138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



on the Pyralis pilleriana of Hubner, an insect particularly in- 

 jurious to the vine. 



M. AuDouiN laid before the Society the prospectus of a new 

 Society just established in Paris, which had called itself the 

 Societe Sericicole, and the object of which was to study the 

 best mode of breeding and rearing the silkworm, and of 

 harvesting and applying the silk which it produces. 



M. AuDouiN noticed to the Society the pamphlet of M. Felix 

 Duval, printed at Montpelier, on insects injurious to the vine, 

 and of which the Spanish work of M. Lopez y Ramos seemed 

 to be nothing more than a literal translation. The plates in 

 the two works appeared identical, with the exception that the 

 figures were placed a little differently, and in the Spanish work 

 a very few new ones were added. 



M. AuDOUiN, in conclusion, described the very rare folio 

 work of Cyrillo ; it contained twelve plates, and described the 

 insects found in the vicinity of Naples: he stated he had lately 

 added this book to his library. 



M. DoYERE acquainted the Society with the observations 

 which he had lately laid before the Philomatic Society, on the 

 subject of the organs of perforation possessed by insects, and 

 particularly of the oviposition of the female Cicadce. Reaumur 

 had often occupied himself with this subject, and all subsequent 

 authors had been quite content to follow him implicitly: but 

 M. Doyere thought this interesting mechanism deserved a 

 fresh investigation ; and he believed it possible to assemble the 

 various facts under a general theory, at variance with all that 

 M. Reaumur had proposed. He would take for example the 

 female Cicada ; in this insect the ovipositor is formed of three 

 pieces or stalks, closely arranged together. According to the 

 received opinion, the two lateral pieces or files played along 

 the centre piece, which had no other object than directing the 

 motions of. the others, and preventing them from spreading; 

 the perforation resulting from the motion of these files on the 

 wood. M. Doyere had observed — 



1st, That the teeth of these pretended files are too blunt, 

 and appeared to him ill calculated for this employment. 



2dly, That from considerations entirely mechanical, and 

 a. priori, the instrument, according to Reaumur's theory, 

 would require a suflUcient fulcrum, having no other than the 

 body of the insect borne on its legs; and being consequently 



