^ NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



•species by Dr A. D. Hopkins of the United States Bureau o; 

 Entomology and the writer. An examination of the literature 

 :shows that there may be a question as to the specific identity o 

 this European form. We have used the above specific name an( 

 given illustrations of the insect (pi. i8, figs, i, 2), since our materia 

 was not sufficiently abundant to permit of an authoritative identifi 

 ■cation. This form may prove, as has been stated in the case o 

 .at least one Chermes on fir, to be a synonym of Chermej 

 f u n i t e c t u s Dref. 



Apparently, this is the first record of the introduction of th 

 species into America. A Chermes discussed under this name b 

 Gillanders is recorded by him as very destructive to young silv( 

 firs, comparatively young specimens of Abies n o r d m a n 

 n i a n a and even fairly old trees of Abies nobilis. He stat( 

 that young silver firs in nurseries are often killed outright by th 

 insect. The data at hand justifies us in considering this species 

 dangerous form which should be excluded, if possible. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 Blow fly ( C a 1 1 i p h o r a v i r i d e s c e n s Desv.) . Si 

 ^eral larvae and two pupae of this species were received under da 

 of July 30, 1910, from Mrs H. B. Reist of Schenectady, accompani. 

 by the statement that they had been found under a rug in a stu( 

 on the second floor of a new house. Subsequent corresponden 

 developed the fact that the rug had been sent a month earlier to 

 wacuum cleaning establishment located over a stable. There appea 

 to be no other probable explanation for the occurrence of the larv 

 in this strange environment, other than that they may have work 

 into the fabric from some adjacent nitrogenous material while 

 the cleaning establishment, since the common blow fly larv; 

 .as is well known, thrive in fresh or decaying flesh, cheese 

 nitrogenous vegetables. The parent flies, kindly determined 

 Mr D. W. Coquillett of the United States National Musei 

 appeared August loth. They are about one-third the size of 

 more common blow fly, Calliphora vomitoria Lii 

 with a somewhat similar steel-blue or violet-blue abdomen, thoi 

 easily recognized by the grayish black thorax in marked contrast 

 the duller black thorax o f C . v o m i t o r i a . It is perhaps ne 

 less to add that both of these blow flies are distinguished from 

 rather slender, grayish banded, exceedingly common house fly 

 -their larger size, greater stoutness and violaceous coloring. 



