XV 



Miss E. A. Ormerod exhibited specimens of Tomarus bituberculatus, 

 Sphenophorus sacchari (with cocoon), and Ehy)wopliorus {? 2^(tl>'^(tnim, cocoons 

 and pupa), and read the following note : — 



" Cane-hovers.'' 



" In the course of last autumn it was mentioned to me that, in addition 

 to the species of cane-borer previously noticed, another kind (which was 

 incidentally mentioned to be a Macraspis) was doing much harm in Berbice. 

 On examination of the specimens, however (now exhibited), the beetle 

 turned out to be one of the Dynastidae, Tomarus hitiiherculatus, and any 

 suggestion for diminishing the numbers would be very acceptable. Tlie 

 beetle, which is one of the kinds popularly known as 'hardbacks' in the 

 colony, is enormously plentiful, coming into the houses in the evening in 

 such quantities as to require to be swept from the tables, and I am informed 

 by a naturalist lately resident in Guiana that as many as five specimens 

 may be found in the unopened flower-buds of the Victoria Regia. 



" The other specimens exhibited are of Sphenojjhoriis sacchari, with its 

 cocoon, and also two cocoons (one opened to show the contained pupa) of 

 a larger species .of Bhyncophorus, but I conjecture not of Pihyncophorus 

 jmlmarwn. In the course of investigation last year it appeared that there 

 were more species at work than was at first supposed. One of these, 

 kindly lent me for examination by the Colonial Company, much resembles 

 R. palmarum, but is smaller, and, after careful search and comparison of 

 specimens, — in which I was kindly assisted at the British Museum, — 

 appears to be" undescribed. It is very like R. Zinimermanni, but is not 

 identical. A very few specimens, bred by Mr. D'Urban, of Exeter, from 

 imported canes, appear to be of yet another species, but I only know these 

 by report. 



" Larvae of the large Rhyncophorus, and of the Sphenophorus sacchari, 

 have been exhibited before ; but I show them now relatively to a peculiar 

 formation frequently noticeable in the larger grub, — of which some lumps 

 will be noticed at the bottom of the bottle (this is whitish and hard when in 

 the grub preserved in spirits), — and I benefit by the examination kindly 

 made of it by Mr. Meldola to mention that it is of the nature of a true 

 wax, and may be derived from cerosin, a natural wax found in sugar- 

 cane, investigated by Avequin and Dumas, and here conjecturally altered 

 by the digestive processes. The taste of this secretion (which perhaps 

 I should mention was, after some preliminaries, my part of the experiment) 

 was exceedingly sweet, and throws some light on the fondness of the natives, 

 and also in some cases of the residents, for these grubs, as matter of food. 

 I am informed they are partaken of fried or ' plain boiled,' and all mashed 

 up together, and as many as 120 are eaten at a sitting ! As this formation 

 of sugar melts at a very low temperature, probably the operation of cooking 



