80 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



latter alternative, since by far the greater majority of the tribe 

 Hylesini are known to be bark-borers. At any rate I feel con 

 fident that Liquidambar styraciflua will prove to be one of the 

 food-plants of this species. 



OCTOBER 2ND, 1890. 



Thirteen persons present. President Marx in the chair. 



Messrs. J. M. Stedman, Nathan Banks and F. W. Mally 

 were elected members. 



Dr. Fox exhibited a specimen of a small spider belonging 

 to the genus Episinns, which Dr. Marx stated was unde- 

 scribed. 



Dr. Marx called attention to two spiders new to our fauna 

 one belonging to the European genus Histopona, taken at Pen- 

 Mar, Pa., and also received from southern Florida, and the 

 other a new genus of uncertain position, but possibly allied to 

 the Agalenidcz, represented by a single specimen, taken on 

 the grounds of the Department of Agriculture. 



Mr. Marlatt exhibited a specimen of Trypeta cequalis Lw., 

 which he had bred from the seed pods of Xanthium, and the 

 larval habit of which he had described at a previous meeting 

 of the Society.* 



Mr. Marlatt read the following paper : 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE HABITS OF VESPAS. 



BY C. L,. MARLATT. 



While residing in the suburban village of Takoma, Md., 

 during August and September last, my attention was forcibly 

 drawn to the enormous abundance of certain of the smaller 

 Vespas, notably Vespa germanica Fabr. and Vespa cuneata Fabr. 

 The former of these wasps greatly predominated, and was to 

 be seen in numbers on every tree or bush and in the neighbor 

 hood of houses, where it was attracted by moisture about wells 

 or to refuse fruit or melon rinds, etc. 



* See pp. 40-43. 



