XX PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



• 



When once wasps liad made themselves thoronglily acquainted 

 with their way, their movements were most regular. They spent 

 three minutes supplying themselves with honey, and then flew 

 straight to the nest, returning after an interval of about ten 

 minutes, and thus making, like the bees, about five journeys an 

 hour. During September they began in the morning at about 

 six o'clock, and later when the mornings began to get cold, and 

 continued to work without intermission till dusk. They made, 

 therefore, rather more than fifty journeys in the day. 



Sir John had also made some experiments on the behaviour of 

 bees introduced into strange hives, which seemed to contradict 

 the ordinary statement that strange bees are always recognized 

 and attacked. 



Another point as to which very different opinions have been 

 propounded is the use of the antennae. Some entomologists have 

 regarded them as olfactory organs, some as ears, the weight of 

 authority being perhaps in favour of the latter opinion. In expe- 

 rimenting on his wasps and bees, Sir John, to his surprise, could 

 obtain no evidence that they heard at all. He tried them with a, 

 shrill pipe, with a whistle, with a violin, with all the soiinds of 

 which his voice was capable, doing so, moreover, within a few 

 inches of their head ; but they continued to feed without the 

 slightest appearance of consciousness. 



Lastly, he recounted some observations showing that bees have 

 the power of distinguishing colours. The relations of insects to 

 flowers imply that the former can distinguish colour ; but there 

 had been as yet but few direct observations on the point. 



An interesting discussion followed, in which Mr. Eobert 

 Warner, Major- General Strachey, Mr. A. W. Bennett, Prof. 

 Newton, Prof. Thiselton Dyer, Mr. D. Hanbury, Mr. Elliot, of 

 New York, and others took part. 



2. " On Oniscigaster WaTceJieldi, a singular insect from New 

 Zealand, belonging to the Eamily Ephemeridse, with Notes on 

 its Aquatic Conditions." By E. M'Lachlan, Esq., E.L.S. 



The author gives full diagnoses of the new species and genus, 

 founded on this remarkable insect, forwarded by Mr. C. M. Wake- 

 field from Christchurch, Canterbury Settlement, New Zealand. 

 He has also had the opportunity of examining two individuals of 



