Natural History of District of Columbia — McAfee 99 



Four-mile Run Valley, for its whole course, provides in- 

 teresting and profitable collecting grounds, none of which, 

 however, excels the vicinity of Glencarlyn. The bottom land 

 along the creek near the Carlin Springs has a wonderful 

 insect fauna, an indication that the locality will repay in- 

 vestigation in other lines. Some things that have been col- 

 lected only at Glencarlyn are the flower fly (Syrphus fisheri), 

 the lampyrid beetle Neoceletes crateracollis described as a 

 new genus and species, and the scorpion flies Bittacus pili- 

 cornis, B. stigmaterus, and B. punctifer. 



Certain restricted areas near Falls Church seem to share 

 with Glencarlyn some of the most remarkable species, accord- 

 ing to notes kindly furnished by Mr. Nathan Banks. The 

 very rare Syrphid fly, Mixogaster breviventris has been taken 

 only at these two points in our area; the same is true of 

 the Leptid fly Rachicerus fulvicollis and the scorpion fly 

 Panorpa virginica. 



Falls Church is not without its own peculiar forms as 

 only here have the following rare Syrphid flies been taken: 

 Callicera johnsoni, Xanthogramma felix, Criorhina verbosa, 

 Volucella obesa and Ceria abbreviata; the remarkable he- 

 merobiid Dilar americana described from a single specimen 

 was rediscovered at Falls Church; and the only specimens 

 from this region of the pretty little Psyllid Livia marginalis 

 were obtained at Falls Church. Interesting hymenoptera of 

 southern affinities which have been collected here include the 

 mutillids: Ephuta pauxilla, Mutilla ornatipennis, Pseu- 

 domethoca geryon, Sphaerophthalma johnsoni, 8. rubroscu- 

 tellata, and Photopsis myrmicoides ; the Psammocharidae ; 

 Priocnemus facetus, and Ageniella accepta and the Sphecid 

 genus Podium. 



Many records and descriptions of new species of insects 

 from Falls Church have been published by Mr. Nathan Banks 

 to .whose collecting acumen most of the above records is 

 due. 71 Mr. Banks has left the scene of his fruitful endeavors, 



« Another instance of the Importance of the collector Is afforded by the 

 records (unique In the region) of the following orthoptera at Vinson Sta- 

 tion, Va. : Heaperotettix brevipennis, Anurogryllus muticus and Oecanthus 

 pini. All of these were captured by H. A. Allard who has unusual ability 

 to detect orthoptera by their stridulations. 



