THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 229 



From what I saw of these two individuals, I do not think them belli- 

 gerent, nor that they would willingly bite or attack anything except their 

 natural prey. Rather, I regard them as extremely timid things, and think 

 that their so-called belligerent attitudes are in defence, or from the same 

 feeling, whatever it may be called, that prompts a hare or a sheep to stamp 

 upon the ground when it sees something that it does not understand. 



POLENTA, SCOLECOCAMPA AND EUCALYPTERA. 



ByJ'jOHN B. smith, BROOKLYN, N. V. 



In my synopsis of the genera of the Nodudice I placed Polenta, Morr,, 

 in a section with the anterior tibia unarmed at tip, and Eucalyptera, Morr., 

 I retained as distinct from Scolecocampa, Gn., the genera coming into 

 different sections by the form of the palpi, and no particular comparisons 

 being made, because I considered the genera so widely distinct that there 

 was no possible chance of confounding them. On this account I have 

 been criticised by Mr. Grote, and attention has been called in the case of 

 Polenta to the fact that a specimen in Mr. Neumoegen's collection had a 

 claw terminating the anterior tibia, and that, therefore, I had inexcusably 

 overlooked an important and obvious structural character. With all due 

 deference to Mr. Grote, I think the mistake is not on my side ; of Polenta 

 I saw Mr. Morrison's type and three other specimens ; these I carefully 

 re-examined, after reading Mr. Grote's strictures, and not a single one of 

 the specimens has any trace of armature at the tip of the anterior tibia. 

 That Mr. Grote has seen a claw terminating the anterior tibia of an insect 

 labelled Polenta Tepperi, Morr., it would be folly for me to dispute. That 

 the insect is correctly determined I may be permitted to doubt, for it is' 

 scarcely possible that on all of the specimens I have examined the claw 

 was so broken off as to leave no trace. I believe, therefore, that I was 

 right, and that Mr. Morrison's generic diagnosis in this particular was 

 correct. 



As to Eucalyptera Mr. Grote fails to see any reason whatever for 

 " re-habilitating " this genus. I have the type of Eiicalyptera and three 

 other specimens, agreeing in all respects with it  and Scolecocampa is 



