I o 1 8 General Notes. [Dece mber, 



similar manner. From the* great difference in locality, the pre- 

 sumption would be that the species would prove distinct, for tritici 

 has never been found farther west than Washington county, Mis- 

 souri. The rudimentary wing-pads of the pupae, however, showed 

 the western species to be wingless like tritici, and the imago, 

 when it was subsequently bred, proved specifically identical. 



We remember seeing, in 1879, a correspondence in the col- 

 umns of the Pacific Rural Press, relative to a wheat-stalk worm 

 which was doing some damage to the crop in California. Speci- 

 mens were referred to Dr. Packard, who pronounced them in all 

 respects similar to Isosotna horJci, the well-known joint- worm fly, 

 except that they lacked wings, It seems quite probable that this 



Deserved honor— We are glad to learn from a note in the 

 June number of the (London) Entomologist that Miss Eleanor 

 Ormerod has been appointed consulting entomologist to the 

 Roval Agricultural Society, of Great Britain. We have had, on 

 several occasions, the pleasure of referring to the excellency of 

 Miss Ormerod's writings in economic entomology, which is 

 beginning to be appreciated even in Great Britain. 



Important work on Cympid/E. — Dr. Gustav Mayr has fol- 

 lowed up his excellent paper on " Die Genera der gallenbewohn- 

 enden Cynipiden," by another, just published, entitled, " Die Eu- 

 ropaischen Arten der gallenbewohncnden Cynipiden." In this 

 latter paper 142 species of 22 genera are described by means of 

 the synoptical tables which Dr. Mayr has adopted and uses alto- 

 gether for this kind of work. From its completeness, and from 

 its very practical form, this paper cannot but give an added im- 

 pulse to the study of the Cynipidae, both in Europe and in this 

 country. 



Remarkable Felting caused by a Beetle. —A few weeks ago 

 we received from Mr. Henry Hales, of Ridgewood, N. J , a piece of 

 pillow ticking, the inside of which was felted with a fur-like coat- 

 ing made from particles of the feathers with which the pillow had 

 been filled. The felting is remarkably dense, evenly coating the 

 whole surface of the piece of ticking,' and greatly resembling in 

 softness, smoothness and color the fur of a mole. We give Mr. 



" ! 



•IK'! 



used' I sendyoL 



, a pi eC e of 



p. Hon 



v-e. 



ise which was 



filled 







cken feathers of various c 



olors, 





a neighbor's 1 





The 



pilh. 



m was noticed t 



:o gradually 



shrii 



ik , 



and when opei 



led to 



ascer 



tain 



the cause, it w 



as found tli 



at a 1 



itth. 



: beetle had brc 



■d and 



mult 



p:i , 



d in the pillow, 



stripped all 



the s 



■ oit 



parts of the fe 



athers 



offtl 





:ems and felted the' "pillow- 







ide with the fe; 



nil*- ; . 



roaki 



ng 



it one uniform 



color. The wh 



ole 



fabric, over 2 



1 \. ; .a 



sqoai 





as all evenly co' 



^ered as the 



enclc 



.se- 



1 piece which w 



.is cut 



