1894. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 625 



stand on the basis of Prof. Townsend's description, which, though short 

 and informal, serves to distinguish it from anything- else yet known. 



Since the Canadian Entomologist's list aijpeared, the following- species 

 have been added: Eriococcus coccineus, Cockerell.(with form hitescens, 

 Cockerell), fi-om Nebraska, Lecanium phoradendri, Cockerell, from 

 Arizona; L. insignicolla, Crawford (should be inmgnicola), from Cal- 

 ifornia; Ceroplastodes daJea', Cockerell, from New Mexico; Tachardia 

 cornutd, Cockerell, from New Mexico; Bnctylopius solani, Cockerell, 

 from New Mexico; Bergrothia steelii, Cockerell. and Townsend, from 

 New Mexico; Diaspis lanafu.s, Morgan and Cockerell, introduced in 

 Florida and District of Columbia, also in Georgia; Diaspis amygdali^ 

 Tryon, introduced in California.* There have also been added two 

 varieties {\ii\\ pruni, Cockerell and var. alhuSj Cockerell) of'Asjndiofus 

 juglan,s-regi(v. The description of a very interesting Ripersia^ the first 

 of its genus for our region, awaits publication. 



With the above changes and leaving- out the fossil. species, the nearctic 

 list now stands at 127. But if we exclude from it those species believed 

 to have been introduced by man it is reduced to 04 or even less. 



Examining the list from a historical standpoint, we see that practi- 

 cally nothing had been done up to the time of Fitch. About 10 of the 

 Fitch species are now considered valid, but some of those in Lecanium 

 are even now very imperfectly known. From Fitch to Comstock (1800- 

 1880), that is, over a period of about twenty years, next to no progress 

 was made, and the few descriptions that appeared were singularly 

 imperfect. Prof. Comstock put the matter on a totally different basis. 

 W.hen he commenced his studies the coccidology of North Ameri(^a was 

 in about as chaotic a condition as could be imagined; when he left oft' in 

 1883 our knowledge, at least of the Diaspinte, had increased enormously. 

 No less than 29 valid species are now credited to Comstock. 



One might have supposed that after this revival many new students 

 would have come forward; but from 1883 to 1893 was again a period of 

 comparative stagnation, although we have isolated descriptions at the 

 hands of Coquillett, Douglas, Riley and Howard, and Crawford. Never- 

 theless, during this period, the life histories and parasites of several 

 species were elucidated, and almost every number of Insect life has 

 contained some new information. 



At length in the present year, 1894, more is being done, and in many 

 places work is going on, which should, soon lead to valuable results. 

 Students have arisen in California, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, 

 and New York, while others in Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, etc., have 

 been on the lookout for material, though their studies did not include 

 the Coccidaj. 



New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station, 



Las Ci'iices, New Mexico, Oct. 27, 1894. 



" Insect Life, vi, p. 290. 

 Proc. N. M. 94 40 



