Packard.] 408 [May 4, 



considered it as the same as the European insect. It is very rare 

 in Europe, one specimen only having occurred in England, two or 

 three in Germany, and one in Siberia, as Dr. Ilagen informs me. 



It agrees perfectly with Mr. McLachlan's description (Trans. 

 London Ent. Soc. 1868, p. 170) and agrees pretty well with his 

 figure, though the abdomen in my specimen is blunt and rounded. 

 Unfortunately my single specimen is in too poor a condition to be 

 figured. 



Boreus Californieus n. sp. 



This species is more nearly allied to B. liyemdlls Linn, of Europe, 

 than to either of our eastern species, B. n'woriundus and B. brumalis 

 of Dr. Fitch. It is about twice as large as B. nivoriwidus, the fe- 

 male, including the ovipositor, measuring .20 of an inch, the ovipos- 

 itor being .07 inch in length, while the male is .16 of an inch in 

 length. The body in both sexes is greenish black, with slight 

 metallic reflections. The middle of the beak is light brown, pitchy, 

 the base and tip being black. Antennae and palpi black. The 

 membranous area behind the head and below the protergum is dark 

 horn color. The wing pads of the female are rounded semi-elliptical. 

 The rudimentary wings of the male are dark horn color, darker at 

 tip ; they extend to the base or middle of the fourth abdominal seg- 

 ment. Legs dark horn color, a little darker at the joints ; the tarsi 

 a shade darker, with the terminal joint blackish. The ovipositor is 

 dark horn color, black at base and tip, or entirely blackish beneath. 

 The whole body is covered with minute white hairs. 



In a pair preserved still sexually united, the abdomen of the male 

 (beneath the female as usual in this genus) is considerably elongated, 

 directed upwards perpendicularly, and held between the blades of 

 the ovipositor which gape open widely, the male abdomen reaching 

 into the very base of the ovipositor. 



Several specimens in the Museum of the Peabody Academy of 

 Science were received, together with valuable collections of other 

 insects, from Mr. Junius Holleman, who collected them near Fort 

 Bidwell, Siskiyou Co., Cal., Dec. 11th. They were observed walk- 

 ing on the snow in the morning, disappearing when the sun shone 

 brightly at noon. 



It represents in California the European B. hyemalls, rather than 

 our two eastern species, and is another interesting example of the 

 European facies of the Californian insect fauna. 



