! new form of the family Icteride, which he proposed to call Centropsar mirus. A communication was read from Dr. J. E. Gray containing some remarks on Crocodilus Johnsonii, Krefft, from Northern Australia, of which he proposed to form a new genus Phylas. Mr. W. Saville Kent read a paper on a huge cephalopod or cuttle-fish, announced by the Rev. M. Harvey as lately encountered in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, and of which a tentacle sixteen feet long has been secured for the St. John's Museum. Mr. Saville Kent contributed the additional evidence of an arm nine feet long preserved in the British Museum, in proof of the gigantic dimensions occasionally attained by certain members of this order of the Mollusca, and proposed to institute the new generic title of Megaloteuthis for their especial reception; he further suggested distinguishing the Newfoundland example as Megaloteuthis Harveyi, in recognition of the services to Science rendered by Mr. Harvey, in his record of and steps taken to preserve so valuable a trophy. March 17, 1874.-Prof. NEWTON, F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair. The Secretary called the attention of the meeting to an important addition that had been made to the Society's collection on the 7th inst., by the acquisition of a young male Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) from Batavia, believed to be the first example of this rhinoceros that had ever been brought alive to Europe. A letter was read from the Rev. S. J. Whitmee, resident at Samoa, stating that he had forwarded, through Dr. G. Bennett, of Sydney, a Didunculus and two curlews for the Society's collection, and giving interesting particulars concerning the habits of this bird, and another peculiar Samoan species— Pareudiastes pacificus. An extract was read from a letter addressed to the Secretary by Dr. George Bennett respecting a Didunculus, and other birds, he had received from the Rev. Mr. Whitmee, of Samoa, intended for the Society's collection. Dr. Günther gave some details concerning the recent introduction into this country, by Lord Arthur Russell, of the ide (Leuciscus melanotus, var. orfus). Prof. Huxley read a memoir upon the structure of the skull and of the heart of Menobranchus lateralis, describing the structure of the bony skull in the osteo-cranium, and giving a full account of the primordial skull or chondro-cranium, which has not hitherto been noticed. The chondrocranium was compared with that of Proteus, and that of larval frogs and tritons, and its essentially embryonic character was indicated. The chondrocranium was further shown to be formed by the coalescence of three distinct classes of elements, which were termed "parachordal," "pleural" and "paraneural." The heart was described, and the septum of the auricles was shown to be an open net-work allowing of free communication between the right and left auricular chambers. The structure of the truncus arteriosus was compared with that observed in other amphibians. Mr. R. B. Sharpe communicated the descriptions of two new species of birds recently procured by Mr. H. T. Ansell, of Gaboon: these were proposed to be called Centropus Anselli and Dryoscopus coronatus. ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF London. February 16, 1874.-Sir SIDNEY SMITH SAUNDERS, C.M.G., President, in the chair. Donations to the Library. The following donations were announced, and thanks voted to the donors: Proceedings of the Royal Society,' no. 149; presented by the Society. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique,' tome xvi.; by the Society. Entomological Contributions,' by J. A. Lintner; by the Author. L'Abeille, 1874,' 4e livr.; by the Editor. The Entomologist's Annual for 1874;' by H. T. Stainton, Esq. Additions au Synopsis des Cordulines,' par M. Edm. de Selys-Longchamps; by the Author. 'Description of a New Genus and Species of Papilionidæ from the SouthEastern Himalayas,' by W. S. Atkinson, M.A., F.L.S., &c.; by the Author. Election of Members. Edward A. Fitch, Esq., of Down Hall, Rayleigh; A. Dowsett, Esq., of 16, North-street, Brighton; and James Wood-Mason, Esq., Curator of the Indian Museum of Calcutta, were respectively balloted for and elected Members of the Society. Exhibitions, &c. Mr. Weir exhibited a sample of wheat from Australia which was infested with the weevil, Sitophilus oryzæ, the cargo being so much damaged that about two tons were utterly useless. The weevil was accompanied by Lamophlous ferrugineus. He also showed specimens of Sitophilus granarius and Rhizopertha pusilla infesting wheat from Japan. Mr. Higgins exhibited a collection of Cetoniidæ from the Philippine Islands, which had been described by Dr. Mohnike. The collection comprised the following species, with others : Phædimus Jagori, Gerstäck., female? Euglypta attenuata, Mohnike. biplagiata, Cetonia papalis, Mr. Higgins was of opinion that unless the male of Phædimus Jagori differed from the male of P. Cumingi, then the so-called female was only a var. of P. Cumingi. He also thought that thirty-five or thirty-six out of the forty-two species would in all probability stand good, but that the others would prove to be simply varieties of previously known species. He considered the figures in Mohnike's 'Cetoniden der Philippinischen Inseln ' were so bad as to be unrecognisable, they being wrong in colour and markings. Mr. Higgins also exhibited specimens of Diaphonia Digglesii, O. Janson, and Schizorrhina palmata, Schaum, from Australia. Mr. F. Smith exhibited (1) a hermaphrodite ant, Myrmica lævinodis, captured by Mr. J. Chappel, at Dunham Park, Cheshire: this insect is figured and described in the 'Entomologist's Annual for 1874;' it combines characters of male, female and worker. (2) Specimens of Coluocera Attæ, Kraatz, described in Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1858,' found by Mr. J. Traherne Moggridge, at Mentone, in the seed-magazines of Aphænogaster (Atta) structor. With reference to the latter Mr. Moggridge writes as follows: "I have lately been exploring a very large and far-spreading nest of Atta structor, and I find in the abundantly-filled granaries great numbers of the small beetle which I enclose. Platyarthrus is also very common in the nests. I have never observed this beetle elsewhere, and I do not think it would have escaped me if it had been at all abundant in the nests of Atta barbara. I have opened but few nests of A. structor, owing to their being usually placed either in terrace-walls or in garden-ground. I spend a great deal of my time now in digging for seeds in ants' nests, as I want these seeds for the experiments I am making in the hope of learning the secret method by which the ants render their seeds dormant at will in damp soil. I am much struck by the frequent occurrence of the nests of trap-door spiders in the very soil of the ants' nests, the spider's tubes often running quite close to, and in the midst of, the galleries of the ants. Ants certainly form a large part of the food of trap-door spiders, and this helps me to understand how it comes that the spiders can get a living without leaving their nests. The spider sits watching at the mouth of her tube, with the door raised very slightly, and then snatches in any insect that may chance to pass within reach." The Secretary read some remarks taken from the Times' and Gardener's Magazine' on the rapid progress of the Colorado potato beetle (Doryphora decemlineata) through the United States and Canada, and the remedy of Paris green, which was stated to have been used with success by the farmers in Canada. The fifteen-spotted ladybird was mentioned as a powerful enemy to the potato-beetle, devouring it in the larva-state. The writer in the Times' suggested the encouragement of small birds as the best security against the pest; but, as it had been stated that the insects when crushed produced blisters on the skin, whenever they came in contact, and if they touched a wound caused severe inflammation and painful ulcers, Mr. Bates expressed a doubt as to whether the small birds would care to meddle with them. It was, however, a matter deserving of serious consideration, and any practical suggestions for the destruction of the insect would be desirable. March 2, 1874.-Sir SIDNEY SMITH SAUNDERS, C.M.G., President, in the chair. Donations to the Library. The following donations were announced, and thanks voted to the donors: The Journal of the Linnean Society,' no. 57; presented by the Society. Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Normandie,' 2e Sér., t. vi.; by the Society. 'Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana,' t. v., trim. 4; by the Society. The Canadian Entomologist,' vol. vi. no. 1; by the Editor. Newman's Entomologist' and the 'Zoologist' for March; by the Editor. The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine' for March; by the Editors. L'Abeille, 1874,' 6e livr.; by the Editor. A Synonymic List of British Lepidoptera,' by Henry Doubleday, Second Edition, with Supplement, 1873; by J. W. Dunning, Esq. Exhibitions, &c. Mr. M'Lachlan exhibited two male examples of an Orthopterous insect belonging to the family Locustidæ, which had been placed in his hands by Mr. Daniel Hanbury, who received them some years since from his brother at Shanghai. It appeared from Mr. Hanbury's statements that these insects were sold in the streets of Shanghai, confined in little ornamental wicker cages, and bought for the sound they produced. The species. appeared to be undescribed, and to pertain to a new genus, somewhat allied to Xiphidium. The President remarked that in Turkey a kind of cricket was kept in a similar manner in paper cages and fed upon lettuceleaves. Mr. M'Lachlan also exhibited a series of examples illustrating the natural history of Oniscigaster Wakefieldi from New Zealand, described and figured by him from the female imago, in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine,' x. pp. 108-110 (October, 1873). He had now received from Mr. Wakefield a second series of specimens, including the male imago, female subimago, adult nymph and larva. The lateral wing-like horny expansions of the terminal segments of the abdomen in the imago and sub-imago are continued in the aquatic conditions on each segment of the abdomen, and in addition there are similar formations along the back of the abdomen placed longitudinally and vertically. Mr. M'Lachlan further remarked that in the Bulletin of the Proceedings of the French Entomological Society, at the Séance of the 28th January last, M. Guenée avowed himself much puzzled concerning the supposed aquatic larva producing a species of moth, described by M. Bar as Palustra Laboulbenei, which he considered was allied to the genus Cnethocampa. He thought further information very desirable, for all the characters of the insect were opposed to aquatic habits in any stage; and he suggested that the bubbles of air entangled in the hairs might be only expired air. The Rev. A. E. Eaton exhibited a few Arctic insects which he had brought from Spitsbergen. Amongst others were a Trichopterous insect, probably Goniotaulius arcticus, Boheman; and also some Lepidoptera, Plutella cruciferarum, the larva of which feeds on a species of Draba and a species of Phycita, near to sub-ornatella. They were mostly collected on the higher parts of the hills, where there was a very small amount of vegetation. He also exhibited several excellent photographs, illustrative of the scenery of those desolate regions; and pointed out some depressions in the ground. where patches of stunted willows grew, from which he obtained specimens of a kind of sawfly. Mr. Champion exhibited a specimen of Cassida vittata taken by Mr. Walker near Chatham. The red colour was of peculiar brilliancy when alive, though its brightness had since somewhat faded. A further communication was received from Mr. J. V. Gooch respecting the injury to the coffee trees in Natal from the Longicorn beetle, Anthores leuconotus, Pascoe. Mr. Gooch remarked that he was disposed to think that the plants were suffering from fungus before they were attacked by the insect, and stated that the ground into which the coffee-plants had been put contained a large number of decaying roots of the trees which formerly stood there for ages; and that when cleared for planting with coffee, these roots were carelessly left in the ground, though, at the time, there was no idea in the minds of the planters as to any injury being likely to arise from them. He had drawn his son's attention to this point, and he hoped before long to obtain some information which might prove of interest to the Society, and which he would not fail to communicate to them. Papers read. "On some New Species of South-African Lycaenidae." By Roland Trimen, F.L.S. "Descriptions of New Species of Lycænidæ," from his own Collection. By W. C. Hewitson, F.L.S., F.Z.S. New Parts of Transactions.' Part V. of the 'Transactions' for 1873, concluding the volume, was on the table; and also Part I. of the Transactions' for 1874. |