136 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, 



On August i gth Mrs. S. and myself returned to Salt Lake, 

 and Monday the 2ist visited Red Butte Canon for the last time. 

 Satyrus ariane was abundant, but all old and mostly broken 

 specimens. A few Pamphila agricola, two Theda melimis, and 

 quite a number of Theda crysalus were taken. Two Catocala 

 were seen, the only specimens noted during our trip. Several 

 Syneda were seen, but of the genus Catocala both Park City and 

 Salt Lake regions seemed to be barren. On the mountains above 

 Park City Syneda adumbrata was abundant. 



Another, to me, unaccountable fact was, that nothing would 

 come to sugar. A preparation which always proves successful 

 here was tried at Park City, but nothing not one specimen, so far 

 as I could determine, came even to sample the mixture. Another 

 preparation, suggested by Mr. B. Neumoegen, was tried night 

 after night with the same results. I can only account for this in 

 one of two ways: either the nights were too cold, or the altitude 

 too great. What few Noctuids I took came to the light from my 

 lamp placed in an open window, or were taken during the day- 

 time on shrubs and grasses. 



Before closing this first article I wish to repeat and emphasize 

 two suggestions which I had from Dr. Skinner just after I began 

 collecting in Utah: First, "Take every specimen you see;" 

 second, ' ' Whenever possible take specimens of the sexes in coitu 

 placing them in same paper. ' ' 



I believe that no one can positively identify species on the wing. 

 In my own experience some of my best captures were made when 

 I supposed I was taking old acquaintances. A beautiful female 

 Argynnis leto was supposed to be a faded Vanessa antiopa until 

 Mrs. S. assured me it was not, and I captured it by way of proof. 



-o- 



ON THE GENUS ERAX. 



By S. W. WILLISTON. 



Next to Asilus, in its wide sense, there is no genus of the 

 Asilidae which presents more difficulties to the student than does 

 Erax. Osten Sacken well expresses these difficulties in his work 

 on the Central American Diptera in the "Biologia." There 

 are quite a number of species described by the older authors 

 which will probably never be determined with certainty until their 

 types are examined, if they ever are, for doubtless some of the 



