Il8 KANSAS UNlVEKsri'V (JUAUTERLY. 



The other, however, has been well preserved, and shows plainly a 

 row of lower fronto-orbital bristles. These bristles are of about the 

 same size as the largest of the vertical ones, and only differ from 

 the similar bristles of all Trypetida; in not being distinctly nearer 

 to the eyes than are the upper fronto-orbital bristles. The sup- 

 posed absence of these bristles has been the principal objection to 

 the location of the genus among the Trypetid;e. Loew has signifi- 

 cantly remarked that it might be the case that "in conformit}' to 

 the striking shortness of all the hairs of the body, the lateral 

 bristles of the front have disappeared." Even though I had not 

 found these bristles present in our specimen, I should have con- 

 tended that Toxotrypana finds its most natural position among the 

 Trypetida?, in proximity to Acrotoxa. The characters which 

 show the divergence Toxotrypana from the true Pyrgotina? are 

 links of relationship to Acrotoxa and its allies. The shape 

 of the head, antennae and palpi; the presence of ocelli; the form 

 of the anal cell, and the not flattened ovipositor are similar in 

 Toxotrypana and Acrotoxa. These two genera are held asunder, it 

 is true, by several important characters, which are to be found 

 mainly in their chaL^totax}', in the course of some of the veins of the 

 wing, in the shape of the abdomen and in the curvature of the 

 ovipositor. The extreme length of the ovipositor in Toxotrypana 

 need not be considered an important character, since in certain 

 specimens of an undetermined species of Acrotoxa which I have 

 seen in Dr. Williston's South American collection, that organ 

 attains a length ecjual to that of the whole remaining body of the 

 insect. The shape of the ovipositor in Gerstaecker's genus is there- 

 fore of higher distinctive importance than is its length. 



The branching of the second longitudinal vein in Toxotrypana 

 can only be regarded as a character of small importance. Mr. 

 Roeder tells us that in his specimen one wing showed an incom- 

 plete branch, which in the other was represented by a small brown 

 cloud only. One of the specimens before me shows no vestige of 

 a furcation of this vein, while in the other specimen each wing has 

 a stump extending a part of the distance between the second vein 

 and the costa. 



It is true that the auxiliary vein does not enter as steeply in the 

 costa as it does in most Trvpetidae, but it disappears before reach- 

 ing the costa and is replaced by a brown cloud as is generally the 

 case in this family. 



A comparisons of the descriptions of Gerstaecker, Bigot and 

 Roederwith my specimens gives the assurance that the thoracic 

 colorational differences in those descriptions are but variational, and 



