1885.] 15 



shoot. The ? scales till now remain unaltered, but I find that some which I left 

 in situ in the garden have greatly developed, the hibernated scale being borne up by 

 and still adhering to the new swollen scale growing up beneath it, the increase of 

 bulk being doubtless due to recent irupregnation of the ? in residence. 



The species of the cescidi-gron-p of the genus, and to which this belongs, appear 

 to have great general resemblance to each other in all the stages of their life, and 

 yet to possess good distinctive characters, which, however, are not easy to appreciate, 

 by the common want of specimens in the different states for simultaneous examina- 

 tion and comparison — a condition enhanced by the paucity of collectors and the 

 special difficulty of obtaining at all the short-lived imago of most species. 



The present examples fairly agree with Dr. Signoret's description of L. genevense, 

 Targ.-Tozzetti (Ess. Cochin.), which species feeds on the hawthorn. But Dr. Sig- 

 noret's remark that the comparison of the scale of the <? of L. genevense with that 

 of L. prunastri, Fonscol., affords the best means of differentiating the species (for 

 although both are waxen, the former is smooth as in most of the species, and the 

 latter is rugose as if surmounted with minute tubercles), and the character of the 

 latter being exactly that of the scales now under notice when viewed with a lens, I 

 am induced to believe that the species is the L. prunastri. Of this, however, the ^ 

 imago is not described, nor is it stated by Dr. Signoret on what plant the species 

 was found by him. Boyer de Fonscolombe (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, iii, 211, 1834) 

 described only the adult ? scales which he found in the month of March on the 

 branches of the sloe {Prunus spinosa).—J. W. Douglas, 8, Beaufort Gardens, 

 Lewisham : 3Iai/ 6th, 1885. 



P.S.— Between the 26th April and the 15th May no more males appeared, but 

 on the latter day two more came out of their " scales." Thus the period of 

 emergence ranges over three weeks, even when, as in this case, the conditions of ex- 

 istence remain the same. — J. W. D. 



The Sale of the late Major Parry's Collection and Library.— k^ this sale, 

 which took place at Stevens' Rooms on the 16th May, concerned what may be termed 

 a representative collection, so far as regards certain groups, we give a brief analysis 

 of the results. The noted collection of Lucanidce was remarkable for the number of 

 species and the fine condition of the specimens. It realized nearly £300. A pair 

 of Rhcetus Westwoodii, Parry, sold for £8 ; a pair of Ehcetulus crenatus, Parry, sold 

 for £2 lOs. In several other lots over £L was obtained for each specimen. The 

 CetoniidcB were sold for about £170 : the genus Goliathus, represented by about 

 25 examples in all, obtained nearly £30 of the sum already mentioned ; a pair of 

 G. giganteus realizing £10 10s. 6d., and a pair of G. alhosignatus £7 10s. ; the now 

 common G. cacicus cost its purchaser over 5s. per specimen. A small series of 13 

 specimens of JEuchiridcB fetched over £12, nearly half of the amount being repre- 

 sented by the cost of a pair of JE. Dupontianus. A very incomplete set of PaussidcB, 

 but including some remarkable species, realized over £20. The whole of the beetles 

 were sold for under £600 ; but the prices secured for some of the lots in the more 

 obscure groups seemed utterly out of proportion to those obtained for others, and 

 suggested the idea that the value of beetles depends on their size. The principal 

 purchasers of the insects were the British Museum, and ISIessrs. R. Oberthiir, H. 



