110 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 5 



in view of what was said yesterday with reference to priority. We 

 have here a case where the perfect insect has never been described. 

 The term "callosus" means rubbed, and refers to the rubbed or cal- 

 loused spaces on the back where the velvety covering has been rubbed 

 off. Beetles taken directly from the cells in which they have devel- 

 oped are covered entirely with a reddish brown coating, which under 

 the microscope has a velvety appearance. 



Now if the perfect insects were to be described, the description 

 would be rejected, and that of the imperfect individual retained solely 

 on the score of priority. 



R. I. Smith: Mr. President, allow me to say this. Professor 

 Webster just stated that my work had to be carried on in a room about 

 twelve feet square, with wire on all sides, and just the roof to protect 

 me from the sun, and I tell you it was pretty hot down there this 

 summer, — about 102 in the shade for a month or two. But it seemed 

 to me that, under those conditions, it was as near field conditions as 

 possible and still have the work in the laboratory where we could 

 manage it. Of course, I couldn't get any such accumulation of records 

 in the field as he did. My laboratory afforded perfect circulation, 

 and air and moisture conditions were as near field conditions as possible. 

 I didn't want to take the time, but Professor Webster said that he 

 had forgotten what was in his paper, and as he handed me a copy of 

 it to look over there are one or two points I wanted to tell Professor 

 Webster, and if he wishes I will tell them pubhcly. 



F. M. Webster: Go ahead. 



R. I. Smith: One statement that I noticed in your paper was in 

 regard to the variation in the size of the eggs, and you stated there 

 was great variation, which, of course, I found out from measurements, 

 and you stated that your men thought the variation was due partly 

 to enlargement of the egg before hatching. I found nothing of the 

 sort this summer. Possibly my records for larval development being 

 much longer were because of being under abnormal conditions. 



E. A. Schwarz: The name of Sphenophorus callosus has manifestly 

 been derived from the peculiar structure of the pronotum. In many 

 of the genera allied to Sphenophorus two forms occur: — one, being 

 covered with a more or less evident pruinosity and the other without 

 this pruinosity. This can be most readily seen in our common palm 

 weevil of Florida, Rhyrichophorus cruentatus, but the form without the 

 pruinosity cannot be called abraided. In some of our species of 

 Sphenophorus the pruinosity is much more pronounced and acquires 

 the nature of an argillaceous coating, but even this is more or less 

 absent in many specimens. Regarding the flight of Sphenophorus 

 I have seen S. costipennis flying in great numbers along the river at 



