162 



the female ; that the modified wings of the male contribute to 

 this support would therefore be a plausible theory. But for the 

 theory to hold good it must be proved that the wings are avail- 

 able for such a purpose, that is, capable of being raised and 

 opened. I have supposed them to be 'incapable of any motion. 

 An examination of a specimen which I have had in my pos- 

 session for several years threw no light upon the matter, all its 

 limbs having become rigid from immersion in alcohol, but a 

 specimen rendered transparent and properly prepared for the 

 microscope revealed the fact that the superior pair of w T ings 

 were articulated at the outer two-thirds of their base, the inner 

 third being free. 



The wings of B. Californicus are furnished with similar 

 series of spines. B. nivo?-iundus I have never seen. 



Henry L. Moody. 



Synoptical Tables for Determining N. A. Insects. 



Observations upon the habits and other peculiarities of in- 

 sects often fail of record merely because the names of the 

 insects are not known to the observer. Beginners in the 

 study of systematic Entomology find it of great advantage to 

 start with a named collection, and can rarely get such, at 

 least without difficulty. Collectors are .encouraged by finding 

 that it is easy to name their specimens, and from collectors are 

 led to become students. For these reasons and others, any 

 device is desirable which will render these names discoverable, 

 with the least possible preliminary study ; the experience of 

 naturalists has shown that artificial keys, or dichotomic synopses, 

 are most adapted to supply the demand. 



A series of synoptical tables for determining the names of 

 North American insects will appear in Psyche, as occasion fa- 

 vors. The first of the series will be a table for determining the 

 families of Orthoptera. This will be followed by a table for de- 

 termining the genera and species of the family Forficulariae, 

 found in the United States. Other families of Orthoptera or 

 other orders of insects will afterwards be treated in a similar 

 manner. When one or a few of the members of any group 

 are of such character that the insertion of those members into 



