240 Journal New York Entomological Society, ["^'o'- xxv. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW YORK 

 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Meeting of May 15. 



A regular meeting of the New York Entomological Society was held at 

 8:15 P. M., May 15, 19 17, in the American Museum of Natural History; 

 President Harry G. Barber in the chair, with 21 members and two visitors, 

 including Mr. Oscar Fulda, present. 



In the absence of the Outing Committee Dr. Lutz proposed a one-day 

 trip to Bear Swamp for Decoration Day in which several members engaged 

 to take part. 



Dr. Alvah Peterson, of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J., was 

 elected an active member. 



Mr. Davis read a letter from Farmers' Loan & Trust Co., in reference to 

 a permanent fund to which he had offered to give $500 and asked the Society's 

 acceptance of the gift, subject to the conditions suggested, after the same had 

 been approved by a committee of which he suggested Mr. Woodruff, on ac- 

 count of his legal training, should be a member. 



Mr. Dow moved that the President appoint a committee of three with 

 power to approve the conditions and accept the gift. 



The motion being unanimously carried, the President appointed as such 

 a committee Messrs. Davis, Dow and Woodruff. 



The Secretary read a communication from the Dept. of Agriculture by 

 title. 



Mr. Olsen read a paper on " Cicadellidae in American Museum Collection " 

 illustrated by specimens in which this group was carefully reviewed, especially 

 taxonomically. 



Messrs. Davis, Schaeffer, Barber, Lutz and Bequaert discussed some of 

 the questions raised, especially in regard to the retention of names of un- 

 recognizable species, which may tend to falsify faunal lists. 



Mr. Wright under the title " Notes on Pacific Coast Collecting " described 

 a wagon journey made with Mr. Geo. Field along the Mexican boundary of 

 southern California with its hardships, especially from thirst and cold night 

 winds. He told of finding a half bushel of Tegrodera erosa in dried grass, 

 of a black mass of Canthon simplex 12 inches in diameter by 4 inches thick 

 among the leaves at the base of an oak tree, of the many rare Lepidoptera 

 caught, of the rare Dytiscidae and Buprestidae found by following the small 

 stream that flows through Devil's Canon as well as the many interesting per- 

 sonal episodes of such a trip, of which the desert sunrise had made one of 

 the deepest impressions. Mr. Wright dwelt especially upon the large number 

 of specimens obtainable in southern California, giving among other instances 

 the picking of 265 Lycaena melissa from a small patch of grass and the total 

 of 2,500 diurnals caught on the trip, besides over 1,000 Coleoptera. He spoke 

 also of other interesting captures near San Diego, where he said they now 



