( xiii ) 



sooner was the whirling motion stopped, than the wings were 

 as quickly folded away and the sound ceased. 



" During my residence in the Congo fran9ais I had further 

 opportunity on three different occasions of observing these 

 insects and watching them feed. At one time I was able to 

 stand within a few feet of a male beetle for a long time without 

 disturbing it. I noticed that it seemed to collect the juice of 

 the vine on the hairs about its 'mouth and then suck in the 

 fluid. The whole process of digging away the bark and feed- 

 ing on the jviice was extremely interesting." 



In reply to remarks from Canon Fowler and others, Dr. 

 Bennett stated that the male beetles use their cephalic horns 

 in fighting with one another, as well as for puncturing the 

 bark of vines in order to bring about a flow of the sap upon 

 which they feed. 



The Rev. Canon Fowlee showed a photograph of a 

 large bee's nest found in an open hedge near Wragby in 

 Lincolnshire ; he exhibited also a specimen of Cerastis vaccinii, 

 L,, which was very closely covered with parasites. 



Mr. McLachlan exhibited young larvse of a "Locust," 

 received from Mr. E. A. Floyer, Director-General of Telegraphy 

 in Egypt, and said by him to have reduced the Calotropis 

 trees in Nubia to a moribund condition. The larvae were 

 identified by Mr. Burr as those of a species of Pcecilocerus, 

 probably P. vittatus, Klug. 



Mr. Burr exhibited a specimen of Acridium segyptium 

 which was found at Maidenhead. He also showed a remark- 

 able clay model of a Locustid with a Chinese inscription 

 underneath, and requested information as 'to the origin of 

 such models. 



Mr. Blandford gave an account of a paper by Dr. A. 

 Ribaga, published in the "Rivista di Patologia Vegetale," v, 

 p. 343, on an asymmetrical structure occurring in the adult 

 female of the common bed-bug, and apparently hitherto 

 overlooked, although it communicated with the exterior by a 

 conspicuous notch in the fourth abdominal segment, midway 

 between the median line and the lateral margin. This 

 structure consisted of a large quasi-glandular mass of unknown 

 nature in which was encapsuled an organ consisting of fibres, 



