OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XIV, WlL>. 13 



to the great variability of the form before him. Dr. Dyar 

 further stated that he had a suspicion that the forms would 

 ultimately prove to be varieties of one species, in which case 

 it would be found that Smith's earlier position, which he now 

 so radically repudiates, was in fact the more correct one. 



In regard to the names of these forms, Dr. Dyar said that 

 in spite of the discussion, the types of the original Plconectyp- 

 tera fiuitima Smith had not been fixed. The species was 

 based on four specimens and Dr. Dyar proposed herewith to 

 restrict the types to the two in the National Museum. This 

 makes P. tcnalis Smith synonymous with P. fniitiina, and 

 leaves the name P. ciimulalis Dyar available for the other 

 form, all as stated in Dr. Dyar's paper published in the 

 Pomona College Journal of Entomology. 



Mr. Walton presented the following: 



NOTES ON CERTAIN SPECIES OF FLIES. 



BY W. R. WALTON. 

 Microdon laetus Locw. 



The writer has already published a note regarding this 

 syrphid in Entomological News. It is listed among the ad- 

 ditional species but not described in Dr. Williston's Synopsis 

 of the North American Syrphidse. The type locality is Cuba, 

 but the present specimens were collected near Harrisburg, 

 Pennsylvania, by Mr. Frank Craighead and H. L. Adams, re- 

 spectively. There is also one additional specimen in the col- 

 lection of Mr. E. Daecke at Harrisburg, which was collected 

 by the writer. 



Eristalis montanus Williston. 



Dr. Willistou described this species from a unique male 

 taken at Como, Wyoming, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, and 

 the female has since been described by Mr. W. D. Hunter 

 (Can. Eut., vol. xxvm, p. 98). Specimen was taken at Soda 

 Springs, Idaho. Mr. Hunter subsequently collected several 

 specimens in northwestern Nebraska. All the specimens so 

 far recorded have been taken at elevations exceeding 4,000 

 feet. The present specimen was collected at Real del Monte, 

 Mexico, a silver-mining camp 9,000 feet above sea level, by 

 Mr. H. T. Van Ostrand. This is one of the few species of 

 Eristalis from North America not hitherto represented in the 

 collection of the U. S. National Museum. 



