In January, 1895, I received from a fruit grower at Industry, Pa., several plum-twigs which were badly infested with what was to me a new pest. Two of these twigs are shown, natural size, on the accompanying plate. It will be seen that a ring of small, sub-spherical excrescences encircles the base of each bud and also the bases of two short shoots. The correspondent wrote that he had 400 trees badly infested, and a majority of the plum trees in his neighborhood were affected. The Damsons seem especially subject to attack, but all varieties suffer more or less.

The excrescences were then of a dark brown colour, with a slight reddish tinge. Usually a slit-like opening could be distinguished on the surface. Upon carefully cutting through one of the excrescences, I was surprised to find a cavity in the interior that was packed nearly full of very minute whitish creatures, which proved to be four-legged mites or Phytoptids. Thus, these excrescences were the galls formed by the mites, and in which they were then hibernating. There were hundreds of the mites in each gall and all of them in a dormant condition. Thus, each twig was harbouring thousands of the little creatures. The fleshy portion of the galls, between the cavity and the onter skin, is of a dark magenta colour. The galls vary in size, some of the larger ones containing two or three cavities.

Full-grown larva.—Length about one inch. As in most Catocala larvæ, seven stripes, the dorsal gray, lilac tinted; the next blackish-gray, paler on the middle of the joints; the next about the same colour, but tinted with the reddish-orange that forms the broad bordering lines between the stripes; the next also blackish and below this dull orange. The bordering lines on the back whitish, distinct white on the folds; lateral fringe orange tinted. Piliferous spots orange, the posterior pair to each joint more prominent than the anterior pair; the anterior pairs on joints 6 to 8 paler. The posterior part of joint 9 elevated and white between the spots; back of the elevation, and reaching down to the legs, orange tinted black. Head dull lilac-gray, mottled with white, a blackish patch above on each side and in front two black spots on each side. Venter yellowish-white, with black patches in centre of joints.

When out on a short visit to Ausable Chasm, June 29th to July 1st, I noticed, on June 30th, a female of this species ovipositing, and secured three eggs. These eggs hatched in due course, one about a day in advance of the two others. The first larva was placed on a clover leaf in a tin-topped jelly glass, but refused to feed and dried up. I then arranged a homeopathic vial of water in a wine glass, with earth to steady it, and a few leaves of clover passing through a hole in the cork into the water, and placed the two other newly hatched larvæ upon the leaves. One immediately set to work constructing its nest, but the other seemed lazy and not inclined to make a nest for itselt or share in the construction of the other. The nest was soon complete, and the occupants hidden from view. What tragedy took place within that nest I know not, but at the first moult only one caterpillar remained, and I thought that possibly the energetic one had lost all patience with his lazy brother, and had eaten him up. The dates of the first three moults were not recorded, but the fourth one occurred on 3rd of August.

Within a short time two very interesting species (4-notatus, Ash., and taurulus, Ckll.) have been added to this genus. I have lately received another new species from Mr. Chas. Palm, of New York City, collected in S. W. Utah, which is even more interesting than the two above mentioned. I describe it herewith:

Aphilanthops utahensis, n. sp.—Male: Length, 7.5 mm. Rufous; region of ocelli, mesonotum, metapleura, and fifth and sixth abdominal segments above, blackish. Markings pale lemon-yellow. Head evenly, somewhat sparsely punctate, covered with silvery pubescence, which is very dense on the face, extending over the bases of the mandibles in two pointed tufts. Clypeus with a yellow spot on either side, the median lobe strongly tridentate, the teeth short and blunt. Antennæ with scape yellow; flagellum slightly darker above.

It appears from a reference to the literature, that the larvæ of less than 25 per cent. of the Tenthredinidæ listed as inhabiting the northeastern United States and Canada have been described. Of the Western species, scarcely half a dozen are known.

It seems desirable that something should be done to increase interest in this neglected subject, and I have thought it well to prepare a synoptic table of the larvæ already known, to facilitate the recognition of specimens and better indicate those as yet undescribed, and therefore needing study.

In the following table the Western species are excluded. If, by good fortune, any student of this group should arise there, he would find the field practically clear.

Crocota rubricosta, n. sp.— ♀. Antennæ and eyes black; palpi and prothorax reddish-brown; head a little lighter than the prothorax; thorax dark brown, almost black; abdomen dark brown, tipped anally with red. Under side of abdomen and thorax, including the legs, light reddish brown.

Primaries: Upper side obscured with dark velvety-brown, slightly tinted, or dusted, with red on the costa. Secondaries: Dark brown, almost black, with a large red elongate spot on the costa—hence the name rubricosta.

Under side of primaries light brown; costa fiery red; the inner marginal area is also heavily dusted with red. Under side of secondaries fiery red, shaded along the anal margin with dark brown; the limbal space has a brown angulated bar, beginning at the discal cell and widening outwardly; discal spot dark brown, almost black; fringes dark brown. Exp., one inch and three-eighths. Hab.—Jeanette, Pa.

I think that I am the first man who has witnessed the hatching of the eggs of Pamphila Manitoba. I take pleasure in the belief; and I am glad to add another chapter to the history of our North American Rhopalocera.

Pamphila Manitoba is a sub-Arctic species. The first specimens taken in the neighbourhood of Quebec were captured by Mr. Hanham and myself in September, 1892 (See 23rd Rep. Ent. Soc., Ont., p. 31). The species had, in previous years, been taken at Riviére-du-Loup en bas, Cacouna, Metis, and Gaspé (See Mr. H. H. Lyman's article, 22nd Rep. Ent. Soc. of Ont., p. 27). In 1893, it appeared at Quebec on the 5th of August, and this year a specimen left the chrysalis, in my house, on the 21st of July. It would seem as if change of climate and locality were bringing forward the insect's time of appearance.

Recently I have examined the larvæ of some European Thyatiridæ, and find the setæ arranged exactly as in our species. [See Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 1894, p. 399.] The supplementary seta behind iii. varies a little in position, but is uniformly present. The species examined are Habrosyne derasa, Thyatira batis, Bombycia or, B. duplaris, Asphalia ruficollis, and A. fluctuosa. A correction must be made in my description just referred to (pp. 400–401). The species there described in all its stages as “Thyatira scripta” is really Pseudothyatira expultrix. The following list may straighten out the matter:—

Habrosyne scripta.

1883. Thaxter, Papilio III, 10. Describes egg and sixth stage.

I recently received from Mr. T. D A. Cockerell, Las Cruces, New Mexico, a minute parasite of a Ceroplastes on Euphorbia hypericifolia from the Red Hill district of Jamaica, which was transmitted to him by Dr. M. Grabham. Both genus and species prove to be new, and are printed separately, partly for the reason that my revision of the Aphelininæ of North America has recently been published and I do not expect to do any extensive work on the subfamily again for some time, and partly for the reason that Mr. Cockerell wishes to use the names in the Journal of the Institute of Jamaica.