OF WASHINGTON. 361 



titles of works published. He criticised the book for the omission 

 of all references to the literature of the family name. 



Prof. Smith read a paper entitled " An Essay at the Classifica 

 tion of the American Noctuids." He gave considerable import 

 ance to the position of vein 5 of the hind wings as indicating the 

 groups Trifinae and Quadrifinse, basing the division upon the 

 position of the vein rather than its tendency to obolescence, which 

 he regarded as a more secondary character. He also showed a 

 series of phylogenies which he had prepared for the genera of 

 several groups. Dr. Dyar took exception to Prof. Smith's 

 idea that the Quadrifinae were the more generalized, stating that 

 it would be expected that the three-branched median vein repre 

 sented the lower type as in the Notodontians, etc. Dr. Gill re 

 marked that it did not follow that the highest Noctuids should 

 necessarily have the most specialized venation. Prof. Smith 

 briefly explained his position further. Dr. Dyar called attention 

 to Arsilonche albovenosa, which has been considered to be the 

 same as the European species. Dr. Chapman has shown in a 

 letter recently received that the genitalia of the European form 

 differ from those of the American form as figured by Prof. Smith, 

 thus indicating a specific distinction as claimed by Grote. Mr. 

 Ashmead also remarked on Prof. Smith's paper. 



In the absence of Mr. Schwarz, Mr. Benton read the following 

 letter written by Mr. Hubbard while in the southwest, in 1897. 



LETTERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST. 

 By H. G. HUBBARD. 



Insect fauna in the burrows of desert rodents. 



YUMA, AR., March 30, 1897. 



I find I have not reported my operations at Palm Springs, Cala., 

 since March izfth. I have, in fact, not collected many things dur 

 ing the last week of my stay, as I was engaged in the laborious 

 work of digging out and exploring the burrows of Spermophiles 

 and the Kangaroo rat (Dipodomys desertorum). The holes of 

 the latter baffled us entirely, and I am sure I did not succeed in 

 reaching the true nest as I had to abandon the excavation at a 



