THE CANADIAN KNTOMOLOGIST. 1^ 



" 0(A. spmosui, I examined i6 specimens, all of which agree with 

 each other in every particular, while A. Howardi shows distinct and 

 maiked differences." (Oct. 29, 1894 ) 



It will be seen from the above, that the credit of differentiatmg this 

 new species is very largely due to Mr. Pergande. Although this begin- 

 ning of our information concerning it is very inadequate, there will, I trust, 

 be no further difficulty about its separation from its congeners, thanks to 

 Mr. Pergande's excellent comparative studies. It is apparent from this 

 and other similar instances, how great is the advantage of having the types 

 preserved in some place where reference can be made to them. Descrip- 

 tions are often imperfect, and even those by the best authors frequently 

 omit some characters differentiating the species from others not at that 



time discovered. 



rp, g._i have just received the following information from Prof Gillette 

 regarding the occurrence of ^5//V//^/«^ Howardi:—''^ very few scattering 

 scales w^'ere found in one orchard at Canon City— the owner of the 

 orchard I do not know— and the others were all found on the fruit of a 

 native plum tree. The tree was in the back door-yard of a Mr. Helm, and 

 growing beside a tight board fence. Most of the scales were on plums 

 next the fence and near the ground in the shade. Most of the fruits in 

 that position had from one to three or four sca les."— T. D. A, C] 

 PRELIMINARY STUDIES IN SIPHONAPTERA.— I. 



BY CARL P. BAKER, FORT COLLINS, COLO. 



The following will form the first of a series of papers on the Siphonap- 

 t€ra, in which will be mentioned all known species, together with such 

 new' species as have come to my notice. Besides what has been drawn 

 from the examination of a large series of specimens in my own collec- 

 tion, and many kindly sent me by Taschenberg, Howard, Bruner, Osborn, 

 Comstock and others, I have borrowed freely from previous papers on 

 the subject, and especially from Taschenberg's " Die Flohe." 



The existing number of species of this order will undoubtedly be 

 found to very greatly exceed the number already known. A large pro- 

 portion of mammalian animals probably act as hosts to various species 

 of fleas, but the list of hosts as at present known is comparatively very 

 small indeed. The group, though certainly an interesting one, 

 has been very much neglected. I would suggest that during the imme- 

 diate future, collectors in all quarters pay particular attention to the 

 collecting of these forms, 



