120 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



became higlily interested to know and see how it would save itself from 

 death by drowning, when suddenly it stopped, and to my great surprise 

 it was a fawn-colored spider two-thirds of an inch long from the fore to 

 the hind legs. To accomplish this description the abdomen and the hind 

 legs remained on the water, while the anterior legs were raised up and 

 down with rapidity, while at the same time water enough adhered to them 

 to cause thaf clear-wing appearance that insects have that live near water, 

 and it would push or walk along on the water with its hind legs. To be 

 sure I was not mistaken I looked around and saw several of them going 

 through the same mimicry, doubtless to attract such insects as it preys on. 

 Being without tubes or alcohol I did not take any to have them identified. 

 — ^JoHN B. Lembert. 



Having noted the various articles on " Ventursome Insects," I thought 

 I would add my experience in that line. When I lived and collected in 

 the neighborhood of Dayton, O., I used to catcli numbers of Apatura 

 celtis every season. There was one place especially that I used to go to 

 for that species. It was along an old rail fence on the bank of a creek. 

 The corners of the fence were filled with a regular hedge of Celtis bushes 

 and trees for a good many hundred yards. I found the insects on the fence 

 or lower leaves of the Celtis, or on the tree trunks. They were darting 

 about from point to point, often returning to the same point to rest, time 

 and again, but seldom resting for more than a few moments at a time. I 

 would walk along slowly the length of the hedge, and then back over the 

 same ground; each time taking about as many as I did the first time. I 

 have often taken from twenty to fifty in two or three hours. I have had 

 them to light at different times pretty much all over me, and have caught 

 them in my cynide bottle while resting on me, or with my net. Have had 

 the same insect to dart away and .return several times and light on my 

 person, while I was making efforts to catch it. Like the He.speridae, it 

 takes a quick eye to follow them as they dart about, and unless one 

 knows what he is looking for and is used to them, he will not see many. 

 I remember once taking a prominent entomologist of Michigan out to 

 hunt for them. He had never taken celtis 'till that day. We went in a 

 buggy. I let him out at one end of the fence and told him I would drive 

 around and meet him at the other end. I noticed he was walking along 

 very fast, and did not seem to be taking anything. When he came up to 

 me I noticed he had a very disgusted look on his face. I had told him 

 he would find them in plettty, and he had not seen one. I went back with 

 him and showed him where to look. His contenance soon changed, and 

 he had all he wanted to attend to. 



Debis portlandia was very rare around Dayton. The first specimen I 

 ■ever saw was on the trunk of a tree in a thick woods. From its actions I 

 thought it was an A. celtis, until after I had captured it. It darted about 

 very rapidly and lit once or twice on me, and then back on the tree trunk 

 before I captured it. — G. R. Pilate, Griffin, Ga. 



P. S. — Any person studying the typical Catocalas will find perfect 



