18 
Mr. Douglas C. Timins, under date of Cannes, March 29, 1864, communicated 
the following notes of his entomological observations made during the winter munths 
in the Departement des Alpes Maritimes :— 
“ During the early part of November Papilio Podalirius and Gonepteryx Cleopatra, 
appeared, though in small numbers, Cynthia Cardui and Vanessa Atalanta were 
extremely abundant, and continued on the wing throughout the winter. Orthoptera 
were very numerous in November and December: amongst them I noticed Acridium 
lineola, Gryllis maculata, G.azurea, G. Italica, G. cerulescens, &c., Mantis religiosa 
and others. Cicindelide were very abundant (the common C. campestris and 
C. hybrida, as well as several other species). In the beginning of December I took 
a great many specimens of Polyommatus Beeticus and the allied P. Telicanus: both 
these species fly round the tops of bushes, very much after the manner of the Theclas, 
between which genus and Polyommatus they form in habits, as well as in appearance, 
a connecting link. P. Unionalis appeared in fir-plantations and Lycena Phleeas 
abounded everywhere, as did Lasiommata Avgeria, L. Megera, L. Mera, Argynnis Lath- 
onia and Macroglossa Stellatarum. The larve of Papilio Machaon and P. Podalirius 
continued feeding until the middle of December, and this was also the case with 
numerous other species which in England assume the pupa state some three munths 
eatlier. During January few species of Lepidoptera were seen; Pieris Daplidice, how- 
ever, appeared, and also fresh specimens of Colias Edusa and C. Myrmidone, and 
battered ones of Vanessa Io, V. Atalanta, V. Antiopa, V. Cardui and V. Urtice. 
Examining moss appears to be of little or no use in this locality; probably the 
Coleoptera rarely hybernate in so mild a climate, and yet few were taken on the wing 
or crawling about, except Carabus monilis and Chrysomela Populi, and some of the 
genus Aphodius. This neighbourhood seems poor in Dytiscide, for I met with few, 
and these only the commonest species. In February the weather was extremely bad, 
and the only Lepidoptera which appeared were Lasiommata Ageria, L. Mera and 
Colias Edusa; early in March Papilio Podalirius reappeared and Gonepteryx Rhamni 
and G. Cleopatra also. During this month Colias Edusa, C. Myrmidone, Pieris 
Daplidice (very common), Anthocharis Belia, Vanessa C-album, V. L-album, Pontia 
Brassice and P. Chariclea, Thais Rumina, Thecla Rubi (very common), Polyommatus 
Alcon (?) and Saturnia Carpini appeared; also Vanessa Io and the other common 
Vanesside. Several species of Cicindelide occur now (March 24th) in the rocks, but 
I have not yet been able to identify them all; and of Libellule, Ashna grandis, 
Libellula forcipata, L. depressa, &c. A good many species of Hemiptera occurred in 
December and January, but I have been obliged to reserve their nomenclature for 
some future time, as I can obtain here no books on that order. Among the larve 
found in December were Deilephila Euphorbie, D. Galii and Acherontia Atropos. 
The pine woods have been full of the larve of one ofthe processionary moths, living in 
society under white silky nets, and proceeding in lines or chains, sometimes thirty feet 
long (each larva is hardly an inch and a half in length), to bury themselves preparatory 
to assuming the pupa state: on reaching a suitable place for this purpose, the chain 
of larve disperses, and each one proceeds to bury himself, usually, however, near his 
comrades, so that when one pupa was found by digging, more were certain to be 
obtained within a few inches of the same place.” 
Paper read. 
Mr. Frederick Smith read a paper “On the construction of Hexagonal Cells of 
Bees and Wasps.” This was illustrated by the exhibition of a collection of nests, 
