Vol. XXvi] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 353 



hasis. that is, theoretical, there would be less uncertainty con- 

 cerning the application of parasitology and more certainty 

 re: '- ' the importance of local conditions in causing varia- 

 ti- o life histories of insects. Nothing that is true is 



impractical; its practicality may not be seen at the time, but 

 in the end all knowledge becomes of use, directl>' or indi- 

 rectly. Of all knowledge, the theoretical is the most prac- 

 tical and I have no doubt that as soon as the economic ento- 

 nv •ecomes theoretical, immediate practical results will 



l)c . .....uming luid new fields of prophylaxis and treatment 



opened. 



PreUminary Notes on Iowa Pentatomoidea (Heterop.)* 

 By Dayton Stoneh. State University of Iowa, Iowa City, la. 



During the summer of 1914 advantage was taken by the 

 writer of visiting various parts of the State of Iowa for the 

 purpose of collecting insects and in the course of these trips 

 a few species of Pentatomoidea heretofore unrecorded from 

 the State were secured. Some new host plants for species 

 that have been rcoorded also were noted and some further rec- 

 ords of local abundance and distribution were obtained. 



As only a very little has been recorded on this group for 

 Iowa since Herbert Osbom's work of more than a decade ago, 

 it was thought that notes on some of the species might be of 

 interest at this time. The folk>wing data are in no way com- 

 plete and represent only a brief preliminary account of a more 

 extensive study which is now being undertaken on this group 

 ;*nd which, it is hoped, will be completed in the near future. 



Thus far in the work, collecting has been done in northeast- 

 em Iowa, commonly designated as the "driftless area" of the 

 State, and also in the north central and south central counties. 

 No collecting has been done in southeastern Iowa and only a 

 very little west of Des Moines. Both the southeastern and 

 the western parts of the Sute should yield some interesting 

 forms and a more complete knowledge of the status of the 

 Pentatomids in Iowa should be available after another sea- 

 son's collecting. 



