147 



thing very oft'ensive and brought it into the room. My wife, however, said it was 

 one of these flies, and soon found this specimen near the himp, it having come in 

 through the open window, as I su]>pose. Several different persons examined this 

 fly while it was alive and can testify to its most remarkable and abominablt^ smell. 

 Fortunately, this insect is by no means nunu^rous here, this being only the third 

 specimen I have seeu. * * " — [E. Scott Brown, Allen County, Ky., September 1, 

 1891. 



Reply. — * *■ * The insect in question is one of the lace-winged Hies, a species 

 of Chrysopa. Some of these insects emit a very disagreeable odor, as you describe, 

 especially when handled. The lace-winged flies are strictly beneficial insects, the 

 larva;, called Aphis lions, being especially voracious and feeding upon other soft- 

 bodied insects, and particularly Aphides. or plant lice. One peculiarity of the in- 

 sect consists in the method of the parent in depositing its eggs. These are placed in 

 groups on long pedestals and present a very peculiar appearance. The young larva, 

 when hatched, climbs down the pedestal and wanders around in search of prey. 

 When full-fed it spins a circular cocoon attached to a leaf or twig, and the adult 

 insect ultimately escapes by cutting a circular lid in one side of the cocoon. — [Sep- 

 tember 7, 1891. 



A Ground Squirrel Parasite. 



I send yon by mail to-day three grubs taken from the body of a half-grown ground 

 squirrel {Spennophilus 13-lineatus) killed July 7. They were in the skin between the 

 posterior extremities. There were four, but oue was lost. Are they a comnu)n para- 

 site of this animal, and could they be used in any way to exterminate the squirrel? 

 They are such a pest to the farmers, digging up many acres of corn before it 

 sprouts.— [B. B.^Gillett, Kansas, July 10, 1891. 



Reply. — The specimens which you send are very interesting and do not agree with 

 the larvae of the Emasculating Bot-fly which commonly infests squirrels and gophers 

 in the East, and an account of which you will fiiid upon page 214 of Insect Life, 

 volume I. Your larvae are entirely new to the national collection, and I trust that 

 you will make an ett'ort, if you have the opportunity, to breed the adult fly by allow- 

 ing the larvae to enter the earth in a covered box or jar. Perhaps, if you will send 

 them to us alive in tightly packed earth, we may be able to take better care of 

 them.— [July 17, 1891.] 



Poisonous Qualities of a Northern Centipede. 



I send for identification what appears to be a relative of the Centipedes. They 

 are known here as "Earwigs." They are not generally thought to be poisonous, 

 but I am sure this is an error, as my experience with this one goes to prove. It 

 made itself known at night by a very vigorous bite which immediately awoke me 

 and continued jiainful for some time afterward, and from the swelling as well as 

 pain attending the bite I am convinced that it can be classed as a poisonous insect. — 

 [J. T. Park, Tennessee, October 5, 1891. 



Reply. — The Centipede which you send is a species known as Seolopendra woodii. 

 This is a more or less northern representative of the well-known poisonous Centipede 

 of the West Indies and other warmer localities, and there is no doubt about the 

 possession of poison fangs by all the members of the genus Seolopendra. The eftect 

 of the bite in a warm climate is very variable, being at some times excessively viru- 

 lent and painful and at others causing little inconvenience. It is doubtful, how- 

 ever, whether the bite of S. woodii could ever be dangerous, and as a matter of fact 

 your personal experience of the bite of this species is the first with which I have 

 ever met. It is therefore of considerable interest. — [October 9, 1891.] 

 9676— No. 3 5 



