—40— 

 Society News. 



Ento. Soc. Washington, March i, 1888, Thirteen members present. Prof. 

 Riley presented a paper entitled "A Contribution to the Literature of Fatal Spider 

 Bites " giving details of a case in which death resulted from the bite of a spider, 

 presumably Lalrodectes mactans. Also details of another case in which the patient 

 recovered from a bite of the same spider. Prof. Riley reviewed the literature of the 

 subject at some length, and concludes that personal idiosyncracy is a large factor in 

 these cases and that the poisonous secretion of spiders affected different individuals in 

 a very different manner, and hence the discrepancy in results. Mr. Lugger related 

 an experience of his own with Phydippus tripiinctatiis, L., which bit one of his chil- 

 dren. The result was convulsions, high fever, headache, swollen eyes and great pain 

 in the pit of the bitten arm. In about three days all inflammation and untoward 

 symptoms had disappeared. Dr. Marx states that the secretion in which Lalrodectes 

 mactans envelops its victims when taken internally had the effect of increasing the 

 pulse from 72 to 120. He commented on the case but rather skeptically : he cannot 

 see how Latrodectes with its minute, soft mandibles can possibly pierce the skin or 

 contain poison enough to produce the violent affects recorded. The subject was dis- 

 cussed at considerable length by Messrs. Lugger, Dodge, Marx, Fox, Schwarz, John- 

 son and Smith, 



Mr. Dodge exhibited some of Glover's early plates and commented on his work 

 in this direction. This induced a discussion on the relative value of the various pro- 

 cesses for illustrating Insects, in which Messrs, Marx, Schwarz and Smith took part. 



Mr. Howard called attention to an undetermined external parasite on a spider, 

 found by Dr. Fox in February. 



A paper was read by Prof. P. R. Uhler, "Observations -upon the Heteroptera 

 collected in Southern Florida by Mr. E. A. Schwarz," in which he discusses the de- 

 rivation of this fauna and describes a new species of Achanthochila, a genus heretofore 

 unknown in our fauna. Mr. Smith made some remarks on the Lepidopterous family 

 Heterogynidcc, historical and critical. He does not believe the family Occurs in our 

 fauna, and that Thia, Edwards, cannot be referred here. 



April 6, 1888.-— Twelve members present. Dr. Horn made some remarks on 

 Pleocoma, exhibited a preparation of the abdomen, showing the position of the stig- 

 mata, and that Leconte is right and Gerstaecker is wrong in the position assigned in 

 the Lamellicorn series.* Dr. Horn also exhibited the larva of Platypsylla castoris, 

 mounted in balsam, and states that it fully proves that the Insect is Coleopterous. 

 Prof Riley states that he has had the larva for more than a year but has been pre- 

 vented from working it up. However, he fully agrees with Dr. Horn concerning the 

 Coleopterous nature of the larva. Mr. Schwarz read a paper on the semi-tropical 

 Insect fauna of Southern Florida. This region mostly coral formation, and compara- 

 tively recent seems to have received its vegetation and its Insect fauna from the West 

 Indies. He carefully marks the observed limits of the fauna and credits the Gulf 

 stream with bringing a very large proportion of it. This paper was discussed at some 

 length by Dr. Horn and Prof. Riley who agreed in the main with Mr. Schwarz. Dr. 

 Horn doubts the propriety of receiving this fauna into our lists in its entirety. He 

 also illustrated the distribution of Insects along the Pacific coast, and the natural 

 boundaries between Mexico and the U. S. which rather sharply separates the Coleop- 

 terous fauna. Prof. Riley thinks the wind should be credited as an agent in distri- 

 bution, and mentions the receipt oi Hornia minntipennis from ThesusCo., California, 

 as a remarkable fact in distribution. J. B. Smith, Rec. Sec'y. 



* See Ento. Am., vol. Ill, p. 233. 



