2!IK 



psrcjiE. 



1 April— June 18S5.] 



known among silphidue. S. iinliponac 

 inhabits nests of Melifona scutcllaiis; the 

 habits of S. obsciirus Are unknown. 



Food-habits and vesicating power of 

 Caxtharis. H. Beauregard, who has lately 

 been completing his studies into the lile-his- 

 toiy of Cantliiiris vcsicatoria. has succeeded 

 in finding its pseudochrysalids in the sand 

 about the cells of species of Co/Ze/e.?, ujionthe 

 honej of which the larvae had subsisted. In 

 the Comptes rendus for 8 June 1885, 'ic also 

 states that he has proved by direct experiment 

 the inaccuracy of Neutwich's assertion that the 

 vesicating power of Catitharis is only devel. 

 oped after copulation. As previously shown 

 by Beauregard the cantharidin is chiefly lo- 

 cated in the generativeorgansof these beetles, 

 but experiments with the generative organs 

 of specimens just emerged, and that cer- 

 tainly had not copulated, showed the presence 

 in them of strong vesicating power. 



Infusorial parasites of white ants. In 

 a paper read before the Royal society of Tas- 

 mania, 17 Nov. iSS^, Mr. W. Saville Kent 

 described a new species of infusorian belong- 

 ing to the genus "Aichoiiympha of Lcidy, 

 and which Mr. Kent names T. leidyi. This 

 species differs but little from the species {T. 

 agilis) on which Leidy based Ihe genus, and 

 is found swarming in the intestinal canal of 

 a Tasmanian species of termitidae, which 

 has not yet been determined. Leidy recom- 

 mends that, for the observation of these infu- 

 soria, the contents of the intestine of the white 

 ant be emptied into a little white of an egg; 

 Kent recommends milk for the same pur- 

 pose. Kent further says "Of the two remain- 

 ing infusoria found by me in the Tasmanian 

 white ant the one is apparently referable to 

 Dr. Leidy's genus Pyrsoiiympha, while the 

 other belongs to Stein's multifiagellate genus 

 Lophomonas, so far recorded as a parasite only 

 of the orthopterous insects Bhitla and Gryl- 

 Inlalpa." 



Insects mistakin(; leaves for floweks 

 At the meeting of the Entomological society 

 of London, i April 1885, according to the 

 Eii/omoloffisi's monthly magazine, for Mav 

 1885. v. 21, p. 27S;— "Mr. R. M. Christy 

 (present as a visitor) exhibited a drawing of 

 the larva of the local (ormof Platysainia colitm- 

 tfia, known as nokomis: he had found the 

 larva in Canada feeding on Elaeagnus 

 argentea. the peculiarly silvery appearance 

 of which was strikingly in accord with 

 the color of the larva, which latter was 

 probably protected thereb3'. He also showed 

 faded leaves of Betula glandulosa, and said 

 he had observed Papilio asterias settle 

 on similar patches of leaves, apparently 

 mistaking them for flowers on account 

 of the bright coloring. Mr. [J: J.] Weir 

 said he had observed white butterflies settle 

 on patches of variegated leaves in his own 

 garden, and he alluded to the well-known 

 case of bees coming to artificial flowers on a 

 lady's bonnet." 



Preservation of Insects. — Apropos of 

 the difli'erent notes upon the preservation of 

 insects, that have been addressed to us, Dr. 

 Jacobs states that he has recommended, in 

 the Bulletin de la Socicte entomologitjuc de 

 Bclgiqiic (1S79), the use of a solution of 

 naphthalin in benzin. The insect is immersed 

 in it, and, afterdrying, the crystals of naphtha- 

 lin which are formed on the surface of the 

 body are removed with a small brush. The 

 solution penetrates the interior of the insect, 

 where the presence of the naphthalin can be 

 recognized. This process can be used for 

 coleoptera. but not for the diptera. bees, and 

 other hairy insects, for the brush removes 

 the hairs and spoils the insect. 



Mr. Charles Zuber employs liquid ammonia 

 to remove the salts of copper which form 

 upon the pins; this process does not injure 

 the insects. It is of course understood that 

 the insects should not be replaced in their 

 boxes until completely AvXsii.—Feuille ilea 

 /ennef natur.. April 1S85. ann. 15, p. 81. 



