— i8o— 



of which should be her mate. Mr, Weeks exhibited a series of D. jxrchippus 

 showing variations in depth of suffusion. 



Prof. Riley exhibited to the Society several colored lithographic plates of 

 Acronycta, Imagines and larva 1 , ami also of Cicada septendecim in various stages 

 of development. After informal discussion the Society adjourned. 



Entomological Society of Washington, Nov. 19th. Mr. Otto Lugger 

 read a paper on the larva of Caenia dimidiata ( Fabr.), whieh is identical in ap- 

 pearance with lit,'. 133 of Packard's Guide, there called "related to DrUus" but 

 which had never been bied. The larva? were found in May 1883 in a cluster of 

 214 specimens at the base of a willow, slightly covered with dead leaves. They 

 much resembled the cast-off skins of Oniscus found in similar locations. 

 Amongst the larva? were specimens of a young Helix exidently born there. Re- 

 moved to a breeding cage they remained motionless for a few days, but then re- 

 vived and moved about, but with extreme slowness of gait. The lateral appen- 

 dages are hollow and inflexible. In ten days some transformed to pupae within 

 the larval skins. The imago issued in six days and was perfectly white on first 

 appearing, changing rapidly through light sky-blue to the normal coloring of 

 blue and orange. The imagos copulated freely, but only one unfertilized egg 

 was obtained. The speaker believed the larva to be phytophagic and not carni- 

 vorous as suggested by Packard. 



The paper was discussed by Mr. Mann and Prof. Riley. Prof. Riley called 

 attention to the similarity of habit between the Ccenia just described and 

 fcycus terminalis which he believed to be also a vegetable-feeder. 



Mr. B. P. Mann explained at length the Dewey decimal system of library 

 arrangement and classification. His paper was discussed by Prof. Riley and 

 Mr. Smith. Prof. Riley commended the system for large libraries but consider- 

 ed its use a waste of time for small private collections of books. 



Mr. J. B. Smith read a translation of Dr. Gerstaecker's paper on the posi - 

 tion of Pleocoma Lee. , in the Lamellicorn series, from the Stettiner Entomol. 

 Zeitung. 



The paper was discussed by Messrs. Schwarz and Smith and Prof. Riley. 

 Mr. Schwarz endorsed Dr. Gerstaecker's conclusions, but called attention to the 

 lack of emphasis placed on Dr. Leconte's original statement that the spe- 

 cimen had no abdomen, and stated that after his second paper, Leconte made no 

 redescription, and probably never re-examined his specimens, but based his 

 conclusions as to the place of the genus on characters made out and embodied 

 in his early articles. As to the larva called Pleocoma by Osten-Sacken, he re- 

 marked that it was difficult to consider it a Lucanid, for no Lucanid of sufficient 

 size is known from California— yet the larva could scarcely belong to any other 

 group, and there was either an error in the locality, or there must exist a species 

 not yet discovered. Possibly also the specimen was accidentally carried to the 

 place where found. 



Mr. Howard made a statement to the effect that the Thoracantha floridana 

 described by Mr. Ashmead in Entomologica Americam for August, as the first 

 representative of its group found in the United States, is the same species which 

 he (Mr. Howard) exhibited to the Society in June 1884, and which was origin 

 ally collected by Mr. Schwarz at Haw Creek, Florida, in July, 1883. 



L. O. HOWARD, Coir. Secy. 



