140 



dance of wax that Mr. Cockerell deems it of commercial importance, 

 and a new lac insect, Tachardia gem mi/era, with whicli, however, the 

 lac is not at all abundant. Number 23 records the rediscovery of Peri- 

 patus in Jamaica, and the fact that the species is being studied by Dr. 

 Grabham and Mr. Cockei ell. It has not yet been determined whether it 

 is a new species, or whether it is identical with the Venezuelan species, 

 P. edwardsL No. 24 is entitled " New enemies of Scale Insects," and 

 mentions particularly a Lepidopterous enemy of Ceroplastes which Mr. 

 Cockerell thinks may be a species of Thalpochares, a Chrysopa, and a 

 Chalcidid parasite of a Lecaiiium on Terminalia. 



RECENT ENTOMOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS BY THE U. S. NATIONAL 



MUSEUM. 



Since we last mentioned the publications of an entomological nature 

 emanating from the U. S, National Museum, there have appeared in 

 addition (1) Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by C. V. 

 Eiley [Part F, Bulletin 39]; (2) Revision of the Genus Cucullia; Re- 

 vision of the Dicopiuie; Revision of Xylomiges and Morrisonia, by 

 John B. Smith (Nos. 890-892), and (3) Insects of the subfamily En- 

 cyrtinie with Branched Antennse, by L. O. Howard [No. 905]. 



GALLS IN GERMANY. 



Dr. D. H. R. von Schlechtendal's important contribution to science 

 entitled "Die Gallbildungen (Zoocecidien) des deutschen Gefasspflan- 

 zen" has reached us under separate cover, extracted from the Jahres- 

 bericht des Vereins fiir Naturkunde zu Zwickau, 1891. The plan of 

 this work comj)rises an arrangement of all the galls jnoduced by ani- 

 mals known in Germany, according to the botanical classification of the 

 j)lants which bear them. Under each plant species is given a synopti- 

 cal table of its galls, running to the name of the gall insect, wherever 

 this is known. The work is of the greatest value to students of insects, 

 bnt it is surprising to notice how large is the number of cases in which 

 the creature producing the gall has not been reared, or at least not spe- 

 cifically determined. Wlien this is the case with a country like Ger- 

 many, the fauna of which is so well known, American students need not 

 feel ashamed of the condition of our knowledge in this direction. The 

 number of the distinct galls runs up to 1,322. The work covers 114 

 pages and is well indexed, both zoologically and botauically, according 

 to the families and genera in botany and genera and species in zoology. 

 Mr. Ashmead's synopsis of the Cynipid Galls is the only approach to a 

 work of this character which we have in this country. 



NOTES ON SOME BRED SPECIES OF CALIFORNIA PARASITIC HYMEN- 



OPTERA. 



We have lately received from our agent, Mr. D. W. Coquillett, sta- 

 tioned at Los Angeles, Cal., a small lot of Hymenoptera for identifica- 



