June, '05] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 207 



Mr. Wasmuth exhibited some specimens of turnus larvae 

 which he had taken in the latter part of November on wild 

 cherry, the leaves of which, still green, he had heretofore 

 found in December in sheltered localities in Brooklyn. 



Mr. Engelhardt reported taking in November, 1903, a brood 

 of antiopa larvae which emerged January, 1904, the imagines 

 being small with marginal maculation materially changed. 



Dr. Zabriskie exhibited a section of a nest of an unusually 

 large colony of the " Yellow Jacket," Vespa gcrmanica, which 

 he had excavated near his residence in Flatbush, L,. I., upon 

 the advent of cold weather. The nest originally consisted of 

 nine combs, the diameters of the central one measuring 6^2 

 inches by 9 inches respectively. The combs on either side 

 decreased gradually in size and their aggregate thickness 

 including the pedicels with which they were joined was some 

 6 inches to 7 inches. The exterior coverings adjacent to the 

 earth were so loose and flaky in texture as to render preserva- 

 tion in their original form impossible. Many mature insects 

 were found and three queens which were revived when 

 warmed. 



Messrs. Smith and Weeks both gave instances showing the 

 unusually abundant occurrence of this insect during the past 

 season, while on the other hand, as Prof. Smith stated, no Hcl- 

 iothis armigcr had been observed on the corn in southern 

 New Jersey. 



General discussion as to the cause of variation in frequency 

 of various species in certain years. 



Mr. Weeks, while admitting that parasites and other natural 

 enemies were factors, claimed that sudden climatic changes 

 were most fatal to insect life. So long as the process of devel- 

 opment of an egg or pupa had not been initiated great extremes 

 could be safely endured, but if, through the influence of favor- 

 able temperature, the egg or pupa were partially developed, 

 the larva recently hatched or about to moult, or the imago just 

 prepared for flight, the sudden advent of severe cold accom- 

 panied by violent winds and more or less long continued chill- 

 ing rains would almost inevitably result in the total annihila- 

 tion of a species for the time being within the territory affected, 



