THE CANADIAN ENTOAIOLOGIST 103 



27th August. Second moult occurred. Length 9m. .Sides mottled brown 

 and yellow : dorsum yellow. Tubercles, from being black, have taken on the 

 metallic-blue luster of the final larval stage; the head, likewise, has assumed the 

 bright chestnut red of the full grown larva ; in fact the general appearance is 

 now that of the mature larva prior to pupation. 



Absent from home 30th August to 23rd September, and no material 

 change noticeable on my return. Found several larval skins and assume that al 

 least one further moult had taken place. Length still ym. 



29th Sept. — 2nd Oct, Another moult. 



3rd — 11 Oct. Weather cold, snow, and as mucli as 22 degrees of frost. 

 The lea\'es of the food plant decayed and turned brown, both in the feeding 

 bottle and in nature. Clearly hibernation must now occur. 



12th Oct. Fourteen of the larvae still alive; went to earth. 



My material did not re-appear in the Spring, so the satisfaction of rear- 

 ing the species from tgg to moth was not realized. My memoranda would how- 

 ever serve to show that there are at least four moults prior to hibernation ; that 

 after the second moult the general appearance is very much that of the full grown 

 larvae, and that the pre-hil)ernation gro\t'th is remarkably slow and retarded — - 

 though there is the possibility of this l)eing attributable to captivity to some d^• 

 gree. 



I realize that, from the specialist's point of view, the above account i^^^^z 

 much to be desired as to specificness (and probably accuracy) of detail. It is 

 only supposed to be the story of the early stages of the insect as seen by a 

 collector. 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF THE GENUS 

 HELINA R.-D., SENS. LAT. (DIPTERA, ANTHOMYIIDAE). 



BY J. R. MALLOCII, 

 Urbana, 111. 

 The forty species included in the present synopsis belong to several closely 

 allied genera, Hclina, Hcbccuciiia, Spilaria, Xenomydaca, and Enoploptcryx. All 

 of the s])ecies would fall within the limits of Stein's genus Mydaca but they are 

 undoubtedly a conglomerate group and it is in my opinion necessary to separate 

 the component parts at least as subgenera though I incline to the opinion that 

 they are really entitled to full generic rank. The distinguishing characters of 

 the groups are dealt with in several of my recently published papers on the fam- 

 rly and will be summarised in a generic synopsis which is now in manuscript. 



Key to Species. 



MALES. 



1. Hypopleura with fine erect hairs usually in a more or less vertical series 

 below middle of spiracle or near posterior margin; eyes with longtiairs; 

 prealar bristle short but distinct ; scutellum with the setulose hairs con- 

 tinued downward on lateral margins and at times slightly invading ven- 

 tral surface; basal abdominal sternite with a few hairs. . . . (Spilaria) 2. 

 — Hypopleura with a few long hairs on upper margin in front of spiracle ; sides 

 and ventral surface of scutellum bare ; first abdominal sternite 



