148 Psyche [October 



his first specimens on March 23, and on the 30th observed many 

 visits to the flowers of Salix. On March 31 a female was seen 

 looking out from the mouth of nearly every burrow, probably 

 waiting for a warmer temperature, for on April 6, when there was a 

 severe snow squall, no bees were seen flying about the burrows ; and 

 a few which had ventured to fly to the willows were numbed by the 

 cold. 



Swenk states that he examined a female from Durham, N. H., 

 taken Oct. 5, 1899, and has also seen a few other autumnal speci- 

 mens of C. inoequalis. He regards them as individuals appearing 

 prematurely, which normally would not have come out until the 

 following spring. 1 



Colletes compactus flies in New England from about the first of 

 September to the middle of October. I most commonly find it on 

 the inflorescence of the goldenrod, but have one specimen taken on 

 the flowers of Aster puniceus. 



THE LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF SPALANGIA 

 MUSCIDARUM RICHARDSON, A PARASITE OF THE 

 STABLE FLY. 2 



By Harry Pinkus. 3 



Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture. 



During the summer of 1912, while assisting in the study of the 

 life history of the stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans Linn.), at least 

 two species of parasites were found breeding in large numbers in 

 the puparia of this fly. These parasites belong to the family Pter- 

 omalida?. One has been determined by Mr. C. H. Richardson 

 as Spalangia muscidarum Richardson; the others have not been 

 definitely identified. S. muscidarum was found most abundant 

 while the other species appeared in smaller numbers. They ap- 

 pear to have similar breeding habits, although little has been done 

 on the undetermined species. 



During the investigation of the stable fly a lot of oat straw, 

 placed in a pan and kept moist, was placed in the laboratory yard 



1 ("Specific Characte-s in the Bee Genus Colletes," Contributions from the Dept. of Ent.> 

 Univ. Neb., No. 1, p. 32.) 



2 Published by permission of the Chief of the Bureau of Entomology. 



3 Deceased August 27, 1913, at Dallas, Texas. 



