80 



teresting monstrosities discovered by him in examining his coleoptera, 

 in each of which the right antenna is curiously malformed. The species 

 are Dytiscus Harrisii, Desmocerus palliatus and Adimonia cavicollis. 



Moss-sifting. We would specially call the attention of our ento- 

 mologists to the value of the method of collecting moss late in the 

 autumn for examination during the winter. This consists simply of 

 tearing the moss to shreds and shaking it through a sieve over a sheet 

 of white paper, when large quantities of small species, otherwise seldom 

 found, can be collected. As an instance of what may be done in this 

 line, two small cotton bags were filled with moss early in November, 

 which, when carefully examined, yielded over one hundred species of 

 insects in different orders. This method also gives valuable informa- 

 tion regarding the species which hybernate in the perfect state. The 

 bags should be kept slightly frozen, but not exposed to excessive cold, 

 as 20 below zero has been found to kill everything in a bag. 



J. FLETCHER, ) 



W. H. HARRINGTON, \ Leaders. 



T. J. MacLAUGHLIN, j 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 



During July many of the grasshoppers and other members of the 



order Orthoptera become fully grown, and as their numbers increase they 



do marked damage to vegetation. In the adult state the majority of 



the species possess fully developed wings, and can thus move more 



rapidly to new feeding grounds. There are however, wingless forms 



and of these a very interesting species is now abundant, although 



perhaps many of our members may not observe it. This insect is 



commonly known as the "Walking Stick," a name which its appearance 



easily gains for it, while entomologists have named it Diapheromera 



femorata. When young the " Walking Sticks " are pale green and 



not easily discerned on the young foliage of the trees, hickory and oak, 



upon which they feed. They grow brownish with age, and attain a 



length of about three inches, the female being stouter and less active 



than the male. The legs and autennae are very long and slender and 



the whole structure of the insect tends to disguise it and to prevent its 



enemies from detecting it as long as it remains upon its food plants. 



A charming article by Dr. Scudder on this group of insects, with 



beautiful illustrations, appeared in a recent number of Harper's 



Magazine. W. H. H. 



