Report of the President 65 



the comparison of Cuba with Florida and other land regions 

 in faunal respects. Local field work has been carried forward, 

 as always, with the cordial assistance of the members of the 

 New York Entomological Society. 



Three new insect groups have been installed in the exhibi- 

 tion hall, illustrating the homes and habits of certain Hymen- 

 optera. Among other items, extensive and well-prepared 

 exhibits of heredity in insects have also been placed on view. 

 Meanwhile the vast study collections have received due atten- 

 tion. Dr. Lutz has devoted his energies to the Hymenoptera 

 particularly; Mr. Grossbeck has made marked progress in the 

 arrangement of the Lepidoptera; Mr. Mutchler has devoted 

 himself to the Coleoptera and Diptera. 



The researches in this division have been carried forward 

 with very satisfactory results. To the lists of " Insects of 

 Florida" have been added other and more comprehensive 

 catalogues, which include forms from Cuba and other places. 

 Mr. Leng has virtually completed a list of the beetles of the 

 West Indies, utilizing to the full the papers of Gundlach men- 

 tioned above. Mr. Grossbeck has dealt expressly with the 

 Lepidoptera of Florida. Mr. Mutchler has made notable 

 studies on the Cerambycidae, describing new species and 

 amplifying our knowledge of specific distribution. At this 

 juncture, it may be stated that arrangements have been 

 made with William Barnes for the utilization of the extensive 

 work done by Mr. Beutenmueller on the genus Catocala, in the 

 preparation by Dr. Barnes of a monograph on that group. 



Curator Gratacap reports upon the Mollusca as follows: 



Two additions to the collections are of particular and domi- 



.- ,, , nant interest. The first is the gift from Carlos de 

 Mollusks TT . % ■ 



la Torre, of the University of Havana, of 655 



specimens representing 139 species of the land shells of Cuba; 

 this collection possesses great intrinsic value on account of the 

 donor's reputation and high authority and also because it 

 includes many cotypes of species described by Dr. de la Torre 

 himself. The second addition, obtained by purchase from 

 A. Da Costa Gomez, is a collection of abnormal, deformed 

 and injured shells. The series is not large, but it comprises 

 much of peculiar interest and some specimens that are unique. 



