Effective instruction in entomology requires, among other things, that the student have the opportunily to see and examine to his satisfaction the insects dealt with in the course. This statement applies not only to courses in systematic and taxonomic entomology but to introductory courses and to such courses as field crop insects, truck and garden insects, stored product insects, fruit and nut insects, household insects, forest insects, medical entomology and the like. Surely, the instruction is seriously deficient where the student's acquaintance with the insects is limited to what he may hear in a lecture, or read or see in illustrations in a book.

Form parallel-oblong to elongate-subovate, about three times as long as wide. Color black; second antennal segments and protrochanters more or less rufo-testaceous; tarsi and distal two-thirds of tibiae rufous. Luster slightly aeneous and somewhat shining.

The North American species of the large and complex genus Oscinella Becker (sens. lat.) were reviewed by Sabrosky (1936, Annals Ent. Soc. Amer., 29:707-728) in a synopsis based on his study of the types. Since that time, a large quantity of material has been examined, with the discovery of several undescribed species populations. Because of their close resemblance to known species, some of these have probably been confused with them in past determinations.

The following notes concern the four northern species that fall to unicolor (Kby.) in Horn's key to the species of Macrobasis (1885, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., XII, 110). These species are more or less confused in most collections, and while all have been described, there remains some confusion regarding their nomenclature. It appears that the name unicolor (Kby.) is preoccupied and that it must be replaced with the name murina (LeC.).