—157— 



only recognizable, mostly good material, no account being made of a 

 mass of damaged and microscopic material which found its way imme- 

 diately in the waste basket. Lachnosierna^ so abundant presence is of 

 course thoroughly destructive of the respectability of any Bombycid or 

 Noctuid which is wheedled into the crowd. My best moth-catches with 

 the trap are hence confined to the evenings before the advent o'i Lachno- 

 stcrna and after its exodus. Unfortunately, no angesthetizer that I have 

 tried is so promptly effective with vigorous Coleoptera as to allow the 

 trap to furnish undamaged Lepidopiera, when beetles are abundant.* 



Prof. Kellicott slated that he had frequently observed butterflies at- 

 tracted to carrion. 



Mr. Smith had noted the location of a dead dog and after removal 

 of dog had observed that butterflies collected at the spot. 



Dr. Peabody had observed artheviis collected on foul smelling 

 objects. 



Dr. Kellicott had taken cresphontes in barn yards in Michigan and 

 found them there in July last more common than Asterias. 



Mr. Smith expressed his opinion that extensive collecting would re- 

 veal about equal numbers of both forms ol MelitcBa. 



Dr. Kellicott inquired if the pupae of the insects occurring in such 

 numbers on gravel walks were formed there. 



Mr. Westcott stated that he was sure they yxQXQ there and completely 

 exposed and that knew of no way to account for their occurrence but 

 that they pupated there. 



iNIr. Osborn stated that in Iowa Lachnosterna gibbosa was more 

 abuntlant than usual this year. Fusca has been most abundant every 

 three years, 1880, 1883 and 1886. 



]Mr. Schwarz remarked that the notes showed that much can be 

 done bv thorough collecting for certain species and urged collecting 

 more systematical h*. 



Mr. Smith remarked that he had collected Lachnosterna carefully 

 the present summer and had observed that the females appeared first, for 



* Since writing the above I have unearthened a few memoranda made in 1886. 

 For a few days I took in my trap //«<■« and gibbosa as follows : 



My notes say that the 27th of May was cold and stormy. Of these /z/j-^-a care- 

 fully examined for sex I found the ratio of males to females 7 to i. O. S. W. 



