OF WASHINGTON. 51 



Mr. Hubbard presented a preliminary notice of a new 

 Coccid on birch.* 



Dr. Motter presented a paper entitled "A contribution to 

 the study of some necrophagous Diptera."f 



In discussion Mr. Schwarz congratulated the speaker on having 

 taken up such an important subject. So far, Megnin has been 

 the only student in this direction, and if Dr. Motter's observa 

 tions do no more than control Megnin's they will be valuable. 

 He himself had been astonished at the results obtained up to the 

 present time. We know nothing that occurs under the ground. 

 That certain surface insects reach to a depth of 6 feet is in itself 

 interesting. He suggested the importance of carefully distin 

 guishing between the fauna of cadavers and the fauna of coffins. 

 Anticipating the publication of some of Dr. Motter's other re 

 sults, he stated that the very rare Staphylinid, Eleusis pallida, 

 had been found by Dr. Motter in comparative abundance in old 

 graves. 



Mr. Ashmead read a paper entitled "A new genus of Lar- 



NOVEMBER 12, 1896. 



Vice-President Gill in the chair, and Messrs. Fernow, Schwarz, 

 Pratt, Patten, Johnson, Busck, Ashmead, Benton, Howard, 

 Cook, Waite, Swingle, Heidemann, active members ; Messrs. 

 Lugger and Alwood, corresponding members ; and Messrs. Sir- 

 rine and Linfoot, visitors, also present. 



Rolla P. Currie, U. S. National Museum, was elected an 

 active member. 



Mr. Ashmead exhibited a specimen of the European Pro- 

 clytis grandis Foerster, and in comparison with this a specimen 

 of the same species collected by Mrs. Slosson, at Franconia, N. H. 

 Mr. Schwarz said he considered it surprising that more of the Mi- 

 cro-Hymenoptera of Europe have not been found in this country. 



* Withheld for publication in Bulletin 12, new series, Division of Ento 

 mology, U. S. Dept. Agric. 



t Withheld for publication elsewhere. 

 ^Published in Entom. News, Jan. 1897, p. 22. 



