An outfit of the latter kind was taken and used on a collecting trip for the University of Kansas, under direction of Dr. F. H. Snow, in Hamilton and Morton counties, western Kansas, June, 1902. A large street lantern was furnished to supply the light, and the collecting device consisted of a gigantic funnel, made of heavy tin, painted outside, but left bright and smooth inside, and it converged into a receiver, about the size of a large fruit-can, which could be opened by withdrawal of the bottom in order to allow a cyanide jar to be inserted at time of beginning operation for the night, and to be removed and emptied in the following morning. A tripod of rough poles was erected as a support for the funnel, with the lantern hanging directly over its mouth. Our experience in using this outfit has been related in the account of the expedition, published by the author in the Kansas Farmer of December 4, 1902, from which the following is quoted: "Also, every night the large lantern was lighted and the big funnel hung underneath to trap the insects which fell into it. The light from the lantern served to illuminate the camp finely, though only on one night did it pay as an attraction for insects, but at this time its returns were immense, probably due to a lull and change of wind, which afforded the right condition for insects to fly. Moths and beetles appeared in continuous swarms and fluttered in the circle of light, numbers of them falling into the funnel or onto the ground, and the doctor hastily called out all hands to capture them. Care must be exercised always to prevent injury in catching the delicate creatures; but here the great number of beauties which fluttered in sight nearly drove the doctor to distraction for fear their perfect condition would be marred by beating their wings against the sides of the funnel or on the ground as they endeavored to regain their flight. He groaned aloud, as if the sight of so many prizes gave him a pain, being unable to catch every one that he wanted. Really, the party presented a comic, as well as an animated, scene; the effect of the members in prancing around the lights, whirling nets frantically in the air, or in searching the ground for choicest specimens of the fallen hosts, amid a din of excited exclamations, mingled with the doctor's groans, would have afforded an entertainment for an audience. All efforts were fully repaid at last, for the poison bottles became crammed to the limits with the catches, and the whole party was thoroughly tired before the supply showed signs of failing." I might mention, however, that the camp was located at the edge of a thicket along the bank of the Arkansas river, a few miles east of the town of Coolidge. The danger of specimens injuring themselves is quite well prevented in the box-trap, designed on the plan as mentioned for direct entrance to enclosed light. The width of opening into the trap depends on the space allowed between the edges of two inclined panes of glass which guard the front of the trap. They can be set as desired. For Microlepidoptera, the aperture was narrowed so that anything large enough to do damage could not enter with these tiny and extremely delicate moths. The box was made of heavy tin, painted outside to prevent rusting, but left bright within. An oil lamp was placed at the back end, which is partitioned by a pane of glass from the inner chamber, where the insects are allured by the light shining through to the front. In the bottom of the interior an opening is cut to permit the insects to drop into the poison jar, a Mason pint, which is held in place by a screw ring, made by the center being cut out of a cap, thus providing easy attachment or removal of the jar from beneath. The jar should be strongly charged with poison, since it must remain open when in use, and, for this reason, insects do not die as quickly in it as they would in a closed bottle; hence, if fumes become weak, the captures are liable to flutter too long before they die and mar their wings, as well as of others which they beat. In daytime, after being removed and emptied, the jar will regain strength if closed with a tight cap, or it can be used for storage purposes, or, in a pinch, to kill extra large insects. The price of this trap was five dollars complete. During the past summer, this trap was used on two trips taken. for the University of Kansas, under direction of Dr. F. H. Snowone to Brownsville, Tex., and the other to Douglas, Ariz. Fully 8000 moths and butterflies were collected at the two places, comprising more specimens of the order Lepidoptera than had ever been caught in any season preceding, and the majority of these were Microlepidoptera, which have required months of work for the spreading of their wings. The use of the trap contributed in a great measure towards this successful collecting. Besides, hand collecting was engaged in to a large extent in camp. At night, a lighted lamp was set on the camp-table placed in front of the tent where the light shone on the canvas drawn behind it, thus presenting an illuminated screen on which the insects settled in numbers, and from which position, they were easily captured directly into poison bottles. The tiniest moths could be obtained in this manner in the most perfect condition by careful mode of capture-one specimen being caught at a time, when the bottle was set aside until the insect became stupefied; then the specimen was transferred into a stock bottle. Provided with several bottles, a person could work rapidly for hours into the night, and remain comfortably seated at a table, with equipment and specimens before him. Only one other method for night work remains to be treated of here, and that is the common practice known as "sugaring." It depends on the use of a bait alluring by scent and tempting to the taste. As mentioned, not all night insects come to light. The wood moths, belonging to the genus Catocala, for instance, are only rarely caught in any other way than by sugaring. They are found in secluded thickets or thick woods, which are rather lonesome places for night work. Besides for the sake of company, two persons can work together to better advantage than one alone. The bait is commonly made by mixing beer and molasses, or instead of beer vinegar can be used; and the most effective results are obtained when either or both the beer and molasses are stale and strong-smelling. The mixture is smeared by means of a dauber on trunks of trees and stumps, on logs, or even fence-posts, beginning directly after dark, when the course of operations can be selected with the light of an open lantern. But for inspection purposes, after intervals of about fifteen minutes, a dark lantern, or light otherwise shielded from the person carrying it, is required. Moths, beetles and other kinds of insects are found feeding greedily on the mixture by the collector, who approaches cautiously, with his light thrown on the smeared spots before him. Slowly an open poison bottle is pushed towards a specimen, in case it is a moth, until quite close, when it is quickly clapped over the insect, thus confining it within. Keep the bottle pressed against the tree until, at a favorable moment, the free hand can be thrust over the mouth, and then the cork may be carefully inserted as the fingers slide out of the way. Beetles are generally picked up in the fingers by a quick movement and dropped into poison bottles. In all these matters, practice counts for more than instruction. ADDITIONS TO THE LIST OF KANSAS ARACHNIDA. IN By THEO. H. SCHEFFER, Manhattan. N his "Preliminary List of Kansas Spiders," published in vol. ume XIX of the Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, the writer recorded 100 species taken within the borders of the state, and expressed the desire to double the list in another season's collecting. But forty-three additional species of spiders have been taken, up to date, however. These are listed in the present paper, together with a preliminary report on other groups of the Arachnida represented in our state. Four species of spiders new to science are described and figured in this paper. Several other single specimens probably represent new species, but it is not the policy of the writer to describe from a single specimen. To merit description, a supposedly new type should be fairly well represented in some locality. The forty-three species herein listed represent eleven families and twenty-nine genera. Three of the families and seventeen of the genera were not included in the first list. All summed up, then, we have recorded from Kansas 143 species of spiders, representing 16 families and 67 genera. The illustrations for this paper were by Miss Ella Weeks. Types of the new species are in the Kansas Agricultural College collection and in the National Museum, at Washington. ORDER ARANEIDA. Brachybothrum robustum Simon. Brachybothrum robustum Simon. Actes Soc. Linn. Bord., vol. 44, p. 7. Two males from Manhattan, April 5, and an immature female from Delphos, August 5. Uloborus plumipes Lucas. Family ULOBORIDÆ. Uloborus plumipes Lucas. Explor. d'Algerie Anim., art. I, p. 252. Two females taken in webs with cocoons at Manhattan, July 14. Immature male from St. George, June 6. Hyptiotes cavatus Hentz. Cyllopodia cavata Hentz. Jour. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., V, 1845, p. 466. The Triangle spider is apparently rare in Kansas. A single specimen was found at Three-Mile Hill, near Manhattan, October 10. Xysticus texanus Banks. Xysticus texanus Banks. Family THOMISIDÆ. Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc., XII, 1904, p. 112. Two females of this prettily marked spider in a collection made at Delphos August 5. Xysticus graminis Emerton. Xysticus graminis Emerton. Trans. Conn. Acad., VIII, 1892, p. 364. A male of this species from Manhattan, May 5. Ebo latithorax Keyserling. Ebo latithorax Keyserling. Neue Spinn. aus Amer., V, 1883, p. 678. Adults of this species have not been observed, but the young were taken in considerable numbers in sweeping at Manhattan, October 11. Philodromus rufus Walckenaer. Philodromus rufus Walckenaer. Ins. Apt., I, 1837-'47, p. 555. Philodromoides, gen. nov. Cephalothorax low, about as wide as long; head region much narrowed and slightly elevated. Abdomen fully twice as long as wide, very little wider behind than at the base; somewhat pointed at the end; the base projects a short distance over the cephalothorax, and is distinctly notched on the upper side. The sternum and labium are about as in Philodromus. All eyes approximately equal in size; the anterior row much the shorter and slightly recurved; median eyes of this row farther from each other than from the side eyes. Posterior row also recurved; side eyes of this row on larger tubercles than any of the others; median eyes farther from each other than from the side eyes. Ocular quadrangle considerably wider behind; about as wide as long. Clypeus wider than space between anterior median eyes, but not as wide as space between posterior median eyes; obliquely directed forward and downward. Legs long and slender, the second pair longest, the third shortest; the relative lengths are, in their order, second pair, first pair, fourth pair, third pair. The tibiæ of the first and second pairs are set beneath with ten or twelve stout spines arranged in two rows, and the metatarsi are similarly armed with half that number. Weaker spines likewise occur on the other two pairs of legs and on the pedipalps. Philodromoides prataria, sp. nov. (fig. 10). FEMALE.-Length, 6 mm.; length and width of cephalothorax, 2 mm.; |