Among a large number of Orthoptera taken by muyself during a trip ot the Pacific Coast by the Canadian Pacific Railway there is one species belonging to the Melanopli which I was unable to determine from Scudder's “Revision” of the group, and could not even satisfy myself as to its generic place. I therefore sent a pair to Mr. Scudder, who informed me that it was a new species of Asemoplus, but that a change would be necessary in the description of that genus as given in his “Revision of the Melanopli” in order to receive my species. I had noticed the resemblance to Asemoplus in the extremity of the male abdomen, but the total absence of tegmina and other points of dissimilarity caused my uncertainty regarding its true generic position.

This fine plum-coloured beetle–superficially resembling Cychrus marginatus—was taken by me in 1896, and kindly named for me by Captain Casey, whose description of it, published in his Coleopterological Notices, No. VII, page 334, I take the liberty of transcribing below for the benefit of Canadian students who may not see Captain Casey's books. The beetle occurs sparingly, under loose bark or under logs on the gournd, along the mainland of British Columbia from Fort Simpson to Rivers Inlet, and probably farther, if sought for. I have never met with a specimen on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Mancipium brassicœ.—Dr. Chapman writes me that certain specimens of this common species examined by him showed the very short veinlet III. 3+4. This veinlef constantly diminishes in size, progressing towards the tip of the wing to finally vanish, through many forms fo the Pieridœ. I had indeed expected it to be occasionally prersistent in brassicœ, although my preparations did not show it. It has disappeared in Pontia daplidice, in Nathalis iole, and strange to say in that curious and now isolated Pierid, Gonophlebia paradoxa. This variability, in one and the same species, is interesting because it follows the general evolutionary direction of the changes in the venation. Always the radial branches in the Pierids and other groups tend to diminish in number. Always the disintegration of the Media advances, until it finally disappears, as a system, from the surface of the wing (Rothschildia, Samia, Potamis, etc.). A parallel case to that of brassicœ is offered by Copismerinthus ocellata. In some specimens of this Hawk Moth, vein IV, is still thrown off from the cross vein of the hind wings, instead fo the Radius, which it has usually ascended to beyond the cell. We must regard these as instances of generalization in the individual, of a reversion to what was formerly the rule and is now becoming, by slow degrees, the exception.

Dr. Hulst describes the species and X. longula in May Can. Ent., p. 119. The National Museum has a long series of these (225 specimens), very variable, but doubtless representing only a single species. In spite of the label, I am of the opinion that Dr. Hulst's types are not American specimens. Some bear a printed label “Alaska” and “Coll. C. V. Riley”; others have a written label “Behring Island, Alaska” and others “Behring Island.” I think the whole series were collected by Dr. Stejneger at Behring Island, which is one of the Commander Islands off the coast of Kamchatka, and has in general an Asiatic fauna. It is unfortunate that these seductive little “Alaska” labels were used on the specimens.

In the early part of May last, on meeting Mr. Bice he had the agreeable information ot convey to me that he had taken a Sphinx that was new to him. Upon looking at it I at once suspected that it was new to me also; and on investigation proved the correctness of the impression. Its small size, strikingly Smerinthoid form of primaries, peculiar olive-gray colour and distinctly outlined ornamentation made it easy to determine.

No species seems to be known in this family outside of the European and North American faunas, and very few species are described. The group was first treated as a subfamily by Newman as early as 1834.

The imagoes appear very early in the year, or in February, March and April, deposit their eggs and then disappear, the consequence being that very few are taken and only a few of the commoner forms are known. With more careful collecting early in the season, however, the probabilities are that many more species will be discovered in our fauna.

The imagoes of three distinct species of these insect, representing as many genera, have been bred recently from the larvæ by Dr. H. G. Dyar, and we are not only indebted to him for the first authentic life-history of a species in this group, but also for the first scientific description of the larva. His recent discovery of a large undescribed species in the rare genus Pleuroneura was most unexpected.

Selidosema nigrescens, n. sp.

Expands 31-33 mm. Palpi and front dark fuscuous; antennæ black above, fuscous below; thorax dark fuscous, patagiæ lighter; abdomen dark even fuscous. All wings dark fuscous, made by heavy coalescing striations of fuscous and blackish on a light fuscous ground; basal line black, quite distinct, rounded, wavy; a median shade passing through distinct black discal spot; an outer black distinct cross line, continued across hind wing, on fore wing sinuous, subparallel with outer margin, on hind wing nearly or quite straight; on fore wing beyond this line is a broad reddish-brown band, not always clear, however, sometimes showing faintly at middle of hind wing; a submarginal row of light, not distinct, lunules, edged within with darker; marginal lines black, distinct. Beneath fuscous, with faint line shadows, and a dark shadow spot near apex of fore wings.

Chlorotettix unicolor, Fitch.—An examination of the Fitch type in the National Museum shows this to be the form described by Mr. Van Duzee as galbanata. As this will leave Mr. Van Duzee's unicolor without a name, it may be known as Vanduzei. Vanduzei differs from all the other described species in a character not before noted—the ocelli are distant from the eyes,—while in all others they are about as near as their own width or nearer. Differing thus widely from other species referred here, Vanduzei must still remain the type of the genus, which should perhaps be used for it alone. The male of unicolor, Fh.. closely resembles in genital characters that of spatulatus which I have from Kansas and Texas.

Dactylopius Quaintancii, n. sp.

Adult ♀ Length, 2 mm. Width, 1.5 mm. Shape, ellipsoidal, much flattened. Colour, dark grayish-brown, the body is so covered with white secretion that its true colour only shows on the ventral surface, the colour of the dorsum appearing quite white. The white secretion mealy, projecting slightly on the lateral margins, but not forming well-marked filaments; posteriorly it is produced into two very short, but well-defined, caudal filaments; on the dorsum it is slightly raised into a longitudinal ridge.

Tetracnemus Westwoodi, n. sp.—♂. Length 1 1-5 mm.; dark brown; head and thorax minutely reticulated; ocelli large adn rpominent, lateral ocelli nearer to the eyes than to the middle oceilus; scutellum prominent; scapulæ triangular, produced to a point mesad, failing to meet by a short interval only; coxæ large and swollen trochanters small, legs long, tarsi five-jointed. Antennæ 8-jointed, or 10 jointed if the two ring-joints are counted; first joint of flagellum subglobose, short; second about as long, but cylindrical; third about twice as long as second; fourth about one-third longer than third; fifth about as long as fourth; sixth (club) a little longer. First four joints of flagellum emitting long branches as in Westwood's figure of T. diversicornis. Club slender, consederably less swollen than in diversicornis. Wings strongly pubescent.