182 



PSYCHE. 



[November 1S91 



however, any cessation of its song. The in- 

 sects composing the audience are extremely 

 active ; and so wary that they take flight at 

 the least alarm on the too near approach of 

 any intruder. Some of them, however, have 

 been captured; and on examination these 

 "proved to belong to the same family as that 

 most beautiful of British insects — the lace- 

 wing fly, which, indeed, they closely resem- 

 ble except as to size, their measurement 

 across the expanded wings being a little over 

 two inches; they have since been identified 

 by Mr. Kirby at the British Museum as 

 Nothochrysa gigantea." — Nature. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



CAMBRIDGE ENTOMOLOGICAL CLUB. 



10 October, 1890. — The 155th meeting of 

 the Club was held at 156 Brattle St. Mr. S. 

 H. Scudder was chosen chairman. 



The meeting was devoted almost entirely 

 to informal remarks. Among other topics 

 Mr. S H. Scudder discussed further damage 

 by white ants in New England. Referring 

 to remarks made by him at a previous meet- 

 ing on the injuries to geranium cuttings in 

 the forcing houses attached to Mt. Auburn 

 cemetery, and to an article in the Canadian 

 entomologist, by Dr. H. A. Hagen, on their 

 abundance in Cambridge, he proceeded to 

 describe the injuries done by Termes jlavipes 

 to tree ferns growing in tubs at the Botanic 

 Garden in Cambridge, as well as to the tubs 

 themselves. This had been pointed out to 

 him by Mr. F. A. Quinn and Mr. Cameron 

 of the Botanic Garden. He suggested the 

 practicability of using staves for the tubs 

 made of galvanized iron, or some such ma- 

 terial, in place of wooden ones. (See Psy- 

 che, 1891, v. 6, p. 15.) 



Mr. Scudder also called attention to the 

 issue of a work on the genus Ornithoptera 

 by Robt. H. F. Rippon. 



Mr. J. H. Emerton exhibited a few sketches 

 of A. polypkemus in process of expansion. 



12 December, 1S90. — The 158th meeting of 

 the Club was held at 156 Brattle St. Mr. 

 S. Henshaw was chosen chairman. 



Mr. Henshaw read a letter from Mr. Mann 

 in relation to vol. 4 of Psyche, action on 

 which was necessarily postponed on account 

 of the absence of a quorum. 



Mr. S. H. Scudder read the first of a series 

 of letters from Dr. T. W. Harris to Mr. Thos. 

 Say, and the latter's reply. These letters 

 will be published later in Psyche (See v. 6, 

 pp. 57-60). 



9 January, 1891. — The 159th regular meet- 

 ing and 15th annual meeting (since incorpo- 

 ration) was held at 156 Brattle St. Mr. S. 

 H. Scudder was elected chairman. 



The annual reports of the secretary and of. 

 the retiring librarian were accepted and 

 ordered to be placed on file. 



The annual report of the treasurer was pre- 

 sented and referred to the auditors. 



Owing to the absence of a quorum the reg- 

 ular election of officers was postponed. 



Mr. S. H. Scudder then read the annual 

 address of retiring President Woodworth. 

 The address was entitled "On the relations 

 between scientific and economic entomol- 

 ogy," and will be published in full in Pysche 

 (See v. 6, pp. 19-21). 



Mr. Scudder stated that by request of Mr. 

 F. Bolles he had recently examined the con- 

 tents of the stomach of three golden winged 

 woodpeckers (Colaptes auratus) which he 

 found to consist almost entirely of the re- 

 mains of ants of several species. Consider- 

 able discussion followed with regard to the 

 insect food of several other birds, notably the 

 English sparrow {Passer domesticus) and 

 also the kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) and 

 kildeer and golden plovers. It seemed to be 

 the general opinion that insects eaten by 

 birds would be better preserved, owing to the 

 chitine in their composition, than seeds, 

 berries, and other more soluble material, so 

 that when a bird had eaten any insects, un- 

 less it was shot immediately after its meal, 

 the insect remains would appear in excess. 



The second letter from Dr. Harris to Mr. 

 Say, and the latter's reply was read (See 

 Psyche, v. 6, pp. 121-123). 



