2 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



breeding habits, Mr. Caudell stated that the species, so far 

 as known, live in trees, rarely forsaking the tops and then 

 only, apparently, for the purpose of oviposition. One species 

 has been found ovipositing at night in the bark of a tree near 

 the ground. In one species of this group the female has the 

 power of stridulation something unknown for this sex in 

 any other group of Orthoptera. Some considerable discussion 

 regarding the ability or non-ability of the insects to fly took 

 place. So far, there is no absolute case known of the insects 

 flying, but some of the members believed that they do fly at 

 times and probably at the mating period. 



Doctor Dyar exhibited the recently issued second volume 

 of Packard's " Monograph of the Bombycine Moths of America 

 North of Mexico," published as a memoir of the National 

 Academy of Sciences. This volume was edited by Samuel 

 Henshaw after Professor Packard's death and treats only 

 of the Ceratocampidse. A remarkable feature of the plates 

 noted by Doctor Dyar is that all the larvae are figured upside 

 down. Larvae in this group always cling to the underside of 

 the twig or leaf upon which they are feeding. 



Doctor Gill made a few remarks on the present erroneous 

 use by several authors of the termination oidea for families. 

 Its well-established application as a termination for super- 

 family groups should preclude the use for any other group. 



Mr. Busck exhibited specimens of a peculiar large antho- 

 myiid fly (Mydcea pici Macq.) which is parasitic on small birds 

 in Santo Domingo, W. I. The eggs are laid on the young 

 nestlings and the larva develops in a sac on the head or on 

 the wing of the bird, which, when of small size, is sometimes 

 curiously malformed by the large parasite. The species was 

 described in 1853* from a specimen bred from the wing of 

 a young pigeon in Santo Domingo. The present specimens 

 were bred from a young specimen of the small palm-chat, Dulus 

 dominions L., which was shot on September 8. The larva left 

 the bird the same day, burrowed into earth provided for it in a 

 box, and made a cocoon of particles of earth glued together by 

 a glistening white excretion. 



Ann. Soc. Ent. France, p. 659, PI. xx, Fig. n. 



