274 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



or radiating segments, each with delicate white filaments : 

 beneath this covering the insect sheltered herself, being 

 visible through the interstices between the radiations, and 

 was of the size of an ordinary pin's head ; there she laid her 

 eggs, which hatched immediately, and the mother and young 

 together filled the cavity or cell ; the young, however, soon 

 left her, and went to the younger parts of the plant, to com- 

 mence depredations on their own account ; a leaf would 

 sometimes be covered with them. Prof. Westwood knew no 

 other instance of an insect burying itself in this manner. 

 The other mode of attack was by sucking the roots or root- 

 lets underground, thereby causing decay and rottenness, and 

 killing the vine ; there was not any gall or swelling formed, 

 but he had found the young ones with their parent on the 

 roots. In the South of France whole vineyards had been 

 destroyed ; and the pest occurred in England, though whether 

 or not introduced or imported with the vines he could not 

 say. The female alone had been detected in this country, 

 but Dr. Signoret had obtained the male, and referred it to 

 the genus Phylloxera. Prof. Westwood wished to hear if 

 any Member present was aware of any instance of the same 

 insect attacking a plant both above and below ground in two 

 such dissimilar ways. 



Mr. Frederick Siuith was able to mention an instance. 

 The common Cynips aptera was well known to form clusters 

 of galls on the fibrous roots of the oak ; on one occasion he 

 had found, in Bishop's Wood, Hampstead, on the stem of an 

 oak tree, about a foot above the ground, a large lump which 

 he could only compare to a number of barnacles fastened to 

 the bole ; he cut the lump off, took it home, and to his sur- 

 prise bred therefrom between twenty and thirty specimens of 

 Cynips aptera. 



Mr. Charles Home (who was present as a visitor) exhibited 

 the stings of two scorpions which were killed by rats at 

 Benares, on the 19th July, 1865 ; one of the stings showed a 

 large hole where it had been perforated by the tooth of the 

 rat. The scorpion and rat were placed under a glass cover, 

 and for some time the scorpion fenced about, tail over head, 

 trying to get hold of the rat, but at a favourable moment the 

 rat dodged down and made a rush at the scorpion, bit the 

 sting through the middle, then placed its foot upon the 



