8 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



and is a marvel to look upon. We have just 

 had the privilege of examining an alcoholic 

 specimen. Its full length was eight and one- 

 half inches ; circumference, four and five- 

 eighths inches, a little larger at the ends 

 than in the middle. The general color was 

 light fawn brown, this may have been in- 

 tensified by the spirits in which it was pre- 

 served, the head and very powerful mouth 

 parts were black, the head punctured all 

 over and with a few brown hairs. Number 

 of segments, fourteen. No prop legs, but | 

 three pairs of dark, red-brown, hair^^ legs 

 on the first three segments. Four small 

 tubercles on each side, on the first and 

 second segments, followed by ten large tu- 

 bercles, one on each succeeding segment. 

 A large, somewhat triangular shaped spot 

 of brown on each side of the first segment, j 

 and small, round, black or dark brown spots | 

 on all the others, except the second and j 

 third and the last two. Light brown hairs 

 about one-eighth of an inch long are sparsely 

 scattered all over the body, thickest on the j 

 first six and the last segment. 1 



Viewed from above, the back is so j 

 wrinkled as to appear to be fnade up of 

 twenty-nine segments. It is reported that 

 the natives find morsels of this sort very \ 

 toothsome, and verily, half a dozen of them 

 would make a hearty meal. 



Dynastes Tityus. 



A NoKTH American species occurs to our 

 knowledge as far north as Pennsylvania ; 

 some specimens from North Carolina now 

 before us look, at first, like miniature D. 

 Hercules ; they vary considerably in gen- 

 eral color and marking, but these are about 

 as follows : The male is two inches long, 

 exclusive of the horn, the horn upon the 

 thorax is one-half inch long, notched at the 

 end, and is black, faced below with yellow- 

 brown hairs, the lilack horn upon the head 

 is nine-sixteenths long ; thorax and horn 

 one inch ; elytra one and one-fourth inch. 

 The general color is light or whitish green, 

 more yellow on the thorax at base of horn. 

 Scutel black, with a green spot in the mid- 

 dle. The elytra bordered all around with 

 black, a row of fine black punctures on 

 each side of the dividing line, and clustered 

 thickly about the corners next the scutel, a 

 quantitv of small black spots and rings 

 scattered irregularly over them, also a few 



hair-like scrawls ; the thorax is sparsely 

 marked with similar lines ; two horns, each 

 three-sixteenths long, appear at the base, 

 just below and on eacli side of the thorax 

 horn ; these, with the front of the thorax and 

 head, are black. Antennae black and pal- 

 mate. All the under parts and legs, dark 

 red brown, finely punctured in the middle 

 portions and set about with yellow-brown 

 hairs, which on the abdomen protrude one- 

 eighth of an inch beyond the elytra. 



The female is one and three-fourths 

 inches long, no horn upon the thorax, and 

 just a suggestion of one on the head. 

 The head and thorax are of a smoky, 

 greenish black, thickly punctured, and 

 somewhat broader than in the male, which 

 she is otherwise like in general appearance, 

 except that the elytra are a duller green, 

 more punctured, and have very few black 

 spots. In the new book, Insects Injurious 

 to Fruits, b}' ^A''m. Saunders, is an excellent 

 cut and description of this insect. 



THE PROVIDENCE FRANKLIN SOCIETY 

 held its annual meeting Jan. 1, 1884. The 

 reports of the various oflflcers show that 

 during the past year, ten papers have been 

 read before the Societ3', and that five ex- 

 cursions have been made under its auspices. 

 New names have been added to its member- 

 ship, and its working force remains as large 

 as ever. The treasurer's report shows that 

 the receipts for the year have covered the 

 expenses, leaving a margin of two hun- 

 dred dollars for the new year. The cabinet 

 keeper, Mr. T. R. Shurrocks, reported one 

 hundred additions to the collections. The 

 election of officers resulted in returning the 

 entire board of the past year. 



President — Ij. W. Russell. 

 Vice-President — D. W. Hoyt. 

 Secretai-y — C. M. Salisbury, Esq. 

 Treasurer — A. L. Calder. 

 Cabinet Keeper — T. H. Shurrocks. 

 Librarian — Frank Titcomb. 



Two weeks later, Mr. C. R. Kruger lec- 

 tured upon Photography , giving a clear and 

 connected explanation of the steps and pro- 

 cesses of the present methods, and review- 

 ing many of the past. 



/ Last month, we recorded two Brunnich's 

 guillemots killed in Narragansett Bay, and 

 have now ten more to report from the 

 same locality. Also another Night Heron 

 killed at Bristol, R. I., Jan. 10, 1884. 



