98 
Parnides. The captor, Mr. J. H. Bowker, of the Mounted Frontier Police, sent the 
following note respecting them:—“ Water beetles, very like Spanish flies, very 
numerous in the Sunn (?) River: their habits are curious; whirling on a sunny day 
over the edge of the fall, they then make a sudden dive through the fallen water, and 
fasten to the face of the rock; they resemble in this way a flock of sea-birds when 
feeding. I never saw them at any other spot.” Mr. Clark stated that the insect 
approached most nearly to Macronychus, Miller (Illig. Mag ),a genus of Elmide, but 
differed therefrom in the form of the head, the number of joints of the antenna, &c.; 
its strong and broad claws and elongated robust legs would serve admirably to secure 
the beetle to the face of a rock, but it was not very evident how its legs were adapted 
for swimming. 
The Rev. H. Clark read extracts from a letter recently received from Mr. Edwyn 
Reed from Bahia; want of knowledge of the language had prevented Mr. Reed from 
goiug up the country as soon as he had desired; he was proposing to spend May in 
Valenca, and about June to proceed into the interior to the residence of a hospitable 
timber-merchant on the borders of the primeval forest. His first collection of objects 
of Natural History might very shortly be expected in London. 
Mr. Janson read a letter from Mr. J. A. Brewer, dated Fayal, April 24, 1865, 
reporting the capture of about 150 species of Coleoptera at St. Michael’s, by working 
as in England in winter; there were no insects moving about, it being still (though 
very warm) the winter of the Azores; many of those captured were apparently well- 
known British species, whilst others were unknown to the writer; the majorily con- 
sisted of Carabide and Staphylinide, with some Curculionide and a few Elateride. 
Mr. F. Sinith exhibited a specimen of Apate capucina, taken by his son Mr. Edgar 
Smith, in Bishop’s Wood, on the 21st of May last, running over fallen timber (oak) ; 
he was not aware of the occurrence of the beetle in this country for some years, though 
Mr. Hope bad formerly on one occasion captured half a dozen in Longmynd (or Long- 
munt) Forest, Shropshire. 
Prof. Westwood mentioned that Sir Thomas Pasley had formerly sent him a num- 
ber of specimens from Pembroke Dockyard, where they were found burrowing in the 
oak timber. 
Mr. Bond exhibited the specimen of Dianthecia albimacula, the capture of which, 
on the 8th of June, 1864, near Gosport, is recorded in ‘The Entomologist’s Monthly 
Magazine, vol. i. pp. 237, 282. 
Mr. Bond also exhibited a Saturnia Polyphemus and its cocoon; and a large 
Ophion and its cocoon. 
Mr. Stainton exhibited some galls on the leaves of an evergreen oak (probably 
Quercus Ilex), brought by Mr. Burney from Mentone. 
The President exhibited a Dorcadion, probably a new species, which he had 
captured a month previously at Alicante. 
Prof. Westwood mentioned that in the Burchell Collection, recently added to the 
Oxford Museum, were specimens of larve preserved in a dry state by a means capable 
of easy adoption; the larve were simply placed under heavy weights, so as to squeeze 
out all the intestinal matter, and then dried rapidly ; the shape was of course lost, the 
skins being as flat as the paper on which they were exhibited, but the colours were 
admirably preserved. 
Mr. F. Smith exhibited various Bombi, in illustration of some criticisms upon 
Dr. Sichel’s ‘ Essai Monographique sur le Bombus montauus et ses Variétés, and 
