330 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [December, 



Doings of Societies. 



Philadelphia, Nov. 12, 1895. 



A stated meeting of the Feldman Collecting Social was held at the 

 residence of Mr. H. W. Wenzel, 1509 S. 13th Street. Members present : 

 Messrs. Bland, Boerner, Trescher, Laurent, Seiss, Fox, H. W. Wenzel, 

 Schmitz, E. Wenzel, Haimbach, Hoyer, Castle and Griffith. Honorary 

 member: J. B. Smith. Meeting called to order at 9 p.m., President Bland 

 in the chair. Dr. Griffith read a letter from Mr. George Stortz, of Newark, 

 N. J., acknowledging receipt of amount in payment of the Social's share 

 of the expense of the recent Jamesburg meeting and expressing the wish 

 that the members would attend the field-meeting next year at Newark. Dr. 

 Griffith mentioned the receipt by him of some Coleoptera from Coeur d*^ 

 Alene, Idaho, which indicated a close faunal connection with Eureka, Cala. 

 Mr. Boerner recorded the capture by C. A. Blake, of a specimen of Catc- 

 cala relicta at Rosemont, Pa., on October 20th. Dr. Castle exhibited 

 some rare Coleoptera, including the following species: Toxotiis vittigera, 

 Leptura vitiosus and cordifera, Acanthoderus decipiens, from the Blue 

 Mountains of Pennsylvania, and Heterachites ebenus and Microrhopalct 

 melsheimeri, from Masonville, N. J. Mr. H. W. Wenzel reported Mono- 

 crepidius vespertinus injuring beans. He had taken the species in large 

 numbers on butter-beans at Atco, N. J., during the past Summer. Mr. 

 Bland corroborated Mr. Wenzel's report, and in reply to Prof. Smith, 

 who said that this species was not before known to have such habits,^ 

 stated that the beans turned black in spots after being attacked. Mr. 

 Laurent exhibited part of a collection of moths taken at North Wales, 

 Pa., during the Summer months, and remarked on the apparent abundance 

 the males of Plentyria fluviata in comparison to the females, the latter 

 being outnumbered in the collection 10 to i. He had always believed the 

 contrary to the case. He further mentioned the following species in the 

 lot as being not common to Pennsylvania: Cindaphia bicoloralis, Agrotis 

 bicarnia and Pyrausta acrionalis. Prof Smith made a communication 

 on the modifications of the hairs of Hymenoptera and Diptera. The va- 

 rious forms of hair were shown by black-board illustrations. In the bees 

 the greatest modifications occur, the hairs diflTering in all the genera and 

 even in allied species. Plumose, barbed, spined, .spatulate and other 

 forms were found by him. Their use is evidently to aid in the gathering 

 of pollen. These modifications, he stated, occur also in the Diptera, 

 which are not pollen-gatherers, except fortuitously, and for this reason he 

 was unable to account for the similarity of structure in both orders. There 

 being no further business the meeting adjourned to the annex. 



Theo. H. Schmitz, Secretary. 



