Two chalcidoid species, previously known only from Europe, are reported from North America for the first time. Habritys brevicornis (Ratz.) occurs in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Psilonotus achaeus Wlk. (= Eutelus betulae Grit., new syn.) occurs in Ontario, New York, and Michigan; it parasitizes Oligotrophus betulae Winn. (Cecidomyiidae) in seed of white birch.

Hyloicus luscitiosa race bombax nov.

Similar to eastern luscitiosa, both fore and hind wings considerably paler, the usual sagittate black dashes on the fore wing only about half normal size.

The present form is almost undoubtedly a western race of luscitiosa, a parallel to H. gordius oslari R. & J.

Holotype.—♀, Provo, Utah (Tom Spalding) and pupal skin from which it emerged, V-14-19, unique.

In a box of Coleoptera sent me by Mr. C. P. Alexander of the Massachusetts State College for determination I found the following interesting records:

Pachyta liturata Kby. One specimen bearing the label, “Northwest River, Lab. VIII-15-1929. Coll. F. C. Sears.”

Anoplodera hirtella Lec. One specimen with the label, “Northwest River, Lab. Summer of 1933. F. C. Sears Coll.” This may be a synonym of tibialis Lec.

In arranging the National Collection material in Xenoschesis, two species were encountered which appear to be undescribed. The following descriptions are therefore presented with a table to the American species, which are all represented by specimens in the National Collection. Colour appears to be most valuable in separating our species and has therefore been used in the following key. The specimens before me exhibit only slight variation.

In 1909 I was interested to hear from a farmer in Ontario, that barn swallows are undesirable because they harbour bedbugs which spread from their nests to human habitations. Several times since I have heard the same complaint from various sources. In 1926 an instance cropped up in Vancouver where cliff swallows nests were systematically knocked down from some public buildings, for the same alleged reason.

In the first generation brown mite, Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten), on apple inhabits the wood as well as the leaves. To eliminate sampling the wood, which is very tedious and time consuming, equations were developed to describe the total population of immature stages and adults from observations of the number of mites on the leaves alone.

The taxonomic status of Ephemerella excrucians Walsh was recently discussed by Burks (1947), who also stated that destructive ecological changes have drastically altered the type locality of the species. Special interest attaches, therefore, to two male specimens of Ephemerella which I reared from nymphs taken in the Au Sable River, Crawford County, Michigan, and which Dr. Burks has determined as E. excrucians.

During investigations on the life-history and habits of the cabbage maggot, (Hylemya brassicae (Bouché), at Charlottetown in 1956, specimens of the dipterous predator Scatophaga stercoraria (L.) were observed destroying adults in an outdoor study cage. Identification of the specimens was confirmed by Dr. J. R. Vockeroth, Entomology Division, Ottawa.

The letter from Dr. Behr, under the caption, “A Californian Tick,” in the August issue of the Canadian Entomologist, bears on a subject becoming fraught with interest to many investigators engaged in public service. It is with the object of stating my crude ideas on the matter, that of serious and exceptional effects sometimes following insect bites, and of relating my experience with man-attacking ticks, that I contribute this note. First, I think that a distinction should be drawn between the sting or bite of insects (I use both “bite” and “insects” broadly) that seek their prey for food only, as mosquitoes, ticks, and bugs, and those whose attack is primarily and purposely to inflict injury, as centipedes, spiders, and many hymenopterous insects. It is with the former class only that I now concern myself.

In order to expedite the study of the effects of various biologically active chemicals upon the blood cells of insects a rapid clinical type method was needed that would allow preparations to be made with small (1 microliter or less) samples of blood which could be drawn without sacrificing the insect, and could be fixed and stained quickly for examination. A method meeting these requirements for the study of the blood cells of the American and German cockroaches has been developed.

Frontal costa slightly sulcate below the ocellus in the ♂. Merely depressed at the ocellus in ♀.

Median carino of pronotum slight, cut by the last transverse incision behind the middle, the anterior part slightly arcuate. Lateral carinæ distinct only on the flat posterior lobe. Pronotum with sides slightly divergent; obtuse angled behind.

In Supplement No. 1 to his work “Lepidoptera, Rhopaloceres and Heteroceres, Indigenons and Exotic,” dated Sept. 15th, 1898, Dr.Herman Strecker described a species under the above name as follows:

“At first glance might be taken for a small Nitela, but it is a darkr, warmer colour, more towards a rich chestnut. The t.p. is not so conspicuous, and is much more upright, and its course is rather from the costa outwardly oblique than inwardly oblique. One example has the space from the base to t.p. chestnut brown, exteriorly the t.p. is accompanied by a broad, paler ashen shade, beyond which the brown again prevails. In another the whole wing is brown, the t.p. only being discernible on the closest inspection. Beyond what I have mentioned, the differences between this and Nitela, excepting size, are not very marked. Expands one inch. Types, two examples from Chicago, Illinois.”

Female. Length. 9.6 mm.

Head. Frontoclypeus and cheeks grayish white pollinose with rather long white hairs which are quite dense below; a small area in center of frontoclypeus denuded; also two very small denuded areas on the lower portion of each cheek; front above antennae grayish white pollinose shading to yellowish brown toward the vertex; front and vertex with many long black hairs. Frontal callosity brownish black and somewhat shining; about one half width of front.

A comparison of the seasonal biology of Thymelicus lineola at Normandin and Joliette, Quebec from 1974 to 1976 showed marked differences between regions for the same year, and within regions for consecutive years. These data together with constant temperature development information were used to develop a predictive phenological model for this insect, which was then validated using independent data sets collected between 1976 and 1981. Good agreement between observed and predicted values were obtained. The usefulness of the model in predicting optimal spraying dates was tested at Amqui and Normandin, Quebec in 1982. Accurate predictions were obtained at least 2 weeks in advance, sufficient for use in a management programme.