82 
Mr. Bond (on behalf of Mr. Rich, who was present as a visitor) exhibited further — 
specimens of the Hepialus from the Shetlands, of which some were shewn at the 
previous January Meeting ; also examples of Bombus Smithianus of White, a species © 
hitherto found only in those islands. 
The President made some remarks on the geographical range of the genus Cossy- | 
phus. It had occurred in Portugal, Spain, Sicily, the Morea, Algeria, the Canaries © 
(not in Madeira), India, as far as Rangoon, but not in the Indian isles. Singularly 
enough, however, a species closely allied to that from Rangoon had been taken at 
Gawler, South Australia. 
Prof. Westwood was able to add another locality to this list, for he had received a 
fine large species from Zambesi. 
Major Cox sent for exhibition a portion of a wooden dog-kennel infested with the — 
dog-tick, Ixodes plumbeus; the specimens were very numerous, and during the 
exhibition copulation was freely indulged in. A specimen of a Cimex, apparently © 
new, was also discovered on the wood. The Major communicated also the following 
note :— 
“My attention has been lately called to the attack of a parasite, which has 
seriously infested the skin of dogs of my kennel: I believe it to be the Ixodes 
Ricinus. The skin of all my dogs, as well puppies as grown up ones, has been 
perfectly spotted by the immense number of these creatures. My ferrets have like- 
wise been attacked. On applying the proper remedies, my man requested me to 
examine the kennels: I have three large separate ones, and also a range of buildings, 
twenty-four feet long, divided into three compartments, built up of wood against an 
old brick wall, the flooring covered with cement: the first contains dogs, the second 
and third pheasants for breeding. In the two latter the surface of the wall between 
the bricks, wherever the pheasants could reach, is picked away in order to get at these 
insects. ~In all the courses of the bricks, in all the joints of the wood-work, and in 
the detached kennel which stood nearest to the building, I found the tick in every 
stage of growth in immense profusion. I at once referred to Kirby and Spence, to 
endeavour to obtain some information relative to the destructive habits of this peculiar 
class of insects; but beyond mentioning that they directly attacked sheep, dogs, &c., 
by inserting their serrated houstellum into the skin and filling themselves with the 
blood of the animal, they say nothing of the injury they commit upon wooden 
buildings by working into the joints. Now it is to this point that I wish to call the 
attention of the Society. 
“Tt will be seen, by the accompanying specimen of wood taken from the dog- 
kennel, how it has been destroyed. It is a question with me how creatures with a 
mouth so peculiarly formed could have carried on the work of destruction as they have 
done, for I found the whole of the roof of the kennel so injured and so thickly infested 
by them, that I had it at once broken up and burnt on the spot. Do they perforate 
the dry wood? and whence do they derive nourishment, for I believe they are suctorial 
parasites? or does the wood perish by the presence of their excremental matter, and 
so enable them to perforate deeper and deeper. The piece that I have sent up isa 
good specimen to show how much injury they may do; in it will be found the insect 
in all its stages, from the egg to its full-grown size; and, speaking of it in the latter 
condition, I was not aware until now that it presented its large sacculated form, 
except after feeding as a parasite upon the blood of some animal. I always considered 
