94 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, [March, 



ice ; digging a number out he placed them in a tumbler of 

 water ; as soon as the water became somewhat warmer the 

 larvK began to move. Mr. ly. O. Howard in his paper upon 

 mosquitoes stated that thej' hibernated as adults, but Professor 

 Smith's observations seem to show that they pass the winter 

 in the larval state and are not effected by ice. Mr. Howard 

 also stated that larvae do not .stay under water longer than 

 about one minute, and that their gravity is so great that they 

 would sink without wriggling ; but these remained under 

 water much longer ; in one case ten minutes, and they are 

 able to keep at the surface of the water without wriggling, the 

 motion of the ciliae also seems to help them in moving. 



Dr. Skinner mentioned that the temperature or chemical 

 condition of the water might have .something to do with these 

 facts, and suggested that it might be advisable to make re- 

 peated observations. Profes.sor Smith also .spoke about swarms 

 of mosquitoes in Alaska, and said that when the snow recedes 

 they greatly increase in number, and suggested that they most 

 likely wintered in the larval state in ice, which does not get 

 below 32 degrees. 



Dr. Skinner also spoke upon observations made during the 

 Second Ross Expidition upon the larva Lepidoptera, which 

 were frozen and thawed a number of times before dying. This 

 was further discussed b}- Messrs. Johnson, Wenzel and Daecke. 



Mr. Wenzel said that Harpalns caliirinosus had only been 

 found around the habitat of man. He also mentioned that in 

 one species of Psc/ap/iid, which he had seen in a number of 

 collections, all were males. Mr. Fox suggested that the 

 females may have been described under different names. Dis- 

 cus.sed by Messrs. Johnson, Smith and Fox. 



Mr. Daecke exhibited a wasp nest from Bloomfield, N. J., 

 from which he obtained three specimens of Odyncms bireni- 

 maculatns. He also exhibited galls of Andricus cornigera from 

 which specimens of Sesia scitula had emerged. 



Dr. Skinner exhibited all the species of the nokomis and nito- 

 cris groups of the genus Argynnis^ and showed differences in 

 sexes and color variations. 



Mr. Johnson exhibited two .specimens of Microdon auriilentus 



