The Colymbetini, which follow the Hydroporini in Dr. Leconte's scheme, are immediately distinguished therefrom by the distinctly five-jointed tarsi, and also, as a rule, by the much greater size. The males have the anterior, or middle tarsi, variously modified, but not forming regularly rounded disks as in the following group.

The Tachinidæ described below have a slender, rigid proboscis, of which the portion beyond the basal articulation is at least one half longer than the height of the head. All are from the Pacific Coast, and, except where otherwise stated, were captured or bred by the writer.

Siphona plusiœ,n. sp.—♂ ♀ Terminal section of proboscis—the part beyond the second geniculation—not more than three-fourths as long as height of head. Frontal vitta yellow, less than twice as wide as either side of the front next the antennæ; sides of front grayish pollinose, frontal bristles descending nearly to apex of second antennal joint, two pairs of orbital bristles; face whitish, the sides bare; vibrissæ inserted near the oral margin, only two or three small bristles above each; cheeks less than one-fourth as wide as height of eyes.

In describing the larval characters of this family (Proceedings of the Boston Society Natural History, 1894, p. 399),I followed the arrangement of generic terms in Smith's list; but I believe that it can be improved. So I would arrange the genera of this neat little family as follows (following Hampson):-

Fore wing with a tuft of scales at internal angle.

A. Abdominal segments each with three dorsal rows of bristles; whole insect very heavily spined and bristles; antennal groove in middle of head; bristles on joint 2 of antennæ longer than joint 3; maxillary palpi in female with joint 2 four-fifths of 4, and 3 two-thirds of 4; labial palpi reaching to one-third of anterior femora; pronotal comb of 20 spines; in anterior tarsi joint 3 two-thirds of 2 and shorter than 1,5 twice 4 and less than 1 and 2 together.

In the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society for 1874 is published a list of certain family groups of Bombycine moths, and I retained there the terem Platypterices, of Hubner, 1806, for the group to which now a distinct family value is given, and which should therefore bear the name Playpterygidœ. Already in 1868, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., I had proposed the subfamily terminaton to the correctd original term of Stephens: Platyptericidœ.

(1.) Smicra divisa, Walker.—On July 8th, 1892, Prof. C. H. T. Townsend collected some speceiments of a Simcra in the Grand Canon, Arizona; and on July 27th he obtained what is doubtless at ♂ of the same species, at the Zuni River, Arizona. These had remained in our collection unnamed, until Miss MacGilmore, a student in zoology, worked them over, and concluded they were probably Walker's divisa. I hardly agreed with this, rather thinking the insect was new, but Mr. Ashmead has now seen a specimen, and declares it is really divisa.

♀ scale rather like Lecanium hesperidum, elongate-oval, flattish, plae olive-brown, 2½ mm. long. Ovisac white, firm, elongate, parallelsided, distinctly longitudinally grooved, 8 mm. long, 2 broad. Derm colourless, not tessellate. Margin with a double row of easily-deciduous, strong, usually large, blunt spines, which are, near the lateral and posterior clefts, more or less branched at their tips. Spines of lateral clefts in threes, one very long and large, two very short and small. Anal plates brown, longer than broad, their outer sides meeting at about a right angle.

In the able and original paper on “Evolution and Taxonomy,” by my friend, Prof. Comstock, published in 1893, is a note, on page 103, relating to the use of the generic title Megalopyge. The author says, refering to Berg'ss (not “Berge”) articles on Argentine Lepidoptera. “This monograph seems to have been overlooked by American writers.” This seems not quite correct.

The fourteenth annual meeting of the Royal Society of Canada will be held at Ottawa on the 15th, 16th and 17th of May, 1895. The Rev. T. W. Fyles, South Quebec, P. Q., has been appointed to represent the Entomological Society of Ontario at the meeting.