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habits of the Sarcopliagid*, I may add that iu Psyclie for February, 

 1892 (px3. 220-221), Prof. Towusend describes a Sarcopliaga heVicis as 

 ha^'ing been bred from a living snail by Mr. Surface. In his Seventh 

 Eeport on the Insects of Missouri (p. 181), Prof. Eiley states that the 

 larvae of Sarcopliaga sarracemce feed upon dead insects, and in his 

 Ninth Eeport (p. 95) he states that they also feed upon the eggs of 

 locusts. A few days ago. Dr. A. Davidson, of this city, submitted to 

 me two male specimens of an undescribed species of Sarcophaga which 

 he had bred from larvae found feeding upon the eggs of the si)ider, 

 FMdippus opifex McOook. These flies differ from the above descrip- 

 tion of Sarcophaga opifera only in the following particulars: 



Autennee black, tlie third joint one and a lialf times as long as tlie second, arista 

 plumose on its basal half, bearing one long bair on its up]3er side beyond the outer- 

 most long one on its lower side. Face witb two irregular, widely separated rows of 

 bristles eacb side. Palpi black. Hind margin of the fourth abdominal segment 

 black, genitalia grayish black, the lower half polished black. Length Q^ to 8™'". 



It may be named Sarcopliaga davidsonii in honor of its discoverer. 

 From the above observations it is very evident that in their habits 

 the Sarcophagidse are much more closely related to the Tachinidse than 

 is commonly supposed to be the case. 



A. NEW SWEET POTATO SAW FLY. 



(Schizocerus j^riratus Norton.) 

 By C. L. Marlatt, 



In the first volume of Insect Life (pp. 43-15) an iUustrated account 

 was given of a rather rare saw-fly (Schizocenis ehenus Xorton) which 

 had suddenly appeared in very destructive numbers in the summer 

 of 1886-87, attacking and nearly destroying the sweet potato crop of 

 Mr. C. Werkle, of Ocean Springs, Miss. Injury to the sweet potato 

 from this insect has not again been brought to my attention. A 

 year ago, however, attention was drawn to injury by the larv?e of a 

 saw-fly to the sweet potato crop in Virginia by the receipt, July 6, 

 1891, from Mr. Gr. W. Stocklej^, of Keller, Accomac County, of speci- 

 mens of the young larvtie, together with one male and three female 

 flies. (See Extracts from Correspondence, Insect Life, vol. iv, p. 71.) 

 The specimens y^ ere turned over to me by Prof. Eiley for study and 

 report. 



Examination of the adults showed that they belonged to a distinct 

 species, but one closely allied to the one mentioned above. This new 

 sweet potato pest belongs to the same genus as the former, and was 

 originally described as Schizocerus privatus by Mr. Edw. Norton from 



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