S24i Zoological Society i— 



The specific rianie is in honour of Mr. Eyton, who has worked k 

 great deal at the Vendrocolaptince, and pubhshed the results of his 

 labours in the shape of descriptions of several new species, and a 

 general list of the whole subfamily, in the * Contributions to Orni- 

 thology ' for last year. 



Dendrocolaptes Eyton I, Sclater. D. supra cinnamomeo-hruri' 

 neus ; caudce colore intensiore, primariis i7itus ad apices obscit' 

 rioribus ; capitis collique superi plumis nigrescentibus, linea 

 lata mediali fulvo-albida ; subtus, mento et gula albis ; pectore 

 toto et ventre summo albido fiammulatis, singulis plumis plaga 

 mediali albida utrinque brunneo marginata ; ventre imo et la^ 

 teribus fulvis ; tectricibus subalaribus pallide brunneis ; rostro 

 paululum incurvo ; mandibula superiore nigrescente^ inferiore 

 corneo ; pedibus nigris. 



Long, tota, 9-5 ; alse, 4-0 ; rostri a rictu, 1-9 ; a fronte, 1-5. 



Hab. in vicinitate Parse, imp. Brasiliensis. 



July 26.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



On some Staphylinidjs, found in the Nests of 

 Termites. By M. Schiodte. 



It has long been known that some species of ants keep insects be- 

 longing to different orders. The intention of the communication I 

 am going to make is to point out that the same extraordinary phse- 

 nomenon exists among the Termites. 



The insects which I have now the honour to bring under the 

 notice of the Society, dwell amongst a certain species of Termites in 

 the Brazils, and were collected, together with the Termes, by Mr. 

 Reinhardt, whilst travelling for the Royal Museum of Natural History 

 in Copenhagen through the province Minas Geraes. 



This Termes belongs to a peculiar little group of small species, the 

 nests of which are built around branches of trees, and contain in their 

 interior only a labyrinth of uniform passages, without any separate 

 cell for the queen. The soldiers are not much larger than the work- 

 ing individuals, and are nearly as numerous ; their head has its great- 

 est dimension in the height ; the front extends below in a large horn ; 

 the mandibles are not elongated, but exceedingly broad, and have a 

 crenulated edge and a considerable horn on their outside. 



From physiological as well as from anatomical reasons I am of 

 opinion, that the constitutional state of the society of Termites is 

 established on the same fundamental laws as the societies amongst 

 the Hymenoptera. Several species of ants have also soldiers. The 

 working Termites are quite different from the larvae. In the species 

 here mentioned they may be distinguished by the form of the instru- 

 menta cibaria, especially by the two teeth at the end of the interior 

 lobe of the maxillse, which are separated by a pointed incision in the 

 working individuals, but in the larvae by a rounded one. 



The strangers or guests of Termites known to me are Staphyli- 

 nidee, belonging to the group of Aleocharini ; they constitute two 



