September 1S91 .] 



PSYCHE. 



139 



the Coleoptera I once supposed to be 

 Cicindela trifasciata, F. ; but now 

 think it must be you[r] C. vulgaris. No. 

 7 is probably Brachinus fumans F. 

 No. 27 much resembles your Buprestis 

 divaricata ; but is evidently a distinct 

 species, from the construction of the 

 apex of the elytra. No. 37 is the lumi- 

 nous larva ? of some Lampyris : it is 

 very common in low grounds in Sept'r 

 and Oct'r. Nos. 66, 67, 68, and 69 

 may perhaps be only sexual or other 

 varieties of one species. The same 

 may be true as to Nos. 136, 137, 138, 

 and 139. No. 76 I take to be your Alelo- 

 lontha pilosicollis ; No. 83 your M. 

 sericea ; & No. 86 your Cetonia bar- 

 bata. No. 93, as was observed by 

 Prof. Peck, differs somewhat from the 

 European Tenebrio molitor. No. 98 

 is to be found in all stages within the 

 legumes of Baptisia (Sophora L.) 

 tinctoria, in the months of Aug't and 

 Sept'r. No. 106 inhabits beneath the 

 bark of the Plum-tree; No. 107 beneath 

 that of the Juniperus virginiana and 

 if they are not already described by 

 some other name, should, according to 

 a rule of Linnaeus, bear for their spe- 

 cific designations the generic names of 

 the trees which afford them sustenance. 

 This rule I conceive to be of the high- 

 est importance ; and it appears most 

 proper to distinguish the species of in- 

 sects by the names of the trees or plants 

 on which they live, in every instance 

 where it is practicable, or where the 

 habitat is known. 



Can you tell me where I am to look 

 for the larva of No. 1 14, Lamia torna- 



tor, F. & for that of No. 117? That of 

 No. 116 inhabits the Lombardy poplar. 

 Can No. 117 be Stenocorus cyaneus, 

 F. ? Dr. Leach has separated from the 

 genus Rhagium some insects to which 

 he has given the generic name of Har- 

 gium ; the characters of which are, 

 '•'•Thorax with a spi?ic on each side; 

 antenna thickest in the middle." 

 The type of this genus is Rhagium 

 indagator, F. Now it seems to me 

 that No. 117 might be referred to this 

 genns. Please give me your opinion 

 on the subject. No. 132 appears to be 

 Cassida aurichalcea, F. but no men- 

 tion is made, in the description of that 

 species, of the small black spot on each 

 elytron. I have written a paper on 

 this insect for my friend Hon'l John 

 Lowell. No. 149 is extremely com- 

 mon on the Tilia americana, & the 

 English Elm. 



In the second box No. 1 is a complete 

 scare-sleep, and from its note is called 



"Katy-did" No. 20, Sigara 



swims in the ordinary way, & not upon 

 its back. No. 21, Afembracis bimacu- 

 latus ? F. is found in abundance on the 

 Robinia pseudacacia in September. 

 You may have observed the knotted 

 condition of the small twigs of this tree. 

 Each protuberance contains in summer 

 a reddish worm, the larva of some in- 

 sect, which lives on the pith, & leaves 

 the tree to go through its metamorpho- 

 sis, probably in the ground. May it 

 not be the larva of this species of JZem- 

 bracis. Do you know the oeconomy 

 of No. 33 ? I have ascertained the 

 metamorphosis of Nos. 34. 35, 36, 44, 



