1883.] Entomology. 1169 
is described. Dufour has described a fungus which grows on 
sponges, disintegrating the skeleton, and rendering it worthless. 
He names it Torula spongicola. Most collectors have had to 
do with the yellow filamentous growth named Ozonium, but hith- 
erto scarcely assignable to any place in a botanical system. Rou- 
meguére concludes, from his recent investigations, that it is a sort 
of sclerotium stage of various hymenomycetous fungi belonging 
to the genera Coprinus, Lenzites and Craterellus. 
ENTOMOLOGY! 
Entomotocy AT Mrinneaporis.2— Remarks on Arzama obliquata. 
—Mr. Riley also gave his experience in rearing this insect during 
the past two years. He exhibited specimens in all states, The 
eggs are laid in curious, broadly conical or plano-convex masses 
enveloped in hair and a mucous cream-colored secretion, which, 
combined, look much like spun silk inside and the glazed exuda- 
tion of Orgyia leucostigma outside. The larva, pale at first, and 
more or less transparent during the earlier stages, but dark after 
the later stages, bores into the stems of Sagittaria and Ponte- 
deria and is semi-aquatic, the last pair of spiracles being excep- 
tionally large and dorsal. There are two annual broods, the sec- 
ond hibernating as larva in moss and decaying stumps near the 
water. The moth shows great variation in color, and the sum- 
mer generation is, on the average, not much more than half so 
large as the spring or hibernated generation and generally much 
paler. He had interesting notes on this and other semi-aquatic 
Species, and would shortly publish a more full account of them. 
Dr. Kellicott said he had bred this moth at Buffalo, N. gs 
where it was very abundant, and he had found it to be single 
brooded. It is associated with another species, an account of 
August 15, 2 P. m., the club reconvened. Professor a a 
Forbes presented a paper entitled, “ Memoranda with i ate 
the contagious diseases of caterpillars and the possibility of usm 
the virus of the same for economic purposes.” ‘The following 1$ 
a full abstract : i 
use of contagious germs as insecticides—Pasteur made, in 
1869, discoveries showing that a contagious disease of the silk- 
worm, one of the two to which the rapid decay of the n E 
try at that time was due, and known to the French under the 
name of la flacherie, and . i 
caused by the presence of ferment germs in the intestines of the 
worms, and afterward in the blood. He stated ens onl 
Proved, by means of careful experiment, that this disease oh 
be easily induced in healthy worms by sprinkling their food wi 
Pe This department is edited by Pror. C, V. RILEY, Washington, D. C., to whom 
r Canications, books for notice, etc., should be sent. 
inued from p. 1070. 
