60 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., '09 



borings were mere shells. The pupal chamber, which is 

 slightly wider than the pupa, is frequently curved, and extends 

 underground for its greater length ; its lower end is usually 

 the filled-up continuation of a gallery. The chamber is well 

 lined with silk, and its upper end connecting with the exterior 

 is closed with bits of frass, etc., secured together with silk. 

 All the enlargements of this tube are carefully filled in. 



I obtained from larvae and pupse about 20 imagines, which 

 emerged from July 8th to July 2Oth. Like Vespamina se- 

 quoiae and other sesians, polygoni has a long season, and 

 larvae of various sizes (though the majority of them well 

 grown) were found in July and August. 



This pretty little species is beautifully illustrated in Beu- 

 tenmuller's "Monograph of the Sesiidas of North America 

 North of Mexico." The insect was described by Hy. Edwards 

 ("Papilio," Vol. I, p. 202, 1881) from i male taken on Poly- 

 gonum maritimum, San Miguel, Cal. 



Pterophorus baccharides Gr inn ell. 



This large pale-colored plume-moth has been recently de- 

 scribed by Mr. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. (Canadian Entomologist, 

 Vol. XL, pp. 317-318, 19/08) from specimens reared by me 

 from the stems of Baccharis pilularis in San Francisco. 



The insect is quite common here as well as at Stanford Uni- 

 versity and at Carmel in Monterey Co., and probably has a 

 wide coast distribution. The wood-boring habit of the larva is 

 interesting, but not unique among the Pterophoridse. 



Description of a nearly mature larva (fig. 12). Head pale brown, 

 darker about the mouth and along the sides, clypeus not reaching half 

 way to vertex. Body of uniform thickness, somewhat depressed, shin- 

 ing white, with slight creamy yellow tinge ventrad; cervical shield 

 strong, pale brownish, with two transverse patches of small dark brownish 

 tubercles, interspersed rather sparsely with hairs, the first patch the 

 narrower. On the second and penultimate segments is a less developed 

 patch. On each side of the dorsal line an irregular, rather broad and 

 broken purple line; subdorsad a heavier, wider purple band; and below 

 the brownish spiracles an indistinct geminate line of the same color, 

 with an extended blotch just cephalad of each spiracle. Indications of 

 another line below lateral fold. Body with sparse brownish hairs, ex- 



