OF WASHINGTON. 1 23 



Frederick Blanchard, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts ; Mr. August 

 Merkel, 13 Broadway, New York city; Mr. Malcolm Burr, 

 "Bellagio, " East Grinstead, Sussex, England. 



Mr. Schwarz announced the death of Dr. John Hamilton, 

 of Alleghany city, a corresponding member. 



Under the head of "Short notes and exhibition of speci 

 mens, " Mr. Ashmead showed specimens of Halobatopsis 

 beginii, recently described by him in the Canadian Entomologist. 



Dr. Motter read a letter from Dr. Wyatt Johnson, of Quebec, 

 giving an account of the investigation of the fauna of cadavers in 

 Canada, which had been carried on by the writer and Dr. George 

 Villeneuve, showing a considerable correspondence with the 

 results obtained by Megnin in Europe. He also read a letter 

 from Garry de N. Hough, of New Bedford, giving an account of 

 investigations in the same direction. Dr. Motter showed that the 

 results obtained by these investigators differed considerably from 

 his own, and accounted for this difference by the fact that the 

 Canadian workers had experimented mainly with exposed human 

 bodies, Mr. Hough had studied mainly the exposed bodies of 

 animals, while he himself had studied in the main interred bodies. 



Mr. Heidemann exhibited specimens of Fitchia nigrovit- 

 tata, F. aptera, and F. spirosuta, the first two from the Dis 

 trict of Columbia, and the last from Fortress Monroe. 



Mr. Busck exhibited six larvae of Anthrenus varius, each 

 of which showed well-marked wing-pads on the second and third 

 thoracic segments. In discussing these specimens, Mr. Schwarz 

 stated that most monstrosities are retrograde in their character and 

 that anticipatory monstrosities such as those shown by Mr. Busck 

 are very rare. He called attention to the parallel case recently 

 published by Dr. Richard Heymons, of Berlin, in which similar 

 wing-pads had been found in the larvae of Tenebrio molitor. 

 Mr. Pratt said he had occasion to examine recently many hun 

 dreds of larvae of T. molitor and had not found any such cases. 

 Mr. Howard referred to the fact that while Dr. Heymons was 

 inclined to explain the appearence of the wing-pads of the larvae 

 of the meal worm as anticipatory of the pupal condition, he 

 also mentioned the possibility that they were atavistic in their 

 significance. Mr. Ashmead was inclined to think that the latter 

 theory may be the correct one. 



