January igoo.] 



PSYCHE. 



13 (7) Vertex not advanced in front of the eyes; median carina of pronotum 



scarcely elevated. 



14 (15) Body usually broad between the shoulders; vertex narrower or equally 



witle with one of the eyes ; second femoral carinae more or less flexuous, or 

 undulate, or lobate, or clypeate, very rarely straight. 



Gen. Paratettlx Bol. 



15 (14) Vertex strongly narrowed in front, the front border nearly one-half the 



breadth of an eye, or less; body usually prolongate; branches of frontal 

 costa sub-parallel, closely approximate. Gen. Tchnatcttix gen. n. 



16 (3) Anterior femora above distinctly and broadly sulcate ; pronotum in front 



produced more or less above the head, very frequently hooked, accuminate, 

 or, to a certain extent, obtusely rounded angulate; antennae sixteen to twentv- 

 two aiticles. Subfamily Batrachidinak Bol. 



17 (iS) Body strongly tumid; dorsum of the pronotum convex, lightly punc- 



tate, lateral carinae in front of the shoulders wanting. 



Gen. Paxilla Bol. 



18(17) Body narrower; dorsum of the pronotum, between the carina rather 



concave, conspersed with more or less longitudinal wrinkles, lateral carinae 



in front of the shoulders present. Gen. Tettigidea Scudd. 



THE " COCOONS" OR " CASES" OF SOME BURROWING 

 CATERPILLARS. 



BY CAROLINE G. SOULE, BROOKLINE, MA.SS. 



From much watching of pupating 

 caterpillars, especially of such sphin- 

 gids and ceratocampids as go into the 

 ground to pupate, I gradually came to 

 doubt the exactness of the statements, 

 made in many books, that such cater- 

 pillars spin "cases" or "cocoons" in 

 the earth inside of which they transform. 

 Last summer I had a good supply 

 ot Protoparce celetcs and Carolina, 

 Plulavipeliis pandorus and achetnon, 

 Ceratomia amy 11 tor, and Paonias exco- 

 ecatiis, with which I experimented. 

 Into tin boxes I put sifted earth deep 



enough to give ample room for cases. 

 Into each box I put a larva ready to 

 pupate, and wandering in search of a 

 suitable place. All burrowed very 

 soon, and I left the boxes undisturbed 

 for a few days, that no unusual condi- 

 tion should atl'ect the laivae. 



On examining the boxes, which was 

 very carefully done, I found, in every 

 case, no sign of silk, and no ''case" 

 which held together at all. 1 found an 

 oval cavity, smooth, and large enough 

 to hold the pupa easily, allowing free 

 motion of the abdominal setrments and 



