—55— 



It may be of some interest to learn how much of a collection the 

 National Museum can at present boast of From data kindly furnished by 

 Prof. Riley, the following has been compiled. 



ist: Collection, C. V. Riley, 17,725 species with 115,058 specimens, 

 divided as follows: Hymenoptera 2,550 species, 24,796 spec; Coleoptera 

 9,058 species, 48,618 spec; Diptera 699 species, 5,646 spec; Lepidop- 

 tera 2,368 species, 17,098 spec; Hemiptera 1,134 species, 8,862 spec; 

 Orthoptera 560 species, 6,903 spec; Neuroptera 160 species, 868 spec; 

 Arachnidae and Myriapoda no species, 425 spec; Galls and Gall in- 

 sects 734 species, 4,152 specimens; the balance miscellaneus and Insect 



Architecture. 



There is also an alcoholic collection, principally of adolescent states, 



containing 2,850 vials, and a collection of some 3000 slides of minute 



insects and larvae mounted in Canada Balsam. 



2nd: Collection of Department of Agriculture. Containing a large 

 lot of material accumulated in the practical work of the division, and by 

 the collections of its employees. It contains about 5000 species — mostly 

 exotic — not in the Riley collection. 



3rd: Collection of the National Museum. This is the poorest of the 

 lot, and consists principally of the material sent in during the past three 

 years from all sources. There are about 20CO species not in either of 

 the other collections. 



4th: I'he e.xhibit collection of Economic Entomology prepared 

 for the New Orleans E.xhibition, valuable for its economical interest. A 

 catalogue of this has been printed. 



This forms a good nucleus, and in charge of a competent and enter- 

 prising curator it will quickly take rank as one of the most important in 

 the country. The large collection of larva; forms a distinct and decided 

 addition to its value. 



In the Proc. Ac. N. Sc. 1885, p. 24, Mr. Strecker describes a new 

 Co/ias (t/is), from the Rocky Mts. on the boundary between the U. S. 

 and British America. Mr. Strecker says: "'It is an act of temerity to de- 

 scribe a Colias as new under any circumstances in these days, and doub- 

 ly so to describe it from e.xamples of the female sex alone, yet I have no 

 apprehension that the above insect will not stand as a valid species." 



Mr. Strecker is usually not much of a splitter, and it is somewhat 

 curious that he should feel so positive of his new species, while Mr. W. 

 H. Edwards, who has been strongly suspected of a leaning to numerous 

 species, contends that it is nothing but a slight variation of a well known 

 western form — Meadii I believe. It will be something new to find Mr. 

 Edwards trying to prove species identical. 



