108 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



THE EXCEEDINGLY NUMEROUS APPEARANCE OF A 



PHRYGANID. 



BY DR. H. A. HAGEN, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



I received, May 8th, 1880, the following notice from Mr. W. F. Bassett, 

 of Waterbury, Conn. : 



" The insects are just now so abundant at Birmingham, on the Housa- 

 tonic River, that the inhabitants are forced to keep their houses 

 closed as far as possible. Birmingham is at the head of tide water, and 

 the flies are there called shad flies." 



The species is Brachycenttus fuliginosus, and I can add that its Euro- 

 pean relative, B. subnubilus, has the same habits, and is sometimes 

 very obnoxious in Russia. The cases of the larvae are very inter- 

 esting from their quadrangular shape. 



ON DESCRIBING LARVAE. 



BY D. W. COQUILLETT, WOODSTOCK, ILL. 



In order to secure a greater uniformity in the descriptions of Lepidop- 

 terous larvae taken by different authors, I would suggest the general 

 adoption of the following terms for the various markings and parts of a 

 caterpillar's body : The line in the middle of the back is the Dorsal line ; 

 that which includes the spiracles is the Stigmatal line ; and the line mid- 

 way between the dorsal and stigmatal lines is the Subdorsal line. That 

 part of the body which lies between the dorsal and subdorsal lines is the 

 Subdorsal space ; and that part which lies between the subdorsal and 

 stigmatal lines is the Stigmatal space. The under part of the body is the 

 Venter ; and that part of the body which lies between the spiracles and 

 base of the legs is the Subventer. 



If these terms were adopted by every person who describes a larva, 

 his description would be of greater value to economic entomologists than 

 if he were to use terms of his own proposing. 



