90 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, '02 



Mysterious Titles. — " I understand, Mrs. Grassey, that your son has 

 become quite an eminent lepidopterist." 



" Mercy on us ! It ain't nothing like a kleptomaniac, is it?" 



Lake Laboratory, of the Ohio University, located at Sandusky, on 

 Lake Erie. Six weeks' instruction in a field and laboratory course in en- 

 tomology will be given, including instruction in collecting, mounting and 

 identifying, in connection with studies on life history and anatomy. Course 

 begins July 7th. For particulars, apply to Prof. Herbert Osborn, Ohio 

 State University, Columbus. 



Curious Habits of Certain Hymenoptera. — In the fall of 1901, I 

 received from Mr. F. S. Daggett, Pasadena, Cal., a lot of Hymenoptera, 

 collected under rather peculiar circumstances, which are worthy of note 

 and of biological importance. The lot received consisted of Pompilus 

 ferrugineus, Odynerus sulphureus and Chalybion coeruleiim, collected 

 while in quest of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, Mr. Daggett's specialty, 

 he kindly remembering me by collecting these purposely for me. A 

 peculiarity of these flies aroused my interest, and, asking Mr. Daggett for 

 further particulars, he kindly furnished me with the following notes : 



In stopping at a water-trough [Los Angeles Co., Calif.], these insects did 

 not come in a regular line of flight, but came pretty steadily. I was at 

 the water-trough about three-fourths of an hour when I commenced to 

 pick them up with the forceps. There were about fifty, and about the 

 same number left when I quit. Three-fourths of them alighted on the sur- 

 face of the water with legs outstretched, just the same as the "skaters" 

 do, leaving little depressions about each foot. Little puffs of wind 

 would reach the surface, when the flies would be swept six to eight inches, 

 sometimes sideways, on the surface. In picking them up with the for- 

 ceps, some would be knocked under water ; they at once paddled away 

 like flies, and had no difficulty in reaching the sides and crawling out. 

 The metallic blue Chalybion did not alight on the water, but on the edge 

 or sides, working down with short, jerky movements. All the others 

 except Chalybion rested on the water, and came in about even numbers ; 

 the large, darker ones {Pompilus) were more alert and harder to pick up 

 than their companions of a more yellow cast {Odynerus.) The honey 

 bees gathered in clusters about the dripping pipe, but did not alight on 

 the water. The weather was extremely hot (106°), and a hot, but not very 

 strong, wind blew u|) the dry wa.sh. It was at noon when we stopped to 

 feed our horses, and there was no other water for several miles. There 

 were a few flowers of desert-like growth, bnt nothing that these insects 

 were working on. 



In collecting and observing Hymenoptera under various conditions 

 and situations f«)r a number of years, I have never seen or heard of a like 

 occurrence, and would like to know if any simitar actions of llynu-nop- 

 tera have been observed by some one else.— R. J. Wkith, Elkliart, Ind. 



