39 



very good. The nucleus was formed by the purchase of about 8,000 specimens from 

 Capt. Gamble Geddes, of Toronto. It is now being added to by the officers of the Geo- 

 logical Survey, who bring to it from time to time rare specimens from out-of-the-way and 

 little known regions. There are several private collections of value, but it is unneces- 

 sary to specify them. Mr. Fletcher agreed with Mr. Smith that " types " of new species 

 should be placed in some national collection, where they would be accessible to all 

 students. For his part, he should always be glad in the future, as in the past, to place 

 types, whenever possible, in the National Museum at Washington. 



A discussion then arose as to what is meant by a "type." Mr. Fletcher understands 

 the term to mean all the specimens actually before a describer when he is making out his 

 description of a new species. Some writers, however, call all specimens types that may 

 afterwards be identified by the describer as agreeing with the originals. Mr. Howard 

 agreed with Mr. Fletcher that only the material before a describer at the time is to be 

 called "type;" other specimens should be marked, "determined by the author." Dr. 

 Pdley thought that all the materials determined by an author might be called "types of 

 that species," provided that they do not vary from the original specimens. Prof. Webster 

 considered that all typical material should be placed in some national depository, where 

 it would be perfectly safe, and instanced the loss of the Walsh collection by fire as a 

 calamity to Science. Collectors should be willing to sacrifice their types for the general 

 good of Science. Mr. Smith was also of opinion that only the specimens before the author 

 at the time of making the description are types, and that specimens determined after- 

 wards are not really types. Mr. Fletcher referred to Chionobas Macounii as an example. 

 Mr. W. H. Edwards had eleven specimens before him when he described the species ; 

 these are types. Most of these specimens were imperfect. During the past summer the 

 speaker had obtained from the original locality a good supply of specimens in perfect 

 order, and although these agreed with the original description perfectly, they should only 

 be labelled as "typical," and he was of the opinion that the describer even would not be 

 justified in labelling them "type." Prof. Osborn agreed with the last speaker. 



Thursday, Aug. 16th. — The Club reassembled at 3.30 p.m. Papers by Mr. 

 Clarence M. Weed, on " The parasites of the honeysuckle Sphinx, Hemaris diffinis, 

 Boisd." and on "The Hymenopterous parasites of the Strawberry Leaf-roller, Phoxop- 

 teris comptana, Frol.," were read by the Secretary in his absence. Mr. H. Osborn read 

 an interesting paper on "The food-habits of the Thripidse." Mr Smith gave an account 

 of the collection of W. D. Bruce, of Bockport, N. Y., which was chiefly made in Colorado ; 

 it is especially remarkable for the long series of specimens of many species of Lepidoptera. 

 Among others he has Chionobas bore in great numbers from the Rocky Mountains, proving 

 it to be distinct from G. Semidea of the White Mountains ; also an immense series of 

 Golias eurytheme in all its varieties, and numbers also of many species of Noctuidae. 



Friday Aug 17th. — The Club met at 9 o'clock a.m. A paper was read by Dr. D. S. 

 Kellicott, on Hepialus argenteo-maculafois, which he had succeeded in raising from larva? 

 obtained in Oswego County, N.Y. It bred in the roots and stems of Alnus incana. Mr. 

 Schwarz stated that he had taken the moth near Marquette, Lake Superior, on July 29th, 

 this year. Mr. Smith considered it to be quite generally distributed, breeding in oak, 

 willow and poplar. Mr. H. Osborn read a note on the occurrance of Cicada rimosa, 

 Say, in Iowa. 



Prof. O. S. Westcott related the occurrence of a large gathering of butterflies about 

 the carcase of a dead dog at Port Arthur, in June last ; one hundred and ten specimens 

 were counted, chiefly consisting of D. archippus, and some L. arthemis, Colias and 

 Melitoza. In the same locality he captured, July 20 to 23, nineteen examples of Melitoza ; 

 of these one was Nycteis, and seventeen tharos, eight of the form Marcia, and nine Mor- 

 pheus. He next gave an interesting account of the numbers of Lachnosterna fusca, and 

 gibbosa, taken at Maywood, 111., by means of a trap attached to a street-lamp, during the 

 months of May and June, 1887 and 1888. He also gave a list of 1,192 specimens, 

 belonging to 65 species captured in his trap on the night of June 13th 1888 ; of these 

 730 were Agonoderus comma, and 204 Lachnosterna gibbosa. 



