OF WASHINGTON. 51 
. Mr. Smith related his experience with one of our common Blis- 
ter-beetles (Macrobasis unicolor) which accidentally got crushed 
on his neck, when >he had an excellent opportunity to note the 
remarkable vesicatory property of our native Meloidag. 
JULY 8, 1886. 
Six persons present. President Howard in the chair. 
The Corresponding Secretary read a note from Dr. G. H. Horn 
stating that Harpalus caliginosus stridulates very well. The 
noise is produced by the edges of the last two abdominal segments 
being rubbed against an alutaceous space on the inner edge of 
each elytron. 
Mr. Schwarz exhibited a specimen of this Harpalus, showing 
the structure referred to by Dr. Horn. He added that Dr. Horn's 
observation is quite novel, since in Carabida3 only the genus Cy- 
chrus was known to be stridulating, but that, in his experience, 
the genus Nomaretus is also able to produce a noise. 
Mr. Smith said that he had never been able to perceive any 
noise produced in Harpalus caliginosus, although he had hand- 
led many specimens. 
Mr. Schwarz read the following passage from a letter from Mr. 
H. G. Hubbard, dated Crescent City, Fla., June 20, 1886: 
* * * " I also send a Bradycinetus ferrugineus which came flying to the 
light a day or two ago. This Bradycinetus died as I held it in my hand. 
It had been very active, and made powerful efforts to escape. Suddenly 
it 'fainted' and died at once. Can this have been the result of excite- 
ment? I often find specimens of Strategus lying dead in the path in the 
morning without sign of injury, and very frequently perfectly fresh and 
limber. I have suspected that death resulted from excitement or exertion." 
Mr. Schwarz exhibited a male of Hydrophilus ovatus in 
which the last two joints of the maxillary palpi are notably flat- 
tened. He had seen only one male of this species, and could 
not tell, therefore, whether this character was an abnormal one, 
or whether it occurred in all males of the species. 
Mr. Smith made some remarks on the systematic position of 
the genus Quadrina Grote. The species jg. diazoma is based on 
a unique specimen which, by the kindness of Prof. F. H. Snow, 
