. 287 



species of Coenophanes. The principal point, however, to which we 

 wish to call the attention of the readers of Insect Life is that certain 

 of the seed-pod clusters are strangely modified by the work of a small 

 Tortricid moth which we know as yet from the empty pupa shells only. 

 Each iDod is reduced in length to half an inch and swells out widely 

 so as to produce a gall-like* object radically dissimilar to the perfect 

 pod. These pseudo-galls occur normally in clusters of five given oft' 

 from a single stem and are well calculated to puzzle the botanist. 



THE ZEBRA CATERPILLAR ON THE PACIFIC COAST. 



According to Mr. J. B. Smith's "Revision of the Species of Mames- 

 tra" the common Mamestra picta of the vegetable gardens of the 

 Eastern and Middle States is said to range west to Nebraska, and while 

 the food-plants of the species have always been known to be rather 

 general, it usually feeds upon annual plants like the Bean, Pea, Cab- 

 bage, Beet, Spinach, Aster, Honey-suckle, Mignionette, Asparagus, 

 Clover, Lambs-quarter. Our California agent, Mr. D. W. Coquillett, 

 however, received recently two colonies of larvse indistinguishable 

 from the Zebra Caterpillar, tlie one found on Apple and the other on 

 Orange in southern California. From these specimens he reared a 

 single male, which he forwarded to Washington and which we find to 

 be identical with M. picta. We thus have not only a greatly widened 

 geographical range, but two new food-plants from this observation. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



January 5, 1893. — The following new members were elected: W J McGee, J. B. 

 Jones, and Frederick C. Pratt, active members; W. G. Johnson, Palo Alto, Cal. ; J. 

 W. Toumey, Tucson, Ariz.; C. H. Rowe, Maiden, Mass., and Wm. H. Patton, Hart- 

 ford, Conn., corresponding members. The distribution of No. 3, Vol. II, of the Pro- 

 ceedings was announced by the Publication Committee. Mr. Stiles opened the dis- 

 cussion of the president's address on parasitism, which was read at the previous 

 meeting by Prof. Riley. He dwelt more particularly on Leuckart's classification of 

 parasites and treated in detail xiarasitism by animals other than insects. General 

 discussion followed on the address by Messrs. Fernow, Hubbard, Doran, Waite, Gill, 

 Schwarz, Riley, and others. Under general notes and exhibition of specimens Mr. 

 Schwarz spoke shortly on the food habits and distribution of Siljyha lapponica- 

 Mr. Hubbard remarked on the hibernation and food plant of Chrysomela flavomar- 

 ginata. Mr. Ashmead exhibited a small Chalcidid rei^resenting a European genus 

 not hitherto known to occur in the United States. 



Feb7'uary 2, 1893. — The following persons were elected to corresponding member- 

 ship: Rev. J. L. Zabriskie, Flatbush, L. I., and Mr. O. F. Cook, Huntington. L. I. 

 A pax^er by Mr. Hubbard, accompanied by exhibition of specimens and entitled " Note 

 on Brathinus," was x)resented by Mr, Schwarz. In this paper a new species from the 

 Sierras of California is described as B. californicus and a synoptic table is given sep. 

 arating the three species now known. Mr. G. C. Davis, of Agricultural College, 

 Mich., gave a general description of the character and extent of the insect collec- 

 tions of that institution. Mr. Howard presented a paper on a peculiar feature of 



