—292'— 
fully used in New Jersey. Mr. Fletcher called attention to the fact that 
the worms are not killed immediately but go beneath the soil surface 
about an inch where they die in course of a day or two. 
Prof. Cook had also tried planting succulent plants in fields of grape 
vines and apple trees to prevent the climbing cutworms from injuring 
the buds, with considerable success. He had bred Aleromyza americana 
from oats very frequently. Prof. Smith had often taken adult AZeromyza 
in a sweep-net in New Jersey, but had not known it to do any serious 
damage. He said that the Wheat Midge did some injury in New Jersey. 
Mr. Fletcher thought no remedy for the Wheat Midge had been 
suggested but that of destroying refuse. Prof. Cook advocated pushing 
the crop to rapid maturity. Prof. Saunders reported this pest very de- 
structive in many parts of Canada. At Prince Edward’s Island farmers 
plant either very early or very late to avoid it. Had lately seen many 
flies about infested heads which he supposed to be parasites. 
Prof. Cook said that one of the most serious pests in Michigan was 
the wire-worm for which no successful remedy was known. One year’s 
cultivation of buckwheat would not destroy them. He also asked how 
Chrysopa larve feed, reporting observations indicating that the juice of 
the victim was sucked in through the long jaws. Similar observations 
upon the mode of feeding of Syrphus larvae showed that they partially 
roll themselves inside out, making a sort of funnel of themselves in suck- 
ing their victims. 
In speaking of injury to Larches by Nematus erichsonit, Mr. Howard 
reported that Dr. Packard had figured in the forthcoming report of the 
U. S. Entomological Commission, Larches killed by repeated attacks of 
ths insect, and added that there were Elms of the Department grounds 
at Washington, that had been defoliated year after year by another insect 
but yet were still vigorous. 
Mr. Saunders reported that the bean crop had been badly injured 
by cut-worms this year. 
Mr. Howard called attention to the ease with which parasites of 
scale insects can be carried from place to place. 
Prof. Smith made some remarks on the structural peculiarities of 
the genus Agrotis tending to show that a loosely assembled mass of 
species is classed under this generic name. He described the variations 
in the palpi, the frons, the thoracic tuftings, the antenne, the legs, the 
wing form and the general habitus, and showed that any definition of 
the genus based upon the existing assemblage would take in every Noc- 
tuid, with naked eyes and spinose tibia, hind wings not red or banded. 
He gave some of the characters upon which he had divided the genus 
