256 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



the stone or log under which it occurs between the collector and 

 itself, no matter how quickly or often the protecting object is 

 turned. 



Dr r Marx stated that dissection failed to indicate any evi 

 dence of poison orifice or sac and that the odor of vinegar, so 

 noticeable in the adult animal, was not present until after the 

 first moult. 



Mr. Marlatt stated in regard to food habits, that adult speci 

 mens sent to Prof. Riley from Florida fed voraciously on grass 

 hoppers and that they had probably a wide range of food insects. 



Mr. Schwarz said that dead beetles were frequent under logs 

 with Thelyphonus in Florida. 



Mr. Pergande presented the following communication : 



PECULIAR HABIT OF AMMOPHILA GRYPHUS SM. 

 BY THEO. PBRGANDK. 



A very interesting article in ' ' Naturwissenschaftliche Rund 

 schau," Vol. VI, 1891, pp. 549-50, by Prof. Roman Gutwinski, 

 in Tarnopol, regarding preparations for oviposition by Ammo- 

 phila sabulosa, reminds me of an accidental observation, made 

 in September of last year. While rambling about through 

 woods and fields surrounding the City of Washington, I hap 

 pened to come to a quite bare and more or less gravelly slope. 

 Being tired and worn out from the long walk, I stopped to rest 

 myself for awhile, when suddenly my attention was attracted 

 to the peculiar actions of a handsome female of Ammophila 

 gryphns, flying persistently back and forth in front of me. 

 Remaining motionless for some time, so as not to frighten the 

 insect, it alighted in front of me on a bare spot, about a foot 

 square, scarcely more than a step from where I stood. For 

 about a minute or two it ran briskly about in every direction, 

 the head close to the ground and the abdomen elevated, while 

 its antennae were in constant agitation, as if searching for some 

 thing important, though nothing in any way striking to the 

 eye could be seen on the bare sand which possibly could have 

 attracted its attention. Suddenly it stopped at a certain spot, 

 pressed the head close to the ground, and commenced beating 

 the ground with its abdomen, producing at the same time an 

 audible and quite sharp sound, similar to bss, bss, bss ; tapping 

 with each sound the earth with the abdomen. Having gone 

 through this performance for some time it ran about for a short 



