It must be conceded that there is a want of correspondence between authors as to the generic names employed in the Noctuidœ; perhaps a greater than in other families of Lepidoptera. The main cause appears to lie in the two systems of classification. The old system, under which the species were assorted into genera from their superficial characters, found its highest expression in the works of Guenée. The new system, commenced by Stephens and Lederer, deals with the ultimate structure of certain parts, and is yet working out its results in the direction which all systems must pursue, that of perfectly reflecting in our books the order which obtains in nature itself. To this end the new system must extend itself, and is extending itself, witness the work of Packard and Dyar, to a study of the insect in all its stages. Here a narrow insistence on any one character must defeat the general aim.

In the September (1893) number of the Canadian Entomologist, page 221, Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell described under the above name a Lecanium found at Ottawa upon an ornamental cedar on the Experimental Farm. Only a few specimens were found at that time upon three or four bushes of a shrub which we have tunder the name of Thuja Sibirica.

The Abbe Provancher described two species of Synairema from North America, one from the Atlantic region and one from the pacific region; a second species, from the Pacific region, isdescribed below. The genus Synairema is considered as a synonym of perineura, by Kirby.

I was much interested in Dr. Hamilton's paper on Lake Worth Coleoptera (Can. Ent., XXVI., 250). I spent twelve days at Palm Beach, Lake Worth, last spring, and did a little collecting. I took 57 species of Coleoptera between March 9th and 21st. Of these, 36 are not included in Dr. Hamilton's list. I append the names of these, and add a few notes. I am indebted to Mr. Chas. Lubeck for identifications.

In the August number of the Canadian Entomologist, Vol. 26, p. 215, under the subject “An Omitted Phycitid,” Mr. Grote speaks disparagingly of my having established a subfamily upon differences in genitalic structure, and says: “Messrs. Scudder and Burgess first gave us genitalic species; Lederer used the genitalia for subgeneric and generic divisions, and latterly is followed by Smith. Now comes Mr. Hulst, whose mission seems to be to carry out the methods of other entomologists to extremes, and give us genitalic subfamilies.”

Recently. I was informed by a friend that he had a Carama from Washington, D. C. I naturally expected to see C. cretata, Grt.; but the specimen now before me proves to be Carama pura, Butl. This raises the question of the validity of the specific characters used in the genus. Caramas are rare in the United States, and it seems scarcely probable that we have more than one species. Mr. Baker, in his review of Carama, does not refer to cretata, Grt., though it is the fourth name in point of priority. It is evident from his synopsis, however, that cretata differs from ovina, Sepp., only in having the yellow colour confined to the vertex of the head, and from discrepans, Wall., in its smaller size and white front.

Some time ago, Prof. Gillette sent me a few specimens of an Aspidiotus found on plum at Cañon City, Colorado 31st Aug., 1894. They occurred on the fruit itself. He had previously sent the species to Mr. L. O. Howard, who had written that it was apparently new. The material sent was not altogether satisfactory, owing to the fact that the insect occurs solitarily on the fruits, and has to be collected by slicing off bits of the skin. Consequently it is inconvenient to obtain it in quantity, and not very easy to nicely preserve those obtained, However, the discovery of a new Aspidiotus on plums in the United States was a matter of importance, and deserved the most careful consideration.

The following will form the first of a series of papers on the Siphonaptera, in which will be mentioned all known species, together with such, new species as have come to my notice. Besides what has been drawn from theexamination of a large series of specimens in my own collection, and many kindly sent me by Taschenberg, Howard, Bruner, Osborn, comstock and others, I have borrowed freely from previous papers on the subject, and especially from Taschenberg's “Die Flohe.”

Ever since Mr. Elliot disclosed the fact that Platysamia Columbia was to be found in this locality, a sharp lookout has been kept by the collectors here on the Tamarack trees, of which there are several clusters in this vicinity, for cocoons of that moth.