Under the title “Notes on Vanessa Interrogationis,” in the February number of Can. Ent., Mr. W. F. Fiske gives some interesting statements corresponding to observations made here. I kept bait for moths on the trees in and near my yard from the beginning of the year 1896, and captured Noctuids during January, February, and March.

Diurnals came to the bait for the first time on April 12th. Vanessa Antiopa led the van, followed closely by the Graptas and Pyrameis Atalanta, In a few days Interrogationis and Atalanta were abundant. Grapta Comma appeared on the 17th of April.

Osmia prunorum, n. sp.

♀.—Length, 9 mm.; shining dark greenish-blue, densely punctured with pale ochreous pubescence. Head subquadrate, face and front so densely punctured as to be cancellate; pubescence thin except on occiput; clypeus punctured just like the front, with no central keel, the anterior margin broadly dark purple, the edge straight and entire, two converging brushes of orange hair projecting from beneath it. Mandibles with the two lower teeth long and pointed. Antennæ rather short, flagellum only feebly brownish beneath. Thorax very closely punctured, not very densely hairy; basal triangle of metathorax minutely granular, its extreme base minutely longitudinally plicate. Tegulæ black, shining, sparsely punctured. Wings hyaline, faintly dusky beyond the nervures, nervures black. Legs black, with pale brownish or grayish pubescence, rufescent on inner sides of basal joints of tarsi; hind femora quite broad at ends, basal joint of hind tarsi quite stout. Abdomen short, suboval, convex, shining, strongly but not very closely punctured, first joint covered with sparse long pale ochreous pubescence; remaining joints with a sericeous pile, only noticeable in certain lights, when it will take more or less the appearance of bands. Apex with snow-white hairs. Ventral scopa black in middle and yellowish-white at sides.

I herewith give a full list of the Lepidoptera new to the Society's collection, taken by Mr. J. W. Bice at electric light during the season of 1896.

Mr. Anderson and I picked out from amongst Mr. Bice's captures of about 2,000 mounted specimens of good material what seemed to be new to us; and after comparison with named specimens, or illustrations, having failed to recognize them, they were laid aside for others more competent than we to decide upon them.

Amblyteles subrufus, Cress.—One ♀ labelled Ich. sequax, received by Mr. Fletcher, appears to belong to this species. It is certainly not sequax.

Amblyteles suturalis, Say.

Amblyteles superbus, Prov.— Thirteen ♀s, including Provancher's type, which Mr. Davis has found to equal suturalis (Can. Ent., Vol. XXVII., p. 287). They are yellower than Ottawa specimens; with sutural bands of abdomen weaker and sometimes wanting.

I have had occasion to refer three times in these pages to the genus Eupoeya, placing it, with some doubt, in the Megalopygidæ. Very recently I have been so fortunate as to discover the larva in Florida on the mangrove. It is a true Eucleid, contrary to my expectation, but in confirmation of Dr. Packard's original statements. This genus, then, removed from the Megalopygidæ, renders it possible to define the family by the branching of vein 1 of primaries, instead of by the pectinations of the antennæ to the tip, which proves to be a fallacious character.

[The species described below were all collected by Mr. King. The notes on the microscopical characters were prepared by Mr. King, but have been extended and rewritten from Mr. King's mounts by Mr. Cockerell, who is also responsible for the comparisons with allied species. The notes on the living insects, habitat, etc, are all by Mr. King.]

Cœlioxys menthœ, n. sp.— ♀. Length 9⅓ mm., black with the legs and base of abdomen ferruginous. Pubescence scanty, dull white, rather dense and tinged with ochraceous on face. Head rather large; vertex shining, with large, well-separated punctures; mandibles bifid at ends, ferruginous except tips and extreme base; antennæ black, flagellum faintly rufescent beneath towards the end; mesothorax shining, with extremely large, well-separated punctures; a band of dull white pubescence at base of scutellum and a patch above base of wings; scutellum shining and sparsely punctured, without any trace of a keel, rounded behind, with a very small tubercle at the middle (representing the median tooth of aperta, etc.), lateral teeth large, flattened and rounded at tips; enclosure of metathorax distinct, very finely granular, with a basal series of large pits; tegulæ apricot colour; wings dusky hyaline, the apical margin broadly smoky, nervures piceous, stigma fuscous, marginal cell more produced at tip than in altilis; coxæ more or less darkened, legs otherwise entirely bright ferruginous, with the pubescence extremely scanty; abdomen shining, segments 2–5 with transverse sublateral grooves; punctures sparse, largest and densest at sides, rather small and numerous on dorsum of first segment, absent on dorsal middle of segments 2–5, except for an apical row and on 2 an imperfect basal one; sixth segment with sparse minute punctures.

Protandrena Cockerelli, n. sp.—♀. Length, 12 mm.; shining black. Upper half of clypeus, lower portion of supraclypeal area, and part of side pieces, bright yellow, all forming a band across the face one-half broader than high, and of equal breadth throughout; knees yellow spotted. Head rounded, broader than high, and covered with a short growth of gray hair, longer on cheeks and thickest at bave of antennæ; lower haif of clypeus and two small dots near lower edge of band black, not deeply or closely punctured; antennæ black at base, becoming brown towards the tip; first joint of flagellum not quite as long as the second and third combined; mandibles black; vertex deeply but not very closely punctate.

On February 1st I happened to spend a few hours in St. John, N. B., and through the kindness of Mr. Herbert E. Goold, of Sussex, N. B., and Mr. A. Morissey, of St. John, I was enabled to visit the very interesting museum of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick. In looking over the cases of insects I noticed two fine specimens of Argynnis idalirr, which Mr. Goold told me were taken by himself or his father at St. John. I could not remember at the time any record of A. idalia having been taken in New Brunswick, so asked Mr. Goold to enquire from his father if he remembered anything of the capture. He has since written to me: “In re Argynnis idalia—On my return home from St. John I asked my father about the specimens.

A portion of my table of Mexican species, on p. 4, should be amended to read as follows:—

5. Hind margins of abdominal segments broadly black, blue-green or more or less purplish-tinted species.

Alar expanse 15 to 16 mm.

Head small, with long, rather bristly scales, of which it is easily denuded, the colours mingled dingy white and buff; labial palpi projecting, elongate triangular, densely scaled, of a buff colour, indistinctly margined with white; maxillary palpi not in evidence; tongue slender, naked, eyes globular, large, purplish brown; antennæ silvery white above, pale brown beneath, the joints distinct and clothed with very short pubescence. Thorax buff with white median line, patagia buff; bordered more or less distinctly with white. Abdomen clothed with buff or fulvous scales, with indistinct bands of white at base. Legs shading from pale brown femora to yellowish-white tarsi. Wings broad. Fore wings, ground dour of black, buff and white scales intermingled, ranging from dark to light in proportion to the number of white scales, which is variable; a narrow, rather indefinite, white streak extends longitudinally from the base of the wing near the inner margin to about the middle; a more distinct white area has its base on the costa in the apical third extending obliquely backward about half across the wing; a narrow white line curves around the outer margin, diverging quite widely from the latter near the apical and the outer angles, most distinct near the costa, where it very nearly touches the base of the costal fascia, to this succeeds a dark band and a second narrower white line followed by a fine black marginal line; fringes white, variegated with two dusky bands.

Field work in Entomology is full of delightful opportunities, and none, just at present, is more inviting, none more certain to repay well even a little effort, none more sure to yield discoveries of scientific value, than work upon the life-histories of Dragonflies.

Of the species occurring throughout the central tier of States, a majority perhaps has now been bred; but of the Canadian, far western and southern species the known nymphs are few and far between.