244 [iMarch, 1865. 



one another, and tlie fallen last year's leaves, — not more numerous tliau themselves, 

 — searching, and finding not ; while, amidst the profound silence, the strange 

 ticking sound of their little claspers on the dry, dead foliage, fell perpetually upon 

 the ear like the gentle and plentiful pattering of a summer shower. There it 

 would seem to be their fate to die of starvation, by countless millions, in the very 

 bosom of plenty, their own strugglings and contortions their sufficient bondage ! 



I found no serviceable breeze for my purposes, on escaping from a spot which 

 had enabled me to notice at once more organised life than I had ever before seen 

 at one glance. On garments, hair, flesh, — over my eyes, my ears, my nostrils, and 

 down my neck, crawhng, crawling, crawling, had I brought them away ; and infi- 

 nite was the picking, plucking, and displacing of what, had I remained long 

 enough, would probably for once in my Ufe have attu-ed me in silk, if not in fine 

 linen. 



It was inexpressibly saddening to see these heaps of " butterflies in embryo " 

 annihilating one another through the very plenitude of the abundant life there 

 sacrificed in this huge " struggle for existence." 



The next morning I found a couple of them alive in my bed, and gave them a 

 chance by dropping them from the casement to some shrubs below. — E. Hopley, 

 14, South Bank, Regents Park, N.W. 



Entomological Society of London, Feb. 6th, 1865. — F. P. Pascoe, Esq. 

 F.L.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Brewer exhibited specimens of a GoHicaria which he considered to be C. 

 truncatella, of Mannerheim, and not previously recorded as British. These he had 

 taken on the sea-shore at Worthing. He also exhibited specimens of Ceutorhynchus 

 higiittatus from the same locality. 



Major Cox communicated a paper, in which he stated that having found that 

 some of his dogs were very much infested by a species of Tick {Ixodes plumheus),he 

 examined their kennel, and found it swarming with the creatures in question, they 

 concealing themselves in crevices, and as he thought causing the destruction of the 

 wood-work, by boring into it. He sent for exhibition j^ortions of the kennel, con- 

 taining the creatures, and stated that he had found the most effectual remedy to be 

 a solution of arsenic, in which the dogs were washed. 



Mr. Saunders and Prof. Westwood thought that the injury to the wood-work 

 was caused by Onisci, and not by the Ticks. The latter gentleman called attention 

 to the fact that many of the creatures sent were in copula, and that the male was 

 very minute compared with the large berry-like female, and was attached to the 

 nnder-portion of the thorax of the latter. 



Mr. Rich, who was present as a visitor, said that he had destroyed ticks in dogs 

 by simply rubbing the dogs well with grease. 



Mr. Rich also exhibited the remaining portions of the insects captured by his 

 son in the Shetlands, among them was a long series of the curious variety ofHepialas 

 humvM. 



The President called attention to the singular geographical distribution of the 

 genus Cossyphus, mentioning that he had recently received a species from Aus- 

 tralia, closely allied to one found at Rangoon. Mr. Wallace had not found any 

 species of this genus in the Indian Archipelago. 



Prof. Westwood said that he had recently received a species from the Zambesi. 



The President announced that the Council had determined to ofl'er (through 

 the liberality of one of its members,) two prizes of 5 guineas each for the best essays 

 on any branch of Economic Entomology. Further particulars would be given at the 

 next meetiuy. 



