Vol. xxiiil ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 351 



symptoms of annoyance and disturbance and within thirty 

 seconds fell from the glass sides of the vial, spreading- its 

 wings and falling on its back beneath the strip of filter paper, 

 which it feebly grasped by its contracted legs. After five 

 minutes it had assumed the death attitude, lying on its back, 

 feebly moving the legs. On the other hand, the control be- 

 haved normally, actively running over the sides of the vial. 

 By 8.48 A. M. the adult of the experiment was apparently 

 dead. At nine o'clock, after half an hour's exposure, it was, 

 removed to the control vial, upon which it commenced to give 

 symptoms of recovery after twenty minutes. By the following 

 morning it had fully recovered. At eleven o'clock on May 14 

 both adults were liberated, upon which they crawled away. 



(6). At two minutes past nine o'clock on the morning of 

 May 13, an adult male of Bibio albipcnnis Say was introduced 

 into the vial, controlled by the Megilla in (5). Within two 

 minutes it had fallen over upon its side in convulsions, and 

 the death attitude was assumed at 9.05 A. M., with slight leg 

 contractions still visible. Two minutes later to all appearances 

 it was dead, no movements following thereafter. At 1 1 A. M. 

 the next day, it was removed to the control vial. It did not 

 recover. 



The odor of this phymatid was easily recognized by the 

 nostrils. It reminded one very much of ethyl ether mixed with 

 butyric acid a rancid sweetness, very sickening to the human 

 being and not unlike that given off by some species of Calo- 

 soma. 



INTERPRETATION. 



There can be little doubt from what has been recorded 

 that the vapors emitted by certain Heteroptera are highly nox- 

 ious to various forms of insect life, in many cases quickly 

 stupefying some insects when the latter are exposed to them 

 in an air-tight receptacle. In other cases death ensues. Under 

 similar conditions Conradi (Science. New York, N. $., XIV, 

 1901, pp. 816-817; id. ib., N. S., XIX, 1904, pp. 393-394) has 

 recorded that toads are stupefied and sometimes killed also 

 salamanders by the vapors emitted by the common Anasa 



