March, '03] entomological news. 89 



after-dinner speeches were listened to attentively, and altogether the 

 affair was a great success. The following persons were present : C. H. 

 Roberts, C. F. Groth, F. E. Watson, C. Schaeffer, H. C. Bumbus, C. H. 

 Sunderland, W. G. Johnson, E. D. Harris, C. M. Myers, E. L. Dicker- 

 son, C. W. Leng, C. J. Martin, G. B. Howard, J. B. Pratt, William Mar- 

 tin, L. O. Howard, W. T. Davis, J. B. de la Torre Bueno, G. Franck, L* 

 H. Joutel, H. G. Barber, J. Dofl, F. L. Graef, R. F. Pearsall, E. B- 

 Southwick, C. E. Snyder, H. F. Kudlich, L. T. Muench, E. Daecke, R. 

 Ottolengni, A. C. Weeks, W. Beutenmuller, C. Palm, G. Beyer, E. A. 

 Bischoff, H. W. Wenzel, Henry Skinner, E. P. Felt. 



Beetle Prizes at Springfield, Mass.— The prizes offered, early in 

 the spring, for the best collection of beetles by children below high 

 school grade, were awarded 17th December. To stimulate observation, 

 those species which were found feeding, and with which a pressed leaf 

 of the food plant was turned in, scored five points, while all other species 

 counted one point each. The first prize of |io was won by Faunce 

 Dumbleton, with 202 species and 28 food-plant records. Miss Josephine 

 de Montigny carried off the second prize of $$ with 196 species and 18 

 food plants. Of especial interest is the discovery of this miss of 12, 

 afterwards verified by the writer, of the food plant of Plagiodera viri- 

 dis. The beetles and their larvae were found in great abundance upon 

 water-cress [Nasturtiimi officinale).'^ 



There were only ten contestants in all, a very small number, in view 

 of the population of the city. In a slight measure this may be due to 

 unfamiliarity of city children with natural objects, but perhaps it was also 

 due to failure on the part of some of the teachers to properly announce 

 the prize offers. However the results of this contest were quite satis- 

 factory. In spite of a very unfavorable season and the fact that the 

 children had to do most of their collecting in vacation time, over 1800 

 beetles were collected — of course many of them duplicates. Quite a 

 number of varieties were taken, and a number of species added to 

 our faunal list. The minute species cannot be determined at present, 

 but I will mention a few of the more conspicuous. Calasoma frigidum, 

 a species quite common in eastern Massachusetts, but not before re- 

 corded from this part of the state. Lebia fuscata Dej., is also new for 

 this region, likewise a Ceranibycid which, in the absence of a good 

 series for comparison, I assign with slight hesitation to Acmosops pro- 

 teus. A number of other species, not before taken about Springfield, 

 are still undetermined. Among those considered good captures here, 

 though some of them may be abundant elsewhere, are the following : 



Calosoma scrutator, C. i^ilcoxii, Agabus erythopterus, Graphoderes 



'■'' Doubtless this beetle is also found, at least in the adult form, on 

 other Cruciferae, as stated by Mr. Ulke in his recently published list of 

 coleoptera of the District of Columbia. 



