﻿observe 
  that 
  the 
  cellar 
  is 
  very 
  dry. 
  I 
  believe 
  wine-merchauts 
  in 
  corking 
  wine 
  compress 
  

   the 
  cork 
  with 
  instruments, 
  which 
  leave 
  a 
  depression 
  in 
  the 
  cork, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  insect 
  

   seems 
  to 
  burrow 
  ; 
  in 
  some 
  wine 
  bottled 
  at 
  home, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  cork 
  was 
  only 
  immersed 
  

   in 
  wine 
  previous 
  to 
  driving 
  it, 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  less, 
  but 
  I 
  must 
  

   add 
  that 
  these 
  corks 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  description. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  employed 
  any 
  means 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  the 
  evil, 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  cork 
  level 
  with 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  bottle, 
  

   and 
  then 
  dipping 
  it 
  for 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  into 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  yellow 
  bees'-wax, 
  8 
  

   oz., 
  and 
  sweet 
  oil, 
  4 
  oz., 
  melted 
  together; 
  or 
  to 
  surround 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  cork 
  

   with 
  a 
  thin 
  coat 
  of 
  gutla 
  percha 
  ; 
  or, 
  after 
  the 
  bottle 
  has 
  been 
  corked, 
  to 
  immerse 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  in 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  alum 
  in 
  vinegar. 
  These 
  are 
  plans 
  which, 
  if 
  effectual, 
  would 
  

   not 
  injure 
  the 
  wine, 
  or 
  render 
  it 
  less 
  fit 
  for 
  drinking.'" 
  

  

  Some 
  members 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  mixture 
  of 
  resin 
  with 
  the 
  bees'-wax 
  would, 
  by 
  

   rendering 
  the 
  composition 
  harder, 
  prove 
  effectual 
  in 
  excluding 
  the 
  insect, 
  whatever 
  

   species 
  it 
  might 
  be, 
  its 
  eggs 
  or 
  larvas. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Bedell 
  intimated 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  in 
  progress 
  an 
  experiment 
  with 
  some 
  bottled 
  

   wine, 
  the 
  corks 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  thus 
  affected, 
  to 
  ascertain 
  with 
  certainty 
  the 
  kind 
  of 
  

   insect 
  causing 
  the 
  damage 
  ; 
  at 
  present 
  it 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  Lepido- 
  

   pterous 
  Gracillaria? 
  Vau-flava. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  called 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  insects 
  found 
  

   impaled 
  on 
  thorns, 
  stating 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Gould 
  had 
  informed 
  him, 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cimens 
  presented 
  by 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  Society 
  last 
  year, 
  his 
  opinion 
  was 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  

   placed 
  upon 
  the 
  thorns 
  by 
  shrikes, 
  as 
  was 
  generally 
  supposed, 
  because 
  those 
  birds 
  had 
  

   not 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  found 
  them 
  arrived 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  uninjured, 
  

   which 
  was 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  those 
  birds 
  had 
  so 
  placed 
  them 
  ; 
  more- 
  

   over, 
  he 
  afterwards 
  found 
  some 
  bees 
  transfixed 
  on 
  spines 
  of 
  furze 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Scot- 
  

   land, 
  where 
  shrikes 
  never 
  go. 
  No 
  doubt 
  shrikes 
  did 
  impale 
  insects, 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  one 
  

   of 
  their 
  characteristics 
  to 
  hang 
  up 
  their 
  food 
  before 
  eating 
  it, 
  whence 
  they 
  had 
  derived 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  "butcher-birds;" 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  practice 
  obtained 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  aberrant 
  

   shrikes 
  of 
  Australia, 
  but 
  then 
  they 
  left 
  only 
  fragments 
  of 
  their 
  prey. 
  He 
  believed 
  that 
  

   insects 
  were 
  blown 
  by 
  gusts 
  of 
  wind 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  thorns. 
  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  further 
  said 
  that 
  

   he 
  had 
  mentioned 
  the 
  subject 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Doubleday, 
  who 
  told 
  him 
  that 
  he 
  once 
  saw 
  a 
  

   Leucania 
  Comma 
  transfixed 
  by 
  a 
  spine 
  of 
  dry 
  furze, 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  garden- 
  

   wall 
  to 
  keep 
  away 
  cats. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  moth 
  was 
  toivards 
  the 
  spine, 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  

   arrested 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  its 
  flight 
  at 
  the 
  moment. 
  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  requested 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  to 
  bring 
  before 
  the 
  Society 
  any 
  instances 
  of 
  impaled 
  insects 
  that 
  might 
  come 
  un- 
  

   der 
  their 
  notice, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  observe 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  thorn. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Bond 
  was 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  shrikes 
  placed 
  bees 
  on 
  thorns, 
  even 
  in 
  cases 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  found 
  uninjured, 
  for 
  he 
  had 
  known 
  those 
  birds 
  to 
  hang 
  up 
  their 
  prey, 
  leave 
  

   it, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  return 
  and 
  eat 
  it. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  exhibited 
  a 
  bee, 
  recently 
  captured, 
  with 
  three 
  female 
  Stylops 
  in 
  the 
  

   abdomen. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  said 
  that 
  no 
  greater 
  number 
  than 
  three 
  had 
  hitherto 
  been 
  observed 
  

   in 
  a 
  bee, 
  but 
  Dr. 
  Burmeister, 
  who 
  had 
  just 
  returned 
  from 
  a 
  sojourn 
  of 
  eighteen 
  months 
  

   in 
  Brazil, 
  had 
  informed 
  him 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  there 
  seen 
  seven 
  Stylops 
  in 
  one 
  wasp. 
  The 
  

   President 
  added 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Burmeister 
  had 
  brought 
  with 
  him 
  a 
  large 
  store 
  of 
  insecis 
  

  

  C 
  

  

  