94 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [x\pr., '19 



the coccid or to a neighboring twig." Dakruma coccidivora 

 Comstock is now known as Laetilia coccidivora (Comstock). 

 (Fracker, 1917). 



Packard (1890a), from some of C. V. Riley's unpubHshed 

 notes, states that: "These scales from Silver City, New Mexico, 

 were infested with the larvae of a lepidopteron apparently 

 belonging to Laetilia (= Dakruma),'' which issued in April, 

 1881. It is quite possible that this species is the same as that 

 described by Comstock (1880a). 



Distribution. 

 Buclemensia basset fcIla (Clemens) has been reported in 

 literature from the following states : Connecticut, Florida, Kan- 

 sas, Massachusetts and Texas. Having found it to occur 

 abundantly in both Missouri and Texas, we believe it safe to 

 say that this parasitic lepidopteron is generally distributed at 

 least over the eastern half of the United States. It is our fur- 

 ther opinion that this species will be found to occur in nearly 

 every state east of the Rocky Mountains, and possibly even 

 throughout the extent of this country. 



Occurrence in Missouri. 



While on a collecting trip the twenty-sixth of April, 191 7, 

 Parks was attracted by a pair of downy woodpeckers, Dryo- 

 bates pub esc ens mediamis, which were working arduously in 

 a clump of watersprouts of a shingle oak, Querctts imbricaria 

 Michx., near Albany, Gentry County, Missouri. Subsequent 

 investigation showed that the oak was heavily infested by Ker- 

 mes pettiti Ehrh., (plate V, H). Each bird detached a Ker- 

 mes and then placed it securely in a fork made by two twigs or 

 in some roughened crevice in the old trunk. After some little 

 hammering and pecking they withdrew something from the 

 interior of the Kermcs and swallowed it. They would then 

 look for another coccid and after finding one to their liking 

 they would again go through a similar procedure. In all cases 

 they left the hard shell of the dismembered Kermcs behind 

 them. 



Later investigation showed the presence of white lepidopter- 



