Annual Report.] 12 [May 5, 



INSECTS. 



All Harris's North American insects, except the Neuroptera 

 and part of the Diptera, are now in the two black walnut 

 cases built for them. Twenty of the drawers were fitted, 

 three years ago, with sliding covers, and are as safe as any 

 boxes in the Museum, but the remaining forty drawers are 

 loosely covered, and the specimens in them are more or less 

 injured every summer by moths and Anthreni. The Neu- 

 roptera were revised by Dr. Hagen, and remain in the four 

 glazed boxes where they were put by him. 



Mr. Sprague began a revision of the Coleoptera, and fin- 

 ished it through the Staphylinidae, six hundred and fifty-five 

 species. The Histeridae, named by Dr. Horn, were returned 

 after Mr. Sprague's death. The succeeding families, as far 

 as the Tenebrionidse, about one thousand species in all, were 

 removed from the drawers, and a new arrangement of them 

 begun by Mr. Sprague. These have all been returned to 

 the drawers, and Mr. Sprague's arrangement followed as far 

 as possible, but no change of labels has been made. The 

 rest of the Coleoptera remain as they were arranged by 

 Mr. Scudder, with Harris's family and general labels, and 

 Mr. Scudder's catalogue numbers. The European Coleoptera 

 and Lepidoptera from Hanis's collection are in three boxes 

 covered with paper, among the foreign insects. 



Mr. Sprague began several collections of beetles, described 

 in the Society's publications, of which the types are lost. 

 The collection of Randall's species, described in Vol. II of 

 the Journal, contains sixty-three species out of the eigbty- 

 two described. A list of these with notes was found among 

 Mr. Sprague's papers, and has been revised by Mr. Austin for 

 publication in the Proceedings. 



There are also unfinished collections of the species of 

 Cicindela of Massachusetts, described by A. A. Gould in Vol. 

 I of the Journal, of the species of Hispa, described by Han-is 

 in Yol. I, and of the Coleoptera, described by Say in the 

 same volume. A collection of Carabidae, described by Kirby 



