96 



OROTTHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-No. 6 



on top with two black lines which run from the 

 jinterior poition, where they nearl}' meet, to 

 the metathoracic tufts, which are of the same 

 color. The luiderside is paler and marked with 

 two black spots, edged with white, just at the 

 base of the wing. 



Abdomen ashy-gray with a nai'rovv black dor- 

 sal line, and on each side a broad black band, 

 inteirupted at each segment bj^ a white spot. 

 The underside is paler than the upper, and has 

 a low of small black ventral spots. 



The anteriors ai-e grayish, more or less shaded 

 with darker. The spaces between the veins 

 are occnpied by short black lines, the last one 

 almost uniting with the apical line, which is 

 also black. There is a tinge of brown at the 

 base of the wing, and a light strij^e along the 

 margin near anal angle. 



The posteriors are a little darker than the 

 others and crossed by central and marginal dark 

 brown bands. 



Fringes pale gray. 



Underside lighter gray, with an angular cen- 

 tral band crossing the posteriors and continued 

 on the anteriors. There is also an almost obso- 

 lete marginal band on the posteiiors. 



Expands four to five inches. 



The mature larva is about three and a half 

 inches long, greenish-white, darker on the low- 

 er side. There is a yellowish stripe on each 

 side of the head, and seven oblique pale yellow 

 stripes on each side, edged above with dark 

 green. Spiracles black, edged with white. 

 Caudal horn rose-colored. 



Food plants lilac and ash. 



Something About Beetles. 



BY J. A. WRIGHT. 



Much has been written about ants, their 

 homes, slaves, dairies, methods of communica- 

 tion, etc , but there are many similar traits 

 among beetles that have been somewhat over- 

 looked. 



Every collector of Coleoptera has found 

 comnumities of Adalia bijnmctata, hibernating 

 in all conceivable localities, where they could 

 find shelter; but I never, until this spring, 

 found more than two Megilla marulata hiber- 

 nating together. 



May 1st, while collecting in VVatertown, 

 Mass., under a long pile of stones thrown up 

 along the edge of a grove, I had the good for- 

 tune to turn over a small stone with a few 

 dead leaves under it which seemed to be alive 

 with 31. maculata. They were quite active, 



crawling off" in every direction, hiding in the 

 dirt etc., but did not attempt to flJ^ I imme- 

 diately cleared a circle around them and com- 

 menced collecting from the outside, so as to 

 secure the stragglers. On mj' return home I 

 counted my capture and found that I had taken 

 four hundred and ninety-three specimens. 



Now the question suggests itself, what means 

 of communication had they to enable them to 

 collect in such numbers under that one stone, 

 when there were thousands of similar ones 

 near by? We can readily account for the pres- 

 ence of large numbers of any species near its 

 food, but in this case there was nothing of the 

 kind to guide them. A. hipunctata is found 

 singly or in greater or less numbers according 

 to the size and prominence of the place selected 

 for a winter home, and in a neighborhood where 

 I have found a community, I have invariably 

 found more in similar locations, usually under 

 bark of trees, in stumps or around houses — 

 rarely under stones — , so it would seem as 

 though they might have met by accident. 

 Such an opinion is not tenable in this instance 

 for I turned over a large portion of the stones 

 for miles around without finding a single spec- 

 imen. Even had they been out on any of the 

 few previous hot days, the mystery would still 

 remain, and be even more remarkable, as the 

 time would be so much shoiter for them to 

 gather in that one small spot, than in the fall, m 

 when they were hiding one by one. J 



It is generally conceded that ants communi- 

 cate by the sense of touch, but it does not seem 

 possible that Coleoptera that fly instead of 

 walk, could ever comnumicate in that way. 



There is but little doubt that insects have 

 languages of their own, as witnessed, not only 

 by those referred to above, but by the '• tumble 

 beetle" in calling for assistance to get its little 

 pellet out of a cavity and many other similar 

 instances. 



In the August 1886 number of the O. and O. 

 I contributed a list of the Cicindelidge of New 

 England. I wish to add to that article the fol- 

 lowing species : 



Cicindela generosa Dej., at Concord, N. H., 

 Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, on 

 sandy places. Patruela Dej., at Newton, Mass. 

 in May. Said to be common in southern Mas- 

 sachusetts, on sandy places thinly covered 

 with grass. Bugifrons Dej., Massachusetts, on 

 sand. C. generosa is a variety of G. formosa 

 Say. C. patruela of C. 6-giittata and G. rugi- 

 frons of C. scutellaris Say. 



L. E. Hood. 



