( ii ) 



Commander Walker said that in the Pacific Islands it fed 

 on tobacco amongst other plants, and Mr. E. E. Green 

 observed that the same species had occurred as a troublesome 

 pest in tobacco-curing sheds in Ceylon, but that a remedy had 

 been found in turning turkeys into the infected sheds; he 

 added that the larvae also eat ferns. 



A Species of Protura and a New Order of Insects. — 

 Mr. C. B. Williams exhibited a specimen of the Genus 

 Acerentonion of the Order Protura taken from moss in the 

 New Forest, Hampshire. He also drew the attention of 

 the Society to the new Order Zoraptera just described by 

 Silvestri, the first discoverer of the Protura, and said that Mr. 

 Green's name was mentioned in connection with the discovery 

 of the new Order. 



Mr. E. E. Green said that he had found the insects in 

 question in the hills of Ceylon, associated with Termites, 

 in decayed wood. Of the original material, nothing remained 

 but a slide consisting of two or three examples mounted in 

 Canada Balsam, a tube containing material in alcohol having 

 completely disappeared. Dr. Silvestri has now recorded and 

 described two other species of the same Order — from Western 

 Africa and Java respectively. 



Ant Larvae as Sewing-Machines. — Mr. Donisthorpe 

 exhibited specimens of the ants Oecophylla smaragdina, F., 

 from Ceylon, and 0. virescens, F., from North Queensland. 

 These ants use their larvae to spin threads and fasten the 

 leaves of their nests together, and the Australian specimens 

 exhibited each held a larva in their mandibles, having been 

 killed when using the latter to construct the nest. 



Prof. Poulton said that the same fact had been observed 

 by Mr. Lamborn in the same genus of Ants in W. Africa. 



An exhibition illustrating the natural history of 

 certain Algerian Diptera. — Prof. Poulton exhibited a 

 collection of Diptera and other insects associated with them, 

 made by Dr. Adalbert Seitz, F.E.S. The specimens were 

 chiefly taken at Batna (about 1300 metres) in July 1913, and 

 were accompanied by an interesting series of notes on the 

 habits. These had been, as far as possible, epitomised on 

 the labels. The Diptera had been kindly named by Mr. E. E. 



