a: Mr. Chas. F. Stiles, appointed on’ January 1, and assigned to duty 
@ the Greenwood, Miss. ‘station, resigned on January 5. 

4 Mr. L. P. Rockwood who spent some time in the office in December 
aas returned to Sait Lake City. 

































" Mr. H. 0. G, Kelly spent some time in the office, chiefly engaged 
oo the preparation of manuscript. 
ae Mr, Geo. W. Barber, a graduate of the Mass. Agr. College, Class 
19213, was appointed January 1 and assigned to the College Park, Md. > 
een for duty. 
. Dr. Aldrich is spending some time in the office, working on the 
Collections of Sarcophagidae. If there is any undetermined material 
'in the hands cf any member of the force it should be sent in at once 
for determination. 

A METHOD OF RHARING THE LARVAE OF DIABROTICA. | 
The most: successful method used at the Hagerstown station for rear— 
ing Diabrotica 12—-punctata has been to confine adults singly in the 
small tin Coleoptera rearing foxes to obtain their eggs from which to 
Yraise larvae. The boxes were prepared for the purpose by filling them 
about three-quarters full of dental grade plaster of Paris and blacken- 
ing the surface of the plaster and the sides of the box with diluted 
® India ink, The boxes found most convenient to handle were the ones 
‘About 1 3/8" deep x 1 7/8" diameter. The plaster served at once to 
confine the beetles in a small space at the top of the box where they 
“could ke easily observed with the binocular if desirable and to furnish 
@ Surface which, while much more nearly approximating the natural soil 
surface in which they are supposed to lay their eggs than the tin, at 
the same time prevented them from burying their eggs so that their de- 
® velopment could not he watched. Bilackening the inside of the box made 
it much easier to see the pale yellowish green eggs and the little white 
darvae which hatched from them. Accurate note keeping was possible only. 
m by limiting the number of adults per box tO one. The beetles were con- 
m tined by méans of small glass plates instead of the tin box covers, s0 
® that they could be observed without disturbing them, and they were kept 
® supplied with a fresh leaf from one of their favorite food plants, The 
beetles laid their eggs in bunches cf one to eight or more, usually on 
® the surface of the plaster, sometimes on the sides of the box, on the 
'food leaf, even on the glass cover, and occasionally placed them in the | 
little pubble holes in the plaster. | 
When the eggs hatched the little larvae were placed singly on smal 1 
pections of young, tender corn plant stems in still smaller plaster of 
® Paris cells. -.These cells were made by filling the covers of the boxes 
® used for the above cages and other small, shallow boxes with pilaster of 
Paris, pressing glass plates against the surface, and allowing the pias- 
® ter to harden with the plates in position. The plates were then removeas 
-and cells hollowed out in the plaster about one inch long, deep enoug:: | 
® to contain a section of the young corn stem, and wide enough for two of 
these sections, so that fresh food could be kept in the cell without dis 
turbing the larva, and at the same time not allowing so much material to 
Baya te that molted skins could not be easily found. The larvae aiso 
‘pupated in these cells. CC. M, PACKARD, | 

