1891.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 121 



Committee: C. P. Machesney, 65 Broadway, X. V.; Dr. Henry Skinner, 

 Amer. Ent. Soc., Logan Square, Philadelphia; Prof. J. B. Smith, Xew 

 Brunswick, N. J. ; H. W. Wenzel, 1115 Moore Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



OF Amphion nessits, Dr. Holland is recorded as saying (in Smith's 

 "Sphingidee of America North of Mexico," page 126) that "if flying in 

 the middle of the day he ' has noticed that it always keeps in the shadow, 

 or slyly hovers about among the thick masses of the Syringa blossoms 

 in the deep umbrageous recesses, where it is not easily reached by the 

 net of the collector.' ' This is at variance with my observation. June i, 

 1890, I collected some 18-19 imagines (images) in the hot sunshine, be- 

 tween i and 3 P.M., all feeding on the flowers of Blue Flag (Iris versicolor). 

 My attention was called to the spot in a swampy meadow in one of our 

 suburban districts of Westchester County by a few fine Papilio tiirmis 

 hovering over the blue masses of Iris. The A. nessus had no opportunity 

 to hide in trying to obtain nectar from the open flowers of Blue Flag, and 

 was easily taken while exploring the tubular Corolla for dainties. Out of 

 some twenty specimens I saw on two successive Sundays feeding on Iris 

 versicolor, I only missed one. Neither did they exhibit any greater shy- 

 ness than does Hemaris thysbc visiting the thistle flowers. Of course the 

 large flowers of Blue Flag do not compare favorably with the thyrses of 

 Lilac blossoms, many hundreds of which are closely crowded together, 

 and a hawk moth in visiting its flowers, of necessity must frequently ap- 

 pear to be in the shadow of the larger flower truss of Syringa vulgaris, or 

 S. persica. In July, 1889, I took a single specimen of A. tiessus feeding 

 on the flowers of a Deutzia crenatd. I could not readily take it, because 

 it so dodged in and out among the white flowers of the drooping raceme, 

 that it was difficult to follow its rapid movements. Go to Blue Flag when 

 in flower, and it is not difficult at all to take A. nessus. R. KUNZE, M.D. 



IN some years' collecting in Essex County, N. J., I have always noted, 

 with more or less interest, the small colonies of one of our common 

 "ladybirds," Megilla maculata, which hibernate under leaves, stones, 

 etc., through the Winter. These colonies have always ranged from 100 

 to 200 individuals with occasionally one of some 500. On March 6th I 

 found one of unusual size, and being curious as to the number it contained, 

 I collected the entire colony with 'the help of my brother. It numbered 

 1412. They were on the south side of a chestnut tree under a small 

 cluster of old chestnut burs. I thought this large number collecting, 

 whether for social or sexual purposes (and I am inclined to think the latter 

 has a good deal to do with it), might be interesting to some of the readers 

 of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS who are coleopterists. RALPH HOPPINV,. 



A WORD about Argynnis idalia, which are with difficulty taken even 

 when feeding on their favorite swamp milkweed (Aslcpias in earn a fa). 

 Not far from New Rochelle, \\Vstchester County, N. Y., in a wet swamp, 

 I obtain some specimens every season. In July, 1890, when this milkweed 

 was in full flower, I went there as usual with my largest net, fifteen inches 

 in diameter, with which I can capture twice the number than with an 



