JUSE2-', 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



-I'll 



distribution within the United States of 

 certain insects injuring cultivated crops 

 (Proc. Entom. Soc. Wash. III.. No. 4), 

 particularly in regard to the spread of in- 

 jurious species into Ohio and their distribu- 

 tion in that State. 



Mr. H. G. Hubbard exhibited specimens 

 of the borings of Xyleborus and Platypus. 

 Scolytid beetles, in orange wood. He de- 

 .scribed the habits of these beetles and 

 showed that Platypus is capable of making 

 extensive galleries of its own in hardwood 

 trees. The nature of the food of these 

 timber beetles was discussed. In addition 

 to reviewing and confirming the observa- 

 tions of European writers, Mr. Huljbard 

 described the so-called Ambrosia which 

 nourishes the young, as welling up through 

 the pores of the wood which are cut bj' the 

 galleries, in the shape of minute white but- 

 tons, giving a tesselated appearance to the 

 walls of the passages. The substance 

 sometimes accumulates in the galleries, 

 and when puddled by the larvse resembles 

 half-melted snow or slush. A growth of 

 fungus forms upon the Ambrosia, and dos- 

 ing the mouth of the galleries causes them 

 to fill up and sufibcate the inmates. This 

 method of treatment was found useful 

 in Florida, to save from further injury 

 the budded portion of trees killed back 

 by the severe frost of Februarj' last. A 

 piece of wire was pu.shed into the burrows 

 as far as it would go and then cut ott" and 

 left there. 



As to the nature of Ambrosia, Mr. Hub- 

 bard made the conjecture tliat it is a 

 ferment set up in the sap of the tree and 

 augmented by the presence of the ani- 

 mals. 



Mr. O. Heidemann exhibited specimens 

 of Corigcus Jiavomarginatus, a brachj'pterus 

 Nabid new to North America, which was 

 collected at St. John's, New Brunswick, by 

 the late Dr. Marx. Mr. Howard exhil>ited 

 a female Scolia sent from Texas bv Mr. E. 



A. Scliwarz. and which liad bt-come, in 

 some manner, impaled upon a sharp thorn, 

 the thorn entering the middle of the face. 

 It was a question whether the insect became 

 so impaled by Hying violently against the 

 sharp point of the thorn, or wliether it had 

 been stuck there by a shrike. Mr. Frank 

 Benton exhibited a comb of ApU florea 

 which he had collected in Ceylon. This is 

 the smallest species of Apis known. Curi- 

 ously enough, the only two species of Apis 

 which build in the open air, namely, Apk 

 florea and A. dormta, are the smallest and 

 the largest species of the genus. 



L. O. Howard, 



Recording Secretary. 



KEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At the meeting on May 27th Prof. Cat- 

 tell described Bodily and Mental Tests made 

 on members of the Freshman Class of Columbia 

 College bj" him in conjunction with Dr. Far- 

 rand. About twenty-five observations and 

 measurements were made on students en- 

 tering college in 18i>4, and these will be re- 

 peated at the middle and end of the course, 

 lu describing the experiments especial at- 

 tention was given to those of a more purely 

 psychological nature, such as memory, ac- 

 curaej' of perception, sensitiveness to pain, 

 reaction-tiuu', rate of perception, imagery, 

 etc., and some of the experiments were made 

 on those present. Such experiments are of 

 value to the individual .student, as they give 

 him information concerning his bodily and 

 mental condition, and the effect of his col- 

 lege coui"se upon these ; thej- are also of use 

 in increasing our exact knowledge of mental 

 processes and their relation to bodih- con- 

 ditions. 



Professor Eees exhibited a Geodetic Theod- 

 olite made by Wanschaff, of Berlin, for use 

 in the Summer Class of Practical Geodesy 

 at Columbia College. The telescope was 

 19i inches in focal length with 2A inch ob- 

 jective. The horizontal circle was S inches 



