244 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [October, 



The above piece of newspaper entomology was sent to us by 

 a. valued correspondent who says : 



" Our favorite science is threatened with the danger of becom- 

 ing a fashionable fad with suitable costumes." We hardly think 

 the study of the Heterocera is in any danger and we would 

 rather encourage the ' dear girls ' in their pursuit, as we are sure 

 some of them would become properly interested in the science. 

 Even if they only destroyed the moths for sport they would be 

 no worse than our economic friends, who kill them, that misera- 

 ble farmers may have larger crops, which, of course, is a matter 

 of no importance (except to the farmer). 



THE LARGEST INSECT EGG. It may be as surprising and as interesting 

 to the readers of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS as it was to the writer to know 

 that certain beetle eggs are as large as those of a humming bird. 



Some time ago a letter was received from a correspondent in Bar- 

 berton, South African Republic, about " the beetle which lays an egg as 

 large as the humming bird egg." The writer replied, expressing some 

 incredulity, and by return mail received a female specimen of the large 

 Buprestid, Sternocera orissa. In the accompaning letter the correspond- 

 ent said that the beetle had laid an egg in the cyanide bottle in which it 

 was placed after capture, but that the egg had been lost. This statement 

 seemed to render the matter still more incredible, but, upon dissecting 

 the beetle, another fully developed egg was found, which, to our surprise, 

 measured 9.2 mm. in length, by 6.4 mm. in transverse diameter. Its 

 color was light reddish brown, and there was a beautiful reticulate sculp- 

 turing. None of the writer's associates had ever seen or heard of any- 

 thing of the sort, nor could a reference to the egg of Sternocera be found. 

 Mr. F. C. Pratt, an Englishman connected with the Department of Agri- 

 culture, and who was formerly employed by the British Museum, informed 

 the writer, however, that he had seen something similar in the British 

 Museum, and suggested that a letter to Mr. C O. Waterhouse might 

 bring out the facts. A letter was, therefore, written to Mr. Waterhouse, 

 who has very kindly and promptly replied that the large size of the eggs 

 of Sternocera is well known to him and to certain German dealers who 

 have offered them to the British Museum for sale. Mr. Waterhouse, how- 

 ever, is not aware of any record, except that Gory, in his monograph of 

 the Buprestidse, figures the egg of 6". chrysis, the figures being 9 mm. in 

 length. The eggs in the possession of the British Museum are said by 

 Mr. Waterhouse to be those of .5". sternicornis and are 7.5 mm. in length. 



.Thus the egg of 6". orissa mentioned above is probably the largest in- 

 sect egg of which any record has been made. The specimen has been 

 deposited in the collection of the U. S. National Museum. L. O. 

 HOWARD, Washington, D. C. 



