l893-] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 15 



Recent Systematic work on the North American Tachinid/e. — 

 On page 350 of volume iv of " Insect Life," there appears a short note 

 on the writer's systematic work on the Tachinidce. With the sole desire 

 to explain my position so that my work may not be misunderstood, I hope 

 this note will not be out of place. I have long been familiar with the ex- 

 cellent advice of Baron Osten Sacken, quoted from the preface to his 

 " Catalogue of North American Diptera." and no one recognizes more 

 than the writer the value of monographic work. Perhaps there is more 

 excuse for fragmentary preliminary work in this than in other groups of 

 insects. However, it is, and has been from the first, my intention to pro- 

 duce a monograph of North American Tachinidae, so soon as the unde- 

 scribed material can be worked up and most of the synonymy disposed 

 of. I hope that my communications will be of some value in the recog- 

 nition of species, and that they will add to the systematic knowledge of 

 the group. While I have great respect for Dr. Brauer's ability and pre- 

 vious valuable work, I claim that American students have a right to ask 

 for full and recognizable descriptions of newly-erected genera, instead of 

 simple reference to the type species which no one can examine without 

 visiting the European museums. It is on this account hard to recognize 

 Dr. Brauer's work in this country; and I believe one may be pardoned 

 for publishing conscientiously thorough descriptions in this group, even at 

 the risk of a few synonyms, because synchronous with Dr. Brauer's work. 

 It is also a question whether Dr. Brauer's disposition of the Muscidae will 

 ever be accepted in full by systematists. So far as my own work is con- 

 cerned, I may say that my motives have been quite correctly interpreted 

 in the note above referred to. I have a very small allowance of time to 

 devote to this work, and, so far, consider my communications as merely 

 preliminary; nor do I deny that I desire thereby to secure priority. It is 

 my full intention, so soon as my time and the circumstances in the case 

 will permit, to bring these descriptions together in a monograph which 

 shall be the more valuable for its completeness, and will not require such 

 extensive subsequent additions and revisions as would a more premature 

 one. I greatly regret the necessity for this note, which I feel called upon 

 to offer in defense of my position. — C. H. Tyler Townsend. 



It is perhaps worthy of note that the horn-fly has reached central Mich- 

 igan, and was very thick and annoying in the southern part of the State 

 the past Summer. The grain beetle, Silvaiius surinamensis, is attracting 

 much attention among farmers by eating the wheat in the bin. Keeping 

 wheat for higher prices, year after year, and the warm Winters may ex- 

 plain this new annoyance. The past season the old parsnip caterpillar^ 

 Papilio asterias, has attacked celery quite generally in Michigan, doing 

 considerable harm. Of course it is easily destroyed.— H. J. Cook. 



Having read two paragraphs in the News relating to Venturesome 

 Butterflies, it occurred to me that the following might be of interest: On 

 the roof of our house there is a space sixteen feet square enclosed by a 



