May 20, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



287 



pies of which he analyzes with a master hand. He reaches 

 the conclusion, which I am convinced can never be over- 

 thrown, that the original and primitive expressions of the 

 artistic sentiment reveal themselves everywhere in a series 

 of motives which display a surprising and almost complete 

 similarity. This practical identity continues high up in the 

 evolution of art-forms. It is not to be attributed to any his- 

 toric connection between nations, nor to any prehistoric 

 relations or instruction, but solely to tbe unity of mind and 

 its expressions through all humanity. " Thousands of 

 ethnographic, religious, symbolic and artistic parallels, with 

 which ethnography and archaeology are making us familiar, 

 are easily explained by the organic faculties of the mind of 

 man. This is true for all zones and for all lands of the 

 earth where man has slowly developed from simple to com- 

 plex artistic conditions." Were these maxims fully under- 

 stood, we should have fewer attempts to trace Greek and 

 Assyrian back to Egyptian, or Central American back to 

 Asiatic art, than has of late been the case. 



Native Fairs in Alaska. 



The early conveyance of articles of Asiatic manufacture 

 far into America is matter of surprise for no one who is 

 acquainted with the commercial and migratory habits of the 

 natives of the Northwest Coast. As slaves are part of their 

 stock in trade, Asian blood and features were introduced 

 without a general or even partial migration of Siberic tribes 

 across Behring Straits, for which, du reste, there is no evi- 

 dence at all. 



The times and places of these fairs were recenty stated by 

 Mr. I. Horner from information supplied by Lieut. Miles C. 

 Gorgas, U.S.N., in an address to the Numismatic and Anti- 

 quarian Society of Philadelphia, as follows: Beginning at 

 the south, a fair is held in June at Port Clarence, just south 

 of the narrowest part of the Straits. It is numerously at- 

 tended by the Chukchis of Siberia, the natives of St. Law- 

 rence Island, south of the Straits, and by others from Cape 

 Prince of Wales on the American mainland. The second 

 fair is held at Wotham Inlet on the north shore of Kotzebue 

 Sound. It lasts through July and August, and is attended 

 by about 1,500 people, some Siberians, but mostly natives, 

 especially from Point Hope, these being the principal traders 

 of the coast. A third fair is at Point Lay, and a fourth at 

 Camden Bay, not far from the mouth of the Mackenzie 

 River. 



The trading boats make a regular round of these fairs, 

 carrying articles in demand from one to the other; so that 

 some from the far interior of Asia will in a few years be 

 transported along the shores of the Arctic Sea, and southerly 

 indefinitely into the centre of the continent. This has doubt- 

 less been going on for centuries, and would explain the pres- 

 ence even of Japanese and Chinese articles in ancient burial 

 places — if such were ever found. 



NOTES ON LOCAL JASSID^. 



An interesting feature in the study of entomology is the 

 fact that there are still a great many untrodden paths and 

 plenty of work for the discovery of new species. In the 

 Hemiptera there are still many forms unknown to science. 

 In my collection of two or three seasons Professor Edward 

 P. Van Duzee has found several new species; but only those 

 belonging to the Jassidoe will be noticed here. 



In his admirable paper on the genus Phlepsius, recently 

 published by the American Entomological Society of Phila- 



delphia, he enumerates several new species, and groups 

 others under that genus, which to many have been known 

 under other names; for instance, what we have known as 

 Bythoscopus strobi Fitch is now to be known as Phlepsius 

 strobi Fitch. This decision was rendered by Professor Van 

 Duzee in 1890, and published in Psyche. 



Our old and well-known species Jassus irroratus Say is 

 now to be known as Phlepsius irroratus Say; it was at one 

 time known as Allygus irroratus Uhler; and Burmeister, 

 Walker, and Uhler knew it as Jassus testudinarius Burm. 



The genus Phlepsius as now arranged by Professor Van 

 Duzee is a step in the right direction, and his "synoptical 

 table " of the species will be a great help to Hemipterists 

 in studying this order of insects; it bespeaks a future 

 for it and a basis for study equal to that projected by 

 our able fellow-townsman, Professor Ezra T. Cresson, in the 

 Hymen optera. 



The species in the Jassidse taken by me in the locality of 

 New York City number eighteen or more, some of which 

 have as yet not been determined. 



Phlepsius strobi is, according to our record, quite a rare 

 species. Professor Van Duzee records but five specimens. 

 Mr. Uhler's lot only contained one male from Fitch, and 

 two specimens from Texas, one specimen from D. S. Kelli- 

 cott, Ohio, and one female from myself. We notice by this 

 the wide distribution of the species, yet but five specimens 

 are recorded in Professor Van Duzee's paper. 



It would be interesting and valuable to hear from the 

 Entomological Society of Philadelphia, as well as from Pro- 

 fessor Riley for the Government, in regard to this insect; 

 also from Professor Osborn, who would know it, but, if he had 

 had it in his collection, he would probably have sent it to 

 Professor Van Duzee, to assist him in making up the valua- 

 ble revision of this genus. 



Phlepsius fuscipennis Van Duzee is a new species found 

 by Professor Uhler and myself, and described from one pair 

 sent him by Professor Uhler and fourteen males and two 

 females sent by myself. Here, again, we have sufficient 

 distribution to warrant the recording of more specimens; 

 and we would like to hear from any source as to their 

 habitat in other States; and this could be soon found 

 out, were those species not known to collectors, and now in 

 their collections, sent to Professor Van Duzee, for identi- 

 fication. With us they seem to be fairly abundant, and 

 are exceedingly interesting, both on account of their rarity 

 and markings. 



Professor Van Duzee states, ''that the dark colored species 

 may be distinguished by their broad form, short inpressed 

 vertex, and strongly wrinkled pronotum; the brown elytra 

 of the males, spotted with white; some of the males exhibit 

 the pale arcs on the front, and the ocelli may be black." 



Phlepsius fulvidorsum Fitch has been taken by myself, 

 but in limited numbers. It seems to have quite a wide dis- 

 tribution; but as yet Professor Van Duzee records as known 

 to him but ten (10) specimens, and these from New York, 

 Iowa, Maryland, and Texas. This must be a difficult species 

 to determine, for, as good an Hemipterist as Professor Van 

 Duzee is, he finds great difficulty in distinguishing between 

 two predominant forms, which can only be well done by the 

 study of a large series of specimens from an extended area; 

 and if all who are interested in this order would send speci- 

 mens to him and assist him, he would no doubt soon solve 

 the problem and explain it to us so we could also know 

 wherein the difficulty lay 



Another new species, described by Professor Van Duzee 



