6 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January, 



The Platypterygidae is a small family of easily recognized forms. 

 The body is rather slight, the parts fairly proportioned. The 

 mouth parts are moderately developed, the ocelli are wanting and 

 the male antennae are pectinated. Th^ legs are subequal in length. 

 The wings are large and broad, the primaries distinctly falcate, 

 giving the species a characteristic appearance. Both fore and 

 hind wings have one internal or free vein only, and 5 is nearer to 

 4 than to 6; an oblique, somewhat sinuous vein closing the cell. 

 On the secondaries the subcostal branches, giving rise to 6 and 

 7, before the end of the cell. The proportion and form of the 

 wings give the venation a somewhat butterfly-like appearance. 



Coleoptera of the Mountainous Region of North Carolina. 



By Philip Laurent, Philadelphia, Pa. 



I had often desired to take a trip to the mountains of North 

 Carolina, and when my friend, Dr. Skinner, made the proposition 

 for a two weeks' collecting trip to this region, I at once consented. 

 We left the city of Philadelphia on July 5th on board the 7.40 

 p. M. train, arriving at our destination. Cranberry, N. C, after a 

 ride of twenty-four hours. A good night's rest and a breakfast 

 of hot corn-cakes, oat-meal and hot potatoes, washed down with 

 a glass of fresh milk, and we were ready for a hard day's work. 

 From recent articles that I had read I was led to believe that 

 many rare and possibly new species would be found in this re- 

 gion, and possibly there may be among the foot-hills or during 

 the months of June and August, but I doubt it very much owing 

 to the nature of the country, which consists of nothing but forest- 

 covered hills and mountains, very little land being under cultiva- 

 tion. My first day's collecting convinced me that little new ma- 

 terial was to be found, as the majority of the species captured 

 represented old, familiar faces that I had often seen while col- 

 lecting in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Much rain had fallen 

 during the two weeks previous to our arrival, which may partly 

 account for the scarcity of insect life. During our two weeks' 

 stay I captured two hundred and twenty-eight species of Cole- 

 optera, represented by about fourteen hundred specimens, among 

 the lot being a few rare species. Among the rarer species taken 

 and species not generally found in the Northern and Middle 



