642 .ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [December, 



The launch was bowling along merrily through the sounds, and the 

 occupants were murdering green heads with fiendish energy. At every 

 point where the green blades of seaweed grew down to the edge of the 

 water hundreds of flies would be taken on board. The white foam in the 

 wake of the boat grew perceptibly less as the craft took in these new pas- 

 sengers, until at last the boat actually stopped. The terribly-bitten occu- 

 pants were amazed and mystified. An investigation resulted in the find- 

 of about two gallons of "green headers " tightly packed into one of the 

 air chambers which feed the flame with oxygen. The flies had been 

 drawn in by the suction until they were as solidly packed as powder and 

 shot in a gun barrel. It required an hour of patient work to remove the 

 mass of dead flies from the hot cylinder and get the boat in working 

 order again. During this hour the commodore and his companion were 

 almost devoured. After the cylinder had been relieved of its foreign 

 substance Commodore Scott tied a silk handkerchief over the air passage, 

 turned on all power, and left the flies guessing at the sudden burst of 

 speed of the boat Newspaper. 



Doings of Societies. 



At the October meeting of the Feldman Collecting Social, 

 held at the residence of Mr. H. W. Wenzel, 1523 South Thir- 

 teenth street, twelve persons were present. 



Mr. C. Schaeffer, of New York, recorded the capture of 

 Phyllobrotica dccurrata at Arlington, N. J., a species not before 

 recorded from New Jersey. 



Mr. C. F. Seiss remarked on specimens of Gryllotalpa borealis, 

 taken in the Phila. Neck, some which had just emerged from 

 the egg and were quite active, springing about when disturbed. 

 He believed that the species devours its young, as many 

 young ones which were confined in a box with a large female 

 specimen had disappeared. Other habits of the species were 

 dwelt on. 



Mr. Daecke spoke on collecting at Castle Rock, Pa., and 

 Manumuskin, N. J. At the latter place Pamphila attains was 

 taken. It is alllied to P. Iconardus, which seems to live in damp 

 places, whereas P. attains seeks the dryer localities. Also nu- 

 _ merous specimens of Jlfelipodcs jncunda were captured at the 

 same place. The species alights on the sand, which it closely 

 resembles in color, and is therefore difficult to see when at rest. 



Mr. F. Haimbach reported the capture of several specimens 

 of Citheronia rcgalis and l\aclcs impcrialis at Holly Beach, N. 

 J., and one locales imperial is var. didyma. 



