THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



73 



curved ; the otlier nervules brown, those of the 

 clavis and its margins very much thickened, and 

 sometimes tinged around with brownish cloud- 

 ings. A few specimens sliow pale interruptions 

 near the middle of the discoidal nervules. Wings 

 milky, or almost transparent whitish. Legs pale 

 yellow, with the knees and tarsi occasionally 

 brownish. Sternum and base of venter black. 



Length of body 3J^-4'+'' 



to tip of wings 



4'<f-5,'4'"'"'- ; width of pronotum lyi-l^i"™. 



The genus CicaJida is founded upon 

 European si)ecies which differ from the 

 Americnri ones in minor details of struc- 

 ture. As far as observation has yet ex- 

 tended these characteristics will not avail 

 to constitute new subgenera. Most likely 

 the boundaries of the genus will have to 

 be widened to admit the other forms which 

 are so^closely related as to appear to con- 

 stitute with this a very rational group. 



In my collection are specimens obtained 

 by myself in Maryland on both shores of 

 Chesapeake Bay. At Woodbury, Sept. 4 ; 

 Curtis' Creek, August 14th ; Kent county, 

 August 24th. At Denver, Col., I swept it 

 from grasses on the plains, August 18. 

 Friends have sent specimens to me from 

 Te.xas, Florida, and North Carolina. From 

 the Department of Agriculture, I have re- 

 cently received specimens from South Car- 

 olina, taken January 29th ; and from North 

 Carolina, Mr. Lintner sends me specimens 

 from wheat fields. 



Habits of Psephenus Lecontei Lee. 

 -^This beetle has a very wide distribution, 

 and is not uncommon in many portions of 

 the eastern and western States. The males 

 and unimpregnated females are very active, 

 and in the heat of the day collect upon 

 stones in mid-stream, which barely break 

 the surface of the water, and are occasion- 

 ally washed by a ripple. Over these stones 

 they run in ceaseless activity, chasing each 

 other like flies at play, and making occa- 

 sional short flights over the surface of the 

 water, but never plunging beneath it, nor suf- 

 fering themselves to be submerged even for 

 an instant. They are at such times exceed- 

 ingly wary, and unless approached very 

 cautiously, they vanish before the observer 

 can get near enough to use his net. They 

 leave the stone with a flight so swift that 



it cannot be followed with the eye, but 

 they will invariably be found all together, 

 and at play upon another stone at no great 

 distance. The gravid females are found 

 in July or August engaged in laying their 

 eggs on tile underside of submerged stones 

 in shallow brooks. When so engaged they 

 are very sluggish, and never attempt to 

 escape. The eggs are of a bright orange 

 color, and are deposited in irregular 

 clusters. The scale-like larva is found 

 under stones in running water. When 

 about to pupate it crawls out of the water 

 upon a partially submerged log or stick of 

 drift-wood, and selects a crack, near enough 

 to the water to remain perpetually moist. 

 The pupa then forms under the skin of 

 the larva, which like the scale of a Coccid 

 protects the insect beneath. — H. G. H., 

 Detroit, Mich. 



Prof. J. H. Comstock has been in Florida, 

 making a special examination of insects 

 affecting orange trees, and will go to 

 other orange-growing States, visiting Cali- 

 fornia, if possible, at some time during 

 his investigations. 



A local form of our common Milkweed 

 Butterfly {Danais archippus) with the 

 ground-color pale testaceous instead of 

 deep fulvous, is found on the island of 

 .\ntio;ua. 



Reports of the U. S. Entomological 

 Commission. — Continued demands being 

 yet made for the first report of the Com- 

 mission on the Rocky Mountain Locust 

 Ciiloptcnus spretiis), we would state that 

 the 5,000 copies ordered by Congress have 

 long since been exhausted. There is a 

 possible chance of yet getting copies 

 through senators or representatives in Con- 

 gress, or through the Interior Department. 

 A resolution to print 30,000 extra copies 

 has passed the Senate, but has not been 

 acted upon by the House Committee. 

 The second report is ready for publica- 

 tion, but has not yet been ordered printed. 

 The wheels of Congress in this direction 

 grind slowly. 



