Dec, 1912.] Proceedings of the Society. 297 



Meeting of November 7, 191 1. 



A regular meeting of the New York Entomological Society was held in the 

 American Museum of Natural History, November 7, at 8.15 P. M. In the absence 

 of the president, the chair was occupied by the vice-president, Dr. Osburn, with 

 9 members and 6 visitors present. 



Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. 



Mr. Pollard extended an invitation to the members to attend Dr. Cramp- 

 ton's lectures to be given at the Brooklyn Institute. 



Dr. Southwick spoke of the recent death of Dr. Henry McCook. 



Under scientific discussion Mr. Grossbeck spoke of his trip with Mr. Dow 

 to Jamaica. Kingston was reached on the 21st of February and the first few 

 days were spent collecting in the vicinity of this place. Port Royal proved an 

 excellent locality not only for insects but for other invertebrates. Later, Cin- 

 chona, situated in the Blue Mountains at an elevation of nearly 6,000 ft., was 

 visited. At this altitude few insects were on the wing but many specimens 

 were taken by beating and sweeping, but particularly in old wood. An interest- 

 ing feature in the ascent was the change in the vegetation from a purely tropical 

 one of palms, bananas, cacti and the like to a temperate one consisting of white 

 clover, wild carrot, strawberry, pine trees, etc. A tree-fern forest on one of the 

 highest peaks of the mountain also produced some interesting forms. Over 

 two weeks were spent at Montego Bay and vicinity in the western part of the 

 island. In general, collecting was not of the best. While at Cinchona it 

 rained every day. In the lowlands it was extremely dry, being at the height of 

 the dry season. However, about 3,000 insects and 1,000 other invertebrates 

 were taken. Among the interesting material taken were some termite tree nests. 



Dr. Osburn asked concerning the material of which the nest was made and 

 whether the galleries were impervious to rain. 



Mr. Grossbeck stated that the nests were very hard, save for the external 

 covering, which was very brittle. He believed the galleries wovild not be 

 destroyed by rain. 



Mr. Dow said that the butterfly Papilio homerus was spreading on the 

 island as was also its food plant, a species of Hibiscus. One collector had 

 obtained a number of lar\fe in April. Concerning the plants Mr. Dow stated 

 that some species such as chickweed, carrot, parsnip and strawberry, if not the 

 same as our species very closely resemble them and that. one of the commonest 

 orchids was also common in China. As there was an experimental garden on 

 the island it was possible that certain foreign species of plants had escaped 

 from it. 



Meeting of November 21, 1911. 



The regular meeting of the New York Entomological Society was held in 

 the American Museum of Natural History, November 21, at 8.30 P. M., with 

 president Leng in the chair and 19 members and 2 visitors present. 



Minutes of the previous meeting read and approved. Mr. Schaeffer, the 

 librarian, reported the receipt of the following publications : 



