108 entomological neWs. [Mar., '07 



try to converse with me upon a subject in which they knew I was inter- 

 ested. Such a question would be foolish unless with the implied qualifi- 

 cation "so far as known," and would probably be intended to apply to 

 butterflies in nature rather than in collections, though most people would 

 very naturally suppose that the two conditions would go together. 



It could also only properly apply to a species, and not merely to an 

 aberration ; nor would it be reasonable to apply it to a species of which 

 only one specimen might have been taken north of the Mexican boundary 

 though abundant south of it. 



Limited in that way, I would submit that there is no answer, as there 

 is no one species which could be so designated, as there are several ap- 

 parently valid species which are known only from a single type. 



If, however, one were asked to make choice among these one might, 

 perhaps not unjustly, award the palm of rarity to a species known from a 

 single type, taken many years ago in a well-worked district, in which case 

 it would probably go either to Eudamus elecira Lint, known only from 

 the type in the Edwards' collection, and which was caught at Hamilton, 

 Ont., in 1877, by the late Mr. J. Alston Moffat, or to Ancyloxypha long- 

 leyi, as referred to by Dr. Skinner. I have seen the former specimen 

 and it is certainly most interesting, but Dr. Holland, in whose possession 

 it now is, suggested that it might be an exotic species which had been 

 brought to Hamilton in the pupal stage with some plant. That certainly 

 should be investigated by comparison with the British Museum collection. 



As to which obtainable butterfly is confined, so far as known, to the 

 smallest geographical area and produces the least number of individuals, 

 I would hardly like to hazard an opinion unless reference is intended to 

 Argynnis atossa. — H. H. Lyman. 



Hibernation of Coleoptera. — On December 22d a workman brought 

 me two fine live specimens of Cotalpa lanigera L., and on January 2d 

 another specimen of same species, and also one of Balboceras farctus 

 Fabr., and one of Lachnosterna sp. They were found buried four feet 

 deep in sandy soil, which was being excavated in search of moulding 

 sand. The interest in the " find " consists in the fact that the fresh, per- 

 fect condition of the specimens indicated that they had completed their 

 metamorphosis and assumed the imago form late this fall, and were evi- 

 dently hibernating through the winter before emerging from the ground. 

 The elytra of the C. lanigera were firm and hard, but a delicate creamy 

 color, not darkened by exposure nor marred by any scratches, and con- 

 sequently the insects could not have burrowed at all since entering the 

 imago stage of their existence. The fact seems worthy of record. — Wil- 

 liam A. Nason, Algonquin, 111. 



Cicada septendecim. — I thought perhaps it would be of some interest 

 to you to hear the result of our fight against this destroyer of young trees. 



We had a block of peaches on the edge of the woods. We made up 

 our minds two weeks ago that something would have to be done or we 

 would lose the greater part of them. As there were 240,000 trees in the 



