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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES FROM KANSAS. 



Mr. F. F. Crevecceur, Onaga, Kans. , an entomologist of consider- 

 able experience and a valued correspondent of this office, has reported 

 the results of some interesting observations made b}^ him during the 

 past season (1900). Some of these are, in brief, as follows: 



Notonecta imdulata, one of the common, so-called back-swimmers, 

 was observed feeding upon a related species, Anisops platycnemis, on 

 one of our largest species of Corisa, and on the Dytiscid water beetle, 

 Coptotomus interrogatus. 



March 19 a species of spider, Xysticus gulosus, was noticed feeding 

 on the dung beetle, Aphodius inquietus, under a ^oard on the ground. 



Crepidodera rujlpes, the red-legged flea beetle, a long account of 

 which was published some years ago in Volume V of Insect Life 

 (pp. 341), was stated to be very abundant in the State of Kansas. It is 

 a destructive enemy of young peach, cherry, and other fruit trees. 



May 30 a wasp, Odynerus tigris, was observed bearing a larva and 

 flying about a post in a barn looking for a hole in which to deposit it. 

 The next day some of the same kind of larvae, as well as pupse, were 

 found on the willow, Salix amygdaloides, which were reared and 

 proved to be Lina scripta, the streaked cottonwood leaf -beetle. 



June 6, Anomcea laticlavia, an interesting Chiysornelid, was reared 

 from its pupal case found under a log about a month before. This 

 case, which was made of dirt, was described as about five-eighths of 

 an inch long by half that width, convex laterally, and somewhat con- 

 cave longitudinally on the under side, with a fringe along the sides 

 and crimped on the under side only, giving the case the appearance of 

 being of organic origin instead of being of dirt. 



June 18 Plusia brassicw, the cabbage looper, was reared from larvae 

 on cottonwood, which pupated June 9. June 21 the same species 

 issued from the larva taken on cottonwood, which pupated June 12. 

 It will be noted that the pupal stage in both cases lasted nine days. 



On two occasions during the latter days of June Dasyllis tergissa, 

 a large robber fly, was noticed feeding upon Macrobasis unicolor, 

 the ash-gray blister-beetle, Onthophagus hecate, a dung-beetle, and 

 Euschistus tristigmus, a plant-bug. 



June 10 Atomosia puella was noticed feeding upon Lonchcea rufitar- 

 sas, both Diptera. 



June 11 Macrobasis unicolor was observed feeding on the bloom of 

 hollyhock. It had ragged three or four flowers on this plant when 

 observed. 



While picking strawberries our correspondent happened to touch a 

 specimen of the plant-bug EuscKisims variolariiis, which is often found 

 feeding on the fruit of berries, and noticed that a small quantity of 

 the fluid which this species exudes when disturbed caused a very pain- 



