( xviii ) 



Dr. Mason said lie should be happy to take cliarge of these 

 galls, with a view of rearing the insects and reporting the 

 results, 



Mr. Goss read the following letter from the Vicar of 

 Arundel : — 



" The Vicarage, Arundel, May 5, 1890. 



" Sir, — The roof of the parish church of Arundel is very 

 seriously affected by insects. It is a heavy oak timber roof, 

 covered with lead, and some of the large old tie-beams 

 (80 feet in length and 2 feet thick) are eaten to a very serious 

 extent. I do not know whether your Society would be inte- 

 rested enough in the matter to investigate it. Maggots are 

 found in hundreds in the wood, and at this time of the year 

 a dull kind of brown beetle falls into the church, and they 

 seem to be nibbling at the seats ; at the same time a beetle, 

 of a much more active kind, bright blue, makes its appear- 

 ance. Is this a parasite, or a further development ? We are 

 entirely in the dark ; and Mr, J. 0. Scott, whom we consulted, 

 does not know of any similar case. As the cost of tampering 

 with the roof would be enormous, the vicar and church- 

 wardens would be pleased to obtain information on the 

 matter, and your Society would be doing a good turn in 

 saving an historic church from destruction. If anyone would 

 come down to see, I would be pleased to give them hospitality, 

 or I would send up a box containing insects, &c. — I remain, 

 yours faithfully, Kobert Fisher. 



" The Secretary, Entomological Society of London," 



Mr. CO. Waterhouse said he had already been consulted 

 on the question some twelve months ago. The brown beetles 

 referred to in Mr. Fisher's letter were Anobium tessellnttim, F. 

 [Xestobium nifovillosuvi, Deg., of some catalogues), and the blue 

 one was Corynetcs rufipcs* Deg. A small piece of one of the oak- 

 beams from the roof of the church, reduced to a honey-comb 

 condition, was exhibited in the Insect Gallery at the Natural 

 History Museum. He had advised that the beams should be 



• Before sending this sheet to i^ress, I received a number of 

 specimens from Mr. Fisher ; these were all Cori/netes C(crulcus, Deg. — 

 W, W, FowLEB, lion. Sec, 



