THE GAiNADlAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 237 



IMERIS KAP.I-: VAR. NOVANGLl/E. 



Dear Sir, — In the Canadian Entomologist, \o\. iv., p. 79, Mr. 

 Scudder describes a variety of Pier is rapce under the name of Novanglice, 

 and indicates that it is a new variety, developed since the introduction of 

 this species into America. He gives Mr. Stainton as authority that noth- 

 ing of the kind occurs in Europe. Curtis, in his " Farm Insects of Great 

 Britain," page loi, after describing i?«/(S?, says : " But I possess a male, 

 taken near Oldham, in Lancashire, which has all the wings of a bright 

 yellow color." Is not this Mr. Scudder's variety Novanglice ? If so, the 

 origin of it must be placed further off than since the introduction of the 

 species into this country, and the cause of its development, something 

 operating in England as well as in New England. Yours truly. 



State College, Orono, Me., Dec. 20, 1883. C. H. Fernald. 



I 



PARASITE ON VANESSA ANTIOPA. 



Bear Sir, — In the Entomologist for September, your correspondent, 

 Frederick Clarkson, speaks of obtaining so few parasitic insects from vari- 

 ous cocoons. Perhaps it may interest some of your readers if I mention 

 some cases of an opposite character that have come under my own ob- 

 servation. From a chrysalis of V. Antiopa I counted 145 little green 

 flies, and from the cocoon of a curious green and white worm, of which I 

 have not been able to find the name, I carefully counted 1,257 ^^^1 

 small black flies. This cocoon was not as large as V. Antiopa chrysalis. 

 You see I am not scientific enough to know the names of these parasites, 

 but I send the facts for what they are worth. Yours truly, 



Watertown, N. Y.. Nov. 8, 1883. * Harriet H. Keyes. 



REMARKABLE GATHERING OF BEETLES. 



Dear Sir, — On the loth of October last, while walking along the new 

 dock, now in course of construction at Weller's Bay, I noticed what seems 

 to me a remarkable occurrence, and one which I should like to know if others 

 have observed. Along the outer edge of the crib-work were thousands of 

 beetles, which were so thickly collected together in some places that a 

 spot the size of one's hand would have on it from 30 to 40 insects ; they 

 were chiefly Coccinellidce, but among them were Carabidce, Chrysomelidce, 

 StaphylinidcE, and other families. In the course of a few minutes I picked 

 up. besides specimens of many other species, no less than 55 Donacias. 



