THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 105 



gate sutural spot extending from the middle till near the apex, the anterior 

 and posterior extremities of which are more or less connected with arcuate 

 transverse lines extending to the margin, enclosing on each elytron a black 

 spot nearly destitute of white scales ; the humeri are also similarly 

 encircled ; the sides of the thorax and abdomen are likewise moderately 

 densely clothed with white scales ; the strise are deep, wide and coarsely 

 punctured, with narrow rugose intervals. When first taken the insect has 

 a very pruinose appearance, but rough handling or immersion in alcohol 

 removes nearly all the scales, except the basal spot. 



Piazorhinus pictiis Lee. is not very common. I have taken three 

 specimens and have scon three others. It probably lives on Ostrya 

 Virginica (known here as Iron-wood). It is excessively variable in the 

 color and ornamentation of its vestiture, no two of the six examples being 

 alike, and only one of them approximating that of the type. Dr. LeConte 

 described the species (Monograph Rhyncoph.) from a single insect taken 

 in Georgia, as " Testaceous, clothed with pale yellowish pubescence ; head 

 and beak dusky. Elytra with a large, rounded, common, dusky spot, 

 extending from the base to the middle, paler within ; and a dusky, oblique 

 band more or less interrupted on the seventh interspace, which attains the 

 suture about one-fourth from the tip." Of those I have seen, one has the 

 beak and head leonine yellow, like the thorax ; the elytra being of the 

 same color, mottled uniformly with brown ; another has the beak, head 

 and thorax typical, but the elytra are dusky brown with a streak along the 

 external margins and an irregular fascia near the apex, tawny yellow ; 

 another has the beak and head typical, but the thorax has a dark spot in 

 front of the scutellum and there is a small dark spot on each elytron near 

 the middle. The others are still differently ornamented and need not be 

 described, as the above shows sufficiently the variableness of the species 

 in this respect. This species is likely to prove difficult for the collector 

 to determine so long as he has the description of only one insect to refer 

 to, and perhaps only about one in ten of his insects agreeing with it. 

 This is one of the many cases that goes to show that, unless to meet 

 urgent systematic requirements, it would give better results and prevent 

 much confusion to await the accumulation of several specimens before 

 attempting to describe a species. 



Among the errors that have become widespread in exchanges it may 

 be of advantage to notice the following : 



Microclytits gazeUula Hald. has lately appeared on several exchange 



