March 1, 1882. 

 H. T. Stainton, Esq., F.R.S., &c., President, in the chair. 



The Rev. W. Deans Cowan, from Madagascar, was present as a visitor. 



Donations to tlie Libraiy were announced, and thanks voted to the 

 respective donors. 



Exhibitions, dc. 



The Secretary read a communication from the Colonial Office conveying 

 Lord Kimberley's thanks to the Society for the report of the Committee 

 upon the locust-egg feeding larvae, which report had been transmitted to the 

 High Commissioner of Cyprus. 



Mr. T. R. Billups exhibited several queens of Vespa germanica, L., 

 three of which were taken on the wing on January 20th last at Wimbledon 

 Common, flying around a felled oak, and thirty-eight others were found 

 together under the loose bark of the tree. The earliest date of capture of a 

 female wasp mentioned by Smith was that of V. vulgaris on February 13th, 

 1859 (Brit. Foss. Hym., &c., p. 216). 



Mr. R. M'Lachlan said it would be interesting to know whether such a 

 congregation of wasps found together all belonged to one species. 



In reply Mr. Billups stated that he had set twelve of the specimens found 

 on this occasion, all of which were undoubtedly females of V. germanica. 



Mr. Billups also exhibited nine specimens of Callistus lunatus, Fabr., 

 captured at Mount Hill, Reigate, on February 12th, 1882, when the species 

 was found in some abundance. Also sixteen females oi Ichneumon erythraus, 

 Gr.,* captured at Headley Lane, Mickleham, on February 22nd of this year. 

 The Ichneumons were only found in the tufts of grass growing on the 

 hillocks formed by Formica Jiava. 



Mr. E. A. Fitch remarked that it was no uncommon thing to hnd crowds 

 of the females of certain species of Ichneumon hybernating together under 

 the bark of trees, and suggested that this species was hybernating in the 

 tufts of grass, and had selected the ant-hills as a warm and dry site. 



Mr. R. M'Lachlan called attention to some papers in which Mr. P. H. 

 Gosse had received some butterflies from Celebes ; on each paper there was 

 a very perfect impress of the insect [Ornithojitera Haliphroti, Boisd., &c.). 



The Secretary exhibited the eggs of an Entozoon {? Sclerostoma syn- 

 gamus, Dies), on behalf of Mr. Charles Black, of Langford Bridge, Crumlin, 

 Antrim ; the specimens were in spirit, some rounded and others flattened, 

 and were said to be " the eggs of red worm expelled from worm and 

 afterwards from bird." 



* Siuce identified as Ichneumon sanguinator, Rossi. (See Entom. xv. 139, and 

 'Transactions,' 1882, p. l-±2). 



