280 [May, 1874. 



Mr. F. Smith called attention to a popular account of the ravages of locusts in 

 Greece, published in a London serial some years since. The statements were too 

 vague and exaggerated to merit serious consideration. 



6ih April, 1874.— The President in the Chair. 



The following gentlemen were elected Members of the Society, viz. : — W. 

 G-arneys, Esq., M.E.C.S., of Kepton, near Burton-on-Trent ; P. B. Mason, Esq., 

 M.R.C.S., of Burton-on-Trent ; and N. C. Tuely, Esq., of Wimbledon Park. 



Mr. F. Smith stated that this was the time to procure male Stylops. He had 

 recently captured several examples of Andrena tibialis at Hampstead, and had 

 found four stylopized individuals ; one had contained two males, another one male 

 and one female, and so on. He was of opinion that the male Stylops was more 

 frequent in the female Andrena, and he thought it was almost useless to expect to 

 find males in Andrence captured after noon ; he considered the males emerged 

 immediately after the bees first appeared — in fact, the development of the perfect 

 insects of both was almost simultaneous. The President stated that he had once 

 captured an enormous number of a species of bee in the afternoon, at dusk, some of 

 which contained male Stylops ; but the morning had been wet and dull, and hence 

 this experience did not militate against Mr. Smith's theory, for the bees might have 

 only recently emerged. Some further discussion ensued on the habits of Stylops, 

 111 the course of which the President remarked that during flight the males do not 

 move the rudimentary anterior wings (or 'elytra'). 



Mr. Gooch communicated a further note on the ravages of a longicorn beetle in 

 coffee plantations in Natal. His son (notwithstanding strict search) had only been 

 able to find very few examples of the perfect insect ; but he had destroyed many 

 plants infested with the larva just at the proper period. A further discussion 

 ensued as to the question whether the larvae of longicorn Coleoptera attack healthy 

 wood or not. Mr. McLachlan stated that, according to his ideas, healthy growing 

 wood was not, as a rule, attacked by British species of the family, though there 

 were exceptions, of which Saperda populnea was a notable instance ; and he re- 

 marked especially on a statement recently made by Mr. Newman to the effect that, 

 according to ' fifty years' experience,' he (Mr. N.) had never found the larvae of 

 longicorn beetles to attack decayed wood, or those of lamellicorns to affect sound 

 wood. Mr. Smith said he once attempted to sit upon a rail which broke under 

 him, and was found to be completely rotten from the ravages of Ehagium bifas- 

 ciatum ; and the President said he had experienced the same thing with regard to 

 a chair in Turkey, which was destroyed by the larvae of a species of the same family. 

 Mr. Janson thought that the larva> of longicorns might not attack wood already 

 rotten ; but Mr. McLachlan thereupon stated that Mr. Newman's observations 

 evidently referred to living and healthy, as opposed to dead (although otherwise 

 sound) wood. 



Major Parry communicated further descriptions of Lucanoid Coleoptera. 



Mr. Smith read a paper on the Tenthrediiiidce and Ichneumonidce of Japan, 

 remarking that, in his opinion, many of them represented well-known European 

 species, although apparently distinct. 



END OF VOL. X.v 



