152 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Morrison has distributed different species under this name. As I figure 

 one of these, the name might have been allowed to remain as fixed by- 

 me. Since Prof Smith has overturned my determination of course the 

 above name must be used and not a new one as attempted in the 

 " revision." 



In conclusion, Agrotis costata is a near and close ally of idahoerisis 

 and does not belong with the cupida group. I have always associated 

 the two, describing in fact the latter comparatively with the former, of 

 which I had but a single poor specimen, though in my lists I have placed 

 the two together wrongly. The description was misplaced, and the 

 words " resembles the preceeding " become thus misleading. But the 

 description is clear enough ; it is a species with pallid costa, hence the 

 name. I hope that figures may be obtained of my types in the collection 

 of the British Museum not known to Prof Smith, so that every point may 

 be cleared up. As these unknown species are, proportionately speaking, 

 few, there should not be any great difficulty in the matter. 



DESCRIPTION OF A MUSCID BRED FROM SWINE DUNG, 

 WITH NOTES ON TWO MUSCID GENERA. 



BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO. 

 (Read before the Entomological Society of Washington, Feb. 5, 1891.) 



On Dec. 14, 1890, I secured from the upper Piney Branch region 

 (District of Columbia) a small quantity of swine dung that had been 

 dropped in the edge of open woods, and seemed to be old enough to 

 contain with probability larva? or puparia of Diptera. This was placed 

 in a large glass jar, with a few inches of sand in the bottom, occasionally 

 moistened and kept in a moderately cool room in the house. The dung 

 was soon noticed to be full of larvje, which in a short time crawled out of 

 it entirely, clustered on the inside of the glass, or worked themselves 

 down into the sand, manifesting a considerable migratory instinct, no 

 doubt induced by the moisture and mild temperature. Up to Feb. ist 

 about a dozen specimens of the perfect fly had issued, there being only 

 one species. It belongs to the genus Cleigastra in the Cordyluridce. 



This genus, in the sense of Schiner, differs from Cordylura, for which 

 it might easily be mistaken, by having the arista naked or only short 

 pubescent, and the wings very distinctly longer than the abdomen. 



