OF WASHINGTON. 421 



Mr. Busck exhibited specimens of a European moth, Limnce- 

 cia phragmatella, not hitherto known in the United States, 

 which he had reared from Typha latifolia. He stated that this 

 insect was a well-known European species, and also was reported 

 from Australia. He exhibited also a slide illustrating a method 

 which he had adopted of mounting the wings of micro-Lepidoptera 

 in dry cells. Dr. Dyar said that the slides made by Mr. Busck in 

 the manner described were as nearly perfect as possible and most 

 satisfactory, and did not have the objection, which often attaches 

 to balsam and glycerine, of obscuring many of the smaller veins. 

 Mr. Waite said that dry mounting of Diatoms as microscope test 

 objects had also been found to be more satisfactory than other 

 methods, and Mr. Ashmead referred also to the loss of characters 

 from balsam mounts of wings of Chalcids. 



Mr. Ashmead made some extended remarks on a new classi 

 fication of Pompilidse which he had recently worked out. He 

 referred to the older views of Saussure, Fox, and Kohl, and then 

 called attention to certain characters which he found of special 

 service in separating the subfamilies and genera. The characters 

 particularly pointed out were the occurrence of transverse furrows 

 on the second abdominal segment distinguishing subfamilies, 

 clypeal characters distinguishing others, and thoracic and antennal 

 and eye characters still others. The use of these characters, he said, 

 resulted in the separation of subfamilies, and enabled the making 

 of very simple and easily understood synoptical tables. He said 

 that he had placed the Vespidas next to the Pompilidas instead of 

 near the bees, as by former authors, and pointed out that the char 

 acter of the abdominal segment noted in certain subfamilies of 

 Pomilidae was also characteristic of the Vespidas, which, however, 

 were associated with the former more especially by important 

 pronotal characters. 



Mr. Marlatt pointed out the apparent anomaly of the position 

 of certain ones near to the subfamilies of Pompilidae of a char 

 acter which was broader than the family itself, as indicated by 

 its presence in the family Vespidae also. Mr. Ashmead thought 

 that the case was not anomalous, and instanced similar features 

 in other families. 



Dr. Gill suggested that this character must have been developed 



