Minot.] 



380 



[March 24, 



Sphex auripennis De Geer, Ins., iii, p. 585. 



Sphex rubra Drury, Ins., ii, p. 75; pi. xxxix, fig. 6. 



Pepsis ccerulea Fabr., Syst. Plez., p. 214. St. Farg., Hym., iii. p. 



475. Smitii, Brit. Mus. Cat. Hyra., iii, 190. Cres- 



son, ibid., p. 147. 

 Pepsis speciosa Beauv., Ins. Afi'ic. et Amer., p. 95; pi. ii, fig, 5. 

 Hab. — " Mexico ; »St. Domingo." Not seen. 

 4. Pepsis prismatiea. 

 Pepsis prismatiea Smith, Brit. Mus. Cat. Hym., iii, p. 200. Crea- 



son, ibid., p. 148. 

 Hab. — " Mexico." Not seen. 



Mr. C. S. Minot read a paper upon the limits of genera, 

 and presented in a tabular form the total and average num- 

 ber of species and genera in several orders of North Ameri- 

 can insects. 



The figures are based upon Scudder's List of Orthoptera, Grote 

 and Robinson's List of Lepidoptera (Sphingid^ to Bombycid^ inclu- 

 sive), LeConte's List of Coleoptei-a, Cresson's Catalogue of Hymen- 

 optera and Osten Sacken's List of Diptera. 



The number of species in each genus is shown by the table to be 

 usually very small, a large number of genera being represented by 

 only one, two or three species. The author regretted this condition 

 of things, feeling that it was a cause of great discouragement to many 

 who would otherwise become students of natural science. 



