OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XII, lilld. 61 



Aspidiotus circularis Fitch, 3d Rep. Nox. Ins. N. Y., p. 

 426 (1856), can never be specifically determined, because the 

 single remaining type specimen is immature and in poor con- 

 dition. It appears to be either Aspidiotus ancylus Putn. or 

 A . forbesi Johns. 



Mr. Schwarz related the history of the Fitch collection and 

 note-books and the method in which part of them had been 

 purchased by the Department of Agriculture from a dealer in 

 second-hand books and insects in Philadelphia. 



The second paper was by Mr. Knab, as follows. 



THE FEEDING-HABITS OF GERANOMYIA. 



[Diptera, Tipulidte.] 

 BY FREDERICK KNAB. 



Among the Tipulidse there are a number of genera which 

 possess a greatly elongated proboscis. This peculiarity indi- 

 cates specialization in feeding-habit and a natural suggestion 

 is that these insects feed upon the nectar of flowers or upon 

 vegetable juices. Definite information upon this subject is, 

 however, very scant. It would seem that, with the exception 

 of Geranomyia, nothing has been made known concerning the 

 feeding-habits of these genera, and even with this genus, so 

 common in North America, information is meager and un- 

 satisfactory. 



Say, in his original description of Geranomyia rostra fa, 

 states that this insect occurs "on flowers." 



Osten-Sacken makes the statement that in Geranomyia the 

 proboscis is "used for sucking moisture and flowers, "f 



The only definite records I have found are by Robertson 

 and by Graenicher. Robertson has recorded Geranomyia 

 canadensis as sucking the flowers of Cacalia reniformis Mulh. , 

 a composite % Graenicher has recently reported the same 

 species as a flower-visitor of the composites Solidago jnncea 

 Ait. and Rndbeckia hirta L. These records are unsatisfac- 

 tory, at least from the entomologist's standpoint, in that they 

 do not indicate that more than a stray specimen was seen, nor 

 supply further data, such as the sex of the specimen or the 



*Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Ill, (isi>3), p. '1\\. 

 tSmiths. Misc. Coll., No. 2U> (ISlili), p. 78. 

 {Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, VII (isitii), p. 17!). 

 Bull. Wise. Nat. Hist. Soc., VII (11)09), pp. rxi, (14. 



