68 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [ Ma\ ', 



So clearly, the Aculeata do not always escape! Myzine sex- 

 cincta is marked pretty much as most of the species of \ ~cs/>a, 

 Odvncnis and Crabro, and yet is not protected. So here is the 

 great class of yellow markings on black, apparently useless for 

 warning purposes. The humming and buzzing of bees may 

 likely frighten their enemies in some cases. Certainly it scares 

 those of the genus Homo in most cases. But that has nothing to 

 do with the colors. 



There seems to be a tendency for insects which are carnivorous 

 in their early stages to be metallic, but there are very many ex- 

 ceptions to this rule. Thus in Coleoptera the Carabidas are often 

 metallic, but so are many of the plant-feeding Chrysomelicke and 

 several of the Curculionidae, while many carnivorous beetles are 

 dull. In Diptera, the blow-fly, Lucilia, is metallic. In Hymen- 

 optera, the parasitic Chalcididre are mostly metallic, while the 

 plant-feeding Cynipidae are brown, black or yellowish. And so 

 on through numerous examples. 



So much then on the colors of the stinging and stingless Hy- 

 menoptera. The question remains, what are they for? Win- 

 do they exist ? 



o 



COLLECTING BY LAMPLIGHT. 



BY A. S. VAX WINKLE. 



Xo doubt many entomologists have spent night alter night col- 

 lecting different species of moths which can only be taken after 

 dark. Many a time have I spent night after night, alone, dm\n 

 in the dark forest bordering the Mississippi in collecting on very 

 warm, dark and damp nights when the harvest would be ver) 

 productive, as many different species ot Bombycidae, Xoctuid.i . 

 GeometricUe, Pyralida-, Tortricid:e, Tineidie and Pterophorid.e 

 would be captured, while on other nights I would be dm mud t> 

 disappointment for after being up almost night 1 would collect 

 little or nothing. 



When one reads Dr. Wallace's delightful work entitled, " Tin- 

 Malay Archipelago," giving his experience of collecting in the 

 e.i^iern Tropics, especially the part referring to the subject of 

 moth collecting at night, he cannot tail to appreciate its impor- 

 tance. Knowing full well that the readers of KNTO.MOI.IHIICAL 



