— 6o— 



from that typical of one form, to that typical of another.* Mr. Smith added that 

 these variations were largely s< U-cted from material obtained by him, and then- 

 were some interesting facts as to the localities from which those specimen came. 

 In Cambridge he collected several hundreds of V. sralnris, all perfectly alike. In 

 the i)ineries of New Jersey he collected ('. philadelpfiir{(, slightly variable but with 

 no particular tendency toward scalaris. In Cape Cod both species were iV>und, 

 and both somewhat variable, showing a tendency to an obliteration of the lines 

 of demarcation between species. Specimens from the Adirondacks further close 

 the gaj), while material received from Canada showed a surprising range of valu- 

 ation and furnished most of the interesting forms completing the links between 

 the species. This was interesting because he had found that in both Coleoptera 

 and Lepidoptera, species that elsewhere were constant enough showed a decided 

 tendency to variation in the same localities. The fauna of Northern New^ York 

 and Canada is one of extreme interest and deserves careful study. 



Mr. Waters exhibited a specimen of Anisotn Ileilii/hrddtil together with the 

 cocoon from which it was obtained. Mr. Hulst remarked on this, that all the 

 other species of Anisota had naked pupte and were subterranean, while here was 

 a species apparently congeneric, which had a double cocoon like Cecropia, spun 

 on mesqiiit: not a solid cocoon, but net-like, .so as to show the pupa. Mr. Doll 

 said that the geometrid EucateiTd );r/ri«r/« raised by him, spun a very similar co- 

 coon, also double. Mr. Hy. Edwards joined the meeting after adjournment and 

 remarked on this subject that under some.'-ircumstances the species of Daiaini 

 will spin a light cocoon among deJ/ris, so als"- as" to mo'st of the other Bmnhycida' 

 that are usually subterranean. 



Entomological Society of Washington. April 2, 1885. Mr. Schvvarz ex- 

 hibited specimens of lihopalopus sdiKjunncDJt'is Horn and remarked that this 

 Cerambycid is one of the few species peculiar to the mountainous regions of the 

 Alleghanie.s. He contrasted this scarcity of peculiar mountainous species with 

 the rich montane and colline faun.e of Europe, given as the reason of the differ- 

 ence, the long-established cultivation of the soil in Europe by which the fauna 

 and flora of the plants have become differentiated from those of the less cultivat- 

 ed hills and the uncultivated mountains. 



Mr. Howard made a statement in regard to the parasites of Thyridopteryx 

 ephemei-arfm'mis. He had found the larviB of Ilemiieles ihyrklopfmgis being eaten 

 by a Chalcid larva, presumably that of the Pteroinalas commonly bred from the 

 bags of the TltyrUJopteryx. He generalized on the difficult distinction between 

 primary and secondary parasites. 



Dr. Marx read a paper on the Arachnidpe collected by Dr. Turner in North- 

 ei'n Labrador. The best presented families are the Lycosoidcn, the Dras.i<>)d(f 

 and Tomisoidce. 



May 6. — Mr. Schwarz exhibited newly hatc^hed specimens of Epicn'rus iin- 



fmratus, still possessing the mandibular appendages. One specimen illustrated 



the process of losing these appendages. They do not break off in one i)iece, but 



the basal third remains attached to the mandibles and must be lost at a later 



time. 



A discussion took place between Dr. Barnard and Messrs. Stewart, Schwarz 



and Howard respecting the collection of Nei;roptera. ' 



* The paper with plate illustrating the varieties will appear in an early 

 number. 



