428 



PSYCHE. 



[December, igoz 



1. Its cheapness and compactness. 



2. It can be readily made of anj size or 



shape. 



3. It will hold twice as many insects for a 



given area. 



4. It automatically places the specimen at 

 the proper height on the pin. 



5. Less time is required to set an insect, 

 because the body does not have to stand in a 

 definite relation to a groove. 



6. Legs, antennae, abdominal stylets, etc., 

 tend to lie out Hat on the board, and do not 



hang down in the way of pin labels : the legs 

 are readily arranged with great advantage 

 for seeing tibial spurs, etc. 



It has its limitations in the setting of 

 insects with dorsal crests, or with dorsal tufts 

 of hairs, which are not to be flattened out. 



The simple expedient of turning the insect 

 over for setting obviates the necessity for the 

 groove : and after spreading on an undi- 

 vided surface for a while, one comes to regard 

 the groove a nuisance. 



James G. Needham. 



LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOMETRIDAE.— XXXVIII. 



BY HARRISON G. DYAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



Paleacrita vernata Peck. This well known 

 larva, first described by Peck in 1796 and 

 referred to in all works on economic ento- 

 mology, occurred in the Platte Canyon, 

 Colorado, numerously on a bush of wild 

 cherry, which was defoliated. The larvae 

 were not seen elsewhere and were massed on 

 one tree, not scattered as was Ahopliila 

 pomeiaria, which occurred in the same can- 

 yon. 



E^g- — Elliptical, evenly rounded, one di- 

 ameter considerably less but not flattened ; 

 one end slightly depressed, the other rather 

 distinctly truncate; reticulations broad, 

 rounded, rather ill-defined, the cell areas 

 however forming distinct saucer shaped pits 

 in longitudinal rows ; truncate end nearly 

 smooth ; sordid yellow, subtranslucent, ap- 

 pearing soft-shelled, sometimes irregularly 

 shaped, somewhat iridescent; size .8 X .6 X 

 .1; mm. Laid in a mass probably in a crack 

 in the bark or similar situation. 



Stage I. — Head rather small, rounded, 

 flatfish before, not higher than joint 2 ; dull 

 dark brown, epistoma and setae pale ; width 

 about .3 mm. Body normal, rather robust, 

 not elongated ; a broad dark brown subdorsal 



band and narrow dorsal line, the whitish 

 space between irregular and cut by the annu- 

 let incisures; subventral fold broadly pale; 

 venter shaded in brown but leaving the tuber- 

 cles pale. Feet shaded in .luteous brown, 

 normal ; setae short, white, rather stiff. 



Stage II. — Head bilobed, erect, flat before, 

 dull black, whitish across the clypeus, in a 

 streak each side and on epistoma ; width .4 

 mm. Body normal, rather short and thick, 

 a little flattened. Black, not shining, sub- 

 annulate. A geminate, white, dorsal line, 

 slightly dotted and broken, irregular ; a fine 

 white lateral line, near to, and partly joined 

 by obscure streaks to a broad white line on 

 subventral fold, streaked on the annulets ; 

 spiracles in white patches ; a few white dots 

 subventrally. Feet dark, the abdominal 

 ones white streaked outwardly, the thoracic 

 ones pale in the joints. Joint 12 slightly 

 angularly enlarged dorsally. Setae short, 

 black, rather stiff. 



Stage III. — Head bilobed, erect, flat be- 

 fore ; luteous brown to black, with two trans- 

 verse, dotted, white streaks, one at the apex 

 of clypeus, the other between the e^'es ; 

 epistoma pale ; width .6 mm. Body moder- 



