i68 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [December, 



sition, but possibly allied to the Agalenidae, represented by a single speci- 

 men taken on the grounds of the Department. 



Mr. Marlatt exhibited a specimen of Trypeta a-qualis Lvv., wliich he 

 had bred from seed-pods of xanihimn, and the larval habit of which he 

 had described at a previous meeting of the Society. 



Mr. Marlatt then presented a paper on "Some observations on the 

 habits of Vespa ^er>nanica and V. ctineata." The feeding and nesting 

 habits, particularly of the first-named species, were described. Three 

 kinds of nests were. mentioned, viz.: the very rare aerial ones, those be- 

 neath stumps or stones, and those in open ground; the latter being much 

 the more common. Various insect and mammalian enemies of these 

 wasps were alluded to together with the means employed to destroy the 

 nests when their proximity to dwellings renders them objectionable. Dis- 

 cussed by Messrs. Howard, Schwarz, Fox, Dodge, Stedman, Marlatt and 

 others. 



Mr. Howard read a paper entitled, "A new remarkable genus of En- 

 cyrtinae," in which he characterized a new genus and species which pos- 

 sesses the peculiar ramose antennae hitherto peculiar, in the subfamily 

 Encyrtinae, to Tetracnemiis diversicornis of Westwood. Mr. Howard 

 has named the genus Tanaostigma and the species T. coiirsetice from 

 Cour^^etia (?) niexicana, a rare leguminous plant, collected in the Alamos 

 Mountains, Mexico, by Dr. Edward Palmer, and in the ovaries and stigma 

 of which the insect breeds. Discussed by Messrs. Schwarz, Howard and 

 Marlatt. 



Dr. Marx favored the Society with an account of his recent experiments 

 to determine whether the bite of Latrodectus tnactans is poisonous or not. 

 He describes the poison glands of Latrodectus, which are very small. 

 He had introduced the poison in various ways into guinea-pigs and rab- 

 bits without obtaining any satisfactory results, and proposed to vary and 

 continue his experiments to put the matter of the supposed poisonous 

 nature of the bite of this spider, if possible, beyond doubt. Discussed 

 by Messrs. Schwarz, Howard, Fox and Marlatt. 



• Mr. Ulke, who was present, gave an interesting description of the habits 

 of Tachys incurvus Say, which he had found in numbers in the nests of 

 ants, and which is the first Carabid to be determined as truly myrmeco- 

 philous. He also described the habits of certain myrmecophelous Staphy- 

 linidae, and exhibited a small collection of Coleoptera made by T. Ulke, 

 illustrating the local fauna of the Black Hills district. Discussed bj- 

 Messrs. Schwarz, Howard and Marx. 



In connection with the subject of local faunas, Mr. J. B. .Smith's recent 

 catalogue of the insects of New Jersey was taken up and discussed at 

 length by the Society. 



Mr. Townsend submitted for publication a generic synopsis of the first 

 five families of the N. A. Calyptrate Muscidae. 



C. L. Marlatt, 



Recording Secretary. 



Entomological News for November was mailed October 30, 1S90. 



