to make an early appearance ; whereas a large portion of the Boinbi/cidce showed an 

 aversion to direct contact with water, and an entirely negative result was demonstrated 

 with this family. 



Oil the other hand, the Sphincjidiv, in consequence of the sprinkling, showed 

 great vivacity, and therefore led me to expect the best success. I continued to moisten 

 them, yet, after six weeks, most of them had lost their liveliness, and only about 

 two-thirds became developed. When I examined the undeveloped pupse, I found 

 they were covered with a thin, chalky scale, caused by the water ; the insect inside 

 was pretty well formed, but dead. This chalky deposit on the pupae had excluded 

 the air, and caused their death. 



From this experience with pupa3 hibernating in rooms it follows, that — firstly, 

 continuous moisture is necessary to the production of perfect insects ; secondly, the 

 moisture must not be brought into direct contact with the pupa; : in a state of nature 

 many insects know how to protect themselves therefrom by spinning coverings, by 

 forming cells in the earth, &c. 



These facts gave me the idea of constructing the apparatus described below, 

 which has proved to be so practically serviceable, that even spe(jie8 difficult to rear, 

 such as Doritis Apollo, &c., have developed most perfectly. I had also the pleasure 

 of seeing that under my new treatment none of the pupse suffered from the evils 

 above mentioned. 



I believe that the description of my apparatus will do many breeders a service, 

 especially as the simplicity of the contrivance permits it to be easily obtained ; and I 

 cannot sufficiently commend the practical value of it. 



Description. — The base consists of a round plate of strong zinc, with two vertical 

 rims, an inch high, placed one within the other an inch apart, and soldered to the 

 basal plate so that the outer one is water-tight. The inner rim must be perforated 

 with small holes as close to the bottom as possible. The space inside the inner rim 

 must be filled with fine sand, on which the pupse should belaid. The space between 

 the two rims is then filled with water, which finding its way through the holes in 

 the inner rim to the sand, causes the necessary moisture. Over the whole is put a 

 bell-shaped cover of wire-gauze which must fit tightly over the outer rim. In this 

 receptacle the pupaj remain untouched, and receive fi-esh moisture, as above indicated, 

 if required by the drying of the sand.^ — 11. Backhaus, Leipsic. (Translated from / 

 the Stettiner entomologische Zeitung, xxxvii, 192, 187G). 



The colony of American white ants at Vienna. — At page 16, vol. xi, of this 

 Magazine, when noticing the fact of an African species of Termiiidce having acquired 

 a (happily) temporary footing in the Museum at Kew, I alluded to the colony of the 

 American Termes Jlavipes in the gardens of Schonbrunn at Vienna. According to a 

 note by Dr. Brauer in a just-published work on the Neuroptera of Austria (in the 

 "Festschrift" der zool.-bot. Gesellschaft in Wieii, 1876), it appears that this colony 

 has been destroyed by a clearing-out of the hot-house infested by it, after many 

 years' existence. There seems, however, to be some idea that the species is found in 

 Portugal. It can naturally endure the severity of a New York winter ; so we may 

 expect to hear of it from other parts of Europe. — R. McLachi.an, Lcwisham : Sth 

 April, 1876. 



