31 



Mr. Westwood observei], with reference to the statement of Mr. Vardon, as to the 

 wholesale destruction of the apple crop (as well as of that of the currant and goose- 

 berry trees planted under the apples), that the caterpillars which had now proved so 

 destructive for several years were those of the winter moth Cheimatohia brumata, and 

 tliat as they were now full-grown, the mischief which they had produced had arrived 

 at its height for the present year. The destruction of such of the caterpillars which 

 still remained in the trees by beating the branches over large sheets, and which had 

 already been practised to a large extent, was still highly desirable ; but Air. West- 

 wood considered that the peculiarities of the perfect insect oflFered much greater 

 facilities for preserving the crop of next year. The habit of the caterpillar to 

 descend to the ground and undergo its transformations in the earth, together with the 

 fact that the female being wingless, would only be enabled to lay her eggs upon the 

 tips of the present year's shoots (so as to allow the newly hatched larva) to find an 

 immediate supply of food) by creeping up the trunks of the trees, suggested what 

 appeared to be a satisfoctory meaus of combatting this pest. The German horticultu- 

 turists had indeed invented a kind of boot or box for the protection of the base of the 

 trunk of the tree, composed of four upright boards fixed close round the tree, each 

 having a small oblique ridge at the top, the inner surface which was kept (during the 

 mouths of October and November when the perfect insects appear) moistened with gas 

 tar or other slicking matter, which caught the females as they endeavoured to ascend 

 the trees. It would also be very advisable at the same period of the year, either to 

 remove and burn the earth beneath the trees to the depth of several inches, in order 

 to carry away and destroy the chrysalids, or to beat the surface hard so as to prevent 

 the moths making their escape to the open air. Children might also easily be trained 

 to watch for and destroy the females when they make their appearance. They, how- 

 ever, rapidly ascend the trees so that much vigilance is required. It had been asked 

 whether it would not be advisable to destroy the apple trees in order to save the goose- 

 berry and currant trees beneath, but this appeared a proceeding very doubtful of suc- 

 cess, as the insects certainly first attacked the apples, and the destruction of the latter 

 would only increase their attacks on the other trees. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders read " Descriptions of some new species of the genus 

 Erycina." 



July 7, 1858. 



Dr. Gray, President, in the chair. 



Donations. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be presented 

 to the donors: — 'Proceedings of the Royal Society,' Vol. ix., No. 31 ; presented by 

 the Society. 'The Zoologist' for July ; by the Editor. ' Exotic Butterflies,' Part 27; 

 by W. W. Saunders, Esq. ' Bulletins de I'Academie Royale des Sciences, des 

 Lettres et des Beaux Arts de Belgique,' '2me Serie, Tomes i., ii. et iii. ; 'Memoires 

 Couronnes,, Tome vii.; by the Academy. ' The Classed Catalogue of the Educational 

 Division of the South Kensington Museum'; by the Committee. 'The Literary 

 Gazette" for June; by the Editor. 'The Athensum' for June; by the Editor. 



