Wellington Philosophical Society. 607 



Mr. Hudson said that he ■wished to say a few words on the subject of 

 general entomology. While fully appreciating the great value and interest 

 attaching to the study of the Coccidcz, he felt confident that any other 

 family of insects closely investigated would yield equally interesting re- 

 sults. After showing the limited extent of the Cocciihe compared with 

 the remainder of the great class Insecta, he pointed out the vast variety 

 existing in the habits of various other families and orders, commencing 

 with the Lepidoptera. He said that some fed on the leaves of plants, 

 some on roots, some burrowed in the stems of trees, making trap-doors to 

 protect themselves from enemies. Others, again, constructed cases which 

 they dragged about with them ; while others, among the minute species, 

 tunnelled between the layers of leaves, lived in the kernels of fruits, nuts, 

 seeds, &c. Their mode of passing the winter was equally varied. Some 

 hibernated, laying their eggs on the sprouting plants in the spring, others 

 spent the same period in the ground or in cocoons as pupae, others hiber- 

 nated as larvEe, while others, again, passed the inclement months in the 

 egg state. Turning to the Coleoptera, or beetles, equal variety in habits 

 was found to exist. INIany species burrowed through trees in the larva 

 state, others were carnivorous, forming pitfalls in the earth to capture 

 their prey. As a striking instance of diversity of habit the genus Sitai'is 

 was mentioned. This beetle laid an enormous number of eggs near the 

 entrance to the nests of various species of solitary bees. These eggs 

 hatched out as minute active insects with six legs. Numbers of them 

 perished, but a few managed to jump on to the bees as they visited their 

 nests. Here the larva remained until the bee was in her own cell, where 

 she deposited an egg which floated on the top of the honej" that the bee 

 had industriously stored up for her offspring. As soon as the Sitaris lan'a 

 got a chance it left the bee and jumped on to the egg, which it then de- 

 voured. Casting its skin it now appeared as an ordinarv" beetle-grub, 

 feeding on the honey until it was all consumed, when ic was transformed 

 into a pupa, fiom which the beetle finally issued. The remarkable 

 habits of social insects were also alluded to, and the numbers of the 

 other orders of insects compared with the Hemiptera, of which the Coccidie 

 were but a small family. He did not wish to detain the Society further, 

 but hoped that he had said enough to show that the whole insect-world 

 was teeming with interest and variety. 



Mr. Travers : The great value of Mr. Maskell's work has been the 

 deterTT<'niug of insects that have been of so much damage to our fruit and 

 other trees, and the pointing-oufc of remedies to be applied to prevent 

 damage. The fruit-growers of New Zealand are under great obligations 

 to IMr. Maskell ; so that, although Mr. Maskell's labours are principally 

 of value from a scientific point of view, 5-et for economic purposes they 

 have been of the greatest benefit. Had it not been for his great labours 

 many of these pests would have escaped observation, and have gone on 

 doing the greatest mischief. The beetle and other insects are also great 

 pests to trees, and are easih' introduced from other countries, so that 

 any one who devotes his attention to the observation of the life-history of 

 such objects is deserving of credit. 



r^Ir. Tregear said that, although Mr. ;Maskeirs researches had no 

 doubt a great economic value, he felt sure that it was more for a love of 

 science that Mr. Maskell devoted so much time and attention to this 

 work. 



Mr. Maskell, in reply, said he did not wish it to be understood that 

 he thought the study of other forms of insect-life had no interest. He 

 considered, however, that there was very little new to be gathered in 

 other branches of entomology. The subject of butterflies and beetles had 

 been pretty well worked out," while there was still so much to learn from 

 the study of the CoccidiT. What he was doing now was purely for science 

 — he was rather sick of the economic side of the question. His reasons 

 were partly personal, no doubt, as he found great numbers of persons 



