56 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



This species, of which I possess a single specimen, seems 

 closely allied to D. geminepunctata, Stal, but the thorax in the 

 latter insect is much more strongly punctured, and without the 

 brown stripes ; the elytra are regularly geminate-punctate, and 

 their narrow stripes are interrupted anteriorly and posteriorly by 

 a flavous transverse band. For all that, it is possible that the 

 present species is an extreme aberration of Stal's insect, taking 

 into account the great variability of all these insects. 



Doryphora cenea, n. sp. 



Metallic greenish black below, above obscure aeneous ; thorax very 

 finely and rather closely punctured ; elytra obsoletely and finely 

 punctate-striate, the interstices irregularly and sparingly punctured. 

 Length, 10 mill. 



Head finely and somewhat closely punctured, semi-opaque, aeneous, 

 the labrum fulvous anteriorly ; antenna? extending to the base of the 

 elytra, greenish black, the lower two joints fulvous below ; thorax 

 scarcely three times broader than long, the sides nearly straight, the 

 anterior angles not much produced ; the disc opaque, brownish aeneous, 

 punctured like the head, the extreme basal margin with some rows of 

 stronger punctures ; scutellum smooth ; elytra wider at the base than 

 the thorax, wideued towards the middle, finely punctured in ill-defined 

 rows, the interstices sparingly and very finely punctured and aciculate ; 

 the under side and legs more shining and impunctate ; the mesosternal 

 process short, but strongly pointed and straight. 



Hah. Peru. 



A rather small-sized species, allied to D. prasina, Erichs., 

 but of rather opaque aeneous upper surface and different sculp- 

 ture. 



NOTES ON THE SEASON OF 1897. 

 By Eussell E. James. 



Although rather late in the day, the following notes on the 

 past year may perhaps interest some of your readers. 1897, as 

 I found it, has been a most irregular year ; and although I have 

 not had as much time as usual for collecting, the results of the 

 few expeditions I have made have been curiously inconsistent. 



One thing has struck me throughout the year, and that is the 

 great dearth of geometers. What beating I have done for them 

 has invariably met with but little success, the comparative 

 scarcity of common species being even more marked than the 

 absence of good ones. With the exception of great Jubilee 

 festivity, when to display their patriotism Noctuae swarmed to 

 the feast for full three weeks or more, treacle has also been a 

 total failure ; but while the revelry lasted such numbers turned 



