1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 109 



with the cocoons of a parasite as to almost obscure the larva from 

 view. The specimen was found on the red mangrove at Os prey, 

 Florida. The parasites were Braconidae. Two hundred and fifty 

 hirvje were counted, although there were many more. As high as 

 twelve hundred parasite*! have been reported from a single larva 

 Dr. Skinner made some remarks on insects in relation to pain and 

 emphasized the fact that the great numbers of progeny produced 

 compensated for pain as a means of protection to life, so necessary 

 in the hioher order of animals. Mr. Seiss said he had kept a speci- 

 men of Pr/ouidus cristatus alive for two months impaled jna pin. 

 and it took its food and ate, for that period, as thoug'h nothing 

 were wronsf. Dr. McCook mentioned that insects deprived of their 

 abdomens would suck honey or sweet fluids which would enter the 

 mouth and come out the end of the thorax where severed from the 

 abdomen. He also spoke of soldiers during the heat of battle, hav- 

 ing severe wounds and suftering little pain. The experience of 

 Livingston, the African traveler, was also related, in which a lion 

 munched his arm and no pain was felt- Dr Skinner made some re- 

 marks on the subject of insects as carriers of disease, and especially 

 mentioned the probability of Musca domesticn carrying the Bacil- 

 lus typhosus, the ckwlsq of typhoid or enteric fever These insects 

 settle on fecal mattei", from patients suftering from this disease and 

 then settle on food, and the poison of the disease is carried into the 

 :ilimentary canal of other persons. The flies foot is admirably 

 adopted for picking' up "germs "and carrying them about. The 

 life history of Musca d'xuie^ilca has no bearing on this subje:'t, ex- 

 cept that they are more numerous where horse manure is pleutiful. 

 All latrines in camps should be covered, as diurnal insects avoid 

 dark places. Dr. McCook said he had visited every principal camp 

 in this country aud Cuba during the late war and found the flies 

 simply disgusting at times. At Camp Alger, in June, flies swarmed 

 around the mouths of patients suffering from various diseases. In 

 the mess tents of i\e officers it was impossible to eat with any de- 

 gree ot comfort, without an abundant supply of mosquito netting. 

 The president said while in Cuba he was (od busy to study insects, 

 but did notit'e the " cutting ants " while going up the hill to Morro 

 C istle. A black spe3ie3 was climbing up the paths and the cuspi- 

 dor .shaped openings were observed and the ants seen carrying in 

 the little bits of leives and probably wondering what all the din ot 

 battle had been about. At San Juan ridge they were again notice! 

 aud around a tree a large formicary of these ants was found- They 

 seem to have the sense of direction remarkibly well developed and 

 their burrows, on lines through a rank tropical grass and weeds, run 

 almost as accurately as an engineer runs a .sti-aight line for a rail- 

 road. At Santiago two handsome species of spiders were observed, 

 which h.adthrovvn their webs for forty feet, making a canopy over 

 a path, covered on either side by rich tropical foliage about eight 

 feet in height. These interesting natural scenes were in great con- 



