34 

 NOTES ON LEPIDOPTERA. 



Zeuzera ^SCULI L.— a fine example of this wtrll-known European 

 species was taken in a spider's web in Hoboken, N. J., in June last, by Mr. 

 Schmitz. It was alive, and was endcavoring^ to escape from the web. The 

 specimen is now in the coUeciion of Mr. B. Neumoegen. — Jacob Doll. 



A Powerful Insecticide. — The Department of Agriculture, at Wash- 

 ington, has just issued a circular with reference to Pyrethrum rosenm, claim- 

 ing that this plant is highly destructive to Insect life. It would appear likely 

 to become of great service in preserving cabinet specimens from insect pests. — 

 Editor. 



Swarming of Colias philodice. — In August last, on the White Plains 

 R. R., near Scarsdale, I observed, settling on the track of the railway, for a 

 space extending over a mile, immense swarms of this species. Their number 

 can only be expressed by "myriads." When disturbed they flew up in clouds, 

 settling again very quickly at a little distance. They were nearly ail $, $ , my 

 estimate at the time being that there was about i $ in 500 examples. I could 

 see no noteworthy variation in the many specimens captured, save a trifling 

 occasional difference in the width of the margmal band. All the specimens 

 seemed fresh, and m good condition. — Editor. 



Butterfly parasites. — An admirable paper has just been published by 

 Dr. A. S. Packard, Jr., in the Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. History, in which the 

 author describes 22 species of Ichneumonidce, known to be parasitic on our 

 butterflies. Tne forms mentioned belong to 10 genera, viz. : Ophion, Campo- 

 plex, Trogo", Ichneumon, Microgaster, Pteromalus, Encyrtus, Etilophus, 

 Entedon, Trichogramma. The descriptions are made with Dr. Packard's 

 usual care. — Editor. 



Hepialus Gracilis, Grt. — In August, 1880, I took, in one day, about 

 twenty imagos, sitting against the trunks of trees, in a cemetery of St. John, 

 N. B. A. W. PuTMAN Cramer. 



RHOrOPHORA Florida, Guen.— On July 17, 1881, I found these beau- 

 tiful noctuids, in the middle of the.^y, sitting in the flowers of Oenothera 

 biennis. L. The colors of the insect Being almost identical with those of the 

 half-closed flowers, made it very hard to disiingoish them. On the 7th of Au- 

 gust I found, in the same spot, the young larvae feeding on the interior of the 

 seed pods ; their heads and half their bodies being inside, while the rest of their 

 body protruded outside through a hole, gnawed in the side of the pod. Alto- 

 gether I found seventy larv« in a small spot in Central Park, and a few near 

 Flushing, L. I. — A. W. Putman Cramer. 



Insect Pests in California,— From the Report of the California 

 Fruit-Growers' Association (S. Francisco, 1882), we learn that the Codlin 

 Moth {Carpocapsa pomonelld), is causing a great deal of damage in the 

 orchards ot the State. It appears, from the address of President C. H. Dwi- 

 ndle, that this destructive species was unknown west of the RocKy Mountains 

 until 1873. in which year it was introduced among some fruits sent trom the 

 eastern side of the continent to the State Fair, at Sacramento. The insect has 

 spread with such rapidity that now few parts of the State may be said to be 

 free from its attacks. In the Report there is also an allusion to two other 

 species of Lepidotpera, said to occasion damage, viz. : Clisiocampa Americana 

 and Orgyia leucostigma. These, however, are wrong determinations, neither 

 of the species being found on the Pacific Coast. The insects referred to are 

 probably Clisiocainpa Californica, Pack., and Orgyia vetusta, Bdv. — Editor. 



Dwarf Butterflies. — Among some insects recently received by Mr. 

 J. Akhurst, from the Upper Amazon, were several examples of the well-known 

 tropical species, Gynecia Dirce, L. and GonepieryxLeachiana, Godt., which. 

 are little more than one-half of the usual size. — Editor. 



