THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELIT^A. 267 



are well executed (1). The third volume of Kertesz's general 

 catalogue of Diptera will be very welcome (3). It lists the species 

 described up to the end of 1905, and embraces the Stratio- 

 myiidse, ErinnidsG, Ccenomyiidae, Tabanidae, Pantophthalmidae, 

 and Khagionidse. 



The Hawaiian Entomological Society (8) have completed 

 their first volume of Proceedings, in which all orders are dis- 

 cussed. This is the only entomological society outside Europe 

 and North America to publish proceedings. 



THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELITMA. 

 By George Wheeler, M.A., F.E.S. 



(Continued from p. 249.) 

 Palpi. 



Deione. — From above : Tip black, bare, and claw-like ; orange- 

 brown hairs on top and sides to two-thirds of length ; pale hairs 

 showing below the orange-brown. 



From below : Black, nearly covered with pale hairs to two-thirds 

 or three-quarters of the length ; orange-brown hairs almost to 

 the tip. 



Athalia. — From above : Black, so sparingly clothed in the upper 

 portion wath orange-brown hairs as to leave the general appearance 

 quite dark. 



From below : Black, but thickly covered with pale hairs till near 

 the tip, where they become orange brown. The shade of the pale 

 hairs varies greatly, from almost white to a light orange-brown. 



Parthenie. — From above : Black, but so densely covered with 

 orange-brown hairs that the general effect is orange-brown. 



From below : Black, with pale hairs to about half the length, not 

 very dense, and thence orange-brown to the tip. 



Varia. — From above : Very densely clothed, as in imrthenie, but 

 with hair so much darker that they appear almost as dark as in 

 athalia, though from an opposite cause. 



From below : Black, clothed throughout in the male with orange- 

 brown hair, but in the female the hair near the base is pale. 



Aurelia. — From above : Black, less thickly clothed than in par- 

 thenie, with hair of a darker shade, as in varia. The general effect is 

 considerably darker than in parthenie. 



From below : Black, with darkish orange-brown hair, and some 

 pale hairs at the base in the female, but not in the male. The palpi 

 of aurelia and varia have the closest resemblance of any. 



Britomartis. — From above : Black, very sparingly clothed, even in 

 the freshest examples, with very dark orange-brown hair. The palpi 

 are short. 



From below : Black, clothed to the tip with short pale hairs, 

 giving the effect of a black streak between two nearly white lines. 



