DUBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 73 



Mr. James Haughton exhibited some curious webs woven by Tinea 

 granella (?) over a quantity of Indian corn, and which, in the abundance 

 of the web, and its greater toughness of texture, differed from that 

 woven by similar, if not the same insect over heaps of wheat. The web 

 exhibited was of two kinds — the one occurred as a comparatively un- 

 broken sheet, of considerable size, of the consistency and thickness of 

 Chinese paper, in colour varying from a whity-brown to nearly pure white, 

 and of extreme toughness, though in parts no thicker than the finest 

 gauze. These specimens, Mr. Haughton stated, were obtained from the 

 side walls of the loft, to which they adhered, depending in long sheets, 

 and giving the walls the appearance of having been papered with a whity- 

 brown tissue paper, with a glistening surface. The ceilings, and other 

 portions of the loft which had been plastered, were covered with a similar 

 web, similarly adherent. 



The other specimens were of a dirtier colour, more broken in tex- 

 ture, and covered over with cocoons of the moth. The sheets were 

 mostly double, and were found spread like a cloth over the entire surface 

 of a small loft of corn. The surface of the web was covered by myriads 

 of the larvae, crossing and recrossing in every direction. These larva?, 

 in many instances, had attached themselves to the web, and there, spin- 

 ning their cocoons, entered into the pupa state, the surface-web forming 

 the under side of the cocoon. 



The rapidity with which the corn was covered was most remark- 

 ably seen whenever the heap was shifted or turned, a day or two 

 sufficing to allow of a large surface being covered. Mr. Haughton 

 thought it worth ascertaining (if possible) whether the nature of the 

 food of the larvae (Indian corn) had anything to say to the peculiarities 

 of the web mentioned — viz., its great toughness and abundance. 



The meeting then adjourned to the month of February. 



FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1857. 



Samuel Gordon, M. D., M. E. I. A., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the previous meeting having been read and signed, — 



Mr. W. Andrews, Honorary Secretary, read a communication from 

 Richard Griffith, Esq., LL. D., presenting to the Society a coloured copy 

 of his Geological Map of Ireland, and expressing his gratification at the 

 progress of the Society, and on the enlargement of its sphere of scientific 

 inquiry. Mr. Andrews said that it was very desirable that the Society 

 should possess a copy of this useful Map, and that he felt much pleasure in 

 moving a special vote of thanks to the donor for his exceedingly valu- 

 able present, which, having been duly seconded, was passed unanimously. 



Mr. G. V. Du ISToyer, in presenting to the Society, on the part of 

 Major O'Connor, of Tralee, specimens of a fungus (Polyporus), stated 

 that these specimens were found fourteen feet under a bog near Tralee, 

 and were, in the first instance, mistaken by the peasantry for fossilized 

 " horses' hoofs," which they closely imitated. They had still attached to 

 them portions of oak-bark, and were evidently at one period of their exist- 



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