An interesting part of this paper will be found to deal with some material from Alaska. During the summer of 1896 Prof. L. L. Dyche, of the University of Kansas, the well-known taxidermist, made an expedition to Cook's Inlet, Alaska, and from there inland. A number of species of Syrphidæ were taken simply as a side issue, the expedition not being an entomological one at all. Unfortunately, during the long journey back many of these specimens were damaged beyond all hope of recognition. The material that came through, however, without damage, although consisting of only thirteen species, makes quite a contribution to the knowledge of the Dipterous fauna of that interesting region. Although some of the orders of insects, notably the Coleoptera, have been quite assiduously collected in Alaska, and extensive reports written upon them, in the Syrphidæ, as is the case in all of the families of Diptera, no collections of importance have been made.

Plebeius scudderi empetri Frmn. was described from material taken in early July, 1936, in an Empetrum bog not far from the town of Baddeck on Cape Breton Island. Later in July of that year several similar bogs were observed in various parts of Nova Scotia, but with the exception of a single worn specimen captured in the Cape Canso region, no specimens of empteri were observed. This was thought to be due to the lateness of the season.

Apterous Viviparous Female

Holotype.–Dorsum of head with six blunt or slightly clavate setae. Frontal tubercles well developed, smooth, diverging, each with one long, (blunt seta on dorsal surface and one or two on ventral surface. Antenna about as long as body, third segment expanded just distad of base to almost twice its basal diameter; 56 small, tubercle-like, secondary sensoria scattered along whole length of one third segment, 60 on other; one fourth segment with four secondary sensoria, the other with five; a single, large, primary sensorium near apex of each fifth segment, and one large one and five or six adjacent smaller ones near apices of basal portion of sixth segment; each small primary sensorium on sixth segment with a central papilla; all primary sensoria lacking marginal, cilia-like fimbriations. Antennal setae distinctly capitate and about equal in length to basal diameter of third segment. Lengths of antenna1 segments as follows: III, 0.85 mm.; IV, 0.4 mm.; V, 0.3 mm.; VI, 0.15-0.85 mm. Rostrum reaching slightly beyond middle coxae; apical segment 0.13 mm. long, with 17 slender pointed setae in addition to usual apical ones.

The amount of sweet-fern was significantly related to the degree of Saratoga spittlebug adult injury to red pine on study plots in Lower Michigan. Other host plants supporting spittlebugs must be extremely abundant before populations increase enough to cause heavy injury. A spittlebug risk-rating device is presented that specifies hazard in a red pine stand by plotting per cent sweet-fern against per cent other suitable hosts.

In a previous paper I discussed the character of the female genitalia of the genus Hydriomena in general and more particularly in connection with the glaucata-crokeri group. In the present paper I offer further notes on certain other species of the genus which I have lumped roughly into the ruberata group. All these species show in the male genitalia a deep excavation between the forks of the uncus; each fork tends to broaden toward its apex which is evenly rounded and not bent downward nor pointed.

In recent ecological studies on the European pine shoot moth, (Rhyacionia buoliana (Schiff.)), where a major objective was to evaluate the influence of different hosts on oviposition preference, larval mortality, insect size, rate of development, and sex ratio, the inadequacy of conventional growth measurements was much too apparent. There was a need to document relatively small differences in larval size and rate of growth on several hosts or from one stand to another. Measurements which showed growth but not weight or volume losses have limited value where the insect under study has a long non-feeding period. Such measurements as body length, and especially head capsule width, obviously belonged in this category. On the other hand, it was felt that dry weight measurements would show both gain and loss. Further, a volume estimate (or body index) would be even more useful, if one could be devised which bore a linear relationship to dry weight. Such an index, while it might involve more than one measurement, nevertheless could be made without destroying the larvae.

Flies belonging to the genus Pseudochaeta are widely distributed in the United States and southern Canada but the allied genus Phaenopsis has not been recorded hitherto from North America. A recent study of the accumulated material in these genera has brought to light a number of distinct species, which are described below. I am especially indebted to C. F. W. Muesebeck, Dr. R. H. Beamer and A. R. Brooks for the loan of material. Types of the new species are in my collection.

It is over a decade since the writer made a critical examination of literature in relation to the aerial movements of insects (See N. Y. State Museum Bulletin 274, P. 59-129, 1928). Subsequent data has tended to confirm rather than to weaken the conclusions incident to that study.

From our insect faunal surveys of the maritime provinces of Canada, we have accumulated a long series of a species of Eubaphe which inhabits the cold sphagnum bogs, and being quite unlike any so far described, I propose for it the name:

Eubaphe lamae n. sp.

Male. Antennae black, light above. Palpi, head, thorax and fore wings dark brown with a slight orange tinge more noticeable along the costa; usually a well defined subcircular white spot just below the origin of Cu2; an obscure black spot at the upper end of the cell, beyond which is a faintly orange area.

The first records of Odonata from Maine are given by Hagen (1861), who mentioned five species as occurring in the state. In a few later papers (Hagen, 1873, 1874, and 1875, and Walsh, 1863) additional species were recorded from Maine, bringing the total to 27 in 1875.

Female. Length 5.5 mm.; width 2.8 mm. Dark reddish-brown, the antennae, legs, and side margins of the pronotum and elytra paler.

Frequently descriptive entomology suffers from a lack of precise data on specimen colour. Since colour is rarely defined and since an effective technique is available, the authors suggest that greater consideration be given colour analysis. A simple procedure is outlined in relation to colour analysis of specimens undergoing degreasing.

In the course of my search for Miridae in Newfoundland in 1980, I collected a series of six bugs which proved to be the males of Myrmedobia exilis (Fallén), family Microphysidae. The specimens were collected by sweeping the ground cover on the east side of Gibbet Hill just west of the Information Centre (Signal Hill National Historic Park), St. John's, Newfoundland, 20 July 1980. The vegetation on the hill site consisted mainly of a dense, but short mat of heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) intermixed with moss, clumps of grasses, and a few herbaceous plants. Thus sweeping was right along the ground. Collecting at the Signal Hill site, and generally across Newfoundland was limited by wet weather and although I spent three nights at St. John's only minimal collecting was possible.

The species of leafhopper described belongs to the obliqua group and the dorsal colour pattern consists of the usual oblique stripes of reddish pigment so typical of this group. The species most closely resembles E. aspera from which it can be distinguished by differences in the male genitalia. The preferred hosts are apparently Betula spp.

The uric acid content of the fats and the whole organism was determined by the Technicon spectrocolorimeter method for all instars of healthy and nuclear-polyhedrosis-infected larvae of Neodiprion swainei Midd. The results obtained revealed that (a) in healthy larvae the uric acid content gradually increased from 20 to 470 p.p.m. from the first to the fifth instar inclusively and (b) in virus-infected larvae the uric acid content was always greater than in healthy larvae. It increased from 21 to 493 p.p.m. from the first to the beginning of the fourth instar, reached a maximum of 830 p.p.m. at the end of the fourth instar, and decreased to 680 p.p.m. at the fifth instar.

The life history and the later larval instars of Tetrastichus garryana Burks (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) are described and figured. The parasite has been collected from several species of oak gall cynipids, to which general group it seems to be restricted. In British Columbia it is most commonly associated with the gall-wasp Besbicus mirabilis (Kinsey).