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Notes upon the Habit of Pleocoma. 
By J. J. Rivers. 
(University of California.) 
It is known that the autumn rain, when copious, makes the P/eocoma 
season and during the latter part of last week from the r4th to the 17th 
of November there was a rain-fall of five inches. The 18th was a fine 
Pleocoma day with warmth and sunshine. 1 visited well-known haunts 
of P. Behrensz but without reward. I found some burrows that had the 
correct look of a beetle tunnel but my tools were unequal to a proper 
investigation. ‘lhe same day, meeting a friend, I was informed he had 
a ‘*bug” for me that was drowned in a pool, formed by the heavy rain. 
This proved to be a large male of P. Behrenst. Mr. Oscar Baron found 
that P. fambriada took wing in the rain, which observation is new. ° ‘The 
late Dr. J. L. Leconte, in a letter some years ago, told me to try for the 
capture of Pleocoma by the means of artificial light in the night time. 
‘his method was not credited by some of my confreres because the general 
experience had been to find them flying in the day time and usually on 
the first fine day following the first heavy rain of the season. But the ex- 
perience of Mr. Oscar Baron again steps in and corroborates Dr. J. L. 
Leconte’s account of the habit of flying by night. Mr. Baron occupied. 
a tent during a rain-storm in November, 1887, and while taking his 
evening meal was surprised by a visitation of a number of P. fimbriata 
entering his tent, charging upon his light and extinguishing it and then 
falling into his soup—thus becoming an unruly visitor. 
These observations go to show that the habit of Pleocoma is not 
strictly diurnal, nor is it nocturnal. but that their habit is to travel both 
by day and night and that, too, either in the sunshine or in the rain. 
November 21st, 1888. 
OO“ _—+<_—___— 
A New Pleocoma. 
By J. J. Rivers. 
(University of California.) 
This insect through the form of its antennz shows a special affinity 
with two others of the genus and these three possessing fundamental 
correlated characters naturally come together as asa specialised section, 
The three referred to are P. Rickseckert, P. fimbriafa and the one now - 
to be described. The new one is most like P. Rickseckerv. 
Pleocoma puncticollis, n. sp. 
Broadly oval, shining black, fimbriate with long black hair, having a tendency 
to rustiness. Head small, eyes large, clypeal horn reflexed bifurcate or deeply 
