IQOl] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. I5 



A New Genus of Ortalidae. 



By D. W. COQUILLETT. 

 Zacompsia gen. no v. 



Near Euexesta, but the third aiitennal joint twice as wide as long and 

 more slender, no acrostichal bristles, and the color not metallic. Body 

 rather slender, front not punctured nor rugose, at the upper edge about 

 one and one half times as wide as either eye. antennae as long as the face, 

 the third joint about twice as long as wide, rounded at the apex, arista 

 bare, occiput strongly convex, cheeks a^jout one fifth as wide as the eye- 

 height, proboscis short and robu.st, palpi clavate ; thorax bearing one pair 

 of dorsocentral, two supra-alar, two posthumeral, one humeral, one meso- 

 pleural and one sternopleural bristle, scutelium bearing four bristles, femora 

 bare on the under side ; first vein bare, third and fourth veins converging 

 toward their apices, lower outer angle of anal cell prolonged in the form 

 of a rather long lobe, small and posterior crossveins nearly perpendicular. 

 Type, the following species : 



Zacompsia fnlva sp. nov. 



Reddish yellow, the proboscis, apex of the third joint of antennae, the 

 arista except its base, an ocellar dot, small spot on occiput above the 

 neck, the tibiae, whole of front tarsi and apices of the others, brown, all 

 bristles and the short bristly hairs black ; wings hyaline, marked with 

 ^our indistinct grayish crossbands ; the first is below the humeral cross- 

 vein ; the second is very broad and extends from the stigma to beyond 

 the fifth vein ; the third begins midway between apices of the first and 

 second veins and passes over the hind crossvein ; the fourth borders the 

 tip of the wing from slightly before apex cf second vein to slightly beyond 

 apex of the fourth ; body subopaque, not pruinose except the white prui. 

 nose pleura ; front opaque, vertex polished, orbits and frontal lunule white 

 pruinose ; length, 45 mm. A specimen of each sex and a third specimem 

 with the apex of the abdomen broken off. 



Hab. — Texas (Belfrage) and Opelousas, La. (G. R. Pilate). 

 Tj-pe : Xo. 5199, U. S. National Museum. 

 The specimens from Opelousas were submitted b}- Mr. C. W. 

 Johnson, by whom they were received from Dr. Garry de N. 



Hough. 



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The Bee as a Messenger. — Says the Westminister Gazette : A West 

 County farmer is training bees as letter carriers. A bee is taken away 

 from home and a letter printed in microphotography is gummed to his 

 little back, and he is thrown into the air. Home he goes like a carrier 

 pigeon, and the advantage he would have over his big brother in time of 

 war is obvious. It is very unlikely that he would be seen ; and, if seen, it 

 would tax the skill even of the finest Boer marksman to bring him down. 

 This is an idea worthy of the attention of the War Office. — Newspaper. 



