OF WASHINGTON. 335 



electric lights, and none of whom had ever found a butterfly to 

 be attracted to these lights. 



Mr. Howard also presented brief notes on Rasahus thora- 

 cicus Stal. and Xylocopa cubcecola. The Rasahus is a ferocious 

 Piratine bug, which was one of the very few insects attracted to 

 light at San Jose de Guaymas, Mexico, in the early part of April. 

 It flew through the open windows in considerable numbers and 

 lighted upon the supper table. It was well known to the house- 

 owner, who remarked that it was not to be touched, for it would 

 44 sting like the ze dev." The speaker was quite inclined to ac 

 cept this statement and did not experiment. The Xylocopa he 

 found flying abundantly about the flowering trees in the plaza of 

 the city of Guaymas, where, during the dry season of early April, 

 it was almost the only insect to be seen. At the rancho at which 

 he stayed, at San Jose de Guaymas, this insect was busily en 

 gaged making its nests in the large reeds with which the porch 

 was thatched. It was present there in great numbers, and the 

 air was filled with its loud humming. It is a large and conspic 

 uous blue-black species, with very dark wings, originally de 

 scribed from Cuba but also found by Mr. Fox in the collections 

 made by Dr. Eisen, in Baja California. 



Some discussion ensued on the biting powers of bugs of the 

 Piratine group and allied Heteroptera, participated in by Messrs. 

 Johnson, Ashmead, Gill, Marlatt, and Motter. It was shown 

 that while there is no specific poison gland in these insects, there 

 is an effect from their bite which is more severe than it would be 

 if the puncture were purely mechanical. This effect is attributed 

 to the moisture of the mouth-parts produced by the salivary 

 glands. 



Mr. Howard further presented some notes upon the occur 

 rence of Dichelonycha fulgida swarming about the rear end of 

 a train over the Southern Pacific Railroad near Banning, Cal., 

 the train traveling at the rate of 20 miles an hour, and the beetles 

 flying in a continuous swarm about the green flag on the end of 

 the rear car. 



He also spoke of the percentage of parasitism of Lecanium 

 armeniacum, at San Jose, Cal., by Comys fusca, nearly all of 

 the specimens of this scale in a large prune orchard being destroyed 

 by this Chalcidid parasite. Specimens of both the scale and the 

 parasite were shown. 



