104 Psyche [October 



accept the conclusions of Mr. Woods, at least until further evi- 

 dence is forthcoming. On the other hand it must be conceded, 

 that aside from color and size, which may mean much or very little, 

 the differences as presented are all very small and not entirely con- 

 stant. While a difference in food plant is always suggestive, it is 

 of course by no means necessarily indicative of specific distinctness, 

 the accompanying differences in color, etc., being quite conceivably 

 no higher than racial in character. Mr. Woods' experiments show 

 that the larvse of all the forms studied could be induced to feed 

 more or less readily on a considerable variety of plants. Appar- 

 ently no effort was made to carry them through to maturity on any 

 other than their preferred food plant, though the results of such 

 effort, especially if successful, would have been of great interest, as 

 would the results of attempts at cross breeding. Such experimen- 

 tation is often difficult of accomplishment, and under the most 

 favorable conditions involves skilled handling and a great deal of 

 time. It is to be hoped however that Mr. Woods or some equally 

 competent investigator may continue the work so well begun. 



It should be noted that two statements in Woods' "Key to the 

 Advilts," on page 154, are more or less misleading. The antennse of 

 iilmi are said to be "one-half the length of the body." This cer- 

 tainly is not always true, since in one of the two typical examples 

 sent me the antenna is extended. along the side of the body in good 

 position for comparative measurement and is quite three-fifths as 

 long as the body. Again, the so-called 'Hgiiita of Chittenden" is 

 said to have "segment 3 of the antennae longer than segment 4." 

 This is not true of any Haltica in our fauna, unless possibly as an 

 accidental individual variation. 



In this connection it becomes of interest to know just what the 

 " ignita of Chittenden " is. Referring to his article on " The Straw- 

 berry Flea-Beetle"^ it appears that so far as the beetle is described, 

 it is the broadly conceived ignita of Horn's Synopsis, varying in 

 color "from bright metallic golden, coppery, golden brown or pur- 

 plish, to green and blue" and ranging in distribution from ocean to 

 ocean and from Canada to Mexico. This does not help us any, 

 but some observations made further on in the account of the life 

 history as worked out by the author, supplemented by numerous 

 specimens and some additional data kindly submitted to me by 



1 Some Insects Injurious to Garden Crops, Bull. 23 N. S. U. S. Dept. Agric. 1900. 



