176 ;July, 1895. 



discussion followed on this point, in which several of the Fellows took part. Mons. 

 Alfred Wailly exhibited living larvae of Ehodia fugax, and also a cocoon of the 

 species, which is of a bright green colour, and differs considerably in shape from those 

 of all the other known silk-producing Bombyces. The Secretary exhibited, on 

 behalf of Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, of Las Graces, New Mexico, four species of lac- 

 producing Coccidce, viz., Tachardia gemmifera, Ckll., from Jamaica, T. pustulata, 

 n.s., and T.fulgens, n.s., from Arizona, and T. cornuta, Ckll., from New Mexico; in 

 the discussion which followed Lord Walsingham mentioned the fact that an 

 American species of Micro- Lepidopf era, belonging to the (EcopkoridcB, feeds on the 

 secretion deposited by one of the CoccidcB ; this species, for which Dr. Clemens 

 created a genus (the name for which was found to have been pre-occupied and now 

 stands as Euclemensia), is the nearest ally to the lost (Ecophora Woodiella, taken 

 many years ago in England. Mr. Roland Trimen exhibited some specimens of 

 "Honey" Ants, discovered at Estcourt, in Natal, about a year ago, by Mr. J. M. 

 Hutchinson. The specimens exhibited included six"globulars"— to use Mr. McCook's 

 term in regard to the American species, Myrmecocystus hortus-deorum — all 

 with the abdomen enormously distended with nectar ; but other examples presented 

 to the South-African Museum by Mr. Hutchinson comprised various individuals 

 exhibiting different gradations of distention, thus indicating that the condition of 

 absolute repletion is arrived at gradually, and may possibly be reached by some few 

 only of those individuals who feed, or are fed, up for the purpose. Certainly, in 

 the nests examined by Mr. Hutchinson, in Natal, the number of "globulars" was 

 very small in proportion to the population of ordinary workers; and it is some- 

 what difficult to understand of what particular value as a food reserve so very small 

 a quantity of nectar so exceptionally stored can be. Mr. Trimen added that while 

 the occurrence of " Honey " Ants in Southern North America, South Australia, and 

 he believed also in India, was well known, the Natal species now exhibited was the 

 first African one that had come under his notice. In the course of the discussion 

 which followed Professor Riley said that the American species referred to by Mr. 

 Trimen was common from Colorado to Mexico, and that the honey-bearing ants 

 were often very numerous in its communities ; he further pointed out the fact that 

 many common species of ants have the power of distending the abdomen with 

 honey, and that this was very evident in certain species of Formica. Dr. Sharp 

 exhibited a series of Coleoptera, to illustrate variation in size. This series consisted 

 of individuals that had been kindly lent to him by M. Rene Oberthiir, by the Hon. 

 Walter Rothschild, by Messrs. Godman and Salvin, by Mr. Jacoby and by Mr. 

 Blandford. He considered this series and the communications he has received from 

 the specialists to whom he has made applications justify him in saying that great 

 variation in size of the individual or of some of its parts is very rare in CoJeoptera, 

 and is exhibited most conspicuously by those species in which the males possess 

 unusual structures, the use of which is unknown. Mr. Kirkaldy exhibited specimens 

 of Cymatia cohoptrata, Fab., from Morden, Surrey, which had not before been 

 recorded from the London district, and also varieties of Notonecta glauca, Fab. 

 Herr Brunner von Wattenwyl made a communication informing the Society that a 

 most unfortunate error had crept into the table of genera in his Monograph of 

 Pxendophyl/ides ; on page 9 line l,and on page 13 line 37, instead of " mesonotum " 

 should be read " mesosternum." W. \^'. Fowler, Hon. Sec. 



