March. '09! ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 137 



Notes and Ne\vs. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS 

 OF THE GLOBE. 



THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY for a number of years 

 has made the New England fauna and flora the leading feature of it> 

 museum. The main hall, including the gallery around it, is devoted tr> 

 the exhibition of New England animals. The mammals and birds are 

 displayed on the main floor. The lower vertebrates and all the in- 

 vertebrates have been placed in the gallery. 



Insects. Owing to their scientific interest and economic importance, 

 the insects are receiving special attention. On account of the vast 

 number of species and the diminutive size of many of them, only a 

 small proportion has been placed on exhibition. These are in the main 

 gallery, contained in some eighty glass-covered boxes. About 3,000 

 species are shown, which are representative of all the orders of insects, 

 and illustrate also galls, various kinds of injurious work, life histories, 

 and sundry economic features. 



It is estimated that over 11,000 insects have been recorded from 

 New England, and of this number there are more than 5,500 species 

 in the Society's collection. The Curator in charge is our esteemed 

 authority on Diptera, Mr. Charles W. Johnson. 



MELITAEA GILLETTEI BARNES. During the summer of 1906, while col- 

 lecting in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of Montana, I was fortunate 

 in obtaining a small series of this rare species, hitherto known only 

 from the type locality, Yellowstone Park, and Idaho. At the time of 

 capturing the specimens I noticed that they were of a species new to 

 me, but being far out in the wilds, I was unprepared to do better than 

 paper my captures. One $ which I confined, considerately deposited 

 a batch of eggs in the topsy-turvy way Melitaes sometimes have. I 

 could discern no differences between the eggs of gillettei and those of 

 chalcedon Boisd., both of which I had at the same time. Larvae and 

 chrysalids were also observed on the snow-berry, Symphoricarpus race- 

 mosus Michx., a common plant in that region. Five examples of 

 gillettei now before me are quite constant, no perceptible variation be- 

 ing displayed, and answer perfectly to the original description of Dr. 

 Barnes. Other specimens are in the collection of Mr. Fordyce Grinnell, 

 Jr., of Pasadena. It is somewhat of a mystery to me how such a dis- 

 tinct and noticeable species as the present one escaped detection for so 

 long, as it is apparently well distributed. Even while on the wing it pre- 

 sents a striking appearance and is not likely to be confused with any of 

 its congeneric forms. Elrod, in his Butterflies of Montana (Bull. Uni. 

 Montana), does not record it, although my specimens were taken only 

 about fifty miles from where his paper was written. KARL R. COOLIW.E. 



