370 



THE AMERICAN 



green, finely and closely pnnotate; eyes pale with a dusky 

 patch in front, smaller and further^apart than in Q ; eylets 

 purplish : antenna; black and opaque throughout, cylindrical, 

 of a nnu-e uniform thickness and proitortionally rather longer 

 than in 9 , reaching, if turned back, to the base of abdomen, 

 whereas lliose of 5 scarcely reach so far; 10-jointed, the 

 joints prciportiiineil as 3 (scaiie). 1. 3.2. 2. 1-10. 1-10. 110. 



1 ' lii^lily polished than the rest; 

 i llKit t.l y: lackiiigtheveryprom- 

 ■ ilHinix, the prasscutal triangular 



and irmn im :ni\ i. ^nuliliiiL' I'.urijtoma, Decatoma, etc (Fig. 

 8, B) . Ill 111,- lllvl^iOM■^ i.f tlie mesonotom. Abdomen dark 

 metallic blur iliiimf;limii, glabrous, smaller and more uni- 

 fonu in iliameler lliaii in }, the joints distinguished with 

 diihculty hut apparently proportioned as in Q Leas with 

 the femora all dusky with " ' 

 ters rufous: coxie steel-bl 

 hind tibi:o dusky; tarsi all 



men) the terminal joint du.skv, the middle pair 

 great measure the iieeuliar enlargement of basal joint . yving 

 more rounded than in Q , perfectly hyaline, the stigmatii 

 branch but faintly disccrnable. Length 0.09-0.10. 

 Described from 3 dried specimens.— Ed.] 



ally (1 spe 



A NEW ROVE-BEETLE : PARASITIC ON THE CAB- 

 BAGE MAGGOT. 



In my comiiiuuicatioii which appeared in your 

 last numher (page 302), on the Parasitic Rove- 

 beetle, I am made to say what I did not intend. 

 In the second column, line 33 from top, it should 

 read "and one pupa," instead of "in one pupa;" 

 for each puparium contained only a single para- 

 site. To make the subject still clearer, I will 

 re-state. I took from the earth in my garden, 

 around the root of a dead cabbage plant, twenty- ' 

 six pupaj of the Cabbagc_Maggot (^4. brassicoi), 

 from which I bred two imagos ; also sis parasites 

 which came out of the pupa-cases by gnawing a 

 rough hole through the side near the extremity, 

 after which I took from the remaining pupa cases 

 three imagos, and one pupa of the Rove-beetle. 

 My surprise was so great upon discovering the 

 six Rove-beetles where I expected two-winged 

 flies, that I carefully examined with the micro- 

 scope the remaining pupa-cases, as also those 

 from which the flies came, but could discover no 

 break or oiifice by which the Rove-beetles could 

 have entered. It was after this examination that 

 I opened the balance with the above-stated re- 

 sults ; thus proving, so far as I can judge, that 

 the fly larva was entered before its skin had 

 hardened into the pupa-case. I add the follow- 

 ing description, much against my inchnation, for 

 I do not believe in publisliing single descriptions 

 unconnected with some special paper upon the 

 subject; and I only do so in this instance to 

 more fully assist in the great work of Practical 

 Entomology. I am indebted to Dr. Horn for the 

 determination of the genus, and of the fact of its 

 being unnamed. 



Aleochora anthomyiicn. sp — Length, 15 inch. Black, 

 shining, covered w iili short decumbent silky hairs, coarsely 

 punctured all over; the head and thorax less densely covered 

 with hairs and punctures . Tarsi and more or less of the 

 tibiie light brown; he^d heavily and sparsely punctured, less 



I formiu 

 as long as the 

 small, leserabl 

 nearly round, 



so in front; antennie with the first four jeints glabrous, the 

 remainder densely covered with a fine .T.=h-gray pubescence 

 thefourth joint small, the t.rniinal mi, s gradually enlarging 

 I 'lull, I In- last ji I lilt of which is twice 

 p; ).al|ii liic'-j.iiiii.-.i, the last very 

 iliu- ill til'- '^' iiu.s Hcmtidinm-^ thorax 

 b.liii.l. I.a-,- and si.l.s broadly 



rounded and \viili a ihk- niar;;ii h m , i, win, a powerful 



magnifier, puncture d like ili, h, ad and « ill, twn Imiyitndinal 

 continent lines of iniiKtiin ^ !• a\ iiiir a slni...lh nai row dorsal 

 space; elytra wholly lihuk, more ev.iih and dinsely punc- 

 tured, more hairx ; body above more .,}iaiaely punctured, 

 six segments depressed, gradually lengthening to the anal 

 one, which is short and uan-ow without the raised lateral 

 margin; beneath punctured and hairy as above. In one ex- 

 ample the head and thorax have a faint coppery lustre. Six 

 specimens examined. 



Philip S. Sprague. 



Boston, Mass., Sept. 7, 1S70. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL JOTTINGS. 



" Corn Kernels in Cocoons op Cecropia 

 Moth "—Geneva, 111., Nov. 4, 1870— This is the 

 heading of an article by our State Entomologist, 

 on page 177 of the Entomologist and Botanist, 

 in which he mentions the fact (stated page 100) 

 of a k'eniel of corn being found in the cocoon of 

 of a Cecropia Moth. During the fall of 1869 I 

 found five cocoons of the Cecropia Moth, all of 

 which contained kernels of corn or of wheat, 

 and jn a sixth, found near the woods, was a 

 small acorn. 



Yesterday, while at work, I saw a flock of 

 Chicadees (Parus atricapillus, Linn.), one of 

 which I noticed had something in his mouth, 

 which upon closer inspection proved to be a 

 kernel of sweet corn. He was on a small apple 

 tree when I first saw him, apparently trying to 

 find some storehouse for his food, but failing to 

 do so, flew on to the common board fence which 

 enclosed the place, and running along till he 

 found a board that was split, carefully deposited 

 the corn in the crack of the board. Now, I be- 

 lieve that the Chickadee uses the cocoon of the 

 Cecropia Moth as a storehouse, as well as the 

 Blue Jay, if indeed he is not the sole proprietor. 

 S. F. C. 



Colorado Potato Beetle around Spring- 

 field— /Spriwg^eM, 3fo., October 4, 1870.— 

 Some weeks since I sent you the Colorado Po- 

 tato Bug in its larva state. We now find the 

 perfect beetle. Have only seen a few dozens in 

 all, and they are not found elsewhere than 

 where first discovered on my grounds, though 

 we have searched the vicinity. These few we i 

 treat as spies or precursors of an army, which 

 we fear will be upon us in force next year. I 

 am sure that I am correct in calling it the Colo- 

 rado Potato Beetle. Since your visit last sum- 

 mer I have given more attention to bugs, and 

 insects generally, and find a very great number 

 of the injurious class, and I am very glad to see 

 more than usual of the Cut-worm Lion, Soldi 



