OF WASHINGTON. 37 



MAY 7, 1896. 



Vice-President Gill in the chair, and Messrs. Benton, Ashmead, 

 Busck, Fernow, Schwarz, Howard, Stiles, and W. B. King also 

 present. 



Under the head of exhibition of specimens, Mr. Schwarz 

 exhibited once more the wasp impaled upon a thorn, which he 

 had sent from Texas last spring, and which was exhibited by 

 Mr. Howard at the June meeting of the Society. Mr. Schwarz 

 said that there could be no doubt that this insect was impaled by 

 the loggerhead shrike. A majority of the vegetation in that part 

 of Texas is thorny, and these shrikes are very abundant. He 

 found no insects impaled in April, but after May 21 a species 

 of Canthon appeared in myriads and the birds impaled many 

 hundreds of these. Later, a variety of insects were impaled, 

 grasshoppers and spiders in numbers, and also lizards and horned 

 toads. He never saw the birds eat the creatures thus impaled ; 

 they appeared to do it just for fun. Since the introduction of 

 barbed wire fences the birds have become accustomed to impale 

 insects upon the barbs. 



Mr. Ashmead said that in Florida in August and later the 

 orange trees are rilled with insects, lizards, and toads impaled 

 by the shrikes. Mr. Howard said that the fact that this insect 

 was impaled by the centre of the head suggested that it might 

 have flown violently against the thorn. Mr. Benton referred to 

 the bees mentioned by him at the last meeting and gave many 

 reasons for supposing that they were impaled by being blown 

 against the thorns during a high gale of wind. Mr. Schwarz 

 doubted this, but said that certain large Lamellicorns are often 

 caught on sharp grasses in Florida. Dr. Gill spoke at some 

 length upon the habits of the shrikes and said that insects impaled 

 by force of wind must be very rare. In answer to a question, 

 he said that this habit of the shrikes, owing to the fact that they 

 do not seem to return for food purposes to the insects thus impaled, 

 is evidently a persistence of a. former useful habit. Mr. Busck 

 stated that he had seen lizards partially eaten before being pinned. 



Mr. Howard presented some notes on ScutelUsta cyanea, 

 an insect which had probably been imported from the orient into 



