Vol. xxiii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 465 



Virginia. They were already cocooned. On the twentieth of 

 the same month they were opened, exposing the caterpillar, 

 now nearly naked from the fact that its clothing of long hairs 

 had been used to make the peculiar, lidded cocoon. 



3. A Courting Habit of Epicauta. (Coleop.). 



The male of Epicauta cinerea, when courting, strokes the 

 body of the female from end to end with its long antennae, in 

 the meanwhile making frequent advances by attempting to 

 unite with her. The male is repulsed time after time, but con- 

 tinues the monotonous performance for long intervals. Sex- 

 ual union continues for hours. 



4. Notes on Solenozopheria vaccinii Ashmead. (Cynipoidea, Hym.). 



The tuber-like galls of this species were obtained at Cum- 

 berland, Maryland, on huckleberry, August 16, 1903. The 

 identification was made by Ashmead. They occur on the stems 

 and branches and are fleshy but firm, pinkish-red in color or 

 green flushed with pinkish ; kidney-shaped to irregular and 

 lobed; the larval cells are of medium size. 



The galls on young plants appear to check growth ; on older 

 plants they cause stems to bend nearly upon themselves, the 

 gall forming an elbow. The galls were occasional to common. 

 The larvae at this date were immature, but parasites were issu- 

 ing from the galls in numbers continuing up to September 9, 

 1903. On September 12, 1903, a gall of this species was found 

 on huckleberry at West Annapolis, Maryland. 



5. On Callirhytis seminator. (Cynipoidea, Hym,). 



This beautiful gall is common in the vicinity of Blacksburg, 

 Virginia, on white oak. A number of them were collected on 

 June 24, 1903: at that date their age varied, but adults were 

 emerging from the mature galls. The young galls consist of a 

 radiating mass of larval cases on a common receptacle at the 

 end of a twig at the base of a leaf petiole. Each larval case 

 is surmounted by a glossy white substance resembling glass 

 wool, and which by combination with that of adjoining cases 

 forms a complete, globular and more or less compact woolly 

 ball. As the galls increase in size and approach maturity, the 



