49 
never under any circumstances could it have been anege parasite. He 
had probably put his willow leaf in a pill box and had later found the 
parasites in the box. He did not examine the leaf carefully for traces 
of a leaf miner or he would never have sent in the record. 
Where the parasite is reared from a gall or from a twig burrowed by 
some other insect it often happens that it is assumed to be parasitic 
upon the gall maker or upon the most abundant twig borer. Such an 
assumption should never be made without a complete statement of the 
facts and without the most careful examination of gall and twig, to see 
whether they were not inhabited by other insects either as inquilines 
or parasites, or in the case of twigs as perhaps unnoticed borers. 
Instances like these might be multiplied, but this will suffice to indi- 
cate the absolute necessity, first, of extreme care in forming conclu- 
sions, second, of detailing all circumstances which may possibly have 
led to error. It is only by such careful work as this that we can ever 
arrive at proper conclusions concerning the group habits of parasites. 
Our present published records are full of error and require a most care- 
ful sifting of evidence, which in many instances can no longer be 
obtained, The most heterogeneous and unlikely errors in many genera 
are published, and the discriminating work is of extremely slow avcom- 
plishment. 
Mr. Fletcher stated that he had seen an Ichneumon ovipositing upon 
a glume of wheat upon which there was no insect. 
Mr. Doran stated that he had reared a parasite from Bruchus scutel- 
laris. 
Mr. Howard stated that this parasite was probably an undescribed 
‘species of Mr. Ashmead’s genus Bruchophagus. 
Mr. Osborn presented the following paper: 
| REPORT OF A TRIP TO KANSAS TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED DAM. 
AGES FROM GRASSHOPPERS. 
By HERBERT OSBORN, Ames, Jowa. 
In accordance with instructions received July 24, to visit and report 
on grasshopper injury in western Kansas, I started the following 
Morning for Kansas and improved every opportunity on the way to 
learn of grasshopper injury. The following account is in advance of a 
Teport prepared for Dr. Riley. At Des Moines, where I waited a few 
hours for the Kansas City train, I went through a large number of Kan- 
)/Sas papers, kindly placed at my service in the office of the State Register 
jand Iowa Homestead, without, however, getting any information ex- 
cept assertions in some places that there were no hoppers in Kansas. 
From a gentleman lately through Arizona I learned of the appearance 
jof considerable numbers in that Territory, and the expectation that 
these might be travelling eastward. At Kansas City I was equally 
| 79L1—No, 1——4 
