Jan.— Kcl>. iSSM 



PSYCHE. 



19 



ENTOMOLOGICAL ITCMS. 



Dk Anton Stuxberg, of Stockholm, has 

 been appointed divectoi- of the natural his- 

 tory museum in Goteborg. Sweden, to fill the 

 place of Prof. A. W. Malm, who died in 

 March iSS;. 



Mr. Cei,\rles Fish, of Brunswick. Me., 

 has been obliged to give up the .study of the 

 fterophoridac and has transferred his col- 

 lection of that family to Prof. C. H. Fernald, 

 of Orono, Me. 



The necrology for the preceding year, 

 which has annually formed a part of the 

 Bibliographical Record for each February 

 numero of P.syche, will be a part of the 

 March numero this year. 



Mr. Henry G. D.vmmer. 93S Broadway. 

 St. Louis, Mo., is desirous of obtaining speci- 

 mens of lepidcjptcra, including European 

 species. Catocalas from the eastern United 

 States arc particularly desired. 



•Prof. K. Metschnikoff, the widely 

 known author of papers on the embryology 

 of insects, has left the University of Odessa, 

 Russia, and Prof, W. Salensky of the Uni- 

 versity of Kasan is called to fill his place. 



Mr. L- O. How.\rd has found that pyre- 

 thruni increases the heart-beat of the larvae 

 oi plusia brassictip from its normal rate of 

 from 44 to 68 beats per minute to 150 to 164 

 beats, after which it subsided to 140 beats 

 and just before death to 130 beats per minute. 



An interesting series of papers bv Rev. 

 W. \V. Fowler, under the title "Natural lo- 

 calities of British coleoptera" is in progress 

 in T/ie Entomologht. Altho the species 

 treated of are British the methods of collect- 

 ing described in the paper make it well worth 

 perusal. 



Dr. M. Schlugin recommends, in the 

 Zoolog'hcher Auzeigei\ a mixture of paraffin 

 and ceresin as an imbedding material in 

 cutting sections with the microtome. Cere- 

 sin is similar to wax but firmer and more 

 tenacious. This mixture is somewhat hard, 

 but if a sotter one is desired a little vaselin 

 is added. 



Preserv.\tion of HONEY'. Houev, accord- 

 ing to A. Vogel, contains on an average one 

 per cent of formic acid. Observing that crude 

 honey keeps better than that which has been 

 clarified, E, Mylius has tried the addition of 

 formic acid, and found that it prevents fer- 

 mentation without impairing the flavor of 

 the honey. — Sci. amcr., iS Nov. 1S82, v. 47, 

 P- 3^4- 



The U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture 

 authorizes the editors of Psyche to announce 

 that copies of his annual Reports for 18S1- 

 1SS2 will be sent to any entomologist who 

 applies for them. Mr. Mann has made out a 

 list of most of the principal entomologists, 

 to whom the reports have been sent, and will 

 be pleased to see that copies are sent to any 

 others whtj may wish them. 



At the meeting of the .\cademy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia, 30 May 1SS2, Pro- 

 fessor Leidy called attention to the abun- 

 dance of the ant Lnsius iiiierjectus in the 

 neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is habi- 

 tual with this ant to care for an Aphis and 

 a Coccus, both of which it guards in flocks. 

 He described a particular nest under a flat 

 stone, containing six distinct and closely 

 crowded groups of the pale yellowish Aphis, 

 and five of the red Coccus. — Amcr. nat.. Jan. 

 1883, v. 17, p, 118. 



Collecting coleoptera. "The large 

 coarse tufts of grass that are to be found in 

 almost every field are very productive if cut 

 round with a sharp knife, lifted gently, and 

 then inverted and shaken over paper. This 

 is a very good method of collecting in winter, 

 as it is almost certain to produce something, 

 if all else has failed. Almost any beetle may 

 be found in this way. as the tufts are -favour- 

 ite hvbernating places; s-taphyliiiidae, how- 

 ever, especially Steui, are the commonest," — 

 W. W. Fowler in The Entomologist. Oct. 

 1S82, v. 15, p. 231-232. 



Protective ch.\nge of color in a spider. — 

 I suppose you know the little flower spiders, 

 that conceal themselves in the flowers, and 

 seize any unwary insect that may chance to 

 come within their reach. I have generally 



