liv 



Arthropods, or rather, it seems to me, a reconstruction of our 

 views as to the homologies of the organs of insects with those of 

 other Articulata. One would be indeed tempted to ask whether 

 this so-called extra pair of appendages may not be the repre- 

 sentative of the ligula, which in some Orthoptera, as, for in- 

 stancfe, Anostostoma alatum, where it has been recently figured by 

 Mr. Butler,* bears pseudopalpi apparently consisting of several 

 segments. I may observe that I have myself suggested the 

 existence of a second pair of mouth appendages in the Collembola, 

 but in that group the structure of the mouth is very intricate, 

 and I did not, therefore, consider it would be safe to base any 

 general conclusions on the observation. As regards Hemimerus, 

 M. de Saussure's observations are so definite, and his authority 

 so great, that I feel great hesitation in questioning any statement 

 made by him. At the same time I must say that Mr. Water- 

 house and I, after examining a specimen in the British Museum, 

 which ai3parently belongs to the same species, have been quite 

 unable to satisfy ourselves as to the existence of a second pair 

 of jaws. 



In the October number of ' Kosmos,' Fitz Miiller has called 

 attention to an interesting species of gnat {Paltostoma torrentium), 

 in which there are two distinct kinds of females. Among 

 butterflies we have long known cases in which there are two 

 kinds of females, differing in the colour and pattern, sometimes 

 even in the form, of the wing. The social Neuroptera and 

 Hymenoptera present us with other well known cases, and the 

 Diptera may now be added to the list. In Paltostoma the two 

 kinds of females differ in the eyes, mouth-parts, feet, and habits. 

 The one sort resembles the females of other allied species, and 

 is a blood-sucker ; the other has simpler feet, smaller eyes, and 

 mouth closely resembling that of the male. Miiller thinks it 

 feeds on honey. 



Before sitting down there are one or two points with reference 

 to the affairs of our Society on which I must say a few words. 

 In the first place I must express my regret, which I am sure you 

 all share, that we are about to lose the valuable services of om- 

 excellent Secretaries, Mr. Meldola and Mr. Distant. At the same 

 time they have secured as successors two gentlemen who will, I 

 doubt not, prove themselves most efficient. 



* Proc. Zool. Soc, 1880, p. 153. 



