THE society's NOTE-BOOKS. 18? 



intertropical America. In some of the species a transverse sec- 

 tion of the body is triangular in outline, in others quadrangular, 

 and because my little specimens were triangular, I perhaps too 

 hastily adopted the specific name, Triquetra^ which belongs to the 

 largest of the genus, about i8 inches long, whereas mine are 

 barely three inches long. 



Washington Teasdale. 



Templetonia nitida is one of the scale-bearing Podura, figured 

 in Mr. Mclntyre's paper in Science Gossips Vol. III., p. 57. It 

 is not, I believe, considered a " test " scale. Templetonia nitida 

 well deserve their name ) they are very pretty, cream white, active 

 little fellows. I have generally a few about my window plants, 

 with the curious Campodea. 



H. E. Freeman. 



Parasite of Elephant— Idolocoris v- Hsematomyzus Elephantis 

 — is well figured and described by Mr. Richter in Science Gossips 

 187 1, p. 131, and is also mentione din Murray's Econoniic Ento- 

 mology as H, Elephantis^ on p. 385. It is considered to come 

 between the Pediculidce and the Cimicidce. " It resembles the 

 former in the number of joints in and structure of the antenna, 

 in the number of segments of the abdomen, and in the single 

 claw terminating the tarsi. It differs from bugs in the antennse, 

 in the unjointed and produced rostrum, and in the single tarsal 

 claws. The spines of the body and extremities are also quite un- 

 like the characteristic spines of the bugs. The structure of the 

 rostrum is very complex, and with its reflected plates or teeth it 

 somewhat resembles the central organ of the trophi of the Ixodes. 

 Eyes simple. In every particular this strange little insect 

 appears to be exactly fitted for the locality where it is stated to 

 occur " (Richter). It appears to me to come nearer to the 

 Hcematophini than the bugs, while it also approaches the Ixodes, 

 as indicated by the rostrum ; at any rate it is a fine illustration of 

 adaptation to peculiar circumstances. 



H. E. Freeman. 



Templetonia nitida is one of the spring-tailed family which 

 has proved so destructive to the underground telegraph wires. 

 There is a very excellent monograph on the family by Sir John 

 Lubbock, and published by the Ray Society. The genus was 

 named Tenipleto?iia by him. 



W. H. Preece, 



