102 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



it has never before been taken, judging from the absence of 

 confirmatory records, in the vicinity of Washington. When he 

 first observed it in flight Mr. Barber mistook it for a wasp of 

 the genus Polistes. The specimen was exhibited. 



Mr. Barber showed also a specimen of Flebotomus, new 

 species, a small fly belonging to the family Psychodidae, from 

 Guatemala, where he found it extremely annoying from its bite, 

 which was quite severe. According to Mr. Coquillett this 

 genus has not before been reported except from southern Eu 

 rope and Africa. Mr. Barrett said he believed he had seen the 

 same fly in the southern part of the State of Vera Cruz, in 

 Mexico, where it was known as "chaquista." If this were the 

 same insect he could testify to the severity of its bite. 



Mr. Knab spoke of the paper published by Doctor Dyar and 

 himself on the classification of the Culicidse by larval charac 

 ters^ The paper had been adversely criticized, particularly 

 because a number of new species were based solely upon larval 

 characters. While this proceeding might cause temporary in 

 convenience to systematists it nevertheless seemed to the 

 authors the only method of expressing the great importance of 

 the larval characters, not only in the separation of species other 

 wise hardly distinguishable, but above all in putting the classi 

 fication upon a more natural basis. Systematic workers on the 

 Culicidae have wholly neglected the study of the early stages 

 and have based their classification largely upon superficial and 

 unimportant characters. Many of the genera are unnatural and 

 often composite, formed of species brought together upon 

 superficial resemblance but in no wise related. Doctor Dyars 

 work upon the early stages of the Lepidoptera and its influence 

 upon the classification of that order is so well known that 

 similar work of his in other groups is bound to command re 

 spect. Under the circumstances the following post-card, re 

 ceived from Baron von Osten Sacken by Doctor Dyar, is of 

 interest as coming from a man who can see beyond the inevi 

 table shortcomings. 



a The larvae of Culicidae classified as independent organisms. By 

 Harrison G. Dyar and Frederick Knab. Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc., Vol. 

 xiv, pp. 169-230, Plates iv-xvi, 1906. (Separates issued March 15,1906.) 



