392 C. H. TURNKH 



N. Banks (10) noticed a phorid fly, Aphiochoeta xantippi 

 Banks, attacking a myriapod (Parajulus sp.?). 



F. Kn.-il) (32) discovers that Megarhinus, a genus of mosqui- 

 toes, does not suck blood, but feeds upon fruit. And he thinks 

 that all authors who believe otherwise base their opinion upon 

 insufficient evidence. Although all parts of the proboscis of 

 the blood-sucking forms are present in the proboscis of this 

 form, yet the sheath or labium is strongly chitinized and rigid, 

 which is not the case in the blood-suckers. These forms have 

 been observed feeding upon honey. 



Chas. H. Davidson (21) describes a case of a fish (Lucius 

 americanus Gmelin), which was nearly three and five -eighths 

 inches long, being captured and fed upon by a large bug (Letho- 

 cerus (Belostoma) americanus Leidy). 



F. A. McDermott (35) noticed a larval half -winged bug attack 

 a tent-caterpillar. The bug thrust its beak at the caterpillar 

 several times before it succeeded in piercing the skin. At each 

 thrust the caterpillar moved its head towards the bug and the 

 bug dodged. When once the skin of the back had been pierced, 

 the caterpillar offered no further resistance. 



W. C. Coker (17) has conducted some simple but conclusive 

 experiments to test the ability of the house-fly to do without 

 water and without food. He placed a certain number of flies 

 in dry tumblers and an equal number in tumblers kept moist 

 by damp sphagnum moss. At the end of forty-eight hours all 

 of the flies in the dry tumblers were dead; those in the moist 

 chambers were living, but not so active as at first. At the end 

 of seventy-two hours all of the flies were either dead or too 

 feeble to walk. Two weeks later this experiment was repeated 

 with practically the same result. Evidently, under normal 

 conditions, the flies investigated cannot live more than about 

 two days without water and not more than about four days 

 without food. 



E. A. Andrews (9) notes that the termites feed chiefly upon 

 wood. He did not find any tme "fungus gardens." In their 

 stead he found dry masses of stored-up food, which Andrews 

 thinks may represent the primitive forms from which the true 

 culture gardens of other climates have been developed. 



In order to see whether the sarcophid flies are parasites or scav- 

 engers, T. L. Patterson (42) conducted a series of experiments. 



