58 "ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
by a non-entomologist usually does not throw any light upon the 
character of the fauna of the particular locality in which the col- 
lection has been made. The most obvious insects that are most 
liable to be gathered by a non-entomologist are by no means always 
among the characteristic species of a given locality. This can 
plainly be seen from the collection of Coleoptera just analyzed by 
Mr. Lugger. As to the fauna of the Bahama Islands, his experi- 
ence, from a few days' stay on two of the islands, was that at the 
first glance the insect fauna, especially in the Lepidoptera, did not 
seem to differ superficially from that of Florida ; but that, upon 
more careful collecting, the majority of the species proved to be 
different from those occurring in the United States. Mr. Smith 
added that a collection of Lepidoptera Heterocera from the Ba- 
hama Islands, which he had occasion to examine, proved to be 
quite different in character from the Floridian fauna. 
Mr. Schwarz commented on two recent publications by Euro- 
pean authors on North American Coleoptera. i . The occurrence 
of Leptura variicornis Dalm. in North America, as reported by 
Mr. C. A. Dohrn (Stett. Ent. Zeit., 1886, pp. 191-192).* 2. Mr. 
Fleutiaux's attempt in Le Naturaliste, VIII, No. 41, Sept. i, 1886, 
p. 327, to revive the question of the specific distinctness ofAmdfy- 
chila Picolominii. This article brings no new arguments, and is 
certainly quite superfluous, in view of the opinion repeatedly set 
forth by Drs. LeConte and Horn, after repeated examination of the 
type specimen. Moreover, Mr. Fleutiaux does not seem to be 
aware of the fact that, at least so far as this Amblychila is con- 
cerned, the material now accumulated in American collections is 
by far more complete than that in European collections, and that 
for this reason American Coleopterists are more competent to judge 
on this question than the European entomologists. 
Mr. Schwarz gave a short review of the history of the spread, 
within the United States, of the Asparagus beetle ( Crioceris 
asparagi), and stated that he had observed it this season at For- 
tress Monroe, Va. This locality had been visited by him annually, 
for a series of years, but no trace of the beetle had been found 
there previous to the present season. It appears probable, there- 
fore, that the species has appeared this season for the first time 
* See Entomol. Atner., v. ii, pp. 161-162. 
