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be discussed at meetings, and for the next meeting members are invited to bring 

 Ai'ctiida^ and Bnjn-estUla: for determination. Other families will also be named 

 if presented. 



Mr. Hulst stated that daring the past summer he had made some observa 

 tions upon the fertilization of yucca, in connection with Pronuha yuccaseUa, 

 Riley. Prof. Riley, after many and extended observations, gave the history of 

 t le fertilization of this plant, concluding that the moth is a necessity to the con- 

 tin,ivition of the plant, that fertilization was effected by it alone, and that every 

 developed seed vessel bore evidence of the work of the Moth by the presence of 

 the larva? within the capsule. The method of depositing the egg in the cap- 

 sule, and of placing the pollen in contact with the stigma by the moth was, 

 following Prof. Riley, given by Mr. Hulst. He stated that his observations did 

 not bring him to the same conclusion as that arrived at by Mr. Riley. 



1st. Honey bees were very plentiful about the flowers, very much more 

 than the moth, and there was no doubt in his mind, that without any other 

 agency than bees, there must be very extensive fertilization. There was no ev- 

 idence of design on the part of the bees; simply a lighting at random upon any 

 part of the flower, when this was open, and then a diving into the inner 

 portion of the flower, to the base of the petals, passing over the anthers. Thus 

 pollen would easily if not neccessarily be gathered on their legs, and the next 

 flower visited would be fertilized. 2nd. The majority of seed capsules exam- 

 ined afterwards, showed no indication of larva; of any sort present. Mr. Hulst 

 spoke also of the fact that yucra was more or less fertile in foreign counties where 

 it has been introduced, and where there was no evidence whatever of the pres- 

 ence of the moth. 



Entomological Society of Washington. Meeting held Novemlier 12, 1886. 

 Mr. Dodge gave some very interesting details regarding the life and work of the 

 late Mr. Townsend Glover; how he had acquired a taste tor entomology; his first 

 attemps to picture and write about insects, his methods of work and taking notes and 

 his rv^any peculiarities. It appears that Glover had collected a vast amount of orig- 

 inal observations on the life-histories of insects, especially in L.epidoptera and Coleop 

 tcra but that strangely enough he made in his publications hardly any use of his 

 notes but preferred, wherc'ver it was possible, to quote the "authorities". His notes 

 to the extent of some twenty MSS. volumes are in the possession of the Smithsonian 

 Institution and will probably never be published. 



Mr. Mann reminded the members that after the death of Dr. >'. E. Melsheimer ii. 

 1873 he had acquired the entomological manuscripts and library of Melsheimer inclu- 

 ding some MSS. of the elder Melsheimer, and ihe correspondence between Melsheimer 

 and other entomologist?,, of his day such as Say, Harris and Leconte. He exhibited 

 a number of yolun^es from his collection. Some of these contain original descriptions, 

 with colored figures, of |arvre (Qolcoptera Lepidoptera) raised by Melsheimer, witli 

 notes on the habits of the larv.n? etc. Another quarto volume contains a faunal list 

 of Coleoptera (undyuhtedly of Pennsylvania) wifh notes on food-plants, habits, time 

 of appearance etc. of, many species. Another literary curiosity exhibited was a copy 

 of the rare Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Pennsylvania by the elder Melsheimer. 

 published in 1806, with,nian,uscript corrections and additions by the author, and his 

 son. ' ' 



Mr. Lugger presented a Hst of insects observed by him this year unusually late 

 in the season. Of special interest among these is a female of Mantis Carolina found 

 in the'^Hlmithsonian grounds on November nth, and a fresh specimen of Civadn pruin- 

 osa taken in the same locaHty on November 1 2th. 



