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.

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.

In studying the larva and pupa of Steganoptycha pyricolana, Murt., some observations were made as to structure, which it seems desirable to permanently record. The life-history and habits of the species have been described in the Twelfth Report of the Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station.

“This species was described by Miss M, E. Murtfeldt, in Bulletin No. 23, o. s., Div. Ent., U. S. Dept. Ag.., p. 52, as S. pyricolana, Riley MS. Concerning the identity, it was stated that ‘Professor Fernald, to whom a specimen was shown, considers it identical with Clemens's S. salicicolana, which, I believe, breeds in willow galls, but Dr. Riley pronounces it distinct, and he has types of Clemens's species.’ My specimens agree entirely with Miss Murtfeldt's description, but are distinctly different from Clemens's types in the collection of the Am. Ent. Society. Correspondence shows that the opinion credited above to Dr. Fernald is incorrect, as he never compared the specimens.

Andrena thaspii, n.sp. ♀.—Length 10–11 mm.; black, clothed with light ochraceous pubesence; head broader than thorax; facial quadrangle broader than long; cheeks broad, shining, with fine punctures,which are very close immediately behind the eyes; front below ocelli distinctly striate; facial foveæ broad, containing iight pubescence; antennæ long and slender, black; flagellum brownish testaceous beneath, especially towards the tip; joint 3 of the antennæ as long as 4 and 5 together; ciypeus shining, clothed with thin, light pubescence; a distinct impunctate line in the middle, otherwise with moderately coarse punctures; basal process of labrum truncate; mandibles dull testaceous at the tips; mesothorax slightly shining, and covered with short, thin pubescence; on the scutellum the hairs are rather long and dense; the punctures of the mesonotum are shallow and not close together; wings yellowish hyaline, hardly clouded at the apex, with honey-coloured nervures and stigma; second submarginal cell slightly narrowed above, about half as long as the third, receiving the first recurrent nervure beyond the middle of the cell; metathoracic enclosure defined by an impressed line,its surface more fine1y sculptured than the surrounding area of the metathorax, except at the base, where it is slightly rugose; legs dark brown; tibial scopa bright fulvous, shining; the basal joints of the middle and hind tarsi and covered with ferruginous pubescence on their inner surface; abdomen shining, with sparse light hairs which are long on the first segment, but otherwise very short, forming thin apical fasciæ on segments 2 to 41 anal fimbria dark fulvous, inclining to ferruginous.

Hab.—Beulah, N.M., alt. 8,000 ft., very abudant on Rudbeckia ampla, A. Nelson. It is preyed upon by Hippodamia convergens. This species is easily known by its bright scarlet colour. Monell reports N. rudbeckia from many genera of Compositæ at St. Louis, Mo.; in New Mexico I have found it only on one species of Rudbeckia; even the species on Rudbeckia hirta is quite different.

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.

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.