OF WASHINGTON. 435 



Mr. Lugger expressed his pleasure at being once more in Wash 

 ington, which he said was the Mecca of American entomologists. 



Messrs. Chapin and Morris discussed the time required for 

 drying the wings of the large Bombycids. 



Mr. Kotinsky, referring to a remark made by Professor Gill 

 at a previous meeting, in which, speaking of the bower bird, he had 

 asked whether anything of a similar nature occurred among the 

 insects showing an assthetic taste, called attention to a note by 

 Kirby in " Marvels in Ant Life," in which is mentioned the obser 

 vations of Jenner Weir at Pisa on an ant which made a mound of 

 earth over the nest entrances, collecting there such numbers of 

 empty snail shells that they could be picked up by handfuls. 



Mr. Lugger referred to the helix-like case of certain Trichoptera, 

 and to the fact that the cases of many of the larvas of this group 

 of insects are very beautiful and exhibit an apparent aesthetic taste. 



Mr. Ashmead showed three African Hymenoptera, two of 

 which have been collected by Mr. Currie in Liberia. He dis 

 cussed the validity of Odontobracon of Cameron as a genus dis 

 tinct from Syngaster of Brulle, showing a specimen of this genus. 

 The second specimen represented a new genus of BraconidaB, 

 with deeply emarginate eyes; and the third another Braconid, 

 representing a new genus of Macrocentrinae. He also showed a 

 specimen of Kriechbaumer's genus Dicranoneura belonging to the 

 same group, and he expressed himself as being gratified to find 

 so many recently described African genera in the National collec 

 tion. 



In the absence of Mr. Marlatt, the Secretary read the first 

 paper of the evening, which was prepared by the absentee, and 

 was entitled " The European Fruit Diaspis." Discussion ensued 

 by Messrs. Ashmead, Pollard, and Howard as to the synonyrnical 

 questions involved. 



The second paper was by Mr. Currie, and was entitled : 



A DWARF ANT-LION FLY. 

 By ROLLA P. CURRIE. 



Dr. Hermann Hagen, in his " Synopsis of the Neuroptera of 

 North America," described a new species of Myrmeleonidas under 

 the name Myrmeleon pygmceus. The measurements given for 



