384 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



tubercles inconspicuous in most specimens. Thoracic and anal shields 

 concolorous. Feet concolorous or slightly infuscated. Length when full 

 grown 44 to 48 mm., width 6 to 8 mm. 



These larvae were very active through all their stages, and when 

 full-fed wandered about a good deal. On July 26 most of them were 

 full-grown, and many buried and pupated in oval cells about four inches 

 below the surface. 



Pupa. — 19-23 mm. long, 5.5-6.5 mm. wide at widest part, rather 

 slender, abruptly pointed at anal end ; dark chestnut brown, shining. 

 Anterior third of abdominal segments deeply and coarsely punctured. 

 Cremaster conical, black, deeply roughened and grooved longitudinally, 

 with a pair of slender terminal rigid bristles 0.7 mm. long, separate but 

 close together, with the tip of each expanded into a button with recurved 

 edges. 



The pupae were kept in a cool cellar all through the winter, and were 

 brought up to the office about the end of April. The moths emerged from 

 May 4 to 26, three or four weeks earlier than the species was collected 

 outside. 



Food-plants. — Up to Stage IV the larvie were fed chiefly on clover, 

 grass and dandelion, *but as they did not seem to be growing fast enough 

 [hey were changed to Bleeding-heart (Dielytra spectabiiis), specimens 

 hiving been found in considerable numbers on this plant at the 

 Experimental Farm. Other plants which seemed to be particularly 

 attractive to these caterpillars in a state of nature were Larkspurs, of 

 which the seed-capsules were much injured. Spinach and Cabbage. 

 They are, however, rather general feeders, but being nocturnal in habit, 

 their food-plants were rather difficult to detect. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE CULICID^. 



BY S. W. WILLISTON, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. 



In the revision of my Manual of North American Diptera, now in press, 

 it has been necessary for me to examine critically the recent publications 

 on the classification of the Culicidae. Although I have never ceased to be 

 an interested reader of dipterological literature, I was hardly prepared for 

 the flood that has nearly swamped me in the attempt to reach terra firfna. 



It is unfortunate that, among the score or more who have written 

 upon the classification of this family within the past six years, nearly all 

 have been amateurs in entomological taxonomy, some, indeed, whose only 

 papers on entomology have been those proposing new "subfamilies." I 



December, 1906 



