128 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, '05 



Longley and Kwiat. The greater part of the Lepidoptera 

 mentioned had not been reported from the Chicago area here- 

 tofore, which is the more surprising, as the concensus of opin- 

 ion was that the season had been a very poor one. No records 

 of Coleoptera or the other orders have been kept. 



Alexander Kwiat, Recorder. 



A meeting of the Entomological Section of the Chicago 

 Academy of Sciences was held February 16, 1905, at the John 

 Crerar Library. Ten members present. 



The topic for the evening was a discussion of ' ' Variation in 

 Tiger Beetles ' ' by Mr. V. E. Shelford of the University of 

 Chicago. Mr. Shelford has been studying these beetles for 

 several years and has succeeded in gathering a large number of 

 species and specimens from all parts of the world, paying more 

 particular attention, of course, to Boreal American forms. 

 Referring to taxonomic characters he found that color and 

 color patterns, which have heretofore been used by prominent 

 entomologists, are of little value, owing to the great amount 

 of variation. The distinction between "thorax marginate " 

 and ' ' thorax not marginate ' ' is also of little value as even this 

 feature is variable. In his opinion, pilosity and the sculpture 

 of the thorax are the best characters to work upon, and herein 

 he is supported by Dr. Horn, of Berlin, who is using pilosity 

 almost entirely in his forthcoming work on the group. 



Mr. Shelford exhibited a chart showing various types of 

 maculation and a number of the beetles, which showed the 

 variations existing among the species. These variations were 

 often geographical, but it seems that in many cases, almost all 

 the different forms of a species could be taken in one locality 

 while elsewhere only one or perhaps two forms were to be had. 



There was some discussion among the members on this sub- 

 ject and also about a specimen of Arctia virgo exhibited by Mr. 

 Beer which had yellow instead of red secondaries and abdo- 

 men. 



Mr. Shelford was given a vote of thanks, whereupon the 

 meeting adjourned. 



A. Kwiat, Recorder. 



