100 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 



hundred and sixty species (eight are already prepared), besides two or 

 three plates with details of neuration, etc. 



E. L. Ragonot, Banker, 1 2 quai de la Rapee. 

 Vice-President of the Socie'ti Entomologique de France. 

 Paris, France, June 4, 1884. 



INSECTS SWARMING ABOUT lULUS. 



Dear Sir : — The following observation may have a bearing on the 

 facts communicated by Mr. J. A. Lintner to a late number of your paper. 

 (See Can. Entom., April 1884, v. 16, p. 80.) Several years ago I found a 

 large living Itihis surrounded by a swarm of minute Diptera, apparently 

 similar to the species that often breeds abundantly in stale lemonade and 

 similar mixtures. Whether the Diptera I observed were really Dros- 

 ophilidce or not I cannot say, because I did not examine them carefully. 

 I saved specimens of the flies, but they have been lost. At the time that 

 I saw them I supposed that they were attracted to the lulus by the 

 odorous fluid secreted by its lateral glands — a fluid that is quite acid — 

 and I afterwards thought that it would be an interesting experiment to 

 expose a specimen of lulus, after irritating it thoroughly to cause it to 

 pour out some of its secretion, in a cage out of doors, to see if these flies 

 would not be attracted by its acid fluid. The lulus which I saw in the 

 midst of these flies did not appear disturbed by them, although they 

 darted up and down about him, often lighting in numbers upon his back. 



George Dimmock, Cambridge, Mass. 



Dear Sir : While walking along the New Jersey shore of the Dela- 

 ware River, near the village of Delanes, last July, I was startled by hear- 

 ing some small bodies falling through the foliage of an oak tree, and as 

 they struck the leaves it sounded as if it were raining, but as the sky was 

 perfectly clear, my curiosity was aroused. I turned around to see what 

 the noise Avas, and saw some black larvae falling to thegroimd, and further 

 investigations showed that quite a number of these larvae had fallen to the 

 ground from the tree, and here and there I saw several Tachina flies, I 

 believe a species of Exorista, hovering around the larvae trying to deposit 

 their eggs. From this I suppose that these Tachina flies had flown to the 

 tree in search of victims, and most probably the larvae had dropped from 

 the tree to escape their enemies. Perhaps many larvae take this method 

 of trying to escape from their Hymenopterous and Dipterous parasites ? 



Eugene L. Keen, Philadelphia, Pa. 



