ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 



AND 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION, 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, PHILADELPHIA. 



VOL. VII. 



JUNE, 1896. 



No. 6. 



CONTENTS: 



An industrious Philadelphia collector.. 161 

 Bruce Collecting on the " Crest of the 



Continent" 162 



King Mixed colonies of ants 167 



Fox Oxybelus sparideus 171 



Lyman On the occurrence of Chiono- 



bas tarpeia in North America 172 



Blanchard " A new parasite" i?3 



Kellogg The imprudent Phryganidian 174 



Editorial 176 



Economic Entomology 177 



Notes and News 178 



Entomological Literature 180 



Doings of Societies 183 



Entomological Section 184 



Williston A new gen. of Hippoboscidae 184 

 Wheeler A new genus and species of 



Dolichopodidas 185 



Wheeler A new Empid with remark- 

 able middle tarsi 189 



AN INDUSTRIOUS PHILADELPHIA COLLECTOR. 



James Ridings was born at Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, Eng- 

 land, April 30, 1803, died in Philadelphia, July 29, 1880, aged 

 77 years. His early years present the usual uneventful history 

 of an English boy. In 1830 he came to this city and soon be- 

 came acquainted with Drs. Rush and McClellan, who knowing 

 his tastes urged him to pursue his studies and gave him every 

 encouragement. He continued collecting in this locality, and, 

 by his example, stimulated others, and thus assisted in forming 

 the nucleus of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, which 

 was founded in 1859, the name of which was subsequently changed 

 to the American Entomological Society. 



He did not confine himself to this vicinity in collecting, but 

 made numerous journeys, more or less distant, to Colorado and 

 Kansas in 1864, Georgia in 1865, and many times to the Shen- 

 andoah Valley, of Virginia, which was always a favorite locality 

 with him. 



Mr. Ridings was always glad to be of assistance to others, and 

 many among us remember his kindly advice and gifts of speci- 

 mens. Distrustful of his own ability, and naturally retiring, he 



