—15— 



ing the posterior side of each tuft are cinnamon brown, the front hairs of 

 each tuft being brownish black, thus giving a peculiar annulated appear- 

 ance and making the larva resemble the tail of a "coon"' in miniature. — 

 These lar\ae are apparently gregarious when j'oung, and are nocturnal 

 feeders They all crept under leaves, and reposed side by side during 

 the day. I fed them on Polygonum and Plantain, but they would eat 

 almost any low plant; when about half grown they ceased to feed and hid 

 under leaves and moss for several weeks, occasionally coming up at 

 night and wandering about, but not eating. I placed them in my "Win- 

 dow Garden" in December; after a few days they commenced feeding on 

 duckweed and Dandelion, and finally a few went to pupa, emerging as 

 imago 32 days after. Some of the larvae are still feeding a little, and are 

 large and healthy. The pupa; are rather more pointed than those of the 

 genus Arciia, and the anal spine is slightly flattened and bristly; the larval 

 skin is firmly attached and envelops the abdominal segments of the pupa 

 more than is usually the case. Not the slightest indication of a web or co- 

 coon is formed. 



A Field Note. 



An overflowing brook drove all the Cicitidela sexguftala from a good 

 localit}- in Maiden, Mass., and since that time (June 28th), only one or 

 two specimens have been seen. 



I noticed them first, resting a short distance outside the town on a 

 sandy roadway, and when I disturbed them all flew in a certain direction 

 and were soon lost to sight. 



There is a strange scarcity — I should say absolute want — of other 

 species of this genus here; since early in the season I have seen but two 

 species — C. purpurea ■And C. puncJulaia— ^.nd on\y one specimen of the 

 latter ; this is the more remarkable because Cicmdelce were very 

 common here last year, and this season they are plenty in adjoining 

 towns. 



There is a most unusual scarcity of all Coleopterous insects in this 

 particular locality and I can see no reason why there should be, for food 

 plants are plenty and everything seems to warrant a prolific insect life. 



There must be a cause for this seeming extinction of local species ; 

 but I cannot find any adequate reason for the continued exclusion of in- 

 sects from a small area while all around within a few miles species are as 

 common as ever. 



The Diptera are very scarce, not only in Maiden and other towns 

 near Boston, but throughout all eastern Massachusetts, as far as I have 

 collected. 



