254 



rsycHE. 



I Janimry— March iSSs- 



of butterflies were fift^- in number, and com- 

 prised representatives of all the families of 

 rliopalocera hitherto known from tropical 

 Africa, except the erycitiidae, a group but 

 feeblv developed in this region.— Selected 

 from Zoologischer anzeiircr. 



LiNNEAN Society of London. 



21 Feb. 1SS4. — Mr. R. Miller Christy 

 brought before the notice of the society a 

 series of lepidoptera, hymenoptera, etc., cap- 

 tured by him in Manitoba, some of the 

 humble-bees being supposed new to science- 

 20 March 1SS4. — In illustration of bis 

 paper — "A contribution to the knowledge of 

 the genus Aiinplic Walker" — Lord Walsing- 

 ham exhibited a large and remarkable nest of 

 a congregating moth, a species of the genus. 

 from Natal. It contained a packed mass of 

 cocoons, specimens of the larvae and of the 

 mature insect; there likewise was shown a 

 living example of a dipterous parasite which 

 had emerged from the moth eggs .... 



3 Aprii- 1SS4. — . . . A paper was read by 

 Mr. Francis J. Briant, On the anatomy and 

 functions of the tongue of the bee (worker). 

 The author, after referring to the structures of 

 the more conspicuous parts of the endoskel- 

 eton and relations of the tongue thereto, 

 treats specially of the manner in which the 

 bee takes up the honey by its tongue. It ap- 

 pears that upon the nature and function of the 

 organ in question authorities are by no means 

 agreed. Kirby and Spence, supported by Hux- 

 ley and partly Newport, aver that the bee sim- 

 ply laps up its food; while Hermann MLiller 

 and others rather attribute the action as due to 

 the terminal whorl of hairs to which the 

 honey adheres and therefrom is withdrawn 

 inwards. The author of the paper on the 

 other hand (from experiment and otherwise) 

 is inclined to the view that the honey is drawn 

 into the mouth through the inside of the 

 tongue by means of a complicated pumping 



action of the organ itself aided by the closely 

 contiguous parts. 



6 Nov. 1884.— Mr. R. A. Rolfe exhibited 

 and made remarks on examples of British 

 oak galls produced by cynipidan insects of 

 the genus Ncuinteriis, collected by him 

 chiefly at Kew Gardens. He admitted that, 

 as a rule, the plan and detail of the galls de- 

 pend on the nature of the irritating fluid 

 deposited by the insect; but at the same time 

 the various species of oak have special influ- 

 ence in determining color and often size of 

 the galls. 



20 Nov. 18S4. — A paper was read, entitled 

 "Notes on the habits of some Australian hy- 

 menoptera aculeata" by II. L. Roth. Therein 

 he states that the wasps of the genus Pelo- 

 poeus {P. laetiis) build their nests on the 

 walls, ceilings, legs of chairs, under tables, 

 in cupboards, vases, between pictures and the 

 walls, on curtains and in all sorts of crevices 

 in the house, or on the roof. No place is safe 

 from their intrusion. When a cell is com- 

 pleted the wasp goes in search of spiders, and 

 seizing these, packs their half dead bodies in 

 the cell, lays an egg and closes the cell-top. 

 Then afterwards rows of cells are added to 

 the primary one and dealt with in the same 

 fashion; generally finishing with a streaked 

 coating of mud, to deceive as to the real con- 

 tents beneath. Of the Australian ants For- 

 mica rujinigra is both numerous, bold and 

 destructive. They destroy the webs of cer- 

 tain caterpillars and drive them out, to fall a 

 prey to a host of attendant warrior ants. 



Mr. F. M. Campbell exlubited a dragon fly 

 caught in September on the left bank of the 

 Dordogne from a flight of dragon flies (otlo- 

 natii) which were taking a southeasterly di- 

 rection ; numbers were observed passing 

 continuously for an hour and a half. He also 

 drew attention to the steady progressive 

 movement of a sphingid moth when placed 

 on its back. — Selected from reports by J. 

 Murie in Zoofoi^isf/n'r lutzcigcr. 



