44 [May 



The foUowino- letter was read from Mr. James Aiitrus. dated West 

 Farms, N. Y., April 15th, 1864:— 



"A family of house-crickets have long been established in the house in 

 which I live, but it is only of late that I have had my attention particularly 

 directed to them. Harris says — " We have no house-crickets in America : our 

 species inhabit gardens and fields, and enter our houses only by accident." Of 

 course Dr. Harris must liave been entirely ignorant of the existence of a house 

 species in this country similar to those in Europe. Now I have no means of 

 knowing whether this opinion is universal, or whether the discovery has ever 

 been made that we have house-crickets in this country ; but if such is the case. 

 I think it will be found after an inspection of those I have lately captured in 

 this house, to be an error. I have long been familiar to the creaking sound of 

 these crickets, but thinking they had merely found their way there from the 

 field, I never took any pains to find them out; but by mere accident one was 

 caught a few days ago. and which, to my surprise and joy. proved to be an en- 

 tirely distinct species from those inhabiting our gardens and fields, and having 

 a close resemblance to, if not the same as, the European house-cricket of which 

 I have got 2 poor specimens with which to compare them. They are light- 

 brown with dark markings, not quite so large as the field-cricket (4c/iete abhre- 

 viata Harris) and seems to be larger than its European representative. Like 

 the latter its wings are very long, extending far beyond the wing covers. Per- 

 haps this species is already known, but if not, it ought to be described, and for 

 this purpose, if desired. I will gladly furnish specimens. Their haunts are very 

 difficult to get at, and they are so shy and nimble that it is rather diflficult to 

 get thera. I have only got so far 3 '^ and 1 9 •" 



The Secretary also read the following extract from a letter from 

 Mr. A. S. Packard, Jr., diited Brunswick. Maine, April 28, 1864 :— 



•' I was overjoyed to-day to find both a 9 and "J, Stylops Childreni ! I took in 

 my net an Andrena placida Smith, and just as it was nettled and I was about 

 pinning it, I saw the % Stylops. On comparing it with Westwood's figure and 

 details in Griffith's Cuvier, pi. 49, I have but little doubt that it is that species, 

 for it will be seen in Westwood's Classif. that the insect was brought over to 

 London in an Andrena collected in Xova Scotia. The Andrena placida was 

 stylopized also, fortunately, for I found a single female in the abdomen — that 

 is, what I call a female — for it may be remembered that Westwood and others 

 call it a larva, wherein they were corrected by Siebold. Now I have little 

 doubt but that the % Stylops was hatched from the body of some other Andrena. 

 and flew upon the body of the Styloiiized specimen which I caught, to ' have a 

 consultation ' with the 9 escoused within. For this purpose the % abdomen is 

 very long and extensile, with two anal forceps capacious for seizing the female, 

 and I have little doubt the anal tip is forced in to meet that of the 9 which is 

 perhaps not so entirely immoveable but that it can be bent around and out- 

 ward somewhat. This I can tell by dissection of the Andrena. In Westwood's 

 figure the abdomen is represented as being very short, but it must have been 

 drawn from a dried specimen when the region was withered and much short- 



