NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 49 



March 1st. 

 Vice-President Vaux in the Chair. 



Eleven members present. 



The following were presented for publication : 



" Synonymy of the Strepomatidae of North America." By Geo. W. 

 Try on, Jr. 



" Thoughts on the Influence of Ether upon the Solar System." By 

 A. Wilcocks, M. D. Part III. 



March Sth. 



Vice-President Bridges in the Chair. 



Thirty members present. 

 The following was presented for publication : 



" Additions to the Catalogue of Stars which have changed their 

 colors." By Jacob Ennis. 



March Ibth. 

 Vice-President Vaux in the Chair. 



Twenty members present. 



The following were presented for publication : 



" Note on the Nomenclature of Genera and Species of Echenei- 

 doidse," and " Description of a new labroid Genus allied to Trochoco- 

 pus." By Theo. Gill. 



" New Species of Mordellestina collected in Illinois." By C A. 

 Helmuth, M. D. 



Notes on the Birds of Jamaica." By "W. T. March, with remarks 

 by S. P. Baird. Part III. 



Dr. Leconte remarked, that his attention had been called to the following 

 passage in the Report on the progress of Entomology, by Dr. Gerstaecker, in 

 the last number of Truschel's Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, in which he refers 

 to the Classification of the Coleoptera of North America, Part 1, by Dr. Leconte. 



" Die Stylopiden setzt der Verf. unter die Heteromeren,, beirerkt aber das die 

 Tarsen nicht heteromer seieu, was richtig ist. Friiher habe man sie als eigne 

 Ordnung betrachtet, aber die Kenntniss ihrer Verwandlungen, und eine gen- 

 auere, [more rigid !] Interpretation ihrer auseren Baues habe fast alle [nearly 

 all!] Systematiker dazu bestimmt, sie unter die Kiifer zu bringen. (Welche 

 Charactere hat ein Strepsipteron mit einem Kiifer gemein ? Keinen ! Wo sind 

 die Ubereinstimmungen der Larven und ihrer Lebensweise ? Die Strepsipte- 

 ren Larven leben parasitiseh in Hinterleibe von Hymenopteren, die Meloi'den 

 Larven nahren sich von Honig ; beide haben also in der Lebensweise nichts 

 untereinander gemein.'') 



"In Elementarbuchern solite man Absurditaten am Wenigsten fur baare 

 Miinze ausgeben !" 



I do not propose here to enter into a discussion of the views which have in- 

 duced Lacordaire, Burmeister, Newman and Schaum to consider Stylopidse as 

 a family of Coleoptera, an opinion which many others have silently acquiesced 

 in. The subject was considered nearly exhausted, until reopened by Duval, in 



1864.] 4 



