—144— 

 Society News. 



At the June (lOth,) meeting of the American Entomological Society, Dr. Horn 

 stated that a professional sister had brought him some small beetles which a patient 

 of hers declares issue from httle pustules on her body, each in a little lump of pus. 

 The beetles are Lathridiids and Dr. Horn declared it an utter impossibility not only 

 that they should have developed in the closed pustules but that the beetle could 

 sustain life in them. It is a case of voluntary or involuntary deception of the physi- 

 cian by the patient, such as one must constantly guard against. Prof. J. B. Smith 

 gave some examples of similar instances of voluntary or involuntary deception prom- 

 inent among which are the many cases of larvae of Eristalis tenax said to have been 

 passed by patients, and one case where a large living Cerambycid larva was said to 

 have been vomited. All these cases, when sifted, leave, as in the spider bite cases, a 

 considerable element of doubt. A discussion was started on the unreliability of lay 

 testimony, in which Drs. Mc. Cook, Skinner and Castle took part, in wliich were re- 

 lated cases ot spider bites sifted, and a case where a lizard, said to have been living 

 for a long time in the body of a patient, was dissected, and in which were found 

 abundant undigested remains of insects of several ordeis. 



Dr. Skinner gave the results of some observations m.ide by Mr. Aaron and him- 

 self on the oviposition oi Argyninis and he finds that all observed species drop their 

 eggs while hovering over the food plant, and cKi not oviposit on leaves. 



Frof. Smith called attention to the fact that Crioceris asparagi stridulates, and 

 describes the stridulating organ. The fact is well known in Europe, but has not 

 been noted before in this country. 



A Curious Deformity in Cychrus. 



A male specimen of Cychrus nitidicollis Chev., var. 

 brevoorti Lee, collected by Morrison in North Carolina, 

 presents a curious deformity. As shown in the figure, the 

 thorax and base of the elytra are connected by an oval, 

 slightly flattened tubercle rigidly uniting the two, and thus 

 preventing the normal movements of the thorax. 



G. W. J. Angell. 



Rhinebeck, N. K, June lO, i88g. 

 Dear Sir : — I noticed in the May number of "Ent. Amer." a 

 method of relaxing Lepidoptera by means of alcohol, which I have tried 

 during the past week. I used a bowl with alcohol in the bottom, a wire 

 gauze to hold the specimens, and covered with a plate. It worked well, 

 much better than water, and I found that specimens relaxed better, 

 dried quicker, and were not moulded. I wish to thank you for the 

 suggestion. Harrison G. Dyar. 



