218 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
labium and the maxillae is very plain, providing only that one imagine the 
median suture extending through mentum and submentum. The half of 
the submentum will then homologize with cardo, the half of the mentum 
with stipes, the half of the trunk of the ligula with subgalea, the outer 
portion of the trunk of the ligula with the palpifer, the paraglossa with 
the galea, and the triangular unnamed scierites, just mentioned, with the 
lacinta, the palpi of the two organs of course homologizing also. 
I have dissected away the hypopharynx also, but fail to see a differen- 
tiated epipharynx in this insect. 
Mr. Schwarz remarked that not all Blattidce lived in dirty or 
dark places. On the island of Key West he had frequently seen 
a species of the West Indian genus Plectroptera (probably por- 
cellana), which lives on the tops of shrubs and trees. The agil- 
ity of this curious Blattid, which resembles in appearance a small 
Dytiscid beetle, is really wonderful. The few specimens pro- 
cured by him were donated to the National Museum. 
MAY 2, 1889. 
Nine persons present. President Schwarz in the chair. 
Mr. Ashmead read the following paper : 
SOME REMARKS ON SOUTH AMERICAN CHALCIDID^E. 
BY WM. H. ASHMEAD. 
Mr. Herbert H. Smith, an indefatigable collector and the well-known 
collector for Messrs. Godman and Salvin, the originators of that great 
work on the fauna of Central America, " Biologia Centrali-Americana," 
has transmitted to me, to work up, quite an extensive series of Ckalcididce^ 
collected by him in South America, principally along the Amazon, among 
which are some remarkable forms in genera unknown to our fauna, and 
that throw so much light on the classification of this perplexing Family 
that I think some remarks on the more striking forms may not be unac- 
ceptable to-night. 
In the collection are representatives of most of the groups of this family, 
as defined by recent writers, only a few of which, however, have been 
studied, and I shall therefore confine my remarks to the more peculiarand 
striking forms. 
The sub-family Eucharina> is represented by several of the genera as de- 
fined by Mr. Kirby. I have recognized Thoracantha, Schizaspidia, 
