172 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. x. 



The following active members proposed at the last regular meeting were 

 elected : Mr. Herman Erb, Mr. E. R. Janvrin, Prof. W. G. Johnson, Mr. 

 Erich Lehsten, and Mr. Charles H. Sunderland. 



On motion of Mr. Barber the society extended a vote of thanks to Mr. 

 Hug for the kindness of his hospitality on the evening of February i8. 



On motion of Mr. Joutel the society voted to extend appreciative recog- 

 nition to Mr. W. Knaus for his donation of insects for the auction sale of 

 the society. 



Dr. Van Dyke was then called upon for a talk. His subject was " Notes 

 upon the Buprestidae of California." He first mentioned the fact that all 

 of the species of this family found within the limits of the State might easily 

 be placed in one of two great groups ; the first, to include those which were 

 northern in origin and are dependent upon coniferous and deciduous trees, 

 which for the most part are to be found only in the mountainous regions ; 

 and those which acknowledge the Sonoran regions as their home and are in 

 consequence almost entirely confined to those sections where the fauna derived 

 from this region is most in evidence. To the first belong such genera as 

 Chalcophora, Dicerca, Trachykele, Poccilonota, Buprestis, Mclanopliila, An- 

 thaxia, about half of the Chrysobothris, Chrysophana and part of Agrilus. 

 To the second belong such genera as Gyascutus, Hippomelas, half of Chryso- 

 bothris, Actenodcs, Glyptoscclimorpha, Dystaxia, Schisopus, Polyccsta. Acincc- 

 odera, Ptosima and part of Agrilus. 



He then took up the family, going over it genera by genera and giving 

 comments and field experiences as he went along. Among other things 

 he mentioned his belief that Buprestis coiisularis, nuttalli, Iccviventris, 

 snboruata and rusticoruin were all varieties of one species, and that the 

 variety of Buprestis gibbsii with confluent marking was not only more com- 

 mon than the true form, but was more southern in distribution, probably 

 had different food-habits and was in several other ways quite distinct from 

 the other. As showing how numerous certain species were at certain times 

 and places, he cited some of his collecting experiences. One June, while in 

 Shasta Co., he collected great numbers of Dicerca hornii, Poccilonota ferrea 

 and Buprestis fasciafa, and its variety langii. simply by getting out early in 

 the morning while the air was still crisp. The first two species he picked 

 off of young alder trunks, the others off of the bright green poplar leaves. 

 On another June vacation he took in Mendocino Co., within three days' time, 

 many hundreds of Melanophila drummondi and its immaculate variety, simply 

 by picking them off of the tents whither they had been attracted by the glare 

 and some few boughs. They were scarce both before and after this period. 

 On a fallen spruce trunk, on the sides of Mt. Wilson, in southern Cali- 

 fornia, he took in a half hour's time about thirty specimens of Dicerca 

 calif ornica and about a dozen Melanophila drummondi, both rare in that 

 section : and on the same day, by sweeping the flowers and the sides of the 

 brush along the trail, he took eight species and a good deal over a hundred 

 specimens of Acmccodera, within an hour's time. On another occasion, the 

 3d of July, while out collecting at Banning with Mr. Coquillett, there were 



