664 proceedings: entomological society 



deceased. Resolutions on the death of Mr. Duckett were read and a 

 copy of same ordered sent to the bereaved family. Short remarks 

 laudatory of Mr. Duckett were made by Messrs. Gahan, Popenoe, 

 CusHMAN, ScHWARZ, and Snyder. 



The President read a short statement by Dr. L. O. Howard on the 

 life and work of Mr. Knab, after which short but eloquent tributes were 

 paid to his memory by Messrs. Rohwer, Walton, Ely, and Pierce. 

 The President announced that he would name a committee to prepare 

 a short biographical sketch and a bibliography of Mr. Knab's work. 



The regular program was as follows : 



Mann, Dr. W. M. : Notes on collecting in Fiji. Mr. Mann told of a 

 collecting trip through the Fiji islands in 1915-1916. The trip was 

 made as a Sheldon Traveling Fellow of Harvard University, the object 

 being to study the insect and, as far as possible, other faunae from the 

 standpoint of zoogeography. 



The Lau Archipelago, first visited, was little productive. The visit 

 was during the dry season but it is probable that at other seasons the 

 fauna is also poor. These islands are almost entirely coralline limestone 

 and isolated. In the forests, generally at high altitudes on the larger 

 islands of Fiji proper, life was abundant and the proportion of endemic 

 forms large. Considerable material was collected and a report on the 

 ants is in preparation. 



Several points of local distribution were discussed. One moth, the 

 larva of which bores into coconut leaves on the island of Viti Levu, the 

 largest island in the group, has weakened the trees so that practically 

 no nuts are produced. It is remarkable that this species has never 

 spread to the other islands, especially those near by, considering the 

 strong winds and hurricanes that are so prevalent in Fiji. 



One of the serious insect pests of the coconut is a large phasmid. 

 This occurs so abundantly that on one plantation where Hindu labor 

 was employed, phasmid collecting was given to some of the laborers 

 as a task, and seven pounds weight of the insects required as a day's work. 

 They collected this amount apparently with little trouble. 



Sanford, H, L. : The chnjsanthemum gallfly. Mr. Sanford's paper 

 dealt with the life-history, distribution, and control of this imported 

 pest of chrysanthemums, and was illustrated by several interesting 

 specimens of its work and also by some photographs . 



Rohwer, S. A. : Notes on and descriptions of sawflies. (Read by title.) 



Green, C. T. : A note on the habit of Pegomyia affinis Stein. (Read 

 by title.) 



Fisher, W. S.: Chrysobothris transquebariea versus impressa. 

 (Read by title.) 



CocKERELL, T. D. A. : Descriptions of new bees. (Read bj^ title.) 



MosiER, C. A. and Snyder, T. E. : Further notes on Tabanidae from 

 Florida Everglades. (Read by title.) 



A. B. Gahan, Secretary. 



