256 THE KNTOMOLOGIST. 



Finally, Dr, Needham gathered about a litre * of the drift, consisting 

 of "insects intermixed with a considerable quantity of cinder flotsam 

 from the lake steamers, scooping it up with a trowel, and made a 

 quantatitive examination • . . . It contained the following " : — 

 2520 crickets (Nenwhiusfasciatiis). 

 601 red-legged locusts {Melanoplus femur ruh rum). 

 170 other Orthoptera of five species mostly. 

 75 dragonflies of two species. 



15 butterflies of four species [Anosia plexiiqms, Pieris rapcB, Poly- 



gonia sp., and Argijnnis sp.). 



30 moths in very bad condition. 

 49 Diptera. 



10 bumble-bees. 

 21 " wasps." 



31 land-bugs of four species. 



11 water-bugs Belostoma [Zaitha] fusciventris). 



16 Trichoptera. 



220 Coleoptera, not including a large number which were probably 

 foragers. 



3769 Total in one pint and three quarters ! 



In conclusion. Dr. Needham notes two facts : (a) The species 

 present were nearly all in almost inconceivable numbers. " Twenty- 

 five hundred and twenty crickets per meter, f and the drift-line per- 

 haps fifty miles, perhaps a hundred miles long ! " Despite the enor- 

 mous numbers of drowned individuals, the dragonflies were flying the 

 next afternoon in their usual haunts as thickly as ever, (b) "The 

 species were nearly all the dominant ones in their respective groups." 



The paper is illustrated by a photograph of the shore, showing the 

 drift-line of insects. 



Mr. Snyder does not synoptically revise the North American 

 Argynnids, but, after some preliminary remarks, notices most of the 

 individual species. Fifty-seven species and fifteen varieties are acknow- 

 ledged, and apportioned among six groups, of which the following 

 species serve as types, viz. dicma, Cram. ; monticola, Behr. ; edivarsii, 

 B,eak; seviiramis, Edw. ; eurynome, Edw. ; and myrina, Cram. The 

 author mentions that he " has on several occasions taken the sexes of 

 difierent species in coitu, and from personal observation satisfied him- 

 self that the Argynnids are polygamous in their habits. Somewhat 

 similar species are frequently found in the same locality, and with 



them examples which are clearly varieties or intergrades 



Another fact generally overlooked is, that almost without doubt there 

 are dimorphic males and females of some species of Argynnis. There 

 is little question of the fact that there are two forms of the female of 

 cyhele. Artonis and eurynome cohabit, also eurynome and clio.'' A large 

 series of specimens is evidently necessary for the elucidation of this 

 difficult group, as Mr. Snyder mentions that he has captured between 

 thirteen and fourteen hundred examples of A. eurynome and its variety 

 artonis ! 



* About If pint. G. W. K. 



t Misprint for "litre." 



