200 Journal New York Entomological Society, ["^oi. xxiii. 



flowering shrubs, like the spice-bush. During the present spring such collect- 

 ing had been practiced with marked success at Chickadee Farm, N. Y., four 

 miles from Kent, Conn., and at Massapequa, L. I., with Mr. Doll, and on the 

 West Hills, near Huntington, L. I., with Mr. Davis. Boxes of specimens from 

 Mr. Engelhardt's and Mr. Davis's collection were exhibited, and the more re- 

 markable species were pointed out. Mr. Engelhardt closed by commenting 

 especially upon the habits of Homoglaa hircina and allied species, saying that 

 while most of them seemed to be fall species, H. hircina was generally found 

 in the spring. 



Mr. Davis exhibited photographs of the Chichester Homestead, formerly 

 known as the Inn of Peace and Plenty, at which he and Mr. Engelhardt 

 boarded during their collecting between the West Hills and the Half Way Hal- 

 low Hills, with some of the charactertistic scenes in the neighborhood, in- 

 cluding the Cathedral Cedars, the Laurels, higher than a man, and a map of 

 the region, showing its accessibility from either Huntington or Farmingdale, 

 by trolley. 



Mr. Davis also showed photograph of Messrs. Dow, Engelhardt and Nico- 

 lay, taken in the forest, ruined by fire, where Tricrania sangninipennis was 

 found ; and the bound works of two of our members, Mr. Chas. Schaeffer and 

 Dr. W. M. T. Forbes. 



Mr. Dow spoke of " Indian Legends about Insects " showing how the con- 

 flict between man and animals arose and how the insects aided the latter and 

 refused, and still refuse, to be governed by the truce afterwards arranged. 

 He told also how the spiders figured in these legends ; and how closely they 

 appear to be connected with the superstitions of the negroes in Jamaica, re- 

 lating in detail the story of Anansee and the black spiders into which his vic- 

 tims become changed. 



Mr. Davis spoke of a greenish variety of Cicindela tranqueharica he had 

 taken in the Half Way Hollow Hills and of a still greener one found by Mr. 

 Schaeffer at Wyandanch ; also of Meloe americana being found at night while 

 hunting moths by light. 



Mr. Schaeffer related his experiences in similar night collecting of beetles, 

 saying that many species of Listrochelus, Lachnosterna, Phytalus, Diplotaxis, 

 Anoinala, were thus obtained that were never or rarely seen by day. Sweeping 

 just when the svin begins to go down or so-called " evening sweeping " he had 

 also found an invaluable method of obtaining many of the small species he had 

 recorded in Smith's List ; the most convenient method being to use several bags 

 so that each could be tied up when filled and examined at leisure later. 



Mr. Davis spoke of " evening sweeping " being found on heavily overcast 

 days all day long; bvit Mr. Schaeffer said that most of the species thus obtained, 

 while numerous, would be diurnal species that had settled down on the vege- 

 tation in the absence of sunlight and not the nocturnal species, which would 

 not come out until their usual hour. 



