3 4 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



ferns Champ., is a very abundant species, being found on her- 

 bage in the thickets and less frequently on the more open ground. 

 It is active and takes flight very readily if disturbed. Polypria 

 crux-rufa is new to our lists, and is provisionally referred to the 

 family Melandryidse by Mr. Champion in the " Biologia Centrali- 

 Americana. " I took one specimen at Brownsville, and I think 

 Prof. Townsend got another. It is recorded from various points 

 in Central America, ranging from Mexico to Nicaragua. The 

 insect is about eight millimeters long, blackish, the abdomen, 

 legs, antennae and elytra yellowish, though not of equal depth 

 of color. The elytral suture is marked with a dark stripe, some- 

 what dilated at base and apex and crossed by a transverse post- 

 median band. The color of these markings seems to vary; 

 Chevrolat describes them as being rufous in his specimen; Cham- 

 pion says they are piceous on the edges, while in my example 

 they are entirely piceous. Pyrota tenuicostatus Duges (dubitabilis 

 Horn) was noticed in great numbers by Prof. Townsend early in 

 the season, but being late I only got one. Epicauta tarsalis fed 

 in small swarms on mesquite. 



The Rhynchophora abound in species, most of which are, for 

 the present, indeterminate. Coleocems marmoratus was observed 

 on mesqiiite and huisache; Anthonomus ligatus on Aster spinosus. 

 Anthonomus grandis, the destructive cotton weevil, was at work 

 in the fields. Cylas formicaries, a sweet-potato pest, was seen 

 but once. Several rare Scolytidae and Anthribidse were beaten 

 from dead twigs, but as they are small, and no definite record of 

 food-plant can be given, they need no further mention here. 



Returning about the last of July the trip to Alice was made 

 without entomological results en route. However, a passing in- 

 terest was aroused by the driver losing his way during the night, 

 most of which was consequently spent in driving aimlessly over 

 the wide prairies. Only daylight and the intervention of a Mex- 

 ican cowboy sufficed to set him right after he had retraced much 

 of the distance back towards Brownsville. From Alice the rail- 

 road was called into service, and a short stop at Laredo served 

 to show that the fauna there was characteristic of the arid Sonoran 

 /.one. 



A PHOTOGRAPH for the album of the American Entomological Society 

 has been received from Charles A. Blake. 



