190 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [ April, ’08 
statements in regard to the dead and dried up larvae in the 
cecropia and polyphemus cocoons. Mr. Doll said that infes- 
tation was a purely local one, since in one locality on Long 
Island, all of nine hundred to one thousand cecropia cocoons 
were dead, while in another only a short distance away, he 
secured over sixteen hundred good ones. Mr. Zaiser relatea 
a somewhat similar experience where at Canarsie, Long Is- 
land, all those cocoons of cecropia collected close to the sea- 
shore, contained living pupz, while those some distance back 
from the coast, proved to be dead. He thought the influ- 
ence of the salt air might have been responsible in keeping 
the parasites away from the immediate shore district. In 
neither of the last two instances were cocoons examined to 
any extent, so that it was impossible to say whether the mor- 
tality was due to parasitism or disease. Mr. Kircher re- 
marked that invariably cocoons (cecropia) attached to the © 
branches of trees were good, while those at the base of the 
tree trunk were bad. 
Mr. Angelman cited the note on Erebus odora in the Feb- 
ruary issue of the News, and remarked that many more speci- 
mens were taken in western localities than in eastern ones, a 
fact probably due to the moths travelling northwardly from 
Mexico, along the range of the Rocky Mountains, and thence 
scattering to the lower lands. He thought it not beyond the 
bounds of possibility, however, that the insect should breed in 
the territory where it was found. Mr. Doll spoke of the abun- 
dance in which the species occurred at Brownsville, Texas, 
where during the day a dozen or more would gather on the 
walls of the hut assigned to him as a temporary habitation. 
Mr. Buchholz said that Mr. Kemp had a similar experience 
in the West Indies, where the insects would actually come to 
the dining table, attracted by the odor of beer. Mr. Doll said 
he found a single larva at Brownsville, and believes that it is 
a general feeder on low plants. The recorded food-plant, fig, 
does not occur at Brownsville. 
| Joun A. GrossBeck, Secretary. 
