14] 
questioned by M. Reinhard, of Bautzen,* who says the galls of various 
Species appear to be so transitional between other forms, that they 
can only be known with certainty when the insect appears. Cynips 
spongifica, produced from the summer gall, is considered by Reinhard 
to be generically distinct from Cynips aciculata, produced from the 
winter gall. To this new genus he gives the name of “ Amphibolips.” 
It is suggested that the former may either be an inquiline of C. acicu- 
lata, or that they simply agree in making similar galls. 
Among the most generally interesting of entomological works are the 
‘ Reports on the Noxious, Beneficial and other Insects of the State of 
New York,’ by Dr. Asa Fitch. The sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth 
have now been published at Albany, and, besides the descriptions of 
several new species, life-histories, and the histories of their doings 
good and bad, the latter unfortunately predominating, they abound in 
highly-important information relative to the ravages of insects and 
their remedies. Of the yellow-legged barley-fly (Eurytoma flavipes), 
for instance, we learn that its depredations have been so great in the 
central part of the State, that, unless some relief is found, “ barley 
will hardly appear in our census reports.” It is worth remarking, by 
the way, that the New York farmers appear from this to have no ob- 
jection to making returns of the yield of they crops. In 1862 Crio- 
ceris asparagi made its appearance on Long Island, and it would seem 
that the injury done in the same year was so great as to threaten 
“the total destruction” of the Asparagus, a most important crop in 
that State, one little district alone—Oyster Bay—selling 20,000 dol- 
lars’ worth annually. Fo:tunately it was very soon discovered that 
the skunk (Mephitis americana) had a relish for these insects, and 
this suggested the idea that they might prove as acceptable to other 
animals less intolerable to man. Fowls were accordingly tried, and 
with the best results; nor are the plants found to be injured by their 
presence. One more notice: a new enemy to the bee has made its 
appearance in the Nebraska territory, the Trypanza apivora (Asilidz). 
Although one of the same family—perhaps more than one—is known 
to attack the bee in Europe, it is only occasionally ; but in this case 
it seems that in the season of 1864 no swarm had been thrown off (at 
least up to the time of the report), and this was attributed to the de- 
struction caused by the “ bee-killer,” as it has been termed. 
* Berliner Entom. Zeitschrift, 1865, pp. 1—13. For a full report of this valuable 
paper see Quart. Journ. of Science, ii. p. 670. 
