C xx} 
in enrichment all about the pasture land could not fail to be 
serviceable. The point, however, of the respective agricul- 
tural habits of the beetles is what I should greatly 
like to be allowed to bring under the notice of the 
meeting. 
‘«‘ With the manure-burying beetles we might havea straight- 
forward process of the lary doing mischief at the roots of 
the grass, but, at the same time, of the manure helping to 
throw up a good new growth; but the case does not seem 
clear as to the Dynastes, the Diloboderus abderus. The note 
sent of the ravage is not clearly applicable especially to any 
one of the species sent. It says, ‘ They literally dug up the 
earth, leaving it as loose as if a spade had been used;’ 
and ‘they work within a couple of inches of the surface, 
eating the roots of all the grass they find.’ But though we 
have a note of the horned beetles coming up by thousands 
from the destroyed pasture, it seems to me we want observa- 
tion as to whether the two other kinds may not also be present. 
I know that in Caffraria, the Keever beetle, Heteronychus arator, 
Fab. (? Burm.) (one of the Dynastide) does a great deal of 
mischief, especially to wheat; and from notes sent me by Mr. 
Fred. R. Schauble, of Stortge, bites off the crops about an 
inch underground ; but any information as to where a pub- 
lished record of the habits of our 8. American pasture beetles 
are to be found, would be a great help to unravelling the 
observations now on hand, and would be of very serviceable 
interest agriculturally as well as entomologically.—Yours 
very truly, 
‘¢Hieanor A. Ormerop, F.E.S.” 
Mr. Hampson raised an important point as to what was the 
legal “‘date of publication’ of Part I. of the Transactions of 
the Society, 1894. He pointed out that the question of the 
priority of the names of certain new species described there- 
in would depend upon the date of publication. Dr. Sharp 
asked Mr. Hampson to explain what he meant by “ publica- 
tion.” Mr. Hampson replied. 
The Honble. W. Rothschild said that he had been informed 
that when a copy, or five or six copies of the Transactions 
