14 



A lengthy discussion on nomenclature ensued, and was participated in by many of the 

 members present, it bcint; generally conceded that some action should be taken by the Club. 

 looking to the adoption of some rules or suggestions which might guide the Entomologists of 

 the country on this perplexing question. On mution, .Messrs. Scudder, Riley and Saunders 

 were appointed a committee to take the matter of nomenclature into cousidtration and pre- 

 sent it at a future meeting in such form as to offer (ippoitunity for more definite discussion. 



Mr. Scudder spoke favourably of I'nydie, the orL-an of the Cambridge Entomological 

 Club, and urged that members subscribe for it on account of its excellent bibliographicul 

 record. 



Mr. Mann called attention to the difficulty of getting hold of State Reports, and thought 

 there should he some system adopted by which these Reports could be placed on sale, so that 

 Entomologi.sts who desired to do so might purchase them. 



Mr. Saunders thought that if some plan conbi be devised whereby the valuable facts and 

 suggestions contained in these various Reports could be brought together, condensed into one 

 volume, and made available to agriculturists as well as entomologists, that much good would 

 result from it. 



The President suggested that such a work might well be done by the general govern 

 ment, and would be much more valuable than the volume it now sends out. 



On motion, it was resolved that tins Club request the American Association for the Ad- 

 Tancement of Science to tnke such action as seems best calculated to secure the placing of 

 State Reports upon scientific subjects in the library of the Association. The Secretary was 

 instructed to bring th-s subject before the Association. 



Dr. Morris referred to the scarcity of Sphingidae about Baltimore during the present 

 •eason, an experience which was corroliorated by other members present. Mr. Austin had 

 found all insects unusually scarce about the Wh.te Mountains, where he had been collecting 

 for tho past two years. Mr. Riley thought the very severe and late winter and the un- 

 usually rainy summer in pait explained the f;)ct. 



Mr. Scudder offered .wme remarks on the great abundance of the Army Worm {Leuca- 

 nia iivijiunda) in portions of Massachusetts, as an exception to the general rule of scarcity of 

 insect life ; he had made a calculation from the number counted in a square foot, that in a 

 field near Cambridge there must have been as many as two million worms to the acre. 

 Other members off"ved similar experience in reference to this species. Mr. Riley stated that 

 the Army Worm generally abounds during a very wet summer following a very dry year. 



Jlr. Lintner referred to the great scarcity of Orr/i/ia Icucostigma as in striking contrast 

 to its abundance last year in Albany. 



The election of officers then took place, resultinsj in the re-election of Dr. John L. Le- 

 eonte as President, Samuel H. Scudder, Vice-President, and C. V. Riley, Secretary. 



Mr. Riley read a paper on " Locusts as Food," in which he gave his own experience in 

 cooking and eating them. On one occasion he ate nothing else for a whole day. He found 

 them to have an agreeable nutty flavour, and especially recommended them deprived of their 

 'egs and wing cases, and fried in butter, and also spoke very highly of a soup m de from them. 

 He referred to John the Baptist, who had often been pitied for the scantiness of iiis fare, 

 locusts and wild honey ; Mr. Riley thuught he bad been well provided for. The writer re- 

 gai'ded it as absurd that parties should actually die of starvation, as some had done in the 

 districts where this locust plague had prevailed, whil- surrounded by such an abundance of 

 nutritious and palatable food. 



The meeting then adjourned, subject to the call of the President. 



On Tuesday evening, the Cambridge Entomological Club held a meetins:, when all in- 

 terested in Entomology were invited to be present. W. S^iunders, of London, Ont., was 

 called to the ch.iir. After the iii*ual routine business had been disposed of, Mr. George 

 Dimmock read a jiaper on the recent excursion of the Cambridge Club to the White Moun 

 tains, wheie tlie members had spent some two weeks in collectij]g. The experiences related 

 were of a very interesting character, showing that the party, besides accouiplisliing much use- 

 ful work, had thorousjihly enjoyed their trip. Mr. Austin, who had been one of the party, ex- 



