400 



scribed for the first time, there were no new forms or genera amongst them ; 

 a more thoroughly Australian lot of Insects he had never seen. — 3) Bota- 

 nical. — 4 Geographical. — 5) Anthropological. — C) Diptera of Australia. 

 Part II. Sciaridae. By F. A. A. Skuse. In this part the author deals with 

 the family Sciaridae, and describes 41 species, the majority of which were 

 discovered in the neighbourhood of Sydney. No peculiar Australian forms 

 have been detected; one species is referred to the genus Trichosia. "Winn., 

 the remainder belong to the genus Sciara, Meig. The author considers the 

 family largely represented in Australia, but not so numerously as the Ceci- 

 domyidae ; and he whished his present paper, like its predecessor, to be 

 considered as nothing more than introductory, or as a basis for further work. 

 The small amount of Avork previously done amongst the Australian species 

 of this group, is evidenced by the record of only a solitary species, S. reci- 

 proca, "Walk. — 7) Hygienical. — Mr. Palmer read a lengthy note, which 

 will appear in extenso in the Proceedings, recording several cases of sym- 

 pathy and foster-parentage among birds which had recently come under his 

 notice. — Mr. S. Sinclair exhibited a gold watch found in the stomach of 

 a shark {Galeocerdo Rayneri] captured in Port Jackson last January by Messrs. 

 Smith and Ireland. — Mr. Ogilby exhibited a specimen of a rare Percoid 

 fish, Anthias [Pseudanthias] cichhps, Blk., recently received from Lord Howe 

 Island. He remarked that, so far as he could ascertain, but one other spe- 

 cimen. Dr. Bleeker's type, was known, and this was obtained at Priamam, 

 on the west coast of Sumatra. It is remarkable for being much more elongate 

 than is usual with this genus. — Mr. A. Sidney Olliff exhibited a nest of 

 a social caterpillar belonging to the Bombycidae which had recently been sent 

 to the Australian Museum by Mr. E. G. Dyce who had found it in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Harefield. The nest was a bag like structure about 7 inches 

 long and 2-|^ inches wide, and was found attached to the bough of a Eucalypt. 

 The exterior of the nest was light brown in colour, with the texture and 

 appearance of parchment, and the walls were supported within by gum-leaves 

 which had been worked into their substance. The only opening was from be- 

 low. "When first received the nest was occupied by some dozens of larvae, 

 brown hairy creatures of the ordinary bombyciform type, but subsequently 

 they left their covering. Mr. Olliff said the larva was evidently processionary 

 in its habits, but until he had succeeded in rearing the moth it was impos- 

 sible to say to what genus it belonged. Whether the larvae undergo their 

 transformations within the nest — as in the case of Anaphe, an African nest- 

 maker — or whether they desert the nest before assuming the pupal condi- 

 tion were points which could only be decided by direct observation, but Mr. 

 Olliff was inclined to think that the latter would prove to be the case. It was 

 to be hoped that more material would be forthcoming as, unfortunately, the 

 chances of rearing the moth from the present nest were small, owing to the 

 larvae being infested with Ichneumonidae. 



Berichtigungen. 



Auf p. 334 (No. 282) Z. 4 v. o. ist Capra monteza zu lesen, statt C. montega 

 .) p. 337 ( » ) Z. 17 v. u. » C.jcmlaica » » C.jemlabrica 



.. p. 339 ( » )Z. 4 v.o. » 1875 " » 1^S5. 



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