OF WASHINGTON. 39 



in spite of all care in cultivation the fruit remained small and 

 contained no seed at all, or only a few. Such results were to 

 be foreseen, for the Smyrna Fig in its native home has, since 

 time immemorial, been cultivated with caprification. Its fruit 

 owes its superiority in quality solely to the fact that the seeds 

 are fertilized b)^ the fig-insects. If the tree is cultivated 

 without caprification, a change in the character of the fruit 

 necessarily takes place ; and that this change is to the worse 

 and not to the better, is shown by Mr. Maslin's experiment 

 with Smyrna seedlings, as well as by previous attempts made 

 in California with layers and cuttings. If the California fruit 

 growers are desirous of raising the genuine Smyrna fig in 

 their State they must introduce from its native home the 

 Caprifig, containing living fig-insects in its seeds. This would 

 be no difficult task, nor is there any reason to doubt that the 

 fig-insects could be easily acclimatized in California. 



Mr. Howard remarked that Mr. C. E. Hawley had told him 

 that the Peruvian Figs were the finest he had ever eaten, and 

 that these were grown without the aid of caprification. Mr. 

 Hawley is now endeavoring to introduce them into the United 

 States. 



Mr. Schwarz exhibited the following species of Coleoptera, 

 which must be added to the North American fauna : Lath- 

 ridius (Coninomus) nodifer, Westw. (family Lathridiidse), pre 

 viously known from Europe and New Zealand, and lately 

 found along the Pacific Coast from Washington to Middle 

 California, and also in the District of Columbia ; Actinop- 

 teryx fucicola, Allib. (family Trichopterygidse), recently men 

 tioned by Flach as inhabiting North America, and taken on 

 the beach near Fortress Monroe, Va., by Mr. Schwarz; 

 Arrhipis lanieri Guer. (family Elateridae), and Probatius um- 

 bratilis, Duv. (family Cerambycidae), both described from 

 specimens collected in Cuba, were found at Cocoanut Grove, 

 Dade Co., Fla. 



Mr. Schwarz also exhibited specimens of Temnochila 

 hubbardi, Lev., and Teretriosoma hornii, Lewis, recently de 

 scribed in European journals from the semi-tropical region 

 of Florida, and pointed out the secondary sexual characters of 



