OF WASHINGTON. 17 



attracted by swarms of a minute fly of a species that I had 

 never noticed before. These flies abounded on certain wooden 

 uprights in a clover and timothy meadow. They were exceed- 

 ingly active and when disturbed would move to a new location 

 and alight, but were constantly in motion while on the wood, 

 running about in an apparently aimless manner. 



A sweep of the net captured hundreds of them from the 

 myriads present. The species was determined by Mr. D. W. 

 Coquillett, who informed me that it had been reported from 

 Missouri, but that no examples had been placed in the National 

 Museum prior to those collected by myself. It may be of wide 

 distribution, but its small size would prevent its being noticed 

 unless occurring in the numbers I observed in Ohio. 



Nothing seems to be known of its life history. 



TENACITY OF LIFE IN EVANIA URBANA BRADLEY. 



[Hymenoptera, Evaniidse.] 

 By C. N. AlNSLlE. 



An interesting instance of tenacity of life came under my 

 observation in Washington during September, 1907. 



An individual of that peculiar species of Hymenoptera, 

 Evania urbana, while running about the office floor at 904 

 B street, S. W., met with the serious misfortune of losing 

 its head by an accidental and wholly unintended movement of 

 my foot. The catastrophe broke the neck of the insect neatly 

 without at all bruising or crushing either the head or body. 

 To help the poor fellow all I could I attached the completely 

 severed head to the body by means of shellac, and laid the 

 patient aside in a vial to see if the operation would prove 

 successful. The decapitation occurred about 10 o'clock in the 

 forenoon. That afternoon at 4 130 o'clock the insect was still 

 alive, the feet were moving, and the antennae waving with some 

 animation, but there was no attempt at locomotion. 



Next morning the body was apparently lifeless, for I could 

 detect no motion of the tarsi, but there was still a slight motion 

 of the antennae, showing that the head retained its vitality 

 longer than the body. About 10:30 I could see no movement, 

 and it is probable that life became extinct about twenty-four 

 hours after the tragedy took place. I have often observed an 

 injured insect live longer than this one, but never one from 

 which the head had been completely removed. 



