the length of the abdomen. Black; a spot back of eyes and the process of the las dorsal segment reddish-yellow; antennal joints from 11 to apex, an annulus at base of middle and hind tarsi, and at base of hind tibiæ, yellowish-white. Wings brown-black, with a faint purplish tinge in certain lights.

Cucullia oribac, n. sp.—General type of maculation like agua, differing, however, in important particulars; moreover, it seems to be of a less stumpy, stocky build, the wings being longer in proption to their width and the abdomen considerably longer. It is quite possible that it may be but a variety of agua, and were it not for the fact that the species of Cucullia, as a rule, run quite true to type I should hesitate to describe it.