122 [ASSEMULT 



NOTES ON YAEIOTJS INSECTS. 



NisoNiADES Perskts Scudder. — Fonr examples of this very com- 

 mon Hesperian butterfly in the State of New York (two males and 

 two females) were identified by me among the collections made by 

 Dr. H. A. Hagenin the Northern Trans-Continental Survey in 1880, 

 at Yakami river, La Chappies, Washington Territory, July 16; 

 Yakami city, July 2, and , July 11th. 



Sphinx Canadensis Boiscl — An example of this rare Sphinx 

 (the S. plota of Strecker) was captured at light, on a window, at 

 Tannersville, Catskill Mountains, on August 13th, and is now in 

 the collection of Mr. W. W. Hill, of Albany. 



Mr. William Grey, of Kenwood, informs me that four examples 

 of the species (one of which is in the collection of Hon. Erastus 

 Corning, of Albany) were taken by Dr^ James S. Baile}', upon the 

 skin of a deer hung up to dry in the Adirondack Mountains. The 

 species would seem, from the above collections, to favor high eleva- 

 tions. 



Melittia cucurbits {Harris). — The following notes on the 

 squash-vine borer have been kindly furnished me by Mr. J. P. 

 Devol, of Petersburg, Ya., in consideration of a published request 

 for information upon the life-history of the species : 



June 24th, found two vines of Boston marrowfats dying, from 

 ■which the borers had escaped and entered the-ground, 



July 3d, dug up a larva from two and a half inches beneath the 

 surface of the ground, at about two inches from the root-stalk. 



July 8th, a larva found in a leaf-stalk, two feet distant from 

 the stalk. 



Tinea pellionella Zf/m. — This notorious pest — the common 

 clothes-moth, carpet-moth, fur-moth (different names for the same in- 

 sect), etc., was first observed in flight in my otfice, as early as February 

 13th. During March, and especially toward the latter part of the 

 month, the moths were not uncommon. On April 23d, note was 

 made of their being quite numerous. They were also reported to 

 me as flying in abundance. May 14th, from a bag with hops and 

 pieces of iiannel; the flannel was found almost entirely eaten. 



The above early appearances of the insect are noted, as Professor 

 Fernald, in his excellent paper discussing the confused synonymy 

 of the species, states that " the moths emerge in June and July, 

 and some even as late as August, yet there is but a single ajenera- 

 tion" {Canadian Entomologist.^ xiv, 1882, p. 1G7). Dr. Packard 



