138 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May r 



active early in May at the latest, if possible even during April, will then 

 feed upon the hibernating scales, produce larvae which become active 

 before the middle of May, and full fed about the beginning of June. The 

 San Jos6 Scale does not begin to reproduce in New Jersey until the first 

 days of June, and if we could get a month of feeding on the hibernating 

 adults by some predaceous species the check would be the most effective 

 possible. 



The Grain-feeding Palorus found in the United States. Palorus depressus 

 Fab. My attention has been called by a paper by Dr. G. C. Champion 

 in the "Entomologist's Monthly Magazine" for February (vol. xxxii. p. 

 26) to the fact that the Palorus occurring in this country and hitherto 

 mentioned by the writer and others as depressus Fab. or melinus Hbst. 

 resolves itself into two species, viz., ratzeburgi and subdepressus. The 

 melinus of Fabricius, according to Champion, turns out to be a true 

 Hypophlceus, therefore not, as stated in the Munich catalogue, synony- 

 mous with depressus. The latter I have not yet seen, and as it does not 

 seem to be known as an indoor pest perhaps does not occur in America. 



Palorus ratzeburgi Wissm. This is the commonest species found in 

 flour, meal and grain both in this country and abroad. It is of the same 

 size and general appearance as subdepressus, but is distinct from that spe- 

 cies by the structure of the head and particularly of the eyes. The latter 

 are smaller and more finely granulated, the ventral portion being very 

 much narrower; the sides of the front are only moderately elevated and 

 do not extend backward so as to conceal any portion of the eye and the 

 prothorax is noticeably broadened anteriorly. 



I have seen specimens from Detroit, Mich., New York city, Lebanon, 

 Ind., Kansas and Georgia, and have found it in abundance in flour, grain 

 and refuse from bakeries and feed-stores in the District of Columbia. 



Palorus subdepressus Well. This species lives in granaries in Europe, 

 and is said to have occurred in a shipment of ground nuts at Rouen. It 

 will doubtless in time be found to have similar habits in this country, but 

 at the present writing, so far as I know, has been taken only under bark. 

 Specimens in the National Museum are from Tallahassee, Fla., Texas and 

 Fresno County, California. A single example was taken by Mr. Linell 

 in a pharmacal -laboratory at Brooklyn, N. Y., and Mr. Schwarz has a 

 series taken years ago at Washington, but evidence is wanting to show 

 that the species has yet gained a foothold so far north. It is the species 

 observed by the writer at the Columbian Exposition in meal from Brazil. 



In this species the sides of the front are Strongly reflexed and extend 

 backward concealing the anterior margin of the eye as seen from above 

 and the prothorax is only slightly broader anteriorly. F. H. CHITTENDEN. 



Diabrotica vittata as a Greenhouse Pest. The depredations of this pt st, 

 both adults and larvae, on Cucurbs of the garden and truck farms is too 

 well known to require explanation. I have known them to appear sud- 

 denly and in great numbers in early Spring and attack young cucumber 

 plants growing under glass when this was removed from the plants during 



