OF WASHINGTON. 199 



amined. The two specimens in question were collected June 4th, 

 near Tannersville, New York, at an elevation of 2,500 feet. He 

 referred to a note by Dr. Lugger, on page 50, volume I of the 

 Proceedings of the Society, which recorded the oviposition of a 

 Tachina fly upon the hard body of Rhodobcemts ij-punctatus, 

 a bright-colored beetle which Dr. Lugger thought had been mis 

 taken for a caterpillar by the Tachina fly. He also referred to 

 the rearing of a fly of the genus Sarcophaga from a Carabid 

 beetle, Scariies subterrancus, by Mr. Chittenden, as noted at a 

 recent meeting of the Society. He further stated that, on one 

 occasion, a Tachinid had been reared at Washington from Lach- 

 nosterna inversa, specimens of which had been placed in a box 

 to get the eggs. The notes do not prove the parasitism, which 

 was, however, strongly suspected. Two cases are also recorded 

 in the notes in which Tachina flies have been bred from Lach- 

 nosterna larvae. 



The case possesses interest not only on account of its rarity, 

 but on account of the fact that all of the Lachnosternas hide be 

 neath the surface of the ground during the day, whereas the 

 Tachina flies are exclusively day-flyers. Mr. Coquillett thinks 

 that the eggs, from their color, may not be those of a Tachinid, 

 but the speaker did not know what other insect to suspect. 



Mr. Schwarz suggested that the peculiar fact brought out by 

 Mr. Howard that the Tachina flies are day-fliers and the Lach 

 nosternas night-fliers, might be modified since there is always a 

 possibility that we may have night-flying Tachinids or day-flying 

 Lachnosternas. Moreover, on account of the stony ground and 

 comparative absence of soil in the locality where these specimens 

 were collected, the beetles might not have been able to enter the 

 ground during the day and were thus exposed to the attacks of 

 Tachina flies ; further, since Tachinids have been reared from 

 Lachnosterna larvae, and since these larvas are always found at 

 a considerable distance below the surface of the ground, may not 

 the beetles carry the eggs to the vicinity of the larvas ? Further 

 he had noticed that the beetles when hiding by day under leaves, 

 etc , often assume an erect position, so that if any portion of the 

 body were exposed, or nearly exposed, it would be the head and 

 thorax. He emphasized the unusual character of the observation 

 by showing that he had collected adult Lachnosternas by the quart 

 during one season and had never seen such specimens as those 

 exhibited by Mr. Howard. 



Mr. Ashmead presented the following paper : 



