94 
Mr. F. Smith thought there was now little doubt that Typhlopone was the worker 
of Dorylus, as had been suggested years ago by Shuckard. The female, however, was 
still unknown. ¥ 
Prof. Westwood enquired whether Mr. Smith was acquainted with the insect which 
Gerstacker represented to be the female of Dorylus; it was very different from 
Typhlopone. Mr. Smith replied that he had never seen the large female in question, 
but he believed its connexion with Dorylus to be purely conjectural. 
The Rev. Hamlet Clark exhibited an interesting collection of Phytophaga received 
by him from Mr. Du Boulay, who captured them in the district of Champion Bay, 
West Australia. Among the many novelties was a very abnormal form of Eumolpida, 
unique in structure not only among Eumolpide but throughout the Coleoptera: the 
male leaps vigorously and quickly when captured, and it is the only species of Eumol- 
pide that is known to be saltatorial; but the peculiarity of the insect is, that it is not 
the posterior but the medial femora which give this power of leaping: the posterior 
femora are of ordinary form, or perhaps somewhat attenuate ; the medial, however, are 
very robust, incrassated, sufficiently elongate and with strong and curved tibie. 
Mr. Clark remarked that it might be a question whether the insect properly belonged 
to the Eumolpide or to some other group: he stated that it had been carefully 
examined not only by himself but by Mr. Baly, and that there seemed to be no doubt 
on the subject. He proposed to create a new genus for the reception of this insect, 
and to describe it under the name of Thaumastomerus viridis. 
The Rev. H. Clark read from ‘ The Reader’ of the Ist of April, 1865, the following 
extract from a review of Cameron’s recent work on ‘Our Possessions in Malayan 
India ’— 
“ The following account of that very common tropical phenomenon, the light of the 
fireflies, is altogether new to us, and not quite intelligible. Does the author mean that 
the little insects actually keep time with each other so accurately, that thousands of them _ 
scattered over a shrub or tree all put out their lights at the same instant, and rekindle 
them with equal punctuality? If so, here is a new insect-wonder, before which the 
economy of bees and ants will sink into insignificance :—‘ The bushes literally swarm 
with fireflies, which flash out their intermittent light almost contemporaneously; the 
effect being that for an instant the exact outline of all the bushes stands prominently 
forward, as if lit up with electric sparks, and next moment all is jetty dark—darker 
from the momentary illumination that preceded. These flashes succeed one another 
every three or four seconds for about ten minutes, when an interval of similar duration 
takes place, as if to allow the insects to regain their electric or phosphoric vigour.’ 
We commend this as a subject of investigation for those naturalists who are so. 
fortunate as to live among fireflies.” 
Mr. Clark added that, though he was utterly unable to give any explanation of the 
phenomenon, he could so far corroborate Mr. Cameron as to say that he had himself 
observed this simultaneous flashing ; he had a vivid recollection of a particular glen in 
the Organ Mountains, where he had on several occasions noticed the contemporaneous 
exhibition and extinction of their light by numerous individuals, as if they were acting 
in concert. 
Mr. M‘Lachlan suggested that this might be caused by currents of wind, which, by 
inducing a number of the insects simultaneously to change the direction of their 
flight, might occasion a momentary concealment of their light. 
he 
owen 
