OF WASHINGTON. 49 



maxillary palpi white on the apical half and brown on the basal half, the 

 whole very slightly longer than the penultimate segment; antennae situ 

 ated between the eyes and below the median line; the segments beyond 

 the first, which is twice as long as the second, subequal in length and 

 gradually growing smaller at the tip where the antenna is as fine as a fine 

 hair, the whole antenna brownish in color and covered sparsely with short 

 microscopic hairs. The entire insect is of a very light brown below, al 

 most white, growing darker above, almost fuscous dorsally on the meso- 

 and metanota which are both visible behind the medium sized quadrate 

 prothorax. This latter is scarcely as wide as the head, truncate anteriorly 

 and broadly rounded posteriorly with weakly-developed lateral lobes. 

 The abdomen, which is slightly pyriform. shows ten dorsal segments, the 

 terminal one scarcely visible between the bases of the divergent cerci. The 

 legs are pale brownish, paler beneath and with pallid geniculations. The 

 tarsi are also pallid. Anal cerci flesh colored, scarcely as long as the last 

 three abdominal segments. 



Length of body, from front of head to the tip of the abdomen, 4 mm. ; 

 of antennae, 20 mm. ; hind femora, 2 mm. 



Mr. Caudell was asked whether he considered the orthopteron 

 a true silk-spinning insect, and he replied that he thought the 

 material used in fastening the roll might be simply dried saliva. 

 Mr. Banks said he thought the spinning material might properly 

 be called silk. Dr. Howard suggested that fresh specimens 

 should be dissected to see whether there were true spinning or 

 gans. Prof. Uhler stated that he had collected this insect near 

 Baltimore by beating it from trees. 



Mr. Kotinsky showed specimensof a scale-insect (Lecantum 

 hemisphericum Targ.), which were found on a plant sent in to 

 the Department of Agriculture. Curiously enough some of them, 

 during transit, had transferred and fastened themselves to the 

 dryers in which the plants were pressed and had there laid eggs. 



Mr. Caudell exhibited specimens of a West Indian cricket 

 {Anurogryllus antillarum Saussure). This insect is injurious 

 to various crops in the South, where it has been known for many 

 years, although it has never been referred to in print nor listed 

 as belonging to our fauna. 



Mr. Barber exhibited specimens of the rare and curious 

 neuropteroid insect, Merope tuber Newman, collected the past 

 summer at Plummer's Island, Maryland, and presented the fol 

 lowing note : 



