OF WASHINGTON. 215 



form of the pistillate flower is always very distinctly developed. 

 Is there more than one species of insect that does this work, and 

 how nearly alike are the New World and Old- World species ? " 

 The specimen interested me greatly, and I had the insects 

 carefully cut out, and although dried and more or less imper 

 fect, they showed in comparison with those collected by Mr. 

 Schwarz from the wild figs in Florida, as follows : 



1. Blastophaga, apparently congeneric with the species from 



Southern Florida, but specifically distinct. 



2. Another wingless form generically distinct from No. i. 



3. A winged form belonging either to No. i or No. 2. 



4. A Chalcid parasite, also distinct from the species found in 



Florida. 



JUNE 4, 1891. 



President Marx in the chair. Fourteen members and* one 

 visitor present. 



William D. Richardson, of Fredericksburg, Va., was elected 

 a corresponding member. 



Mr. Howard exhibited a specimen of Cruderus columbiana, 

 Ashm., a little Chalcidid of the sub-family Tetrastichinae, and 

 stated that he had observed the flight of this insect with con 

 siderable interest. It is capable of strong sustained flight, and 

 hovered about his hand for some moments before alighting, 

 holding itself in about the same position, and then darting 

 forward with great rapidity. As it flew between his eye and 

 the light he noticed that the body was held at an angle of 

 about 60 degrees from the horizontal. He is not familiar with 

 any published observations on the flight of the Chalcididae. 



He also exhibited a very minute Chalcidid, an Bntedonid, 

 from the collection made by Mr. H. Smith on the Island of St. 

 Vincent, which bore a label stating that the species had the 

 power of emitting a marked odor which was perceptible at a 

 distance of one foot. 



Mr. Marlatt said it was certainly very remarkable, if not 

 almost incredible, that so minute an insect should be able to 

 emit an odor sufficient to constantly fill a space two feet in 

 diameter. 



Mr. Schwarz said that this was not impossible, and that 

 certain minute beetles also possessed this power. 



