66 Psyche [April 



I wish to state my indebtedness to Dr. Frederick Knab for the 

 kind loan of the extensive collections of the National Museum. 

 My thanks are due to Dr. J. Chester Bradley and Dr. James G. 

 Needham for frequent advice on difficult questions. 



OBSERVATIONS ON MICOU TALIS CALVA SAY. 

 By Ignaz Matausch, 

 Roselle, N. J., 1911. 



Two years ago, on September 26, I found the first insect of this 

 species, a female, near Irvington, N. J. Last year I did not see 

 a single one, but this season, on August 20, while examining an 

 elder bush near Roselle, N. J., for a larger genus (Acutalis), I 

 found two very small insects like it, but of a considerably smaller 

 size, which proved to be Micoutalis; one of these I captured, but 

 the other escaped. 



While hunting around that bush, where numerous ironweed- 

 plants {Vernonia novehoracnsis) had been in full bloom, I found 

 one very small nymph belonging, as I saw, to a small kind of Mem- 

 bracidco. Soon afterward I found more of these nymphs, and at 

 the same time more of the adult insects of Micovtalis. I thought 

 they probably were the nymphs of that species, and to make sure 

 I collected a number which I succeeded in rearing, as all (with 

 the exception of one which died) were in the last nymphal stage. 

 They matured, and both sexes have been obtained; on August 

 22d, the first, a male; on 23d a female; on 24th another female; on 

 26th more males and females. On this last day the plant wilted, 

 and on the 28th all died. 



On September 3, when the plants in the field began to wither, 



I collected two more nymphs which matured, one on September 



II and the other the following day, both females. On September 

 4 I found one soft nymph, of a brilliant yellow-red color, just after 

 the change from the preceding stage into the last nymphal stage; 

 but its bright color did not last, and after about one hour turned 

 to a yellowish-red brown. 



They seem to be very delicate, for after being handled in that 



