164 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



female was the specimen exhibited at the Meeting in June 

 last, and was captured at Deal. 



Mr. Edwin Shepherd (on behalf of Mr. S. Carter, who was 

 present as a visitor), exhibited three males and a female of 

 Sesia spheciformis, W. V., bred from pupa^ found in the 

 stems of alder-trees in the north of Staffordshire. 



Mr. Saunders exhibited some galls which he had found in 

 maliing an excavation at the foot of an oak about a month 

 previously ; the galls were attached to the root of the tree, 

 but were not in clusters, and were at a depth of four feet 

 below the surface ; each gall contained two or three larvae, 

 and during the last few days five specimens of the perfect 

 insect had gnawed their way out ; at first a very small hole 

 was visible, through which, when it had been made large 

 enough, a mandible was pushed ; the insect continued its 

 gnawing, an antenna was soon protruded, and gradually a 

 perfect Cynips emerged. The whole of the five specimens 

 were females, and he believed that the whole brood would 

 prove to be of that sex. 



Mr. Saunders also exhibited three other kinds of gall 

 which he had found during a recent trip to Switzerland. 

 The first was found on a glaucous-leaved willow, and oc- 

 curred near the Lake of Brienz : it resembled a small fir- 

 cone, or might even be likened to the flower of a Centaurea : 

 no larvas were discovered, but traces of their action were 

 visible, and the cause of the excrescences was doubtless 

 a Cynips. The second kind was found in July near Coire, 

 where a dwarf and stunted species of willow was covered 

 with red berries looking like so many red currants; these 

 also were doubtless due to a Cynips. The third kind was 

 formed on the beech, and was an indurated conical gall, so 

 hard as with difficulty to be cut with a knife, but neverthe- 

 less made on the leaf of the tree ; it was hollow, with a large 

 flat base in which the larva nestled, and was found at Ragatz 

 and at luterlakeu and in other parts of Switzerland in July 

 and August. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited a gall found on the oak near Bath, 

 the exterior of which was of a woolly texture and of yel- 

 lowish colour. 



Mr. Smith read a most interesting extract from a letter 

 addressed to him by Mr, Stone, on the larvae and pupae of 



