Dec, 1912.] Proceedings of the Society. 305 



as given by Webster, following the Mississippi Valley northward, and again 

 following the shores of the Gulf of Mexico eastward and then proceeding north 

 by the Atlantic Coastal Plain. 



In closing, Mr. Barber pointed out that the species common to Florida and 

 West Indies are mainly confined to the southern half of the state and strongly 

 favored the theory of their introduction by prevailing winds. Mr. Comstock, 

 speaking of Lycsenidae said that out of 20 species, one was peculiar to Florida, 

 eight common to Florida and West Indies, eight coinmon to Gulf States and 

 Florida, six common to Atlantic States and Florida, but that difficulties of 

 nomenclature made the comparison somewhat uncertain. 



Mr. Sherman said that among the Dytiscidse i or 2 species might be peculiar 

 to Florida but the great bulk were species distributed generally over the 

 Southern States. 



Mr. Davis, speaking of the Orthoptera, said the number already known, 

 172, exceeded by 19 the records for New Jersey, and would probably reach 225 

 when complete. Some of these are peculiar to Florida, but the distribution is 

 too imperfectly known to venture any comparison. Mr. Davis referred to the 

 strong mandibular development of the species Belocephalus eating the tough 

 palmetto leaves, and said he could personally bear witness to their ability to 

 also take a nip out of the incautious collector. He also exhibited leaves of 

 turkey-oak (Querciis catesbcri) brought home last November and containing 

 larvae which mined the leaves, and by swishing their body rapidly produced 

 a sound by which their presence was detected, and two specimens of the 

 buprestid beetle Brachys ovata which had since emerged. Mr. Davis, being 

 directly questioned, declined to make any comparison between the insects of 

 northern and southern Florida until the collections recently made by himself 

 and Mr. Grossbeck were worked up, but pointed out that as the belt of sub- 

 tropical vegetation observed at Punta Gorda became broader southward, an 

 increase in such subtropical forms as the little green cricket Cyrtoxipha might 

 reasonably be expected. 



There then followed a general discussion of the topic. 



Mr. Grossbeck mentioned the broad mangrove growth, the dagger palms, 

 the Spanish bayonets, etc., in parts of southern Florida, but the remarkable 

 sameness of the Lepidoptera and Cerambycidse with northern Florida forms. 



Mr. Leng spoke of the currents in the Gulf of Mexico being unfavorable to 

 distribution by drift from Yucatan via Cuba to Florida. 



Mr. Franck referred to the erratic distribution of some species of Lepi- 

 doptera and both he and Mr. Grossbeck discussed the difficulty in comparison 

 introduced by equally erratic nomenclature. 



Mr. Schaeffer said that apparent difficulties in erratic distribution some- 

 times disappeared after more thorough collecting. Many insects are short-lived 

 and insistent upon certain environment, and unless all conditions are fulfilled 

 may easily be missed even by conscientious carefully trained collectors. He 

 gave an instance in a Mexican species of Ontliophagiis recently found at Pres- 

 cott, Ariz., though he and other collectors had failed to find it in the Huachuca 

 Mts. and other places much nearer the border. 



