39 
They rank among our numerous insect foes; the section is 
divided into 17 families, of which the first is the Bruchida, the 
| larva of which is very destructive to our beans and peas—and is 
__ often brought to the table in those vegetables. In the genus 
) Sitones are many species especially noxious to clover and trefoil. 
Some of the species in the genus Anthonomus commit great havoc 
among apples and pears, the female insect boring a hole into the 
young buds and then depositing an egg in it, the larva sub- 
sisting upon the blossom, and occasionally the fruit. The Nut 
Weevil, the larva of which is commonly found in a nut, is 
also a very beautiful species. Mr. Taylor referred to several 
. other families in this section, all of which he said were very prettily 
__ variegated, although most of them were well-known for their 
’ destructive habits. Briefly glancing at the next section, the 
___Longicornes, Mr. Taylor said it comprised a series of Beetles 
__ eonspicuous for the great length of their antenne. They are 
entirely. plant-frequenting insects, existing, as lava and pupa, 
either in solid timber, or on the surface of felled logs and beneath 
: the bark; and in their perfect state haunting the trunks of trees 
and bundles of dry twigs, or basking in flowers. Many of the 
; species are gaily coloured, and some of the elytra as well as the 
antenne are worthy of examination. There is another genus, 
q Tetrops, of which the single species found near London is worthy 
of notice from the fact of its eyes being completely divided by its 
antenne. The next section was Eupoda, divided into nine 
families, all the species of which, Mr. Taylor said, had their 
special attractions. He mentioned a few of them and passed 
on to the last section, Pseudotrimera, containing eight families, the 
principal of which was a collection of insects generally known as 
Lady-birds, abundant all over the kingdom and especially so in 
our hop districts, where they are valued for their blight-destroying 
habits. Before concluding, Mr. Taylor mentioned that the whole 
_ of the mounted specimens exhibited that evening had been 
specially prepared by himself to illustrate his paper ;, and from the 
great number of both beautiful and wonderfully-constructed insects 
“in the order Coleoptera, he had been somewhat puzzled to make 
a selection. Mr. Taylor added that beetles might be very easily 
obtained, as they might be found almost anywhere. This was 
now the best time in the whole year for collecting, and when 
caught they might be preserved for months in an air-tight jar, 
filled with bruised laurel leaves, and could be set at leisure. 
Mr. Taytor exhibited some very beautiful mounting of several 
_ species of beetles in illustration of his paper; also a number of 
_ microscopic objects illustrative of the subject which he so ably 
treated. In addition to Mr. Taylor’s microscope, the following 
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