54 . ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, 



the mature inseof was to which the Hadronotus had acted as an egg para- 

 site, an attempt was made to raise these larvie, but they evidently were 

 not vegetable feeders, for after shedding their first skins they died one 

 after another, never having attached themselves to the stem. Subse- 

 quently we were informed by Mr. Howard that the eggs from which the 

 Hadronotus issued are those of the common Podisus spinosus, and that 

 he finds that Prof Riley has in the National Museum collection the same 

 parasite reared from the eggs of the same species by Mr. Schwarz at 

 Selma, Ala., in September, 1880. — Edward Potts. 



Habits of Bees. — On the north side of a depressed roadway at Wawa, 

 Pa., for some hundreds of feet, the perpendicular bank of rotten rock 

 through a depth of about two feet below the sod, was found to be covered 

 with small perforations resembling shot marks. These were occupied by 

 a small, solitary bee, identified as Halictus confusus Smith, that during 

 the months of July and August, and most abundantly during the latter 

 month, hovered along the bank, sometimes laden with pollen dust, each 

 seeking its own proper opening. Frequently, on alighting, one would be 

 met at the door of a hole by a janitor who stood on the watch, its cervical 

 head just visible at the entrance. The bee never tried to force its way in, 

 but at once sought another hole. To ascertain the depth of these exca- 

 vations, we probed a large number with slender grass stems, and in many 

 cases could only penetrate four or five inches. In others, however, a foot 

 was reached easily, and in one instance eighteen inches. The bees were 

 most active in the hot sunlight. — Edward Potts. 



A displacement. — Phyllotretra vittata, always a common species in 

 the vicinity of Philadelphia, especially below the city, on both sides of the 

 Delaware River, seemed to be completely displaced last season by P. 

 sinuata. To the best of the writer's knowledge P. sinuata was previously 

 unknown to this section, but appeared in great numbers during June and 

 July. But a few isolated specimens of P. vittata were noted during the 

 season, it being almost as unusual to find as P. bipustulata. — C. Liebeck. 



Limnichus punctatus and Heterocerus pusillus were taken somewhat 

 abundantly in an abandoned iron-ore pit in Montgomery County, Penn- 

 sylvania, during June. Small pools of water at the bottom furnished the 

 means to drench the sloping sides of the pit and washing out quite a num- 

 ber of each species. H. pusillus has not heretofore been recorded from 

 points east of Allegheny, Pa. All the specimens of L. punctatus, upwards 

 of forty in number, were taken from a space not more than three feet 

 square. Although the pit was a large one, none were taken outside of 

 this limited space. H. pusillus, however, was scattered over the entire 

 place. — Chas. Liebeck. 



The inclosed slip is from one of our papers. To some inquirers about 

 this bug I 'stated I thought it a real lightning bug, but some are disposed 

 to think it a Humbug, but I objected, that such a bug was unknown in 

 Philadelphia.^OHN Hamilton. 



