104 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



bottle with a loose cover, were quite sufficient. A fortnight afterwards, a 

 number of larvae were seen in the bottle, and several pupse were attached 

 to its sides. Absence from home, however, interfered with the carrying 

 out of the experiment. It could easily be tried this season by some of 

 our entomologists, and the time required for the transformations of this 

 curious fly be determined, as well as the further extent of its distribution. 

 The outline drawings were made under the microscope, and give a 

 fair idea of the insect. Every part of the fly is covered with hairs of dif- 

 ferent lengths, as indicated in the figure. The branched hair on the head 

 is faithfully copied from a specimen, but in others it was not so largely 

 developed. The wings are beautifully edged with hairs, and the membrane 

 is also studded with them. The fly was drawn in the position given, so as 

 to show its extremely long legs, and the curious shape of the thorax and 

 abdomen. 



REMARKS ON AGONODERUS COMMA Fab., PALLIPES Fab., 

 RUGICOLLIS EEC, AND TACHYCELLUS ( Bradycellus ) 



ATRIMEDIUS Say. 



BY JOHN HAMILTON, ALLEGHENY, PA. 



Experience in exchanging Coleoptera shows that the first two and the 

 last of these forms are greatly confused in collections. Their appearances 

 are so similar as easily to deceive, and they are only to be separated by a 

 close observance of two or three characters. Comma and atrimedins are 

 abundant here, and pallipes is not rare. Comma and pallipes are usually 

 confounded, the former being labelled pallipes ; and atrimedins is often 

 marked pallipes also. The typical comma has a black vitta on each 

 elytron extending from the first to the fifth stria, which does not reach the 

 apex, and may be more or less abbreviated anteriorly. The vitta on each 

 elytron is therefore separated by a yellow suture. The scutellar stria is 

 lo7ig. The typical pallipes has a broad black vitta on the disk of the 

 elytra extending from the fourth stria on one side to the same on the 

 other, and not separated by a yellow suture. It does not reach the apex 

 and may be abbreviated in front, in which case it is narrowed towards the 

 scutellum. The scutellar stria is short. The thoracic characters are 



