Feb., 'lO] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 79 



appear by the wearing action of the sand, and he adds that late 

 in the season he got heavily immaculate specimens. It would 

 be interesting to learn how far this explanation accords with 

 the experience of collectors. On both Lucllam and Seven- 

 mile Beaches the sand is blown about almost constantly, but in- 

 dividuals taken in late September do not show any perceptible 

 difference in the intensity of the color from those taken in 

 mid-summer. 



The light coloration of C. dorsalis has been cited as an ex- 

 ample of protective coloration, in adaptation to the white sand 

 of the beach. This would be satisfactory if the animals were 

 frequenters of the dry sand of the upper strand, but, although 

 they are found there, they are much more abundant on the 

 lower wet strand, where the sand is a deep gray. Here, al- 

 though their colors partly blend with that of the sand, they do 

 so much less perfectly than those of either C. liirticollis or C. 

 inttrginata, both of which are exceedingly difficult to detect 

 when they alight. C. dorsalis, on the other hand, can be read- 

 ily seen. It might be suggested that it is of more value to 

 C. dorsalis to be better protected on the upper strand where it 

 probably deposits its eggs than on the lower strand. In the 

 latter place its enemies seem to be few, while on the upper 

 beach they are perhaps more numerous. This is especially 

 true of the large robber-flies which frequently kill the Cicin- 

 delas. 



C. lepida. 



In 1908 I found only two individuals of this species, both 

 taken on the outer sand dune at Sea Isle on July 6. On July 

 3, 1909, I found the species fairly common on the high sand 

 dunes at Peermont. A few \vere seen near the same place on 

 August 26, of which two were taken. One was seen at Ava- 

 lon as late as September 9, but was not captured. 



This species is never very abundant and, so far as my ob- 

 servations go, is confined to the more seaward dunes, espe- 

 -cially those which are relatively bare. It is most common in 

 early summer, but soon becomes scarce so that in August and 

 September it is rarely encountered. 



