During the past summer I have had the opportunity, through the kindness of Dr. Howard, of working over the unnamed material of the genera Dactylopius, Ripersia, and Phenacoccus, belonging to the collection of the Division of Entomology, U. S., D. A. I wish to record here the identity of D. vastatar, Mask., with D. filamentosus, Ckll., and two species which I believe to be new. I hope in a subsequent paper to give further notes on some of the other species found, and also to record the new host plants found for a number of species.

Sinea complexa, s. sp.—Length, ♂, 8 to 9.5 mm., ♀, 9.5 to 11 m.m; width, ♂, 3 mm., ♀, 3.5 to 4.5 mm. General colour ranging from a very dark brown to pale cinnamon. Head armed with three pairs of anteocular spines, the posterior pair the longest, with smaller ones interspersed. Behind the eyes, with several sharp spines, one near each ocellus being almost as long as those of the posterior anteocular pair. Neck spinose. Antennæ somewhat pallid, with a slight rufous cast at the distal ends of the segments.

In the January number, Prof. Slingerland proposes a new common name for the “forest tent-caterpillar,” and proposes “forest tentless-caterpillar.” The objection would be, that “tent-caterpillar” is an English equivalent for Clisiocampa, and need not be altered whether the particular species makes a tent or not. What is needed in names is fixity, not relevancy. Another objection is, that tentless is not the antithesis to tent, but to tented.

This is a word in season to collectors of aquatic insects, who may be afield during the months of spring and early summer.

Among the nymphs of Odonater occurring in the North-eastern States and Canada, there remain a number of good discoveries to be made. In any locality where these nymphs are common their discovery will not be a difficult matter.

Among the reeds and rushes that border quiet streams and ponds lives Hydrometra lineata, one of the least known of our North American Hemiptera. This insect is comparatively rare in collections, but common enough in nature, though owing to its small size and inconspicuous appearance it escapes all but the sharpest-eyed collectors. Its elongate body is borne on hairlike legs and resembles a bit of twig or grass more than a living insect. After the eye becomes accustomed to the odd shape, they are most easily distinguished, especially when they move about over the surface of the water. During the past summer I took over five hundred specimens of this insect without any special effort, finding them common through New York State, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

This genus of Orthoptera is confined almost entirely to North America, where it is represented by twenty or more species. Joseph Redtenbocher in his “Monographie der Conocephaliden,” published in 1891, united Orchelimum, Serv., to Xiphidium, Serv. This action seems scarcely justified, as the two groups are quite as distinct as many other Orthopteran genera, and Redtenbocher's authority has not been generally recognized in this country. The species are distinguished with difficulty and the descriptions are widely scattered. These considerations have led me to attempt to make a key for their identification. It is quite possible that some of the species indicated are synonymous, but I am inclined to believe that all I have recognized are good, and I believe there are a considerable number undescribed. Many forms which differ from each other by very few structural differences are distinguished by some peculiarity of song or habit or habitat, and it is certain that a considerable number of them have been overlooked.

To make my way clear I beg to state the objects I had in view in writing the article that appeared under my name in the number of the Canadian Entomologist for last May. They were these:

I.—To establish the identity of the Spilosoma Antigone of Strecker with the Spilosoma congrua of Walker.

II.—To show that Dr. Riley's series of wings in Fig. 87, Packard's Forest Insects, does not afford a proof conclusive that cunea, textor, punctata and punctatissima are one and the same species of insect.

III.—To bring into notice a Spilosoma which answers to the figure given by Drury of his Bombyx cunea.

In 1782, Cramer described and figured a Cyaniris (Pl. CCLXX., figs. D, E), and incorrectly gave the Cape of Good Hope as its locality.

In his “Rhopalocera Africæ Australis,” Mr. Trimen described the species form a single example labelled “S. Africa” in the British Museum collection, and stated that this was the only example he had seen. In his later work this species is ignored, Mr. Trimen having evidently satisfied himself that it never came from any part of Africa. On looking up the authority for the locality of the specimen mentioned by Trimen in our oldest “Register of Accessions,” I find it entered as “P. Landon, Cram., n., S. Africa?” the locality having evidently been entered on Cramer's authority.

Dryophanta Porterœ, n. sp.— ♀. Length, 2⅓ mm.; very dark brown; cheeks, tibiæ more or less, tarsi, and antennæ except tips, clear ferruginous; smooth and shining, parapsidal grooves distinct; head transversely quadrate, broader than long; antennæ 13-jointed, 13 a little longer than 11 and 12, 3 about a third longer than 4 (3 about 200 μ, 4 about 150 μ, 13 about 180 μ); scutellum prominent; ovipositor rather long, ferruginous, its apical portion with six rings, conuting the apex as one; wings delicately hairy, marked with blackish, nervures suffused with black, marginal nervure almost but not quite attaining the costa at its distal end; a suffused black cloud beneath the end of the marginal cell, a double one in the apical field, a small and indistinct one beyond the apex of the marginal cell, and a faint cloud on the lower part of the wing.

Expanse one and six-eighths inches. It differs from the usual form of Huntera by its smaller size, its paler colour, and by being more broadly fulvous. The fuscous of the primaries is reduced to a black crescentic line at end of discal cell, a dark costal border and a small patch at apex enclosing the white spots. This apical patch is pale, and is outwardly invaded by fulvous.