80 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [xxxii, '21 



slender dorsal projection near its tip, which may show a 

 slight lateral projection ; in occidcntalis from California the 

 valve is without this spine-like process, but in its place exhibits 

 two low angular prominences in all the specimens examined. 

 In specimens from Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Califor- 

 nia we find a variable development of two slender processes 

 from a common base, a slender process with a long branch, 

 or a long, rather thick process more or less deeply bifurcate 

 at its tip. It is impossible to draw a definite line between 

 the extreme forms, so we prefer to retain the old conception of 

 occidcntalis as a pale western race of tcsscllata, limited in range 

 to the Pacific Coast States and portions of those immediately 

 to the east. The race is not at all well marked, for in any part 

 of the country the extent of the white areas of tcsscllata is 

 subject to great variation. 



******* 



The difficulty of formulating any superficial distinction be- 

 tween macdunnoughi Oberth. and .vanthus Edw. recently led 

 us to examine the genitalia of the two species, which prove to 

 be identical. Our three specimens of macdunnoitghi and one 

 now in the National Museum are quite similar in appearance, 

 while four specimens of .ranthus are of as many different 

 forms. The specimens of macdunnoughi, however, are all 

 from one place, Redington, Arizona, while those of .ranthus 

 are from four different localities. We may, therefore, safely 

 conclude that macdunnoughi is a synonym of xanthus, a 

 variable species as are all of our others in this genus. 



Sympetrum atripes (Hagen) a good Species (Odon.). 



By R. HEBER HOWE, JR., Thoreau Museum of Natural History, 



Concord, Massachusetts. 



In a collection of New England Odonata that Mr. George 

 C. Wheeler has given me for determination I have found two 

 interesting captures. The first, three specimens of Agrion 

 amatum (Hagen) from Petersham, Massachusetts (1000 ft.) 

 taken along the Swift River, July 19, 1920. The second, 

 two (damaged) males of Sympetrum atripes (Hagen) col- 



