250 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. xi. 



as early as April 2, but its first appearance is usually about the middle of April. The 

 full-grown caterpillar ol Phyciodes tharos was taken at Richmond, Staten Island, on 

 March 29. It pupated quickly and the butterfly hatched on April 20. 



Mr. Scudder says that in " Massachusetts these caterpillars are full fed by the 

 middle of May." 



Mr. Davis also related an interesting experience which he had with the large red 

 and black ant [Formica riifa) at Paterson, N. J. The ants when disturbed had a 

 peculiar way of standing erect on their second and third pair of legs, and then turn- 

 ing the abdomen forward and upwards they squirted a considerable spray of formic 

 acid at their tormentors. * 



Mr. Barber exhibited a number of specimens of Coleoptera to show the results of 

 his spring collecting about the vicinity of New York. 



Society adjourned. 



THE MOTH BOOK. 



A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Moths of North America. 

 By W. J. Holland, D.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., LL.D. New York, 

 Doubleday, Page & Company, 1903. Pp. xxiv + 479, pi. 48. 

 This fine and valuable book has appeared at last. We congratulate 

 our friend, Dr. Holland, for his painstaking work, which without any 

 question or doubt will gladden the hearts of all interested in the study 

 of Lepidoptera. Although we do not quite agree with the nomencla- 

 ture adopted by Dr. Holland and with the identification of some of 

 the species, we express a hope that the edition will be exhausted soon 

 and that the few shortcomings will be corrected in the second edition. 



W. Beutenmuller. 



* Prof. W. M. Wheeler informs us that this position in defending its nest is char- 

 acteristic of Formica rufa and serves at once to distinguish it from other species of 

 Formica which have similar coloration, size and nest architecture. — W. B. 



