1 895.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 135 



Many of these beetles were found apparently hybernating under 

 bark, boards or rubbish, and were quite torpid. The species 

 most common here last season were not found at all, or in very 

 small numbers. The little Anthicid, Mecynotarsus elegans, so 

 very abundant on the hot white sand near the ocean last year 

 was scarce and hard to find; I saw none at all untiLa few days 

 before I came away, when I secured a few. The large "whitish 

 green weevil, Pachnaus dislans, was taken hybernating u*der the 

 fibrous sheaths of the leaves of cocoanut palms. Artipusflondanus 

 was found in same situations. But my most interesting work in 

 beetle hunting was done by dredging. Much of the land here is 

 drained for cultivation by ditches in which the water (brackish) 

 always stands at about the level of hightide in the sea. In these, 

 with a very roughly improvised net made of a piece of muslin 

 sewed to an awkwardly bent bit of iron wire whose twisted ends 

 made the only handle I could contrive, I dredged with much 

 success. I took in this way thirteen species, some common, 

 some rare. Among them were Rhantus calidus, Bidessus exig- 

 uus< Coptotomus obscurus, Berosus striatus and Canthydrus gib- 

 bulus. Perhaps the most abundant was Hydrophilus nimbatus. 

 There was one handsome Thermonectes, which Mr. Liebeck labels 

 ornaticollis? On the ocean beach I found a few specimens of 

 Phaleria longula, and P. picipes under timber or seaweed, but 

 they were not common. In same situation I found one P&dems 

 floridanus and several specimens of Aleochara sp. Flying along 

 the sand in the hot sunshine I took, one day, two specimens of 

 Pompilus juxta, a pretty black and red sand- wasp, not hitherto 

 recorded from the United States. I saw very few larvae of any 

 kind. Three or four caterpillars, evidently Ecpantheria scribonia 

 were found torpid under boards. In the trunk of a cocoanut tree, 

 in a sort of cocoon made by hollowing out a cell, and lining it 

 with silk mixed with bits of wood as fine as sawdust, I found a 

 whitish, grub like larva. I cut out the piece of wood containing 

 the cocoon and took it home. I dared not examine the larva very 

 closely for fear of disturbing it. Its general color was sordid 

 white and it had inconspicuous tubercles each bearing a fine, 

 short hair. It left its old cell and constructed a fresh one in the 

 same piece of wood. There it remained, alive, but without food 

 as far as I could judge, for two weeks. Then it pupated, and at 

 the expiration of three weeks more, there emerged a fine, perfect 



