VI 



fed, and he was disposed to think there was something in the idea that 

 they found protection thereby. 



Mr. Meldola saw no objection to Dr. Kerner's statement, from the point 

 of view of vegetable physiology, since it is quite possible for flowers to secrete 

 special chemical compounds quite distinct from anything found in other 

 parts of the plant. With regard to larvae which feed upon flowers to which 

 they are adapted in colour, it is not improbable that such adaptation may 

 result from the actual presence of the colouring matter of the flower in the 

 tissues of the larvae, the digestive organs of which may have become 

 modified by natural selection, so as to permit of such permeation of 

 unaltered colouring matters. In the case of green caterpillars unaltered 

 chlorophyll had been detected spectroscopically in the tissues. 



Mr. H. J. Elwes mentioned a case of injury done to a species of 

 Sternhergia by some larva feeding in the bulb. Mr. M'Lachlan suggested it 

 was probably that of the dipterous genus Merodon, which is known to 

 attack bulbs of various plants. 



Palmers read. 



Dr. Sharp communicated a paper " On some Coleoptera from the 

 Hawaiian Islands." 



Mr. Peter Cameron communicated a paper " On some new or little- 

 known British Hymenoptera." 



New Part of ' Transactions.' 

 Part V. of the ' Transactions' for 1878, containing index, title-page, Ac, 

 was on the table. 



April 2, 1879. 

 J. W. Dunning, Esq., M.A., F.L.S , Vice-President, in the chair. 



Donations to the Library were announced, and thanks voted to the 

 donors. 



Exhibitions, dc. 



Mr. M'L^ichliUi exhibited the cases and sixteen species of Brazilian 

 caddis-flies, with the insects bred from the larvai that manufactured some 

 of them, sent to him by Dr. Fritz Miiller, from Santa Catharina. Included 

 were the cases exhibited at the meeting of the 4th December last. Some 

 extracts (with notes) from Dr. Fritz ]\Iiiller's letters are here given: — 



" Helicojisijche. In some cases of one of the species you will see, well 

 preserved, the oldest part of the case, which peeps out like a chimney from 

 the conical top. There are here two or three other species of Helicopsyche, 

 one of which lives on rocks continually wetted by the spray of waterfalls : 



