Dec, I9II-] Banks: Psammocharid^. 219 



ground less than 300 feet above the sea, and in New Jersey, west of 



Matawan, there are several low nests about 100 feet above the sea. 



This ant is not common in the low lands of New Jersey. 



The beautiful Argynnis diana was flying at the time of our visit 



to Clayton. Two females were seen and one of the many males was 



captured, but they were usually in a great hurry. 



As nearly all of the water is actively engaged in getting down hill 

 in the vicinity of Clayton, there are not many pond holes and swamps, 

 so we saw but few of the dragon flies that frequent such places. 

 Libellula flavida was quite common. Two Tachopteryx thoreyi were 

 seen along War Woman Creek on July 25, and one alighted on Mr. 

 Leng's light-colored shirt. Alighting on light-colored garments 

 appears to be a specialty with this large dragon fly, and we have 

 known them to act in this manner on several occasions. They have 

 also the habit of resting on the trunks of trees, where owing to their 

 gray color they can hardly be detected. From such a place of vantage 

 they sally forth after their unsuspecting victims. 



PSAMMOCHARIDiE: CLASSIFICATION AND 

 DESCRIPTIONS. 



By Nathan Banks, 

 East Falls Church, Va. 



The PsammocharidEe are a family in the superfamily Scolioidea, 

 which includes also the Scoliidre, Thynnidse, Mutillidae, and Sapygidae. 

 The earlier writers on the family had no definite arrangement though 

 they erected a number of genera, most of the species being grouped in 

 five of these genera, Pompilus, Priocnemis, Pepsis, Agenia, and 

 Ceropales. Pompilus and Agenia are preoccupied, so other names 

 must replace them. A prime division was made on the number of 

 submarginal cells, and this character is still used in the latest (Ash- 

 mead) classification. I do not consider it of great value, indeed one 

 species has specimens with two cells in one wing and three in the 

 other, while other specimens have two or three in both wings. 

 Whether the hind tibiae were irregularly spined, serrately spined, or 



