XXV 



tbiil Rhipiphonis is a larvivorovis parasite, and not a mere guest wliicli enteis ibe nest 

 of the wasp ami shaves (he fomi of the le^'itimate occupants. 



Mr. Piiscoe exhibited some Australian Hctemmera, including new species of 

 Helaeus, Byrsax, Seirotrana, &c., and two new genera. One species of Saragus 

 (nndescribed, and for which the n;iine S. floccosus was proposed), was remarlsable from 

 being covered with a peculiar fungoid growth, which was said by the captor to occur 

 on the living insect, and also (or a similar growth) ou the trees which the beetle 

 frequented. This growth had been examined by Mr. Carrey, and was pronounced to 

 be truly fungous, in fact an Tsaria, the early stage of a Sphaeria. Several speci- 

 mens of the Saragus had been seen, all with the Isaria in the same stage of 

 development. 



Mr. Wallace enquired whether the supposed fungus had been microscopically 

 examined, as it seemed highly improbable that a living animal should habitually have a 

 living vegetable growing on it. More probably, if it really existed during the life of the 

 beetle, it was a natural animal growth: an allied species has a hairy covering, and it 

 was but one step further for a hairy covering to assume a fungoid appearance, a 

 protective resemblance to the fungi or lichens growing ou the trees upon which the 

 beetle was found, 



Mr. Albert Miiller made some observations on the scent, when handled, of Cynips 

 lignicola and another species which forms a gall on the under-side of oak-leaves : this 

 scent was probably protective, ami gave the insect an immunity from the attacks of 

 birds, &c., and the rapid Sjiread of Cynips lignicola over the country might be due to 

 its rejection on acctaiut of its peculiar odi)ur. 



Mr. J. Jenner Weir added that the musk beetle was free from attack by birds, and 

 this was doubtless due to its scent.. 



Mr. Salvin exhibited six species of Clothilda, in illustration of the paper mentioned 

 below. 



Mr. Briggs (who was present as a Visitor) exhibited a specimen of Deiopeia 

 pulchella, captured near Folkestone en the 1st of October: its habit was to fly only a 

 few yards at a time, and its appearance on the wing was described as resembling one 

 of ihe Geometrae. 



Mr. Davis (who was present as a Visitor) exhibited a large number of preserved 

 larvae of Lepidoptera; amongst them a series of Cossus lignipenla, of all ages, in 

 willow-stems, preserved in situ ; and a larva of Sphinx populi to which were 

 attached a number of pupae of some parasite. There were also a few dried larvae of 

 saw-flies. 



Mr. Dunning referred to the swarms of insects of various kinds which had been 

 reported during the autumn : he had himself encountered hosts of Coccinellae 

 (piiucipally C. 7-punctata, but intermixed with a considerable number of C. bipunctata) 

 both in Essex and in Yorkshire; and at Walt(m-on-the-Naze, on the 24ih of August, 

 he fell in with a countless swarm of Syrphi, which appeared to have all hatched 

 simultaneously and to have at once commenced buzzing about in the hot sunshine in 

 a foolish kind of way, without caring to take food, for most of ihem seemed to be mere 

 shells without any substance inside. Noticing that Mr. Home had recorded (New- 

 man's Entomologist, iv. 356) the occurrence of a swarm at Margate on the same day, 

 which was said to have included specimens of Syrphus balteatus, S. decorus, 

 S. taenialus, S. lopiarius and Erislalis tenax?, Mr. Dunning placed in the hands of 



