


MONTHLY LETTER OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 























the parasitologists of the bureau I noted that the data concerning 
nosts which accompanied the description was sometimes lacking and gen- 
SGrally insufficient. For many years I have kept a card catalog of the 
recorded host relations of parasitic Hymenoptera, and a duplicate of 
this card catalog is now in the hands of Mr. Harry 8. Smith of Sacra- 
mento, who is arranging it for possible publication under our joint. 
authorship; and this is the reason why I have especially noticed this 
point. When field workers send in parasites for determination, many 
of which will of course be new to science, it is of great importance 
trom my point of view that host labels should accompany the specimens. 
Of course 2a biological number referring to "Webster Notes" or "Hopkins 
pMotes" or "Bureau Notes" will eventually enable some one to find out 
the facts concerning the host insects, but it is perhaps too much to 
expect of a systematic worker that he write for these data to head- 
Quarters, or to the field men, since often field notes are not sent in 
Tor months, and it frequently happens that the systematist is desirous 
of publishing immediately. Further the mere name of the host is not 
Burficient, but the stage should also te mentioned; that is, whether 
the parasite issued from the egg, from the larva, or from the pupa of 
the host. L. 0. HOWARD. 
| Recently while looking over a systematic paper prepared by one of 
Among the visitors at the Bureau during the month were the follow- 
ing: 
Be: mp. Lounsbury, Chief of the Division of Entomology of the Union 
Department of Agricuiture, Soutn Africa. 
- H. A. Ballou, entomologist on the staff of the Imperial Department 
of Agriculture for the West Indies. 
; ©. W. Leng, New York; W. T. Davis, Brooklyn; W. S. Blatchley, 
Padianpolis. Se a: Ae i, Scnreuder, Pretoria, S. A. 
THE EDIBILITY OF INSECTS. 
Very little has been done recently toward testing the edibility 
of many species of very abundant insects which theoretically must have 
~a very positive food value, but at my suggestion Mr. J. J. Davis and 
“Ur. D. G. Tower at La Fayette, Ind., have recently experimented to some 
extent with the eggs and larvae of Lachnosterna. They find that Lach- 
nosterna eggs crisply fried in butter are excellent, having a taste 
very much like a fine grade of bacon. The larvae, fried in butter and 
eaten with bread in the form of a sandwich, were not at all disagreé- 
able, having a fresh fattty taste. They ate the heads and all, and 
the heads were crisp and caused no inconvenience. Tunis line of experi- 
mentation seems to me very well worth while, and field agents having 
