1910] Lovell—Prosopidide of Southern Maine 179 
are dark. In the male the Ist abdominal segment may be nearly 
impunctate, or sparsely and finely punctured. In this species as 
well as in P. zizie, P. modesta and other forms mounted specimens 
sometimes have the marks red. At first I supposed that this was 
a natural variation in color, but I have recently ascertained experi- 
mentally that this change is caused by leaving the specimens for 
too long a time in the cyanide jar. When a number of wasps 
belonging to the genus Vespa were left in the cyanide jar for some 
weeks, on examination the yellow marks were found to have all 
changed to bright red. Specimens of P. modesta with yellow marks 
were then exposed to the action of cyanide of potassium, and in a 
few days they became red. Even dried specimens were similarly 
effected. It is important that this artificial change of coloration 
should be generally known since it might easily lead to erroneous 
conclusions. 
Prosopis saniculae Robt. 
1896. Prosopis sanicule Robt. 2 o, Can. Ent. 28:137. 
1901. Prosopis sanicule Lov. 9, Ent. News, 12:5. 
Three females taken on Aralia hispida, July 15-16. I havea 
male from Point Abbaye, Mich., collected by Morgan Hebard, 
July 24, 1903, for which I am indebted to Mr. H. L. Viereck. 
Prosopis affinis Sm. 
1853. Prosopis affinis Sm. Q (not co’), Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus. 1:24. 
Many attempts have been made to identify P. affinis Sm., 
none of which appear to have been correct. Fortunately the 
types are still preserved in the British Museum, and through the 
kindness of Col. C. T. Bingham I have obtained new descriptions 
of both sexes accompanied by very excellent figures. The de- 
scription of the female is as follows: 
“Q —Black. Head: the sides of the face with a triangular yellow patch extend- 
ing from the level of the base of the mandibles to a little above the level of the inser- 
tion of the antennz; antenne castaneous brown. Thorax: a medially interrupted 
line on the pronotum, the tubercles and a spot in front of the tegule yellow; wings 
hyaline and iridescent, tegule, stigma and nervures castaneous brown, the nervures 
of a paler tint than the tegule or stigma; legs castaneous brown, the coxe black, 
the basal half of the tibiz of the anterior and posterior legs and the basal third of 
the tibiz of the intermediate legs yellow. Abdomen: the apical margins of the 
segments 1-5, obscurely castaneous. Head about as broad as the thorax, trans- 
