Oct., '07] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 367 



the length of her body, and after feeling a little, fits the tip of the 

 abdomen into the excavation and places an egg. After deposition she 

 wheels in her tracks with almost military precision, simply reversing 

 her position and commences to prepare another place for an egg in the 

 same excavation. The female works with economy, wheeling about 

 each time, so that the tip of the abdomen approached the excavation 

 at each deposition, and then again to the rear, so that the jaws would 

 strike the excavation when about to prepare a place for the next egg. 

 Thus, in preparing the cavity, the beetle was facing up, with her body 

 below it ; when about to deposit the first egg she simply moved 

 forward the length of her body, and afterwards simply wheeled in her 

 tracks, when about to prepare a place for the second egg. The 

 succeeding depositions were executed by wheeling about each time. 

 Therefore, each completed movement, consisting of two wheels to the 

 rear, accomplished the deposition of two eggs, occupying about 4^2 

 minutes. 



During the observation the female deposited at least 15 eggs, using 

 the same nidus, and being engaged on the eighth completed movement. 

 The specimen was determined through the kindness of Dr. L. O. 

 Howard. A. A. GIRAULT. 



AN EVIL-SMELLING BEETLE. For a number of years past the writer 

 has been receiving accounts from his friends, who make their summer 

 homes on the shores of Muskoka Lake, of a certain insect, which is 

 said at times to occur quite numerously and to emit a fearfully re- 

 pellant odor. Several attemots to identify the insect have been made 

 at my request, and specimens of various lepidoptera, diptera, hymenop- 

 tera, and hemiptera have been submitted to the writer, all of which 

 were unmistakably incapable of producing the nauseous exhalations 

 which were complained of. Recently, however, the true offender has 

 come to hand, and it turns out to be the small carabid beetle known 

 to science as Nomdus pyguincus Dejean, and it should be called the pole- 

 cat of the coleoptera. There is only one species of the genus known. 

 It occurs in southern Europe and in many places in our own country 

 from Georgia to California and as far north as Lake Superior. Accord- 

 ing to Dr. LeConte the beetle "exhales a strong, fetid odor." The 

 specimens received in the mail, which are before me as I write, do 

 indeed exhale an exceedingly strong odor, comparable to that of a 

 mouse well advanced in the process of decomposition. I can well 

 understand that the tenants of the beautiful cottages about Beaumaris, 

 if these insects arc numerous, must lie at times greatly annoyed by 

 them. W. J. HOLLAND. 



THE HEADQUARTERS of the Newark Entomological Society, on the 

 fourth floor of the Newark Turn Hall, was completely destroyed by 

 fire in the early morning of June 3d, 1907. The conflagration demol- 



