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Cabinet of Oriental Entomology.’ He died in October last, having 
been for nearly twenty years a Member of our Society. 
The death in early manhood of Mr. F. A. Jesse, who was also a 
Fellow of the Linnean, Zoological and Geological Societies, and not 
without hereditary claim to the regard of naturalists, has prevented 
the fulfilment of the hopes inspired by his ability and scientific 
tastes. 
Of the recent loss of M. Achille Deyrolle we must all have heard 
with regret ; he was only fifty-two years of age. His ‘ Guide du jeune 
Amateur de Coléoptéres et de Lépidoptéres’ (1847, anon.) ; two papers 
‘Sur des Carabiques trouvés en Brésil’ and ‘ Note pour servir 4 Phis- 
toire des Carabes d’Espagne et du Portugal, in the Ann. Soc. Ent. 
France, 1847 and 1852; and the Coleoptera in the Abbé Maillard’s 
‘ Notes sur l'Ile de ]la Réunion,’ are the only works of his with which 
Iam acquainted. But though he published little, there can be no 
doubt that, by his influence and exertions, and particularly by the faci- 
lities he afforded to Entomologists in their pursuit, he contributed 
materially to the progress of our Science. 
Perhaps I ought not to omit some notice of the late William Sharp 
MacLeay, as one who was once a Member of our Society, and whose 
work, entitled “ Hore Entomologice, has quite recently been pro- 
nounced to contain “some of the most important speculations, as to 
the affinities or relations of various groups of animals to each other, 
ever offered to the world, and of which it is impossible to overrate the 
suggestive value.” Born in London in 1792, he was in 1815 ap- 
pointed to a diplomatic post in Paris, where he was thought to have 
acquired his taste for Philosophical Zoology from the society of such 
men as Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire and Latreille. In 1825 he was 
sent to fill a higher office at the Havannah, and, after ten years’ resi- 
dence there, retired from the public service. In 1839 he settled in 
Australia, and continued to reside near Sydney until his death, at the 
age of 72. His collections, especially of Australian insects, are un- 
derstood to be very large and valuable, and will, no doubt, be turned 
to good account by his nephew, Wm. MacLeay, Esq., F.L.S., M.L.A., 
&c., into whose possession they have passed. 
I would now call your attention to the remarkable observations of 
Prof. Wagner, of Kasan, respecting the larve-producing larve of the 
Dipterous fly, Miastor metraloas. In this country they have attracted 
“very little attention, but abroad they have been received with incre- 
dulity, and his statement declared to be “ a pure and simple delusion.” 
