OF WASHINGTON. 47 



Pass Railroad, this superstition is unknown, but here the un 

 fortunate Pasimachus, popularly known as " shear-bug," has the 

 reputation of being greatly injurious to grape vine and vegetables 

 by cutting the young plants. Mr. Schwarz regretted that on ac 

 count of his non-acquaintance with the Spanish language he had 

 been unable to gather the numerous superstitions regarding vari 

 ous insects prevailing throughout southwestern Texas, for it was 

 evident that many of these stories must be of very ancient origin. 

 The story of the poisonous quality of Mantis is also of Mexican 

 origin and has found its way as far north as Missouri and Kan 

 sas. Mr. Schwarz added that at least two species of Hippelates 

 deserve to be counted among the commonest insects in south 

 western Texas. H. plebejus, though quite troublesome in some 

 localities, is not such an annoying pest as H. eulophus (deter 

 mined by Mr. Coquillett), which is about in clouds during 

 May and June wherever the soil is sandy. Both Texan species 

 are much less in the habit of getting into the corners of the eyes 

 than the Floridian H. flavipes, but they are hardly less trouble 

 some by crawling into the nose, ears, and beneath the clothing. 



Mr. Howard referred to Mr. Marlatt's statement that the 

 mosquitoes which bit him at Corpus Christi poisoned him, while 

 those by which he had been bitten in Washington, D. C., did 

 not poison him, and stated that the observation was very extra 

 ordinary for the reason that the species collected by Mr. Marlatt 

 ( Culex pungens} was identical with the commonest of the mos 

 quitoes at Washington, D. C. He jocularly suggested the pos 

 sibility that the Texas mosquitoes carried contagion, and further 

 suggested that perhaps Mr. Marlatt was not bitten by a mos 

 quito at all, but by some other insect. 



Mr. Ashmead referred to the sting of Paniscus and stated that 

 he had several times been stung by Ichneumon flies of the sub 

 family Ophioninse. He suggested that it was not remarkable 

 that extraordinary effects were produced in the Texas case, since 

 these insects are attracted to decaying animal and vegetable mat 

 ter and might have carried bacteria to the patient which caused 

 blood-poisoning. 



Mr. Benton referred to the species of Monarda mentioned by 

 Mr. Marlatt and stated that it is a great honey plant. 



