OF WASHINGTON. 365 



shows that I was justified in my surmise that there would be an 

 exceptional tendency to a second brood even at New Bruns 

 wick : 



NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J., August 31, 1892. 



DEAR DR. RILEY : I wrote you this morning and did not intend writing 

 you again to-day, but I cannot resist the temptation of giving you a chance 

 to say " I told you so." I have to-day since writing you this morning 

 discovered here and there patches of eggs of G. xanthomelcena and one 

 brood of newly-hatched larvae, on the new foliage of the elms. The parent 

 beetles are the results of the latest larvae of the first brood, and there are 

 very few of them about. I will have to be away for the next few days, 

 but I will have some of the beetles collected and prepared for study. It is 

 due to myself to say that I found nothing of the kind in previous years, 

 and due to you to say that facts have verified your suggestion, that, with 

 abundant fresh food, some of the beetles would exceptionally produce, a 

 second brood, as in Washington they exceptionally produce a third. It is 

 a remarkable fact that from early in July until late in August no eggs 

 should have been seen, while now (August 31, 1892), quite suddenly, there 

 is no difficulty in finding them, though they are by no means abundant. 

 How are they with you ? 



Sincerely yours, 



JOHN B. SMITH. 



Prof. Riley also remarked upon the injury done this year by 

 Elaphidion. While travelling between Philadelphia and New 

 York he had noticed that the oak forests were damaged by the 

 breaking off of the branches, much as though a brood of Cicada 

 septemdecim had been present early in the season. An examina 

 tion by Prof. Smith, however, indicated that this damage was 

 done by an Elaphidion and not by Cicada. The effect was so 

 similar that any one might easily be mistaken without close ex 

 amination. Mr. Hopkins stated that he had seen a very similar 

 condition caused in the forests of West Virginia by twig-girdlers. 



Mr. Ashmead exhibited the drawings for his plates illustrating 

 his forthcoming monograph of the Proctotrypidae of North 

 America. Mr. Heidemann exhibited a series of specimens of 

 Rheumatobates rileyi which he had recentlv taken in the vicinity 

 of Glen Echo, in the clear water of the canal, in certain restricted 

 localities. Up to that time he had captured 14 females, 6 males, 

 and about So larvag and pupas. He also exhibited a drawing of 

 the female. He stated that up to this time the only specimen 



