The fact that the swallowing muscles have not yet been described for any member of the order Odonata was first brought to the writer's attention in the course of studies on the mechanism of moulting and hatching of I. verticalis. A previous writer on that subject had described an Odonate nymph as swallowing water without the use of any stomodeal dilator muscles, which he had assumed were absent.

We tested a potential new tool for marking Odonata larvae internally, evaluating the retention rates of injected coded-wire tags (CWT) and the effects of these tags on larval performance. Two species of dragonfly larvae (Epitheca canis McLachlan (Odonata: Corduliidae) and Leucorrhinia intacta Hagen (Odonata: Libellulidae)) were injected with CWT. Tag loss rates were assayed over experimental periods of 22 and 60 days, respectively for the two species. To assess whether tagging had negative effects on larvae, mortality, and growth of tagged larvae were compared to untagged larvae held in the same conditions. Tag retention rates were high (92–100%) and CWT were easily retrieved from preserved larvae via dissection, permitting most tagged larvae to be individually identified. There was 100% survival in larvae injected with CWT and tags do not appear to impair growth. The high retention and retrieval rates of this marking approach combined with no increase in mortality associated with tagging suggest that CWT are a useful means of individually labelling a large number of Odonata larvae in a time-efficient manner.

The presence of a sex pheromone was demonstrated in females of the 10-lined June beetle, Polyphylla decemlineata (Say). The pheromone, located in the female abdomen, was extracted with ethanol and with diethyl ether and was bioassayed in the field. Males responded to females at heights of 8–18 ft on trees, and to the extracted pheromone at heights of 6–12 ft on wooden stakes.

A year ago, May 1902, I had a peculiar entomological experience. I had returned from Florida to my home in New York about the middle of April, had spent two or three weeks arranging and classifying my captures of the winter, sending off duplicates and doubtful species to specialists, and preparing my collection for the summer months of my absence. A full fortnight must pass before I should leave town for my New Hampshire summer home, and I already pined for a little collecting. Suddenly I recalled the existence of some old boxes of insects which had been crowded out of my regular collection-room some years before. They were in a closet opening from a hall on the second floor. This closet had been built especially for the preservation of woollen clothin and its protection from ravages of the devouring moth, its walls, shelves and drawers being made of red cedar.

Three colonies of Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius), each with two foundresses, were bisected during the pre-emergence stage and separated for 20 days. In the absence of the dominant, each subordinate foundrss became an egg-laying queen on her half of the nest. The dominant foundress did not exhibit superior reproductive productivity. The split colonies were reunited by placing the nests approximately 4.0 cm apart in a single nest box. Each foundress and all workers were observed tending both half-colonies, and the original dominance hierarchy was apparently restored in two of the three colonies.

The necrocolous Coleoptera (attracted to carrion) are important to maintain balance in insect communities and in the recycling of soil nutrients; however, there is scarce data on the species that occur in Agave tequilana Weber (Asparagaceae) fields. The diversity patterns of beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Silphidae, and Trogidae) dwelling in 2–4-year-old A. tequilana plots were established by sampling specimens from May to November 2016. In total, 5509 individuals of 23 species were collected. The highest species diversity was found in Magdalena Municipality, followed by the Arandas and Tequila municipalities (Jalisco, Mexico), with significant differences in abundance among municipalities and crop age. The variability in Magdalena and Tequila assemblages was associated with the temperature, while in Arandas it was attributed to the precipitation. The beetle species diversity, species replacement, and dominance in different municipalities are the result of changes in habitat, the interaction of environmental variables, distribution affinities of species, and agronomic practices in A. tequilana fields.

Plocamaphis Oestlund is composed of aphids chat live mostly on the roots and underground portions of the stems of species of Salix L. and of Populus L. The group is mainly Nearctic where seven of the eight known species occur. Three of the Nearctic species, bradleyi, bulbosa and ontarioensis, are described as new. P. amerinae (Hartig) is the only Palaearctic species known. P. flocculosa (Weed) is known to occur in Europe and North America and is probably Holarctic, although records from Siberia are lacking.

The effect of semiochemical interruptants was examined for Ips latidens (LeConte) and Ips pini (Say) using artificial trees (tall-traps) consisting of an array of seven Lindgren multiple-funnel traps suspended vertically on a rope ladder. S-(+)-Ipsdienol reduced the numbers of I. latidens captured in (±)-ipsenol-baited funnel traps relative to funnel traps immediately above them and to control tall-traps. The combination of (±)-exo-brevicomin and cis- and trans-verbenol reduced the numbers of I. pini captured in (±)-ipsdienol-baited funnel traps relative to funnel traps immediately above them and to control tall-traps. These results provide support for semiochemical-based pest-management tactics that utilize a point source of interruptant at the base of a tree while noting limitations in behavioural effects and efficacy.

Onthophagus Hecate Panz. A.O., W., S.M.

Aphodius fossor Linn. St. L.

validus Horn. W.

fimetarius Linn. A.O., St.L., T.L.

ruricola Melsh. W.

A survey of poultry ectoparasites was carried out on 90 flocks of various types in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Eighty-one per cent of the flocks were carrying one or more species of ectoparasite. The chicken mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (DeG.), was present on two out of three flocks and was most frequently located in the joints of the roosts. Chicken lice were parasitizing one out of three flocks. The two most frequently found species were the shaft louse, Menopon gallinae (L.), and the chicken body louse, Menacanthus stramineus (Nitz.). One other species of mite and two other species of lice were also found. About 30% of the flocks were infested with the European chicken flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae (Schr.).

Operators were aware of only 42% of all infestations found on their flocks. They were most likely to be aware of the chicken mite and had recognized 54% of these infestations. In most cases operators could not distinguish among the various species of ectoparasites.

Control measures had been carried out on 57% of the flocks surveyed. Nicotine sulphate, the most popular compound, had been used on one-half of the flocks for which control measures were reported. Organic insecticides had been used on one-third of the treated flocks.

Coniferous timber in the Douglas-Fir Region is commonly subject to attack by ambrosia beetles of the families Scolytidae and Platypodidae. In view of the variety and extent of damage there is need for a ready method of identifying the ambrosia beetles causing major losses. It is the purpose of this paper to present methods of identifying the genera of ambrosia beetles found in the Douglas-Fir Region, by the general body shape of the insect, the diameter of the tunnel the beetles bore and the shape of the wood borings which they eject from these tunnels. These methods were developed by the author from original work conducted at Corvallis, Oregon in 1955-56 as part of his master's thesis at Oregon State College. Kinghorn, in Canada, developed similar methods of distinguishing ambrosia beetle damage and recently published means of differentiating the work of Gnathotrichus, from Trypodendron (Kinghorn, 1957).

Three species of flies are here described as new. The material was collected in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, with one specimen from South Dakota.

Argyra condomina n. sp.

Male. Length, 3.8 mm.; length of wing, 3.5 mm. Face silvery pollinose, short. leaving the lower corners of eyes sharply exposed, considerably narrowed on lower portion. Front and occiput heavily dusted with gray pollen.

The Peckhams in “Wasps Social anl Solitary” state that (p. 76) “Ashmead quotes from Fabre the remarkable statement that Oxybelus carries her flies home impaled on her sting, an idea that probably arose from the fact that nearly the whole of the fly is visible.” The species they studied, O. quadrinotatus, carried its flies one at a time, upside down head tightly clasped with its third pair of legs, and all of the abdomen projecting beyond the abdomen of the wasp.

The following contribution to our knowledge of the Ichneumoninae of the boreal parts of Canada and of Alaska is based mainly on material obtained by the Northern Insect Survey, which is a co-operative project of the Canada Department of Agriculture and the Defence Research Board, Canada Department of National Defence.

The contribution brings forward 12 new species and subspecies 3 of them being represented by both sexes, 9 by the female sex only. Some arctic species already named before or regarded as holarctic elements will be treated in a separate publication.

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.