116 
Mr. M‘Lachlan exhibited specimens of two species of Stenophylax, which had 
been sent to him by the Rev. G. F, Browne, St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and 
which, together with an Ichneumon of the genus Paniscus, had been found in an ice- 
cave in the Swiss Alps. In reply to Mr. Browne’s enquiry how the insects came to 
be in such a situation, he (Mr. M‘L.) had been unable to give any explanation which 
was applicable to the Ichneumon, but with respect to the caddis-flies he had suggested 
that the cave might be connected with the outer world by some subterranean passage © 
or stream, up the course of which the larve had travelled. This had drawn from 
Mr. Browne the following:—“ There was no communication with the outer air. 
These'flies were found at a very considerable depth in the earth, down a rock-fissure, 
a good hundred feet below our point of entrance, which was itself low down in a 
face of rock. At the bottom of this we came to a chamber, ove corner of which was 
shut up by a curtain of ice—hermetically sealed up. We hewed a hole through it— 
all was utterly dark—and found only ice within, with a narrow low passage, about two 
feet each way, leading lower still into the earth; stones sent down gave the sound of 
water. The ice-roof of the ice-trough was thickly studded with these flies, standing 
still, but running swiftly when disturbed. I caught two, lying flat on my back and 
lowered by arope. The other two were found on my dress and beard when I was 
dragged up again. The three that are alike [the Trichoptera] I have found in other 
ice-caves; the fourth, something like a huge flying ant [the Ichneumon] I have not 
found in such situations, Every one’s idea must have been, What could they want 
with eyes?” 
Mr. W. W. Satinders exhibited the bulb of an Orchid from New Grenada, which 
was covered with and had been destroyed by two species of Coccus: the insects fixed 
themselves on the bulb, which soon became wizened and withered, and the plant died 
under their suction. Both species were of the kind known to gardeners as “ limpet- 
scales,” one of theni being about twice as long as broad, whilst the other was round 
and expansive, and looked like the half of a little bivalve shell; the young ones might 
be killed by washing the plant with a mixture of water and spirits of wine, but when 
they grew older and had a hard case over them this ceased to be effectual; and if 
poisons were applied to kill them they reached the root and killed the plant like- 
wise. There seemed to be a continual developmertt of these pests, and an entire 
absence of periodicity in their appearance; young ones were produced continually, 
and, though search had been made both by day and night, not a single male had 
been observed. 
Mr. S. 8. Saunders exhibited numerous specimens, preserved in spirit, illustrative 
of the transformations of the Strepsipterous insect, Hylechthrus Rubi: amongst them 
were, the apod larva in a Hyleus nymph, another exposed by removal of the last seg- 
ments of the Hyleus, and one extracted entire; a male nymph in the pupa-case, the 
operculum apart; a male imago with its wings erect, the pupa-case and operculum 
apart; females on their first protrusion, and another extracted entire on the second 
day. Also a parasite on Polistes Gallica, with the larve of each. 
Mr. J. J. Weir enquired the use of the anal appendages of the earwig; there was 
no doubt that Staphylinide used their appendages for the purpose of closing or 
pressing in the wings after flight, and he believed it was mentioned in Kirby and 
Spence that earwigs occasionally used theirs in opening their wings; he had observed 
the small earwig (Zabia minor) perform in this manner; the wings were partially pro- 
truded, and then pulled out by means of the appendages, and he had come to the con- 
