11 



distance a growth of young birches, which seemed to indicate a dryer spot. What work 

 we had to reach it ! How exhaustively we studied, with reference to our surroundings 

 and their appearances, the degrees of comparison of the adjective treacherous. At length 

 we reaehed our goal. We found it to be a ridge thrown up, for drainage purposes, by the 

 owners of the land beyond, We took off our boots, and emptied them of water, and then 

 proceeded to refresh the inner man. After a while, I left my friend to make acquaintance 

 with the swamp mosquitos (who were disposed to be quite familiar), and went in search of 

 C. Jutta. Believed from fraternal cares, I now could give my attention to the surround- 

 ings. What wonderful prospects did these present ! The Avhole marsh was aglow with 

 the rosy flowers of Bhodora Canadensis, that charming plant whose 



"Beauty is its own excuse for being." 



The clustered pitchers of the Sarracenia pitrpurea (a plant named after another French 

 botanist, Dr. Sarassin) tufted the surface of the moss ; and, all around, the stemless 

 lady's slipper, Cypripedium acaule, displayed its elegant blossoms. Suddenly a fluttering 

 brown object arose before me, made a short flight, and then settled a few yards away. I 

 noticed the mottling of the underwings, brought down my net, and, shouting to my friend 

 "I have it," captured my first specimen of C. Jutta. Soon a second specimen arose; but 

 another insect-admirer was in the field who was more agile than I. A specimen of the 

 King Bird, Tyrannis Carolinensis, gave chase to the butterfly, and, after much doubling 

 and twisting, caught it, and disposed of it effectually. It was long before another speci- 

 men rewarded my search ; but at length a third did make its appearance, and I had the 

 good fortune to secure it. By this time my muscles were so strained by the uncertain 

 footing that every movement gave me pain, and I was obliged to abandon the hunt for 

 that day. I rejoined my companion and set out for home, very wet, and very tired, but 

 possessed by the proud consciousness that I had captured Chionobas Jutta. 



Captain Geddes said that his only captured specimen of this insect was identified by- 

 Mr. W. H. Edwards, and was taken in the Rocky Mountains at a great altitude. 



NOTES ON LABV.E OF MALLOTA POSTICATA. 



Mr. Lawrence Beed read some notes on " Larvae of Mallota postieata," as follows : — 



During the recent heavy gale of October 15th a large limb of a maple tree, standing in. 

 our boulevard, was blown down. 



While removing it the next day I noticed that the centre of the limb, from the fork 

 where it was attached to the tree was much decayed, for about one foot from the top. 



Thinking this had been caused by some of our wood-boring beetles, I examined the 

 black casting which seemed to fill up the hole, and discovered some twelve or thirteen 

 larvae embedded rather firmly in the pithy substance. These are, I think, the maggots of 

 some dipterous insect, and from their rat-tailed appearance they belong to some species 

 of Heliophilus. Upon placing some of the larvae in water, the tails were observed to come 

 to the surface of the water, as it is said, for breathing purposes. We find a Heliophilus 

 mentioned in Edwards, Blate 7, figure 28. Harris also gives an account of the larvae, 

 saying : — " The larva? of a few are aquatic, and are provided with very long, tubular tails, 

 through which they breathe, and have been called rat-tailed maggots. Some of the 

 largest and most beautiful of these flies live, in the maggot state, in rotten wood." 



Professor Lintner has given a full description of the insect in his Eirst Annual Report 

 of the New York State Entomologist, 1882, page 211, and named it as above. 



