356 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Oct., 'l2 



I am not sure that these masses did not become mixed with 

 a portion of another, so that they are not recorded above. At) 

 abundance of food was present. 



On the other hand, each female may deposit two masses. 1 

 do not believe the females usually die as above described ; in 

 this case, so many thus dying may have been due to frantic 

 efforts to escape upon the approach of a train. At any rate. 

 I have seen egg masses, supposedly of this species, which did 

 not contain in the upper part of the excavation, the mutilated 

 abdomen ; moreover, numerous dead females on the ground 

 nearby showed no mutilation whatsoever. 



Certain Generic Names in Phoridae (Dipt.). 



By J. R. MALLOCH, Bureau- of Entomology, Washington, D. C. 



There has been, and is, considerable confusion in the Phori- 

 dae with regard to the generic names, and having, during the 

 last seven years, done considerable work in this group, I have, 

 like others, been impressed with the necessity for something 

 like a definite arrangement of the genera and a decision as to 

 the validity of the various generic names used. 



If we leave out of consideration the Bibio florea of Fabricius 

 (Ent. Syst. IV, 255, 8, 1794), which may, or may not, be 

 synonymous with Trineura abdominalis, Fallen, the first spe- 

 cies to be described was atterima. Fab. (I.e. 334, 93) under 

 the generic title Musca. In 1802 Latreille erected the genus 

 Phora with Musca aterrima Fabr. as the type (Hist. Nat. d. 

 Crust, et d. Ins. Ill, 464, 1802). In 1803 Meigen created Tri- 

 neura with the same species as type (Illiger's Mag. f. Ins. II, 

 276, 88, 1803). Thus Trineura, Mg., is a synonym of Phora 

 Latr., which 'is the name that must be given to the genus having 

 aterrima as type, i. e. Trineura in the present acceptance of the 

 catalogs and authors. Lioy (Atti, Istit, Veneto, ser. Ill, X, 

 1864) attempted to subdivide the group, and owing to his im- 

 perfect knowledge of the species added very considerably to the 

 confusion (when taken seriously). I have had occasion to ex- 

 amine his paper while engaged upon my work in connection with 



