lSg5-] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 19 



body without a complete collection of Cuban Psocidae could definitely 

 identify this species from the imperfect description; and to record it from 

 Mississippi 1 should say was pure guess-work. NATHAN BANKS. 



TRANSLATION FROM PLINY, IN ANTIQUE ENGLISH. The silk-worm. 

 " They build their nests of easth or clay, close sticking to some stone or 

 rock, in manner of salt; and withall so hard, that scarcely a man may 

 enter them with the point of a spear. In which they make also wax, but 

 in more plenty than bees; and after that bring forth a greater worme than 

 all the rest before rehearsed. These flies engender also after another sort 

 namely, of a greater worme or grub, putting forth two homes after that 

 kind; and these be certain canker wormes. Then these grow afterwards 

 to be Bombihi, and so forward to Necydali; of which in six months after 

 come the silk-wormes Bombyces. It is commonly said, that in the Isle 

 of Cos there will be certain silk-wormes engendered of flowers, which by 

 means of river showers are beaten downe and fall from the Cyprus tree, 

 terebinth, oke and ash; and they soon after doe quicken and take life by 

 the vapor arising out of the earth. And men say, that in the beginning 

 they are like unto little butterflies, naked, but after awhile, being impa- 

 tient of the cold, are overgrowne with hairs: and against the winter, 

 arme themselves with good thick clothes; for being rough-footed, as they 

 are, they gather all the cotton downe of the leaves which they can come 

 by. for to make their fleece. After this they fal to beat, to felt and thicken 

 it close with their feet, then to card it with their nailes; which clone they 

 draw it out at length, and hang it between branches of trees, and so 

 kembe it in the end to make it thin and subtill. When al is brought to 

 this passe, they enwrap and enfold themselves in a round bal and clew 

 of the thread, and so nestle within it. They are then taken up by men, 

 put in earthen pots, kept there warme, and nourished with bran, untill 

 such time as they have wings according to their kind; and being thus well 

 clad and appointed, they be let go to do other businesse." 



THE SAUVA ANT. Dr. Elliot Coues sends us the following extract from 

 a letter which he recently received from Dr. Alfred Alexander, of Minas- 

 Geraes, Brazil, which is well worth publishing: 



At Capocabano on the sea-shore just outside of the city of Rio, we had 

 a stable made of planks roughly put together. The Sauva, which were 

 very numerous in the neighborhood, were accustomed to climb up the 

 outside of this structure and to pass between the planks into the man-' i , 

 whence they came out laden with grains of Indian corn. One day I 

 watched them descending with their loads, and I observed that at a en-tain 

 entering angle a solitary ant was stationed who had undertaken the duty 

 of helping each separate comer to pass the difficult corner with his 1< ad. 



The Sauva are very destructive to the coffee trees and strip them of 

 their leaves. This is an acquired habit, for in the wilder parts uf tin- 

 State of Minas (the Sertae) they touch neither coffee trees nor hull, in 

 corn, probably preferring other plants. It is remarkable, however, that 



