brown, the submedian lines fuscous yellowish. Scutellum and postscutellum fuscous yellowish. Abdomen sparsely haired, dark brown. Wings hyaline, costa dark brown. Halteres dark reddish, yellowish basally. Coxæ fuscous yellowish, the legs mostly dark brown, the tarsi nearly fuscous; claws simple, the pulvilli about } the length of the claws. Genitalia; basal clasp segment narrowly oval; terminal clasp segment short, stout; dorsal plate short, divided, the lobes cordate; ventral plate longer, broad, triangularly emarginate, the lobes obliquely truncate; style short, stout.

FEMALE. Length 2 mm. Antennæ the length of the body, sparsely haired, fuscous yellowish; 14 subsessile segments, the fifth having the basal enlargement with a length 2 times its diameter, the circumfili stout and well elevated; terminal segment produced, tapering, with a length thrice its diameter, obtuse apically. Palpi; first segment irregular, second narrowly oval, the third longer than the second, more slender, the fourth longer than the third. Abdomen reddish brown, the short ovipositor yellowish. Halteres fuscous yellowish, fuscous subapically. Coxæ and femora mostly fuscous yellowish, the tibia and tarsi a little darker. Ovipositor about half the length of the abdomen, the terminal lobes lanceolate, with a length thrice the width, sparsely setose. Other characters practically as in the male. Type Cecid. a2120.

A NEW GALL ON PERITOMA SERRULATUM

By T. D. A. COCKERELL

Galls on Capparidaceous plants appear to be scarce. Houard, in his great work on European galls, cites only two: one, Lepidopterous, on Capparis ægyptiaca, the other, Dipterous, on Capparis spinosa. The former consists of a globular enlargement of the stem; the latter, due to Asphondylia capparis Ruebs., is a deformed and hypertrophied flower-bud. It appears worth while, therefore, to bring forward a quite different gall from Capparidaceæ, consisting of a deformed and enlarged pod, in which Dipterous larvæ live in great numbers.

Fig. 2. Cecidomyia peritomatis; a, galls;
b, breastbone of larva (original).

CECIDOMYIA PERITOMATIS n. sp.

GALL. A more or less claviform, variously enlarged pod of Cleome serrulata = Peritoma serrulatum. Frequently the pod is deeply constricted subapically. The larvae live in great quantities within or among the seeds.

LARVA. Orange, rather slender, 2.5-2.75 mm. long; antennæ conical, acorn-like; mandibles very robust; breastbone with the head about twice as broad as the stem, obtusely bilobed, the median emargination variable, but never very deep, no lateral projections; pseudopods of posterior extremity like the end of a finger, obtuse; bristles of caudal tubercles very short.

HAB. Santa Fé, New Mexico, by Santa Fé River, Aug. 1912. (Cockerell). The breastbone may be compared with that of Thurauia aquatica Ruebs. (Wien. Ent. Zeit., xviii, taf. I. f. 1.), but it differs in having the head much less abruptly enlarged, and the lobes much rounder and less elongate, the median emargination consequently much more shallow.

CONFERENCE OF FOREST ENTOMOLOGISTS

At the conference of investigators and specialists of the Branch of Forest Insects of the Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture, held at Washington, D. C., February 26 to March 1, the following subjects were discussed: methods of conducting investigations in the field and laboratories; methods of disseminating information based on the results of investigations, including popular and technical publications, correspondence, etc.; field demonstrations and instructions in the practical details of controlling and preventing depredations by tree-killing and wooddestroying insects; methods of promoting the science and practice of forest entomology; the services already rendered by the Branch of Forest Insects, the services to be rendered in the future, and the relation of the Branch to other branches of the public service and to private interests.

In the discussion of results so far attained it was shown that information on the habits and life history of the Dendroctonus beetles (a group of the most destructive insect enemies of living timber of North America) has been determined and that the practicability of the methods recommended for their control and the prevention of their ravages has been proven by a large number of successful demonstrations conducted during the past six years in cooperation with private owners, the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior. It was also shown that the published information on the relation of insects to North American forests covers a wide field, both in the line of general information on the entire subject and specific information on the more important insects and problems. It was estimated that a general application of the information already determined and disseminated would save tens of millions of dollars annually to national and private interests in the prevention of waste of forest resources and manufactured crude and finished forest products It was also shown that the results of original investigations, as published in the technical series of bulletins of the Bureau, have secured for the Branch of Forest Insects favorable recognition and comment among entomologists of this and other countries. In the discussion of the interest manifested it was stated that twenty years ago there was practically no interest in the subject and the idea of any practical means of controlling the depredations of insects in North American forests was not only foreign to the thoughts of foresters and private owners but any suggestion of such a thing was ridiculed. At present there are probably no forest officials who do not know something about the importance of forest insects and the need of protection from

their ravages, and the private owners of forests and the public are beginning to take an active interest in the subject, especially in sections of the country where any attention is given to forest conservation.

In discussing the services to be rendered in the future it was concluded that the greatest present need is in the line of further systematic and economic investigations of the more important injurious and beneficial species and the orders, families, and genera of insects which are represented by species of economic importance, and that specialization by experts should be a primary feature in the policy of the Branch, as applied to systematic and economic investigations and practical details in application.

Following the discussion of the relations of the Branch of Forest Insects to other branches of the public service and to private interests, it was agreed that it is that of the scientific investigator and technical advisor on insect foes and friends of the forest and on methods of preventing unnecessary waste of forest resources. It was shown that a representative of the Branch rendering assistance to another branch of the public service-federal or state-or to private interests organized or individual, great or small-does so with the idea of rendering a public service through the results of practical application by the beneficiary. Therefore, no direct assistance should be required of such a representative unless there is assurance from the beneficiary that there will be an equivalent return in results which will further the interests of the nation, the state, or a community of local interests.

The present organization of the Branch of Forest Insects, with Dr. Hopkins Chief of Branch, includes four field stations: Station 1 at Missoula, Montana, for Montana, northern Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota, with Josef Brunner in charge; Station 5, at Placerville, California, for California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, with H. E. Burke in charge; Station 6, at Ashland, Oregon, for Oregon, Washington, Utah, and southern Idaho, with W. D. Edmonston in charge; and Station 8 at Falls Church, Virginia, for the eastern states, with S. A. Rohwer in charge. These stations do not represent administrative divisions but are centers for the investigation of local problems and for the conducting of instruction and control projects. In addition to the force of three to five men at each station, there is a staff of specialists at Washington engaged in the systematic investigation of the more important orders of insects and special subjects, as follows: Scolytid beetlesA. D. Hopkins; Forest Hymenoptera-S. A. Rohwer; Forest Lepidoptera-August Busck; Forest Coleoptera (general)-W. S. Fisher; Forest Diptera--C. T. Greene; Forest Isoptera-T. E. Snyder; Cerambycid larvæ-F. C. Craighead; and Buprestid larva-H. E. Burke.

Some of the special field investigations now under way are-the investigation of chestnut insects and their relation to the chestnut bark disease, general; insect damage to telegraph and telephone poles, posts, mine props, etc., by T. E. Snyder; relation of lightning and in ects to the death of trees, by W. D. Edmonston; damage to fire and insect-killed timber by wood-boring insects, by B. T. Harvey; damage to forest tree seeds by insects, by J. M. Miller; damage to reproduction pine by tip moths and pitch worms, by Josef Brunner; the relation of mistletoe and witches broom on living trees to attack by insects, by H. E. Burke,

Experiments are under way to determine the relative immunity of different untreated and treated woods from damage by termites, by T. E. Snyder, and experiments are planned to determine the smallest percentage of an infestation to be disposed of to insure the control of the depredations by the various species of Dendroctonus beetles.

March 12, 1913.

SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF FOREST ENTOMOLOGY IN

AMERICA

An organization to be known as the Society for the Advancement of Forest Entomology in America was effected at a meeting held at Washington, D. C, on March 1, 1913, with A. D. Hopkins, T. E. Snyder, S. A. Rohwer, F. C. Craighead, C. T. Greene, and W. S. Fisher, of Washington, D. C., H. E. Burke and J. M. Miller of Placerville, California, Josef Brunner of Missoula, Montana, and W. D. Edmonston of Ashland, Oregon, as charter members.

The object of this society is to promote a more general interest in the subject of forest entomology and the protection of forest resources from avoidable waste due to the depredations of insects.

Membership is open to persons who manifest an interest in the subject of insects in their relation to the forest resources and the forest products of North America, providing that they are recommended by a member or a responsible person, and the initiation fee of fifty cents and the annual dues of fifty cents are paid to the secretarytreasurer.

The following officers were elected: president, A. D. Hopkins; vice president, H. E. Burke; recording secretary, T. E. Snyder; corresponding secretary-treasurer, F. C. Craighead.

Annual meetings will be held at which the economic side of forest entomology will be discussed, including the reading of papers on the conservation of forest resources. It is intended to publish Proceedings when the Society becomes established on a sufficiently extensive basis. In the meantime papers and discussions of general interest will be presented for publication to forestry, entomological and timber journals.

Persons interested in this movement should correspond with Mr. F. C. Craighead, corresponding secretary-treasurer, Room 410, Evening Star Building, Washington, D. C.

March 12, 1913.

CORRECTION. In the legend of Plate 2, Volume 6, No. 1, all of the figures stated to be enlarged 6.7 times are enlarged about 3.9 times and the one stated to be enlarged 49 times is enlarged about 35.5 times.

Scientific Notes

Insect Collections, Kansas University. The entomological collections of the University of Kansas form a distinct division of the fire-proof Natural History Museum. These collections are increased from year to year in two ways, first, by a regular, organized entomological survey which adds about 25,000 specimens per year, and second, through systematic exchanges with other collections and well known collectors. Last year the 28th annual expedition was in the field twelve weeks.

There are now 984 types in the collections and 300,000 specimens representing 26,000 species.

At the death of the lamented Dr. Snow in 1908 Professor S. J. Hunter, head of the Department of Entomology succeeeded to the curatorship and Mr. F. X. Williams became assistant curator.

The Museum is open to investigators, but types are not loaned. Information, however, is cheerfully given regarding types and when desired drawings are made by the department's artist at a nominal cost. A revised list of types is now being prepared for publication.

Locality Records of the Douglas Fir-Seed Chalcid, (Megastigmus spermotrophus Wachtl). In a recently issued review of the literature on chalcids injurious to forest tree seeds, Mr. S. A. Rohwer calls attention to the fact that the Douglas fir-seed chalcid had not yet been recorded as having been reared from the seeds of Douglas fir raised in the United States.

Records in my possession indicate that the infestation of seeds of Douglas fir is probably quite general in Oregon and Washington. Further observations may show the whole region of the Douglas fir to be similarly infested.

I have collected or bred this specics from seeds grown in the following localities: Colville National Forest, Washington.

National Forests, Western Oregon and Washington (seeds mixed).

Tacoma and Olympic National Forest, Washington (seeds of these two localities mixed).

Wenatchee National Forest, (Chiwaukum Ranger District) Washington.
Wenatchee National Forest, (Churnstick Ranger District) Washington.

All localities hitherto examined by me have shown infestation. Up to the time of the present writing I have not examined Douglas fir seed from any other localitics than those recorded above.

V. I. SAFRO, Oregon Agricultural College,
Corvallis, Ore.

Phytonomus meles Fabr. This obscurely colored clover weevil, kindly determined by Mr. E. G. Titus, appears to be a recent introduction, since there is no record of its capture prior to June, 1907, at which time it was taken in New York by Mr. R. E. Dow. It was reared in our office in July, 1908, from clover collected in the vicinity of Albany, and the latter part of May, 1912, the weevils were observed very abundant on red clover at New Baltimore, N. Y. The insects at that time were feeding upon the foliage and causing some injury. A number of pairs were observed in copulo. Titus has observed the deposition of eggs on and in the stems and leaf petioles of clover and alfalfa, and on the blossoms of clover. Five to seven eggs were deposited in the stems, while elsewhere they were placed singly. European Bur. Ent. Tech, Ser. 28, Pt. VI.