322 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



lu the genus Volucella, I have V. mexicana Macq. from Southern 

 California and a new species. I also describe a Volucella and a Teonnocera 

 from Colorado. 



Mallota posticata (with some doubt), Polydonta curvipes (at least the 

 female), Tropidia quadrata, Syritta flpiens^ have been found in Califor- 

 nia; Polydonta also in Colorado; Syritta everywhere. 



Two Californian new species, intermediate between Griorrhina and 

 Brachypalpus, I doubtfully refer to Pocota St. Fargeau. 



Chrysochlamys has been found in Utah, bat not yet in Califoruia. 



An interesting discovery is that of a new Sphecomyia from the Sierra 

 Nevada, the third species of the genus, or, perhaps, the second, if the 

 European and the North American specimens belong to the same spe- 

 cies, as may very possibly be the case. S. vittata has been found in the 

 White Mountains, in the State of New York, and as far south as Vir- 

 ginia (probably in the mouutains) ; recently I received it from Colorado. 

 The European species was first discovered in Lithuania; afterward found 

 in Finland and Norway ; never in Western Europe. As far as I can 

 judge from tiie figure, it seems to be the same as the North American 

 species. The more interesting for this reason is the discovery of a de- 

 cidedly distinct species, smaller, and with much shorter antennae, found 

 at an altitude of 7-8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada. Ceria is hitherto rep- 

 resented in California by the single C. tridentata Loew. 



With such scanty materials, it would be premature to draw any gen- 

 eral conclusions about the relationship of 'the Californian fauna to other 

 faunae. As the Syrphidce are amoug those families, the species of which 

 are apt to have a very wide geographical distribution, the common occur- 

 rence of so many species in the Atlantic and in the Pacific States has 

 nothing very astonishiug. In the same way, many species of iSyrphidce 

 are common to Europe and North America. In the occurrence of certaiu 

 peculiar forms (for instance, Eupeodes) as well as of many species which 

 have a wide western distribution, from California to Colorado, and are 

 unknown in the Eastern States, the western fauna asserts its inde- 

 pendent character. 



The relationship to the European and to the' Chilian fauna has hith- 

 erto shown itself only in the common occurrence of Syrplius pyrastri. In 

 the occurrence of a larger number of species of Sphceroplwria, the 

 Californian fauna seems to resemble the European rather than the 

 Eastern American fauna. 



Paragus sp. — Los Angeles, Cal., in March. A single specimen. 



PiPizA sp. — Geysers, Sonoma County, May 5-7. Very like some of the 

 Pipizce described by Mr. Loew from the Atlantic States, but with darker 

 legs than any of them. 



Orthoneuea. — Summit Station, Sierra Nevada, July 17. A single 

 specimen. 



Chilosia sp. — Saucelito, Cal., July 1. A single male. Exactly like 

 Chilosia paUipes Loew, Ceutur., iv, 70 (found by me in the District of 



