THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 67- 



thick as a common knitting needle, and twenty-three inches long, as 

 nearly as it could be measured, I kept it in a 4-ounce bottle in hydrant 

 water, which was changed occasionally. It amused itself by looping into 

 all sorts of complex knots, and again straightening out, but so slowly that 

 its movements were tedious to observe. With age the colour faded to pale 

 yellow. It lived till March, when unfortunately I supplied it with boiled 

 water (cold, however,) from the hot water spigot, and when I observed it 

 again it was lifeless, and had turned brown. It is now in alcohol. This 

 occurred three years ago, and I was promised more specimens, but till 

 date none have come to hand. My acquaintance with Gordius is limited 

 to the statements found in works of entomology, where it is alluded to as 

 parasitic only on insects and spiders. Though not strictly entomological, 

 a paper from some one acquainted with this family would prove very 

 instructive. 



TEXAN FORFICULID^. 



BY SAMUEL H. SCUDDER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



Only seven species of this family of Orthoptera are as yet known from 

 Texas. More species must occur along the southern border, but so little 

 attention has been paid to this family that it may be long before the fauna 

 is fairly well known. Perhaps the publication of this list may help to 

 swell the number. One species is described more fully than ever before 

 for readier identification. All the species mentioned are briefly charac- 

 terized in a synopsis of the N. American species in the Bulletin of the 

 U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., vol. ii., p. 249. 



Labidura riparia (Pall.) A single specimen, from the collection of 

 Mr. Uhler, was collected in (western?) Texas by Capt. (now Gen.) Pope, 

 March 10. 



Spongophora brunneipetniis Serv. A common species', apparently, 

 in all parts of the State. Mr. Belfrage has taken it at Clifton, and also in 

 other parts of the State. Mr. Boll found it not uncommon at Dallas. 

 Immature specimens were taken by him Feb. 17, and mature in bottoms 

 on Feb. 23 and Aug. 19. This species is the Forf. flavipes of Schaum 

 MSS., under which name I formerly distributed some specimens. I 

 append a description drawn up from more than twenty specimens, mainly 

 from Texas and Florida. 



