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ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



October 2, 1890. — Messrs. J. M. Stedman, Nathan Banks, and F. W. Mally were 

 elected members of the Society. 



L'uder exhibition of specimens and notes, Dr. Fox exhibited a specimen of a small 

 spider, belonging to the genus Episinus, which was stated by Dr. Marx to be an un- 

 described species. 



Dr. Marx called attention to two spiders new to our fauna, one belonging to the 

 European genus Histopona, taken at Penu-Mar, Md., and also received from South 

 Florida, and the other a new genus of uncertain position, but possibly allied to the 

 Agaleuidie, represented by a single specimen taken on the grounds of the Department 

 of Agriculture. 



Mr. Marlatt exhibited a specimen of Trypeia cequalis Lw. which he had bred from 

 the seed-pods of Xanthium and the larval habit of which he had described at a pre- 

 vious meeting of the Society. 



Mr. Marlatt then presented a paper on " Some Observations on the Habits of Vespa 

 germanica and V. cuneata." The feeding and nesting habits, particularly of the first- 

 named species, were described. Three kinds of nests were mentioned, viz, the very 

 rare aerial ones, those beneath stumps or stones and those in open ground, the latter 

 being much the more common. Various insect and mammalian enemies of these 

 wasps were alluded to, together with the means employed to destroy the nests when 

 tbi-ir proximity to dwellings renders them objectionable. Discussed by Messrs. How- 

 ard, Schwarz, Fox, Dodge, Stedman, Marlatt, and others.- 



Mr. Howard read a paper ent'tled "A New Remarkable Genus of Encyrtiuje," in 

 which be characterized a new genus and species which possesses the peculiar ramose 

 antennte, hitherto peculiar in the subfamily Eucyrtinse, to Telracnemus diversicornis of 

 Westwood. Mr. Howard has named the genus Tanaostigma and the species T. course- 

 tice from CourseUa (?) mexicana, a rare leguminous plaut collected in the Alamos Mount- 

 ains, Mexico, by Dr. Edward Palmer, aud in the ovaries and stigma of which the 

 insect breeds. Discussed by Messrs. Schwarz, Howard, aud Marlatt. 



Dr. Marx gave an interesting account of his recent experiments to determine 

 whf'ther the bite of Lathrodectus macians is poisouous or not. He described the poisou 

 glands of Lathrodectus which are remarkably small. He had introduced the poison 

 in various ways into guinea-pigs and rabbits without obtaining any satisfactory 

 results, and proposed to vary aud continuehisexperimentstoput the matter of the sup- 

 posed poisonous nature of the bite of this spider, if possible, beyond doubt. Discussed 

 by Messrs. Schwarz, Howard, Fox, and Marlatt. 



Mr. Ulke, who was present, gave an interesting description of the habits of Tachya 

 inctirvus Say, which he had found in numbers in the nests of ants, and which is the 

 first Carahid to be determined as truly myrmecophilous. He also described the habits 

 of certain myrmecophilous Staphylinidae, aud exhibited a small .collection of Coleop- 

 tera made by Mr. T. Ulke, illustrating the local fauna of the Black Hills district. 

 Discussed by Messrs. Schwarz, Howard, and Marx. 



In connection with the subject of local faunas, Mr. J. B. Smith's recent catalogue 

 of the insects of New Jersey was taken up and discussed at length by the Society. 



Mr. Townsend communicated for publication a generic synopsis of the first five 

 groups of the North Amercan calyptrate Muscidse. 



C. L. Marlatt, 

 Recording Secretary. 



o 



