64 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February, 



Most unfortunately, the unique type was attacked by Anthrenus 

 while I was away during the Summer, owing to its not hiving 

 been transferred to the general collection. There is, however, 

 quite sufficient remaining to give the differential characters. 



The species is apparently nearest to lepidus, but differs in its 

 long marginal cell and in the second submarginal receiving the 

 first recurrent beyond the middle. In the latter character it re- 

 sembles alcanor, from which it differs in color and other particu- 

 lars. From castanea it is at once separated by its color and the 

 shape of the first abdominal segment. In the generic description 

 of Brachycistis ; 'one very short, truncate marginal" must be 

 altered to read " one marginal, truncate, often very short." 



Note on habits of B. idiotes, etc. In September Brachycistis glabrcl- 

 lus, B. castaneus and B. elegantn'its were taken at light in the Mesilla 

 Valley, the first named being especially numerous. Not a single //. 

 idiotes or B . lepidus was to be seen, and when idiotes was described I 

 knew it only from the one specimen taken in Las Cruces last Autumn. 

 In November two B. lepidus were found drowned in the horse-trough at 

 the Agricultural College one on November 5th, the other on November 

 22d. In the same month two B. idiotes came to the lamp at my house in 

 Las Cruces, one on November 2ist, the other on November 25th. Another 

 idiotes entered my house about the middle of December. During this 

 period (November, December) nothing was seen of glabrellus, castaneus 

 or elegantulus. Thus it is seen that idiotes and lepidus appear in late 

 Autumn, after the Summer species have disappeared: to this fact must 

 doubtless be ascribed the non-discovery, until last year, of so large and 

 easily recognized a species as idiotes. The size of idiotes varies, the 

 largest (type) is fully as large as lepidus, the smallest only n mm. long. 

 T. D. A. COCKERELL, December, 1894. 



OBITUARY. 



The death has been announced of Dr. GEORGE MARX, of Washington, 

 D. C. Dr. MARX was well known as a writer on spiders and as the author 

 of a catalogue of the described Araneae of Temperate North America. 



GEORGE D. BRADFORD, a promising young entomologist, and corre- 

 sponding secretary of the New York Entomological Society, died at his 

 home, in New York City, Nov. 24, 1894, of typhoid fever; he was born 

 May TI, 1873. 



BERTHOLD NEUMOEGEN died of consumption on January 2ist. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS for January, was mailed January 4, 1895. 



