Having read in the Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario for 1877 an article by Prof. J. T. Bell, of London, Ont., entitled “How to Destroy Cabinet Pests,” I thought it might not be unprofitable to record my own observations on Dermestes.

Early in the summer of 1876 I captured four beetles, three males and one female, and placed them in a glass jar with a piece of the meat on which I found them feeding. I observed the female deposit a number of eggs on the meat, but before any were hatched I left home, and was absent about five weeks. On my return I found a large and flourishing colony of larvæ, most of them full grown.

The present is the first of a series of papers on the Tortricidæ of North America which the writer hopes to be able to prepare from the material now in hand, and collections that may be made hereafter by Entomologists in various parts of the country.

I was first led to the study of the Tortricidæ by the advice of Mr. A.R. Grote, who, with a generosity rarely met, placed his entire collection of Tortricids in my hands to work up, and further gave me his collection of European Tortricidæ for comparison, and loaned me his types for study. I fear I may never be able to make anything like an adequate return to this gentleman who has placed me under so great obligations.

Perhaps a few additions to Mr. J. A. Lintner's very interesting article will not be out of place. In 1872 the late Mrs. W. P. L. Garrison came to visit the Museum, and told me about an insect destroying the carpets in Buffalo, N. Y., and named there “the Buffalo pest.” I had not then heard anything about the insect, and Mrs. Garrison, after her departure, was kind enough to send me some living specimens from Buffalo.

There have been described, thus far, three N. American moths whose larvæ produce galls, or more or ress decided enlargements of the stems of their food-plant. They are, frrst, Gelechia gallæsolidaginis, described by Riley, with cuts, in the First Mo. Rept. at page 173; accompanying the description is an account of six parasites. Second, Walshia amorphilla, described by Clemens in Proc. Ent. Soc. phil., vol. ii., page 419 ; also an account of larva habits, etc., with cuts, is given in the Second Mo. Rept. at page 132. Third, Paedisca (Euryptychia) saligneana, dsscribed by Clemens in Proc. Ent, Soc. Phil., vol. v., page 141 ; an account of it also occurs in the Second Mo. Rept., page 134.

[Of marked value, as is everything upon the Lepidoptera proceeding from the pen of Dr. Speyer, the present paper—an arrangement of the Hesperidæ which will generally be conceded to be quite in advance of any heretofore presented—will prove of special interest to the American student, in connection with the arrangement a short time ago presented by the same author, of some of our American species (Edwards'catalogue of the Lepidoptera of North America), associated with the European species (my Entomological Contributions, No. iv., p. 71). The admirable discussion in this paper of the value and relative importance of the several structural features of the Hesperians, cannot fail of being of eminent service in the systematic arrangement of our numerous species. Great care has been taken with the translation to render it a faithful one. The thanks of the appreciative reader are due to Mr. W. H. Edwards and Mr. O. von Meske for providing for the translation, and to prof. Uhler for its supervision. The remaining two-thirds of the paper will be given in the two following numbers of this journal.]

On one of the last days of June, 1877, I observed a female pseudargiolus hovering about a flower-stalk of Cimicifuga racemosa, and it occurred to me that here might be the food plant of the summer brood of this butterfly, which I had for years been in search of. And thereupon I captured this female and confined her in a muslin bag upon one of the stalks. Two days after I found several eggs and also young larvæ, which last must have come from eggs laid some days before. This led me to examine other stalks, and I found quite a large number of both eggs and larvæ. The plant is called hereabouts “rattle-weed,” and grows abundantly in the edges of the woods throughout this region.

During the last of April and through the month of May, 1877, I found the larvæ of this moth in grassy places in Washington county, Illinois. when full grown they were 1.75 inches long, robust, the head four-sevenths the width of the middle of the body. The color of the under side yellowish gray. Above the line of the lower part of the stigmata, four broad dark brown stripes alternating with three narrow grayish yellow ones, the latter in the dorsal and sub-dorsal regions, and much lighter at the extremities of the body. Head gray, mottled with brown, brown border to the inner part of eyes. cervical shield very dark brown, crossed by dorsal and sub-dorsal light lines. No hairs noticeable except with g1ass.

Last summer, near the end of July, in skirmishing through a wood overgrown with White Snake-root weeds, I struck a large find of the Callimorpha interrupto-marginata moths, and collected some 50 specimens. Others collected as many more. The weeds were covered with their larvæ, of a bright yellow color, with a white lateral stripe, mottled along its upper edge with bright red, the anal end being also faced with red markings. The length about 1½inches. I collected altogether some 200 of them, but utterly failed to bring one to pupa. As they stopped feeding they were taken with a white scouring, leaving nothing but empty skins. Others tried them with like result. The bushes were also strung with their dead bodies. Still some must have escaped, as the brood this year was just as large. But the larvæ failed again to pupate. I think the fault is in the food plant, as cattle will not touch it, and such as are knocked off may take to other food and escape. Cannot some of your correspondents explain this?

♂. Antennæ much longer than half the costal margin of the forewings, nearly three-fourths as long as the body, uniform black, at two-thirds of their length expanding into a slender fusiform club, the last third of which is suddenly bent at a right angle; from this point forwards it is rapidly narrowed, but not very acute, nor curved into a hook. Locklet of hair of medium length and of the usual structure. palpi projecting the full length of the eyes beyond the front, the first joint thickly hair-scaled, the end joint moderately short, conical, almost horizontal.

I am indebted to Mr. Jas. Behrens for some Californian Pyralides. Among them is a specimen of Orobaena octonalis of Zeller, hitherto found in Texas and Kansas. The specimen is labelled “San Diego, Aug., 1874.” Two specimens of Eurycreon chortalis: ”Soda Sp.,” and two of Botis unifascialis: “Sauzalito, May 27,” are also present.

In the present paper I continue my descriptions and corrections. There are yet a large nnmber of new species of Botis; I regret that I cannot identify many of Lederer's from his figures and descriptions.

Form same as S. cecropia; number and position of tubercles also the same. General color green; bright yellowish green on dorsal surface; pea green on head, sides and under surface. Length when at rest exactly two and a quarter inches; when in motion almost two and three-quarter inches.

Head pea green, mouth parts pinkish grey, mandibles black.

Dorsal surface-First segment with four small flattened transversely oval warts, consisting of a black ring with a white centre; 2nd, 3rd and 4th segments each with two large bulbous tubercles,cream color,at base; above this there is a raised or swollen ring of black; remainder coral red, with seven upright spines on top; 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th segments each with two simple tubercles, basal half white, remainder bright yellow.

It has not been supposed that animal life would be attracted by sugar, but while sugaring for Lepidoptera the contrary has been proven. On a number of occasions we have taken deer mice while in the act of feeding on sugar, and more recently we have taken a flying squirrel while lapping the sweet on a sugared patch.

Not long since, in making our rounds while sugaring, we discovered a skunk endeavoring to taste the sugaring, and so intent was he that our approach was unobserved uutil a piece of dead wood was hurled at him, when he reluctantly left.

The uses of the beating net are obvious and can at once be appreciated in the collecting of Coleoptera and larvæ. A convenient and simple form is here presented, with directions for its construction.

This particular form of net was invented and presented to me by my friend, Mr. T. B. Ashton, of Tonganoxie, Kansas, who has not only distinguished himself as a Coleopterist, but has shown hirnself to be an excellent mechanic.

By grasping the net with the left hand, as shown in fig. 2, thrusting it under a shrub, and giving the bush a quick shake, or blow with a walking-stick, every living thing upon it wil1 instantly fall upon the apron of the net. If Coleoptera, they can be secured with the fingers or a small net held in the other hand for that purpose. If caterpillars, they can be gently rolled into a receptacle prepared for them.