The Systematic position of <I>Quadrima</I>, Grt

OF WASHINGTON. 51

.

Mr. Smith

related hisexperience with one^ofour

common

Blis- ter-beetles

(Macrobasis

unicolor)

which

accidentallygotcrushed

on

his neck,

when

>he

had

an excellent opportunity^{to note the} remarkable_vesicatoryproperty ^of ournativeMeloidag.

JULY

^{8, 1886.}

Six persons present. President

Howard

in the chair.

The

CorrespondingSecretary read a notefrom Dr.

G. H. Horn

stating that

Harpalus

caliginosus stridulates very ^well.

The

noiseisproduced

by

^theedges ^{of thelast}

two abdominal

_segments being rubbed againstan alutaceous space

on

the inner edge ^of each _elytron.

Mr. Schwarz

exhibited a

specimen

^{of this} Harpalus,

showing

the structure referred ^to

by

^Dr.

Horn. He added

that Dr.Horn's observation isquite novel, since ⁱⁿ Carabida3 only the genus Cy- chrus

was known

to be stridulating, but _{that, in} his experience, the genus

Nomaretus

^isalso able to produce ^anoise.

Mr. Smith

said that he

had

never been able to perceive

any

noise

produced

ⁱⁿ

Harpalus

caliginosus, although he

had

hand- led

many

specimens.

Mr. Schwarz

read thefollowing passage from^{a letter}

from Mr.

H. G. Hubbard,

^{dated Crescent}City, Fla.,

June

^{20, 1886:}

* * * "

IalsosendaBradycinetusferrugineus whichcame_{flying to}the light aday^ortwo_ago. This Bradycinetus^{diedas Iheld it in}

my

^hand.

Ithad been_veryactive,and made _powerful efforts to escape. Suddenly

it'fainted' and died atonce. Can this have been the result ofexcite-

ment? I oftenfind specimens^ofStrateguslyingdeadinthe path ⁱⁿ the morning^withoutsign ofinjury, andvery frequently perfectly fresh and limber. Ihave_suspectedthatdeathresultedfrom excitementor exertion."

Mr. Schwarz

exhibited a

male

of

Hydrophilus

^{ovatus in}

which

the last

two

_joints of the maxillary palpi are notably ^flat- tened.

He had

seen only one

male

of this species, and could not _{tell, therefore,}

whether

^{thischaracter}

was

an

abnormal

one, or

whether

itoccurred in all malesof the _species.

Mr. Smith made some

remarks

on

the systematic position of thegenus

Quadrina

^Grote.

The

_speciesjg.

diazoma

isbased

on

aunique specimen which,

by

^{thekindnessof Prof. F.}

H. Snow,