174 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
which he finds in some abundance on his grounds. This species 
pulls off leaves and small twigs and makes large nests. 
He has never been able to get at the reason for these large 
structures, since they do not seem to be required for the purpose 
of obtaining food. He asked whether any of the species might 
possibly be herbivorous. Drs. Marx and Fox said there was no 
record of an herbivorous habit for any spider. 
Prof. Riley also made some remarks on the habits of Atypus, 
describing the method by which the spider gets rid of the debris 
after exhausting its prey. Dr. Marx said that the spider is in 
the habit of taking its prey through the tube, remaining on the 
watch inside, and grasping any fly or other insect that may be 
unfortunate enough to alight on it, so that in many cases the 
prey is never taken into the tube at all. 
Mr. Smith, commenting on the statement in the last number of 
" Insect Life" regarding the habits of Stomoxys, says, that the 
fly is very abundant at his house ; that he has not been able to ob- 
serve any increase in numbers in rainy weather, but on the con- 
trary he has found them gradually becoming more abundant 
until at this time they have almost replaced the common Musca 
domestica, which is being rapidly killed off by the fungus that 
attacks this species at this season. Stomoxys is not attacked by 
this fungus in his experience. He also said that common as the 
species is at his place, neither he nor any member of his family 
has ever been bitten or stung by it either in wet or dry weather. 
Mr. Mann said the species was very common at Cambridge and 
bit severely. Mr. Schwarz says that he has been bitten through 
pants and stockings very severely. 
Prof. Riley thinks that Mr. Smith's experience is rather un- 
usual, but said that where it so nearly replaced the common 
species its habits might be different. 
This subject was further discussed by Messrs. Schwarz, How- 
ard, and Alwood. 
Mr. Schwarz read a series of 
COLEOPTEROLOGICAL NOTES. 
BY E. A. SCHWARZ. 
A NEW HERBARIUM PEST. In the spring of this year I received from 
Mr. L. E. Ricksecker a little Ptinid beetle with the note that it infested the 
herbarium of the California Academy of Sciences at San Francisco, the 
