68 BULLETIN BROOKLYN ENTOM. SOC. VOL. VII. August 1884. ] 
Society News. 
At the May meeting of the Society 8 members were present, Mr. Smith in 
the chair. The correspondence of the Society was reported as very large, and 
portions of general interest were read. A letter was received from Dr. A. 8S. 
Packard, Jr., acknowledging his election as an Honorary member. A large 
number of donations to the library were received during the past month, and an 
exchange of publications with the American Museum of Nat. Hist. was made. 
Mr. Roberts gave his experience in collecting Himide at the Clifton Excursion 
of the Society. Four species were taken on roots and sticks in the water. At 
first sight nothing could be discovered on the sticks, but after careful search, 
and when the stick began to dry off, minute points scarcely relieved from the 
surface of the wood began to move, and with a little practice the specimens 
could be perceived and picked off with a knife blade. The bad fortune follow- 
ing many in collecting these forms can be explained by the fact that even a 
tolerably close search on a stick fresh from the water will fail to reveal the spec- 
ies; the stick must begin to dry before the beetles begin to move. Mr. Schwensen 
called attention to foods habits of some Cryptocephalide. Some species are very 
local favoring single species of plants, others are omnivorous found everywhere. 
Mr. Smith showed a simple oven for drying and inflating larve; formed of a 
spice box fastened to an upright which in turn was fastened to a platform on 
which was a small spirit lamp. General discussion on methods of preserving 
larve so as to retain their natural color and shape then followed until the meet- 
ing adjourned. 
June meeting.—Mr. M. L. Linel of Brooklyn was proposed for membership 
by Mr. Weeks. A paper on the habits of some Cicindelidae by Warren Knaus 
of Salina, Kans., was presented for publication. Mr. During exhibited an ap- 
paratus for cutting larva and cocoons from trees; a height of 25 feet could be 
reached by its means. 7 
Mr. Weeks explained how he secured all of the living material taken in the 
beating net. The whole rubbish accumulated in the net is dumped into a long 
narrow bag which is tied at the ends; when reaching home the contents of this 
bag are transferred to a large earthen jar fitted with a tight wooden bung in the 
centre of which is an opening sufficiently large to admit the mouth of a large 
bottle which is inverted over it. From the inner side of this bottle several 
strings proceed long enough to reach to the bottom of the jar. The insects 
aiming for the light climb up the strings into the bottle and may be transferred 
into the cyanide bottle without difficulty. The advantages of this method are 
that nothing escapes from the sweep net while picking out desiderata, and that 
there is no necessity of looking over the rubbish to pick out the insects. 
Mr. Smith read a paper on some structural peculiarities of the Noctuids 
with reference to their Geographical distribution calling attention to the fact 
that the northern species referred to Plusia had narrow ovate eyes, and spinose 
tibiz and were not congeneric with the more southern forms. Culoplysia is 
proposed for these forms, which have also usually yellowish secondaries. 
Members are hereby notified that there will be no meetings during the — 
months of July and August. 
