XXXI 



Papers read, do. 



Mr. Hildebrand Ramsdeu coimmiuicated the following note on Pijro- 

 phorus causticus : — 



" Having two living specimens of the ' Cucuyo,' or native Firefly of 

 Cuba, it has been suggested that the members of the Entomological Society 

 would be interested in seeing them. Mr. Charles Waterhouse himself 

 identified the species as Pijrophorus causticus, Candeze. The insects were 

 captured at Santiago de Cuba on the 4th of May last, and reached England 

 on the 30th of the same month. During the voyage, and since their arrival 

 in this country, they have been supplied with water and sugar-cane or brown 

 sugar. The insects appear to be as well now as when they landed, though 

 they have been in this country over three months. During the daytime 

 they conceal themselves under any covering they can find, remaining 

 motionless and non-luminous till dusk, when they light their lamps and 

 move about. At first it would seem as if motion and luminosity went 

 together and were dependent on each other ; but this is not invariably the 

 case, for 1 have observed the insects become non-luminous while walking 

 away in order to conceal themselves. While engaged in eating they are 

 generally serai-luminous, their lights constantly increasing and diminishing 

 in intensity, and reminding one of the end of a cigar smoked in the dark. 

 In the daytime they become luminous by being excited and made to move 

 about. In addition to the two luminous balls there is a luminous band 

 underneath the thorax, which is, however, only apparent when the insect 

 is in the act of rising to take flight." 



Mr. A. H. Swinton read two papers entitled " Some experiments on the 

 variability of Lepidoptera, undertaken during the j^ear 1 880," parts i. and 

 ii., and exhibited specimens and figures in illustration. 



Mr. A. G. Butler read a paper entitled " Observations upon certain 

 species of the Lepidopterous genus Terias, with descriptions of hitherto 

 unknown forms from Japan." 



Mr, C. 0. Waterhouse communicated a paper " On the Buprestidtc from 

 Madagascar," and Mr. F. Moore a paper " On the Asiatic Lepidoptera 

 referred to the genus Mijcalesis, with descriptions of new genera and 

 species." 



Mr. W. F. Kirby called the Society's attention to the circumstance that 

 M. Andre, who is publishing a work on European Hymenoptera, sometimes 

 prints descriptions of new genera and species which are forwarded to him 

 too late for insertion in the body of the work, not only on the cover of his 

 quarterly parts, but even at the end of sheets of advertisements laid loosely 

 between the pages of a part. He also mentioned that coloured plates of 

 butterflies were published in Paris with MS. names taken from Boisduval's 



