ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 585 



our turnip fly, and he stated it to be equally destructive in 

 New Holland. 



Mr. Westwood read a curious and interesting paper hy 

 himself, on caprification ; an operation by which certain Hy- 

 menoptera of the family Cynips, after undergoing a very 

 remarkable graduatory process, performed an essential part in 

 the ripening of the garden fig, by piercing the immature fruit, 

 and thus occasioning an excitement of the juices, and a preco- 

 cious maturity of the fruit, as is frequently the case with our 

 own fruits that have been attacked externally by insects. The 

 peasants, in some of the Greek islands, are perfectly aware of 

 this curious economy of the insects, and watch the development 

 of the mature insect daily, for the purpose of assisting nature, 

 and conveying the little operators, which are bred in the fruit of 

 the wild fig-tree, to the fruit of the garden fig, if, from any 

 cause, they should not be strong enough to eflect the transport 

 themselves; — by which means they frequently obtain fine 

 crops, when otherwise there would be a failure. A double 

 crop is likewise obtained by the same means, but is considered 

 to deteriorate the fruit. Drawings of these insects accompanied 

 the paper. 



Anniversary Sitting. — January 23, 1837. 

 Rev. F. W. Hope, President, in the Chair. 



Minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 



The meeting then proceeded to the customary business of the 

 election of officers for the year ensuing. Four members were re- 

 commended by the Council to be removed, and four to be elected 

 into the council in their stead. The ballot having been taken, the 

 Chairman declared, upon report of the Scrutineers, that the 

 election had unanimously fallen on the following gentlemen, 

 viz.: Messrs. Bennett, Children, MacLeay,* and Waterhouse, 

 as members of the Council ; J. F. Stephens, Esq., as Presi- 

 dent; W. Yarrell, Esq., Treasurer; J. O. Westwood, Esq., 

 Secretary ; and ,W. E. Shuckard and J. O. Westwood, Esqrs., 

 as joint Curators. 



The Treasurer presented his account for the past year, 

 signed by the Auditors ; from which it appeared that the funds 

 of the Society were in a prosperous condition, there being a 



* Mr. MacLeay has since resigned. 



