OF WASHINGTON. 309 



hind legs of a specimen of grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis 

 Scudder, in the National Museum collection. 



Mr. Ashmead remarked that the members of the genus Scelio 

 were parasitic on the eggs of grasshoppers, and that it was the 

 habit of the female to attach itself to the gravid female grass 

 hopper and wait for the latter to deposit its eggs. 



Mr. Banks stated that Dr. David Sharp, in the Cambridge 

 Natural History, records a specimen of Podagrion found on a 

 female Mantid, the members of this genus being parasites of 

 mantis' eggs. 



Dr. Hopkins reported some observations made upon a recent 

 trip to North Carolina. At Asheville he found twigs of pine 

 thickly covered with dipterous galls. These galls were in the 

 bark, and formed pits in the wood. The larvas, covered with 

 resin, were crawling out of the galls on to the bark and needles. 

 He noticed that this resin covering the larvas was the external 

 substance used in forming the cocoons, and also served to attach 

 the cocoon securely to the twig. Ratzeburg had described the 

 cocoon, but not the gall, and it appeared that the latter had never 

 been described. It probably belonged to some species of Diplo- 

 sis, according to Mr. Coquillett. Some of the larvae did not come 

 out, but remained in the galls to pupate. 



Dr. Hopkins reported, also, that in the swamps of North Caro 

 lina many of the cypresses which are girdled by the lumbermen, 

 and left standing a year before being cut down, were considerably 

 damaged by ambrosia beetles. He found that the presence or 

 absence of this infestation depended upon the time of year when 

 the girdling was done. Sweet-gum and black-gum trees were 

 girdled in a similar manner, and were subject to the same attacks 

 by the beetles. He found many interesting insects on these gir 

 dled trees. 



Dr. Howard said he considered Dr. Hopkins' observations of 

 special interest as having a bearing on the question of the ovi- 

 position of Diplosis resinicola. He thought the latter species 

 might lay its eggs on the bark and not in the resin as has been 

 supposed. He said that Packard considered the needle gall as 

 a different species from the twig gall, and described it as Diplosis 

 pini-rigidce. 



Mr. Heidemann exhibited a specimen of the Aradid bug 



