I04 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



INSECT COLLECTING AT ELKHART, IND. 



R. J. Weith. 



During the Summer of 1895 I had been busy collecting the in- 

 sects of all orders, and thought it would be of interest to record 

 some of the species that were new to this locality. Having prom- 

 ised some specimens oi Amphion nessus, on May 29th, I went to 

 the locality where they are usually found; stationed myself on a 

 piece of ground where numerous elm and sugar-maple trees had 

 been cut down a few weeks before, and very soon an A. nessus 

 made its appearance, feeding in its nervous flight on the sap still 

 oozing from the stumps. A sweep of the net and I thought an 

 A. nessiis was mine, but the unevenness of the ground allowed it 

 to escape from the net, as this species, contrary to the habits of 

 other Lepidoptera, does not fly upward, but gets out at the 

 bottom. 



Numerous specimens of Muscidae, Vespa, etc., were feeding 

 on the sap, as was also a single Hololepta fossularis^ the only one 

 taken here by me during twenty years' collecting. A specimen 

 of Galeruca externa, an unusual species so far east, taken under 

 loose bark on a fallen tree trunk. The capture of an apparent 

 Hymenopterous insect flying past proved to be the rare Gnori- 

 tnus maculosus. I have taken two each of Calosoma frigidum 

 and peregrinator at the electric lights, and plenty of C. scrutator 

 and C. wilcoxi, never very abundant here before. 



Lachnosterna prunina was also plentiful. Water beetles were 

 very scarce, except Hydrophilus ovatus, of which I could have 

 filled a basket, but very ie^^ H. triangularis. Doriacia subtilis, 

 another new species, very plentiful. 



Occasionally an Asilus sericetis, preying on Pompilus sp. on 

 the margin of the pond, would find its way into my water-beetle 

 net. Have taken over fifty specimens of Neonympha canthus, 

 usually scarce here at other seasons, and, contrary to their usual 

 habits, on an open marsh in the glaring sun. Also sixty-nine 

 specimens of Satyrus ahpe, in about two hours, on a little patch 

 of marsh bordering the lake. 



Other rvew Lepidopterous species taken during the season were 

 six specimens of Argynnis idalia, one of Euptoieta claudia and 

 two of Philampebis pandora. Have not seen a specimen of 

 Calopterix maculata in four years, previously an abundant spe- 

 cies. All orders were fairly scarce during the season, doubtlessly 

 on account of excessive heat and drvness. 



