May 1896.] 



PSYCHE 



387 



Synhalonia, Tetralonia, Xenoglossa, etc., 

 but it seems impossible to accept such 

 wholesale lumping. 



Melissodes tristis Ckll. is much later than 

 Eiicera tiistis Mor., but I do not care to 

 rename it until convinced that it is desirable 

 to merge Melissodes in Eucera. Rucera 

 aictos n. n. is founded on ursina Cr., not 

 of Haliday, but the name is unnecessary, 

 since unimt is a synonym of eiiavala, 

 M. brevitoritis Cr. becomes E. crcssoin'i. 

 M. califoniica Sm. becomes E. smif/iif. 



Podalirius (Anthophora) is made to in- 

 clude as subgenera, Clisodon, Enteclinia, 

 Habropoda, etc. Habropoda mucidii is 

 changed to P. cressonii. Antk. carbonaria 

 C^r. becomes P. iujeynalis. Our Noviada 

 rubra Prov. becomes N. erythraeu D. T. 

 N. Integra Rob. becomes N. intege.rrima 

 D. T. N. fu7ictata Cr. becomes N. fro- 

 vancheri D. T. Chelostoma is treated as 

 a subgenus of Eriades. Osjiiia quadri- 

 deniata Cr. becomes cressoriii D. T., liut 

 this change is unnecessary, since it is a 

 synonym of O. conjimcfa Cr. O. farra 

 Prov. becomes O. farviila D. T. Mega- 

 chile carbonaria Cr. becomes M. cressonii. 

 Mr. Fox's three Jamaican species of Mega- 

 chile are wrongly said to be from Indiana. 

 M. simplex Prov. becomes M. simplicissima 

 D. T. Anthidittm venus/nm Cr. becomes 

 cressonii. Coelioxys brevis Cr. becomes 

 C. cressonii, but the author overlooks the 

 fact that Cresson himself long ago changed 

 the name to altilis. Phileremus is changed 

 to Ammobates, which has priority of place 

 on the same page of Latreille. The name 

 Ammobates has been very frequently used 

 in Europe for many j-ears. Although the 

 papers of Robertson and Coville are duly 

 <}uoted under Psithyrus (or Apaikus) elatns, 

 the author did not examine them sufficiently 

 to learn that the insect in queslon was a $ 

 Bombus. Trigona and Tetragona are given 

 as subgenera of Melipona. Trigona nigra 

 Cr. becomes M. cressonii D. T. Apis 

 mellifica L., 1761, is to be called A. mellifera 

 L.,i758. 



It must be confessed that it is not entiielv 

 creditable to our knowledge of the literature 

 of our subject, that the author of this new 

 catalogue has lieen able to supersede so 

 many names of American species on 

 grounds of preoccupation. It is fair to 

 state, however, that in some instances we 

 were aware of the prior names, and changes 

 would have been proposed on this side of 

 the water sooner or later. In a few cases 

 the changes had actually been made, and 

 our author was not aware of it. 



T. D. A. Cocke rell. 

 New Mexico Agric. Exper. Station, 

 March 3, iSg6. 



CHRYSOBOTIIRIS FEMORATA AND 



CLERUS 4-GUTTATUS. 



Wood piles are always attractive collect- 

 ing spots. Chrysobothris femorata Fab. is 

 a frequent visitor, and runs about very 

 briskly, especially on liickorv and oak 

 logs. Early in June, 1S94, a specimen of 

 femorata was seen and heard to produce 

 a very distinct noise by striking rapidly 

 with the end of its abdomen on the bark 

 of an oak log. Tapping with tiie finger 

 nail seemed to attract other Chrysobothris 

 on the same log, but it may have been 

 only a coincidence. Unfortunatelv the 

 tapping specimen could not be caught to 

 determine its sex, but it was probably a 

 male, and the tapping a call or challenge. 

 Last summer no opportunity occurred of 

 observing Chrysobothris, but so common 

 a species oti'ers a good chance for all 

 interested to make further observations on 

 this interesting tapping habit. 



On the i6th of June, 1S95, on a fresh 

 spruce log was noticed a specimen of Clertis 

 4-guttatus Oliv. It had in its grasp a 

 good-sized Scolytid, either Xyleborus or 

 Tomicus. It held the victim with its front 

 and middle legs, and kept turning it round 

 and round, biting at it all the time, and 

 raising itself on its hind legs. Finally it 

 seized the Scolvtid firnilv beneath where 



