— 163— 



lecting this season on Willow bloom. He says (the date is April 19th) 

 "I have just come in from the wood at the back of my house, and 1 wish 

 you had been with me to see the swarms of Geometrid Moths on Sallow 

 blossoms. The following species were abundant Triphosa dubitata, 

 Rheumapiera 2 species, Lobophora 2 species, Epirrita i species, Eupi- 

 thecia 3 species, Anticlea vasiliaUi, Cymatophora 2 species, Hydria undu- 

 lata. Of Noctuids there were 7'4)'<7///'tz /'tta'^«5, Tceniocampas, Calocam- 

 pas, 3 species, Scopelosonias, Lithophanes, and Mamesira dtstmcia." 



Society News. 



Entomological Society of Washington. September 2, 1886. Mr. Scbwarz 

 exhibited and explained the primary galleries made by an undescribed species 

 of Pityopbthorus under the bark of Ked Oak. The female beetle bores through 

 the bark and then a short distance straight downward. A long transverse gallery 

 crosses this vertical gallery immediately below the entrance hole. It appears 

 that the vertical gallery is constructed solely for the piirpose of enabling the 

 beetle to turn around without getting on the outside of the tree. The differences 

 between this species (which Mr. S. intends to describe as P. querciperda) and 

 the closely allied P. minutissimus were also pointed out. 



Mr. Smith gave an account of news received from Tennessee and Virginia 

 where Dynastes tityiis has appeared in the light of a nuisance — being so abund- 

 ant as to cause such a 1 oUution of the atmosphere that the health officers — not 

 knowing the true source of the odors made vigorous war fare against pools, pig- 

 pens and other unsavory localities, — without success of course. Mr. Lugger 

 stated that in the vicinity of Memphis there were thousands of stumps of trees 

 cut down some years since and affording an abundance of foob for the species. 

 He states that here the water ash is its favorite food. He states that on the shore 

 of Eastern Maryland he attracted the insect by briaising ash twigs— a friend 

 from Mexico having advised him that in that country they were so taken. Fe- 

 males only were attracted in that way — willow also exercised some attraction, 

 but to much less extent. Males had a fashion of flying into the chimneys of 

 cabins, and he had found remains of as many as fifty in a single deserted 

 cabin. Mr. Smith remarked that this seemed to prove a community of habit 

 between tiiyns and graniii, which Mr. Doll had found in Mountain ash in Ari- 

 zona. Mr. Schwarz mentioned a number of species of Lamellicorns having per- 

 ceptible odors and especially mentioned Polybrevipes which had rather a pleas- 

 ant smell both as larva and pupa, but no trace of it in the imago. Mr. Lugger 

 stated that the odor of Dynastes was as lasting as it was disagreeable ^a box con- 

 taining them for some, time still retained the odor, though it was fully four 

 years since they had been removed, the box re-papered and another familj' 

 of beetles put into it. He also mentioned that there had been some 

 mention of Lacanus elaphas as a pest in some parts of the country. Mr. Smith 

 stated that he had seen the pupa of the (^ of this species and it had between 

 the anal forks the same spiral coil of intestinal or other structure that Mr. 

 Schaupp described and figured as present in Dorcus. There was some discus- 

 sion as the the nature of this coil, and it having been suggested that it might be 

 a parasite, Dr. Marx related that Prof. Atkinson had taken from the body of a 



