April 1S92. 



PSYCHE. 



261 



Synonymy of butterfly parasites. — 

 A critical study of the American Apanteles 

 parasitic upon butterflies convinces me that 

 there are but four species instead of the six- 

 teen described by Prof. Riley in Mr. Scud- 

 der's Butterflies of the eastern U. S. These 

 are A. megathymi (ovipositor long, stigma 

 white), A. carpatus (ovipositor long, stigma 

 dark), A. cassianus (ovipositor concealed, 

 two deep diverging grooves forming a tri- 

 angle on disk of second segment), and A. 

 glomeratus (ovipositor concealed, no triangle 

 on disk of second segment). 



A. Edzvardsii, emarginatus {ensiger Say) 

 are svnonyms ofvl. carpatus Say; the others 

 are svnonyms of A. glomeratus; A. theclae 

 is a well marked variety of A. glomeratus 

 Linn. Wm. Hampton Pat I on. 



Entomological notes. — It is stated in 

 Science that the friends of the late Henry 

 Edwards have subscribed $10,000 and the 

 American Museum of Natural History 

 $5,000 for the purchase of his entomo- 

 logical collection, consisting of more 

 than 350,000 specimens, and this scientific 

 treasure goes to the American Museum. 

 This enterprise has been carried through by 

 Mr. A. M. Palmer, and other theatrical 

 friends of Mr. Edwards. 



More than half of the "Supplementary ap- 

 pendix" Mr. Whymper has recently published 

 to his travels amongst the Great Andes is 

 given up to Coleoptera, and almost the 

 whole of it to insects with numerous excellent 

 woodcuts engraved by Whymper himself. 

 The introduction by the late H. W. Bates 

 gives a coup d'oeil of the whole collection 

 mostly made over 9000 and even over 11000 

 feet above the sea, and shows that there is 

 no trace of "any distinct element of a north 

 temperate or south temperate coleopterous 

 fauna on the Ecuadorian Andes ... A few 

 genera belonging to temperate latitudes, 

 though not found in the tropical lowlands, 

 do indeed occur, but they are forms of almost 

 world-wide distribution in similar climates, 

 and there is no representative of the numer- 



ous characteristic and common genera of the 

 north or south. Even the northern genera 

 more or less abundantly found on the Mexi- 

 can highlands are absent." So, too, among 

 (■he butterflies, "the genera Erebia, Chieno- 

 baSj Parnassius, Argynnis, Epinephele, and 

 many others, so highly characteristic of the 

 faunas of the north temperate zone or Chili, 

 or both, and of high vertical ranges, are 

 quite absent." It seems to Bates a fair de- 

 duction that "no distinct traces of a migra- 

 tion during the lifetime of existing species 

 from north to south, or vice versa, along the 

 Andes, have as yet been discovered or are 

 now likely to be discovered." 



The March number of the Entomologists' 

 monthly magazine contains an interesting 

 account by W. W. Smith of the formation of 

 new colonies and nests by two species of New 

 Zealand ants of the genus Tetramorium. 

 According to him they originate by the 

 union of several individuals of both sexes on 

 sites beneath stones among the roots of 

 plants already instinctively selected and in- 

 habited by Aphides and Coccids, which serve 

 as an economic basis while founding their 

 nests. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



CAMBRIDGE ENTOMOLOGICAL CLUB. 



8 Jan., 1892. The 167th regular meeting 

 and 16th annual meeting (since incorpora- 

 tion) was held at 156 Brattle Street. Mr. 

 J. H. Emerton was elected chairman. 



The annual report of the retiring Secre- 

 tary, Mr. R. Hayward, was read and ac- 

 cepted. Mr. S. Henshaw, the retiring Treas- 

 urer, presented his' annual report which was 

 accepted subject to the approval of the audi- 

 tors. The retiring librarian, Mr. S. H. 

 Scudder, presented a verbal report of the 

 condition of the Club library which was ac- 

 cepted. 



The election of officers for 1892 being next 

 in order the Club proceeded to ballot, and 

 the following officers were declared elected : 



