OF WASHINGTON. 397 



JUNE i, 1899. 



The 1 45th regular meeting was held at the residence of Mr. 

 Frank Benton, 1801 Harewood avenue, Le Droit Park. In the 

 absence of the President and the Vice-President, Mr. O. F. Cook 

 occupied the chair; and Messrs. Schwarz, Morris, Vaughan, 

 Chapin, Curry, Heidemann, Waite, Johnson, Benton, and How 

 ard were also present. 



Under the head of Short Notesand Exhibition of Specimens, Mr. 

 Schwarz spoke of the fact that it is always interesting to observe 

 in a new country the insects which are liable to become agricul 

 tural pests after the region is settled. In the Northwest, for ex 

 ample, the flora contains so many species allied to cultivated plants 

 that there are many native insects which will probably eventually 

 attack crops ; in the extreme Southwest, however, there are very 

 few such plants. In Arizona, nevertheless, there is a wild grape 

 Vitis arizonica and he, as well as Mr. Hubbard, had made some 

 observations on the insect enemies of this plant. They comprise 

 an interesting mixture of native localized forms and widely dis 

 tributed species. There is no Phylloxera and no Erythroneura, 

 but there is a Procis which also attacks cultivated grape, and 

 also some big Sphingid caterpillars which seem to be identical 

 with the eastern species. He also exhibited specimens of the fol 

 lowing Coleoptera observed on grape in southern Arizona : Macro- 

 dactylus uniformis Horn, -found by Mr. Hubbard injuring wild 

 grape, peach trees, etc., in Cave Creek canyon, ChiricahuaMts., 

 and at Fort Grant. Fidia humeralis Lef., hitherto not known to 

 occur in the United States, found by Mr. Hubbard on wild grape 

 in the Chiricahua Mts. Haltica carinata Germ., quite abundant 

 wherever wild grape grows ; known to injure cultivated grape 

 in southern California. Spermophagus n. sp., abundant every 

 where on wild grape at an altitude of from 4,500 to 6,000 feet ; its 

 natural history not yet known, but the larva most probably living 

 in the berries. Craponius n. sp., very common on wild grape in 

 Madera canyon, Sta. Rita Mts., differing from C. incequalis in 

 the formation of the tibiae and practically belonging to the genus 

 Auleutes. Desmogiyptus crenatus Lee. , abundant on wild grape 

 in various places at an altitude of about 4,500 feet ; larval habits 

 as in Ampeloglypter. 



