146 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, '05 



Quite a percentage of the species enumerated were captured 

 in the sweeping net. This method of collection has yielded 

 rich results in low lands, among growths of bushes, edging 

 woods, among clumps of annual and perennial plants in fence 

 corners, and among the varied growths of vegetation along 

 roadside fences and hedges. 



Another most prolific field for collection has been the inside 

 of the windows of houses, stores, barns, woodsheds and black- 

 smith shops of the village. Here I have found many of the 

 same species as in adjoining places where I have used the 

 sweeping net. But I have also found many rare and unique 

 forms which the net did not secure and which were evidently 

 cases where the insects, wandering in pursuit of their natural 

 hosts, were entrapped by the windows. 



One of the best collecting places I found to be the leaves and 

 shoots of the box elder (Negundo accroidcs,} of which there 

 were six trees in my yard. Here, throughout the season of 

 warmth, from March to October, I never failed to find a large 

 series of parisitic Hymenoptera and small Diptera, besides 

 various other insect forms. This species of tree is evidently 

 one which served as an acceptable substitute to a very great 

 variety of insect forms which had lost their original natural 

 food plant. 



My records show that the time of occurrence of this class of 

 insects varies immensely. Some species were found almost 

 constantly through the whole season, and were quite broadly 

 distributed, while others occurred only in isolated locations 

 and then only at special limited times. For instance, I found 

 Arenetra canadensis Cress., in flight only on two days during 

 my whole course of collection. This was on March 3rd and 

 March loth in early spring, when the air was very mild, and 

 yet snow remained a few feet from where the insects were in 

 flight. Another species, Glypta rufoplcuralis Walsh, I found 

 on April 27 and 28, 1896, on a few twigs of .Ncgundo aceroides 

 in my yard. They were in abundance on these dates on this 

 one spot on this single tree, but were not to be found on any of 

 the trees of same kind growing near although carefully 

 searched for. The only other specimens found were three on 



