82 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



and scabra. The varying form of the abdomen of scabra — each sex often 

 assuming the form pertaining to the other — may have easily led him into 

 this error,as it had done with me in those which I had placed in my cabinet. 



A strong testimony to the value of the investigations in which the 

 eminent German Lepidopterist, Dr. Speyer, is at present engaged, in his 

 examination and comparison of the identical or closely allied forms of 

 European and American Heterocera, is given in the fact, that from the 

 study of a small number of scabra and erectalis submitted to him (perhaps 

 three of each form), he was led to believe that the two would prove to be 

 but one species. This opinion was recently communicated by him in a 

 letter to Mr. Meske. Before its reception, the conclusion, confirming his 

 belief, to which I had arrived, through an examination of abundant 

 material, had been forwarded to him. 



There seems to be no sufficient reason at present for changing the 

 scabra of Fabr. into the scabra lis of Guenee — the true relations of the 

 Deltoids, whether to the Noctuas or to the Pyralites, being still a matter 

 of opinion and discussion. 



I embrace the present opportunity to communicate the fact, that an 

 example of Depressaria Oiitariella Bethune, sent by me last fall to Dr. 

 Speyer, and by him submitted to Zeller, was by the latter determined to 

 be D. heracliana Deg. The opinion of Mr. Angus, recorded in vol. a, p. 

 19 of this Journal, that it was probably identical with the above named 

 European species, is hereby confirmed. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF NORTH AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA, No. 7 



BY E. T. CRESSON, PHILADELPHIA, PENN. 



Continued from Page 54. 



Genus Helcon, Nees. 



Posterior femora toothed beneath near apex. 



Body entirely black, legs ferruginous 1. occidentalis. 



Body black and ferruginous. 



Abdomen black, vath broad median ferruginous band. . .2. borealis. 

 Abdomen entirely ferruginous. 



Metatliorax and pleura more or less ferruginous ; 



posterior tarsi white 3. albitarsis. 



Metatliorax and pleura black ; posterior tarsi black. 4. frigidity 



