FTJNGUS GNATS Oi' NORTH AMERICA. Ill 



on the under side of the fore femur, brown; fore metatarsus 

 about .88 as long, entire tarsus about 2.5 longer than the tibia. 

 Wing more or less dusky yellow hyaline, with central spot and 

 an elongate preapical cloud tilling the apex of the cell Ri and 

 spreading out below it. Plalteres yellow. "Europe." A female 

 specimen 4 mm. long from Capens, Me. ( C.W.J. ), July. 



THE SCIARINM. 



(Exclusive of Arctic and Tropic species). 



In the literature on economic entomology there are numerous 

 references to members of this subfamily, though in but few 

 instances were the species known. 



Of the described North American species of Sciara, 16 are 

 known to occur only in the Arctic region, 11 are from Mexico, 

 the W^est Indies and Central America, and 32 are from the 

 United States and Canada. Of the last cmly 15 are described 

 in a recognizable manner. In view of our very imperfect 

 knowledge of these gnats, an apology will be scarcely neces- 

 sary for presenting this paper to economic . entomologists. 

 Though over 25 new species are described, it is very probable 

 that they represent but a tithe of those which may eventuall}' 

 be found in the United States. It is quite possible that some of 

 the species described here as new may be the same .as some of 

 those named by Say, Walker, or Fitch, but to attempt to link; 

 them is quite useless as only a comparison with the type speci 

 mens of these authors would lead to definite results. As far as 

 I am aware, of these types, Walker's only are in existence. 



The brief descriptions published by these authors are here 

 reproduced for the sake of completeness. Some one else, pos- 

 sessing greater perspicacity than I, may have better fortune in 

 identifying them with the species they are supposed to desig- 

 nate. 



In my previous papers on the Mycetophilidae I have included 

 the few arctic and tropic species described from North America 

 but in the present treatment of the Sciarinac I deem it ex- 

 pedient to omit them, for none has been found in the material 

 I have had the privilege of examining. 



In studying these flies it was found that balsam mounts were 

 far superior to pinned specimens. It is desirable tu remove one 

 wing and mount :t under a separate cover glass, to insure its 



