THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 2?9 



not affirmed. The variety vitis is light brown, very constant in colour, 

 and so far the only form occurring in Canada. The variety obscurus is 

 taken abundantly in places throughout the Rocky Mountains to Arizona 

 and New Mexico ; typically it is black, but many of the examples are 

 rufous, and in some of these the rows of punctures on the elytra are biack, 

 causing a vittate appearance. This rufous form is readily distinguished 

 from vitis by the greater intensity of the colour and the much coarser 

 punctosfriation of the elytra. These two forms likewise occur in Northern 

 Asia and Europe, as well as three other named varieties. 



Dysonycha pennsylvanica, Illig. (var. limbicollis, Lee.) was taken in 

 great numbers from Polygonum hydropiper, which it had nearly defoliated. 



Systena marginalis, Illig., was beaten in great abundance from the 

 dwarf oaks growing among the highest elevated rocks. 



Xilophilus, n. s. About a dozen examples of this were taken at one time 

 by bush-beating, but owing to their minuteness only two were found in the 

 bottle, which contained many other insects. It is about half the size oipiceas, 

 which it resembles in colour, and in having a transverse basal impression 

 on the thorax, though deeper ; the elytra are deeply circularly impressed 

 at base, giving rise to two tubercles well separated by the suture ; the 

 punctuation of the head and thorax is fine and dense, that of the elytra 

 coarser ; between each facet of the eye may be seen a clavate bristle, not 

 extending beyond the facet. The first three joints of the antennae and 

 the tarsi are pale. The insect is piceous-black, finely cinereo-pubescent, 

 .045 to .05 inch long, and may be called tuberculifer, to preserve it from 

 the oblivion often incidental to such small things. 



? Dryoccetes, Sp. This is probably the species cited in Packard's 

 Forest Insects, p. 810, (5th Rep. U. S. Commission), as Dryoccetes, 

 ? affaber, found by Mr. W. Hague Harrington in the cones of Pinus re 

 sinosa. This insect by difference of antennal club and tibial form does 

 not appear to be a true Dryoccetes ; neither by colour nor elytral stria- 

 tion and punctuation does it conform to Mannerheim's description of 

 affaber. Examples were sent to Prof. A. D. Hopkins, of the West Vii- 

 ginia Experiment Station, for comparison with affaber as determined by 

 Mr. Eichoff, who writes, " I have compared it with my examples of 

 Dryoccetes, and find it quite a different thing from any of them ; in fact, it 

 differs so widely that I would pronounce it a new species. * * In the 

 club of the antenna and tibia it differs from the other species so much 

 that we might say it belonged to another genus." This species breeds 

 in the cones of Pinus strobus, which grow to the length of 6 or 7 inches ; 

 the eggs are probably deposited in the young cones early in the season, 

 the vitality of which becomes so much impaired by the larvag that they 

 drop to the ground when 3 or 4 inches long. Several of these collected 

 the last week in July contained larvse apparently full grown. Cones 

 opened Sept. 10th contained the perfectly chitinized and maturely 

 coloured beetles — 20 or more in each. Therefore the pupa state must 

 have been brief. 



