THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Ix^ 



The great event of our entomolog-ical year has been the 

 appearance of IMr. MacLeay's monograjjh on the Amycteridoi of 

 this well marked and peculiarly Australian family, three new 

 genera, and 132 new species have been added to the four genera, 

 and 44 species previously known. The paper is . not yet 

 completed ; and we cannot but hope, that, before the second 

 part is finished, some knowledge may be obtained of the larva 

 and its habits. It should be remembered that it is as larva 

 that the principal part of the life of most insects is passed. It 

 is the imago whicli is usually preserved in our collections, but 

 this state, — the reproductive state, — represents a comparatively 

 short period of the life. There is however, a difficulty in 

 ascertaining the connection between the imago and the larva, 

 especially in the Coleoptera. Very many of them live in 

 concealment, are protected by a very tender skin, are not 

 easily supplied with food. They are therefore, generally 

 speaking, difficult to rear. It often however occurs to 

 collectors, and especially when the attention is drawn to the 

 subject, that specimens are met with which elucidate the 

 connection between larva and imago. In all such cases a note 

 should be made of the fact, accompanied by a description^ and 

 if possible, a drawing of the larva. Should any of our 

 members thus meet with the larva of any of the Amyderida, he 

 cannot do better than immediately communicate with Mr. 

 MacLeay; and I for my part shall be very grateful if any have 

 the good fortune to discover, and will kindly communicate to 

 myself the larva of the Psdaphidoi, which have hitherto 

 succeeded in eluding ray anxious search. 



The larva of the Pselaphidm are no doubt small. But 

 there are many larva of sufficient size to have an importance of 

 their own, — even apart from Entomological science. As history 

 is said to repeat itself, so it may be noticed that as the Cossus 

 of the ancients (probably the larva of Lucanus Cervus or 

 Prionus Coriarius or both) was esteemed a delicacy by the 

 luxm-ious Romans, especially when it had been fattened with 

 flour, so the larva of many of the Lon(jicornes and the larger 



